Sermon 7-27-25

Pastor Ray Lorthioir

Trinity Lutheran Church

W. Hempstead, NY

Based on the First Lessons and Gospel Lesson for the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost. Genesis 18:17-33 and Luke 11:1-13

Engaged In The Outcome

Last week we saw three divine looking strangers approach Abraham’s encampment under the Oak Tree at Mamre. Ninety-nine year old Abraham ran — ran — to greet them. He invited them to stay a while and be refreshed. He then ran off to get an animal suitable for their meal. Ninety year old Sarah did her part to quickly prepare the meal. We saw that Yahweh spoke from among the strangers and told Abraham that by the time He came back the following year, Sarah would have a son. This made Sarah — barren throughout their marriage — laugh to herself. Yahweh picked up on the laugh and announced His power to Sarah and the world with a piercing question: “Is anything too hard for Yahweh?”

But there was a second reason for the visit of the three divine looking strangers. After they finished the meal and Yahweh made the promise of a son to Abraham, we read in Genesis 18:16-21, “16 Then the men set out from there, and they looked down toward Sodom. And Abraham went with them to set them on their way. 17 The LORD said, ‘Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, 18 seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19 For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice, so that the LORD may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.’ 20 Then the LORD said, ‘Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, 21 I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know.’”

It’s interesting that Yahweh spoke His mind out loud concerning Abraham. By doing so, He let all people of all time know His intention for Abraham. We’ve seen before in Deuteronomy 32 that when Yahweh judged humanity at the Tower of Babel and broke us up into nationalities by confusing our languages, He set the spiritual creatures that Scripture calls the “sons of God” over the nations. Yahweh took no nation as His own. We’ve also learned from Psalm 82 that the sons of God rebelled against Yahweh. Instead of leading the nations in worship of their Creator, they led the nations into the worship of themselves as false gods. Therefore, from the time of the dispersion of humanity across the face of the earth, all the nations rejected Yahweh and began to worship idols.

However, Yahweh reserved a people for Himself. We read in Deuteronomy 32:9, “But the LORD’S portion is his people, Jacob his allotted heritage.” Jacob was the grandson of Abraham and it’s from Jacob that the twelve tribes of Israel are descended. Therefore, out of all the nations, Yahweh called a people for Himself — all those descended from Abraham, from Isaac, his son, and Jacob, his grandson. Israel was chosen to keep the Lord’s ways. They were chosen to live in the righteousness of their Creator. They were chosen to live in justice with themselves and all other peoples.

Humanity’s Creator, Yahweh, is the only source of true justice and righteousness in all creation. For He is righteousness. He is justice. Therefore, He is to be glorified and praised by us for who He is. And Yahweh codified for us all His justice and righteousness through the Law He gave to Moses and the Prophets; and through the interpretation of the Law made by Jesus and finally by Jesus’ Apostles.

However, the problem with all humanity since Adam’s Original Sin is that we are lawbreakers. The reason is that we no longer have the full righteous Image of God. If we did, we always would be in perfect harmony with Yahweh’s justice and righteousness. It would just flow naturally from within us. There would be no doubting Yahweh, no atheism, no ignoring Yahweh, no false religions, no crime, no arguments, no passions leading to evil, no rebellion against Yahweh’s plan for our sexuality, no war, no strife and no rebellion against Yahweh.

But that’s not the case. Original Sin gave us all a sinful nature. We’re all sinners. The judgment against us of physical death tells us that. And Scripture also tells us that. Even if we do right by the people around us far better than anyone else, we’re still out of step with Yahweh Himself. Thus, because of Original Sin and the sinful nature it imposes on us, it’s impossible for anyone to get back in step with Yahweh on their own. His righteousness and justice just escapes us.

This is why Jesus Christ was sent. He came to make the impossible possible. With His suffering and death, Jesus fully paid the penalty for our Original Sin and all our personal sins. Therefore, all those who are in Jesus — both Jew and Gentile — have a wonderful eternity to look forward to. Original Sin and the sinful nature will no longer have sway over those in Messiah Jesus. On the day of resurrection, all those who died in Messiah Jesus will be restored to the full Image of God with all the benefits.

However, in this life all we humans fail when measured against Yahweh’s justice and righteousness. And because we all fail, we are all subject to the punishments clearly announced in Yahweh’s Law. Yahweh’s righteous judgments and wrath are what is due to all of us.

