Sodom & Gomorrah

The Scriptures clearly teach that one day God will judge the world and eradicate all evil, once and for all. In this message titled, Sodom and Gomorrah, we see a preview of God's final judgment and four possible responses. The first three teach us how not to respond, and the final teaches us the only way to respond. Which one is yours?

► Genesis 19:1–29 ESV
The two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed himself with his face to the earth 2 and said, “My lords, please turn aside to your servant’s house and spend the night and wash your feet. Then you may rise up early and go on your way.” They said, “No; we will spend the night in the town square.” 3 But he pressed them strongly; so they turned aside to him and entered his house. And he made them a feast and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. 

4 But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house. 5 And they called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them.” 6 Lot went out to the men at the entrance, shut the door after him, 7 and said, “I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly. 8 Behold, I have two daughters who have not known any man. Let me bring them out to you, and do to them as you please. Only do nothing to these men, for they have come under the shelter of my roof.” 9 But they said, “Stand back!” And they said, “This fellow came to sojourn, and he has become the judge! Now we will deal worse with you than with them.” Then they pressed hard against the man Lot, and drew near to break the door down. 10 But the men reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them and shut the door. 11 And they struck with blindness the men who were at the entrance of the house, both small and great, so that they wore themselves out groping for the door. 

12 Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone you have in the city, bring them out of the place. 13 For we are about to destroy this place, because the outcry against its people has become great before the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it.” 14 So Lot went out and said to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, “Up! Get out of this place, for the Lord is about to destroy the city.” But he seemed to his sons-in-law to be jesting. 

15 As morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be swept away in the punishment of the city.” 16 But he lingered. So the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. 17 And as they brought them out, one said, “Escape for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Escape to the hills, lest you be swept away.” 18 And Lot said to them, “Oh, no, my lords. 19 Behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have shown me great kindness in saving my life. But I cannot escape to the hills, lest the disaster overtake me and I die. 20 Behold, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one. Let me escape there—is it not a little one?—and my life will be saved!” 21 He said to him, “Behold, I grant you this favor also, that I will not overthrow the city of which you have spoken. 22 Escape there quickly, for I can do nothing till you arrive there.” Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar. 

23 The sun had risen on the earth when Lot came to Zoar. 24 Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the Lord out of heaven. 25 And he overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. 26 But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. 

27 And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the Lord. 28 And he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land of the valley, and he looked and, behold, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace. 

29 So it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the valley, God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow when he overthrew the cities in which Lot had lived.

Discussion Questions

1. What were some of the highlights and lowlights of your week? Everyone needs to get a chance to answer!
2. When you think of God’s coming judgment against evil, what feelings, thoughts, or questions are provoked within you?
3. The men of Sodom, who fall into the evildoer category, don’t turn away from their sin when Lot challenges them, but rather seek to defend and justify themselves, saying that Lot has no right to judge them! What are some ways students defend their sinful choices whether it’s lying, cheating, stealing, disobeying parents, sexual sin, etc.?
4. The sons-in-law don’t take Lot seriously, but laugh at him, falling into the jokester category. How about you? Are you ever tempted to just ignore or avoid all the heavy talk about judgment, so you can keep things light, easy, fun? What’s the danger in doing so?
5. In America, we can be obsessed with stuff–shoes, clothes, money, cars, make-up, trucks, guns, homes, food–we love it all. With so much focus on what we own, how do we avoid prioritizing our stuff over God like Lot’s wife did?
6. Lot shows us that God saves us not because of our good character or works. How does it make you feel that God saved Lot, even though he seemed so unworthy?

RISEN is a ministry of the Sheboygan eFree Church for students in grades 6 - 12 that aims to transform lives by proclaiming the resurrected Jesus Christ in all of His grace and glory.

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