SERMON: Judges 19:1-30, When Sodom and Gomorrah Come to Town
…The world is going to “world.” And God judges the world. No need to be surprised or concerned about the wickedness in the world. The culture is trying to focus your worries on the world. And that’s a dangerous thing, because our concern, as Christians, is to be a clean and pure people in the church as God’s covenant people in Christ. In Christ, and through his death and resurrection, God has gone into the world, to save sinners out of the world, and create for himself a people unto himself, to be holy and distinct from the world and wholly like God. So Christians must strive to function as God’s holy nation, as Peter calls it, among the nations of the world, not to get caught up in the world. This message is not for America. It’s for the church.
We need to take seriously our own righteousness. And the righteousness in the church. Actual righteousness. Not a false appearance of righteousness. We need horror stories like Judges 19 to disturb any complacency with sin.
In short, here’s a simple 5-step practice.
- Know what God requires…
- Do what God requires…
- Confess when not doing what God requires…
- Help others do what God requires…
- Trust that God will keep you faithful to what he requires…
