Sermon Tone Analysis

Intro: We live in a corrupt culture

Pop quiz!

Only once in the whole Bible is a geographic location described as being like the garden of Eden.

Where is it?

There are references that use the garden as an illustration of blessing (Is 51), prosperity (Eze 31), or restoration (Rev 21), but only once is there a direct, physical comparison.

It occurs in Gen 13:10, when the narrator describes how Lot responded when Abraham suggested that they part ways to resolve a conflict between their herdsmen.

“Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the valley of the Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere⁠—this was before Yahweh destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah⁠—like the garden of Yahweh, like the land of Egypt as you go to Zoar.”

However, in the midst of their abundant opulence and despite the apparent beauty in Sodom, God still sent his prophet to rebuke them and we know he destroyed them:

Eze 16:49-50, “Behold, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had lofty pride, abundant food, and quiet ease, but she did not strengthen the hand of the afflicted and needy.

50 Then they were haughty and committed abominations before Me.

So I removed them when I saw it.”

I believe that we are living in a similar culture of lofty pride, abundant food, and quiet ease.

The rich are getting richer while the poor are becoming afflicted and needy.

Men and women alike are growing bold and confident as they multiply their abominations and advance their selfish agendas in the government and popular media.

In the providence of God, both Jacob and Jack have addressed the dangers of sexual immorality and homosexuality these last two weeks.

This lesson is something of a third installment in that series.

Perhaps as you’ve listened, your flesh has tempted you to pray like a Pharisee, “God, I thank you that I am not like other people: homosexuals, lesbians, polygamists, or even like these transgenders.

I go to church twice a week; I setup my giving on autopay.”

Consider, though, that God only paid attention to the sinner who was contrite and lowly.

I hope that through our text this morning, God will bring about conviction and repentance in your heart, that you leave understanding what God expects of you in your home and why it matters in our culture today.

Let’s pray, and then we will read a section from Gen 18.

We will spend our time this morning looking at verse 19 in particular.

Gen 18:16-21, “Then the men rose up from there and looked down toward Sodom; and Abraham was walking with them to send them off.

17 Now Yahweh said, ‘Shall I conceal from Abraham what I am about to do, 18 since Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and in him all the nations of the earth will be blessed?

19 For I have known him, so that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of Yahweh to do righteousness and justice, so that Yahweh may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken about him.’

20 So Yahweh said, ‘The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave.

21 I will go down now and see whether they have done entirely according to its outcry, which has come to Me; and if not, I will know.’”

Notice verse 19 again, the part that we will study this morning.

Yahweh says (almost talking to himself), “For I have known him, so that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of Yahweh to do righteousness and justice, so that Yahweh may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken about him.”

Here we gain some insight into the mind of God—we learn a little bit about what he is looking for when he is preparing to judge a wicked society that has rejected his standards for morality.

We will break this down into three sections: 1) remember that Yahweh has known you, 2) command your children and household after you, and 3) recognize the importance of this responsibility.

Be prepared.

There will be some very direct points for you to consider, and I have spent many hours laboring in my own conviction and repentance here.

Remember that Yahweh has known you

We will start by considering the significance of the opening clause, “For I have known him.”

We can easily see that this is Yahweh speaking about Abraham, but it is a little harder to pin down the meaning of the verb “to know” in this context (where it is often translated as “chosen” instead).

This verb typically refers to simple awareness, though it can also be used as a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

It is very flexible and has a range of about 10 related meanings in Hebrew lexicons.

Thankfully, there are a couple other texts in the Hebrew Bible that use this word in a similar way, with Yahweh as the subject.

They indicate two major implications.

Yahweh knowing Abraham...

1) Demonstrates Privilege

Not too long ago in Genesis, Yahweh established what we call the Abrahamic Covenant.

In 2 Sam 7, he established the Davidic Covenant, where he promised David a house and a kingdom for him where his throne would last forever.

Hearing this news, David sits in amazement before God to worship and give thanks, quite aware of his unworthiness.

In verse 20, he interrupts his praise and thanksgiving to wonder aloud, “And again what more can David say to You?

And You know Your slave, O Lord Yahweh!”

He is just blown away by the fact that the Lord Yahweh had determined to know him—it made him feel like a tiny nobody.