Now, our experience on this earth shows that Yahweh frequently delays His judgments and punishments. We’re told in Romans chapters 2 and 3 that Yahweh does this to give all humans time to repent, seek Him and find redemption in Him. Therefore, wherever evil takes root, Yahweh allows it to flourish for a time — sometimes even for hundreds of years. This was the case with Sodom and Gomorrah. Their false gods had led them into the practice of homosexuality and bi-sexuality. But both these sexual sins are contrary to Yahweh’s purpose in creation.

In a question about divorce, Jesus noted in reply that divorce is permitted in the Law of Moses because of our hardness of heart. Then He went on to say in Mark 10:6-9. “6 But from the beginning of creation, “God made them male and female.” 7 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, 8 and the two shall become one flesh.” So they are no longer two but one flesh. 9 What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.’”

Here Jesus quoted from Genesis 1:26-27 and Genesis 2:24. He rightly pointed out that these two chapters tell us what Yahweh’s original intention for human sexuality was before Adam broke fellowship with Yahweh through Original Sin. Original Sin occurs in Genesis chapter 3. 

So, Yahweh’s original plan was for human sexuality to be expressed solely between a righteous human male and a righteous human female in holy matrimony. Polygamy, polyandry, homosexuality, bi-sexuality, adultery, fornication, incest, lust, pornography and all other sexual sins find no place in Yahweh’s original intention for us. That’s why much sexual sin is punishable by death in Yahweh’s Law. That’s how serious Yahweh is about the human sexuality He created.

Now, in Abraham’s time the Law of Moses had not yet been given. However, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand that there’s something off about homosexual behavior. and that it shouldn’t be practiced. Additionally, the very unease and disgust that this practice produces in many hearts is evidence of the remainder of the Image of God within us. However, like all sin, when homosexuality is accepted and promoted in a community, the abnormal becomes normal after a while. Subsequent generations are seduced and taught to indulge in it without any qualms of conscience. Apparently, this is what had happened in Sodom and Gomorrah.

There’s one other factor that fed into the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah — namely Idolatry. The disobedient sons of God deceived all the nations into worshipping idols. We know that sinful practices of human sexuality were included in the religions that worshipped idols. Indeed, we read in Genesis 13:13, “Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the LORD.” — Against Yahweh. They were sinners against Yahweh because they worshipped idols and practiced the deliberate sexual sins that were incorporated into the worship of their false gods.

Now when Yahweh made it clear to Abraham that His patience with Sodom and Gomorrah was finished, and that He was about to go to these communities and bring judgment down upon them, Abraham had a reason to intercede with Yahweh. It was his nephew, Lot. For, when Abraham had come as a nomad into the Promised Land, Lot had come with him. In time both Abraham and Lot prospered and their flocks became too big to be pastured together. This led to conflict between Abraham’s herders and Lot’s herders. Thus, we read in Genesis 13:8-11, “8 Then Abram said to Lot, ‘Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen. 9 Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left.” 10 And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11 So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other.” This means that Lot and his family went to the area around Sodom and Gomorrah. As it turned out, they lived in Sodom. Therefore, when Yahweh made it known to Abraham that judgment would fall on these communities, Abraham had a real reason to intercede with Yahweh in prayer — namely, Lot and his family.

Now, we’ve already read in Genesis 18:20-21 that Yahweh said that He would go down to Sodom and Gomorrah to see if things were as bad as the outcry coming to Him. However, we read in Genesis 18:22, “So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the LORD.” It doesn’t say how many of the three divine looking men who had appeared in Abraham’s camp departed for Sodom. Even if it was all three, Yahweh was still there when the men departed. Yahweh said He would go down. But it was these divine-looking men who went down, and Yahweh remained to talk with Abraham. There are things about up, close personal appearances of Yahweh in the Old Testament that defy easy explanation.

Continuing, we read in Genesis 18:23-25, “23 Then Abraham drew near and said, ‘Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?’”

With these words, Abraham was certainly being bold before the Lord. However, by telling Abraham what He was going to do, Yahweh had invited Abraham to be bold and participate in the final outcome of His judgment against Sodom and Gomorrah. No doubt, this was because of Lot.

Lot was a righteous man in that he was a Yahweh worshipper. He was living in the midst of idolaters, but Lot and his family had held fast to the worship of Yahweh. Lot’s righteousness is confirmed in the New Testament. For, Peter writes in 2Peter 2:7-10, “7. . . if he [Yahweh] rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked 8 (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); 9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, 10 and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority.” This means that by telling Abraham what He was going to do to Sodom, Yahweh invited Abraham to participate in Lot’s rescue.

Now, we don’t have to go through the bartering Abraham did with Yahweh to get Yahweh down to ten righteous people. For, as it was, ten righteous people couldn’t be found. As a result, Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by a disaster from heaven. However, righteous Lot, his wife and daughters made it out of Sodom before the place was destroyed.  Unfortunately, Lot’s wife disobeyed the explicit instructions given by angels and looked back at the destruction. Her foolishness cost her her life. But that’s another matter. Yahweh did not destroy the righteous with the wicked as per Abraham’s prayer.

So, what do we learn here? Yahweh permits all those He has called to Himself by grace, through faith to participate in the shaping of events on this earth. He does so by permitting us to petition Him and to intercede for others in prayer. For, prayer is what Abraham was doing in the whole barter thing. Yahweh was going to rescue Lot anyway. But through prayer, Yahweh engaged Abraham in Lot’s rescue. And that’s the strange nature of prayer. Yahweh has us pray for what He wants to do.

This is also confirmed by today’s Gospel lesson. Take a closer look at the petitions of the Lord’s Prayer. Does Yahweh want us to approach Him as our Father? Does He want us to hallow His Name? Does He want His Kingdom to come on earth? Does He want His will to be done on earth? Does He want to give us our daily bread — meaning everything we need for this life? Does He want to forgive our sins through the atoning work of Messiah Jesus? Does He want us to forgive others as we have been forgiven? Does Yahweh want to protect us from temptation? Does He want to deliver us from all evil? Yes. Yes. And Yes. Therefore, do you see that every time we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we’re asking Yahweh to do what He already wants to do? Do you see how we’ve been given permission to shape not only the outcome of our own lives but the outcome of the world by praying for what Yahweh wants to do anyway? For this reason, Christians should take prayer quite seriously. Yahweh permits us to engage in the outcome of the situations we pray for. This is most important.

Before we close, there’s another interesting feature of prayer that the Lord’s Prayer reveals to us. First, where did the prayer come from? Jesus gave it to His disciples. Therefore, the Lord’s Prayer was given to us by Yahweh Himself. We can say, then, that the Lord’s Prayer came down out of heaven. Second, when we pray the Lord’s Prayer, who hears and responds to the petitions of that prayer? Is it not Yahweh? So, the very prayer that came down from heaven gets prayed by us and ascends back up to heaven in a strange pattern shaped like a capital letter U.

I first noticed this pattern when I made a study of prayer in the Spirit, also known as Tongues. Acts chapter 2 and 1Corinthians 12 tell us that Lord Holy Spirit is the source of the unknown languages prayed by those who properly exercise this spiritual gift. But 1Corinthians 14:2 tells us that such prayer has an audience of exactly one — Yahweh Himself. Yahweh alone understands it. The only exception is when Yahweh means there to be interpretation of the prayer in the native language of those present when a Tongue is prayed in a public setting. However, when prayed normally, in private, prayer in the Spirit has that peculiar U shaped function. It comes down from heaven by the Spirit to a human being. It is prayed by the human and returns to heaven to the ears of the Father.

As for prayer in English, I’ve found that the best way to pray is in accord with a verse from Scripture. For then, we can be assured that the prayer has come down from heaven to us. We can also be confident that Yahweh will hear the prayer He has given us to pray in that U shaped pattern.

In conclusion, the Lord will not make a great nation of any of us like He did with Abraham. However, by the Word of God, the power of Lord Holy Spirit and our baptism into Messiah Jesus — a descendant of Abraham — we have been made part of Yahweh’s great nation, His own portion. Therefore, since we will fully exercise Yahweh’s righteousness and justice in the age to come through the restoration of the Image of God by the Lamb of God, let us seek to pray in that U shaped way so that we might begin to exercise Yahweh’s righteousness and justice on this earth. May the Lord give us the prayers that will accomplish His will and enable His Kingdom to come — even here on earth, as certainly as it is in heaven. Amen.

All Bible quotes are from the ESV.