He knew, like Abraham, that he did not deserve the privilege he had been given.

2) Increases Accountability

As Uncle Ben says, though, with great power (or privilege) comes great responsibility.

God held the nation of Israel accountable for the blessing they inherited in Abraham:

Amos 3:1-2, “Hear this word which Yahweh has spoken against you, sons of Israel, against the entire family which He brought up from the land of Egypt, saying, 2 ‘You only have I known among all the families of the earth; Therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.’”

The reference to exclusivity (“you only among all the families of the earth”) is the reason why many Bibles translate the verb “to know” in verse 19 as “choose.”

It implies exlusivity.

However, Yahweh’s conclusion at the end is stark: “Therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.”

He holds the Israelites accountable for their great privileges.

3) Applies to Us

Considering these things, we might remember that God has given us great privileges too:

1 Pet 2:9-12a, “But you are a chosen family, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul, 12 by keeping your conduct excellent among the Gentiles”

Notice how this passage nicely ties together our spiritual privileges with our resulting accountability to abstain from fleshly lusts.

By faith, we are blessed with Abraham, the believer, as children of righteousness, and we enjoy the intimacy of God as our heavenly father.

We read elsewhere:

1 Cor 8:2-3, “if anyone loves God, he has been known by Him.”

This should be a great comfort to us—our love for God and our obedience to God is only possible because he has already known us.

So it is with God’s expectations in Gen 18:19; he had already given Abraham everything necessary for life and godliness.

Therefore, the implication of God knowing us is that we must conduct ourselves carefully in holiness.

Furthermore, we cannot make excuses.

We will be held accountable.

If we go to war, our commander will not care about our childhood—he will know us as a man and expect us to fight.

Similarly, we are at war spiritually and what follows here is serious business.

It is time for us to step up in our homes and play the man.

Specifically, if you are a father or head of a household who loves God and has been known by God, who is privileged and accountable, but who is still making excuses for your behavior because of problems in your childhood or with your father, then you do not just have daddy issues, you are one!

You have become a stumbling block for your entire household.

Now it is time for you to man up and take responsibility for your own sins, to confess them and come to Jesus to be cleansed from all unrighteousness.

He will make you whole.

With that foundation laid for our text, let us consider what it is that we are accountable before God to do with the privilege that he knows us.

Command your children and household after you

Let’s return to our text and consider the next two clauses, which are the real meat, the steak and potatoes in this verse.

Let me read this piece, “For I have known him, so that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of Yahweh to do righteousness and justice.”

First, I want to quickly crunch through some observations about each of the phrases that are involved.

Then, once we have a good handle on the main ideas, I want to zoom out and consider the meaning of these clauses in light of the behavior we see demonstrated in the lives of Abraham and Lot while God brings judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah.

1) Understand the scope of your responsibility

We need to understand the scope of our responsibility, what it is that we are accountable before God to do as we follow Abraham’s example.

Just like analyzing the scope of a contract at work, we need to be careful and precise here to ensure that our expectations for future behavior are properly aligned.

So that - here we see that what follows is the reason why God knew Abraham, to bring this about

He may command his children and his household - this is so important; despite popular opinion, it is not only right but also a God-given responsibility for men to lead in the home.

Unfortunately, our culture just pretends that children are innocent instead of immature, and that grown men are too privileged.

This fails to account for total depravity, though, and the inherent foolishness of children.

As Voddie Baucham is known to say, “Children are vipers in diapers,” and they must learn to obey and submit to authority.

Furthermore, we need to keep in mind that our western concept of a household is pretty anemic; contextually, this passage is referring also to your wife, extended family, servants, and slaves.

After him - this is so important.

We need to be leading by example in our homes.

If we fail, we need to confess our sin to our family, and then work diligently to make up for lost time.

A word of caution, though: be careful that you raise the bar slowly and steadily.

If we’re constantly swinging from extreme diligence to surprising failure, we will inoculate them and find it increasingly hard to earn their trust.

Be faithful in little before you attempt much.

That they keep the way of Yahweh - this is not the content of the command; instead, it is the result of the command.

It is your responsibility to determine the commands you will give to your children and household, but they should all be oriented toward producing this result.