Abraham Intercedes for Sodom

Abraham Intercedes for Sodom

26 October, 2025

Thesis: Like Abraham, believers must intercede for the lost and point them to Jesus Christ, the greater intercessor in heaven.

Summary: The sermon introduces the topic of intercession, focusing on Abraham's plea for Sodom in Genesis 18. It defines intercession as appealing to God on behalf of others and highlights Abraham's greatness through his faith and leadership in his family. The speaker explains that Sodom's sins led to a divine outcry, necessitating judgment, and Abraham's subsequent bold intercession involved bargaining with God for the city's preservation based on the presence of righteous individuals. Listeners are encouraged to identify their spheres of influence and specific individuals for whom to intercede through prayer and evangelism. Ultimately, the sermon concludes that God's justice and mercy are reconciled through Jesus Christ, who serves as the ultimate intercessor, having both pleaded for and paid the price for humanity's salvation.

Sermon

All right, well, good morning, everyone. I praise God that we have a great high priest who lives to intercede for us. I praise God that He is the one who died, but He is the risen Son of God. And because He is alive and intercedes, we have life everlasting.

This morning, we’re diving into a powerful story that reveals the heart of intercession. This story isn’t just historical—it’s a divine blueprint for how we, too, can intercede on behalf of others, just as Abraham did for Sodom. Our text is Genesis 18, and we’ll be examining verses 16 through 33.

Once again, thank you so much for being here. And if you're visiting with us, I pray you feel welcome and loved and wanted because you are. We praise God for you. And thank you all for being faithful to come to worship the Lord in His house.

Genesis 18. Let's look in verse 16. The Bible says, Then the men rose up from there and looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them on the way. And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing? Since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him. For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him. And the Lord said, Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and their sin is indeed very grave, I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me. And if not, I will know.

Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Father, we thank You for another chance to be here in Your house. Lord, we thank You that we can pray together, that we can praise Your name together. And Lord, I thank You for the chance to study Your word together. Lord, I humble myself right now. I recognize, Lord, that this is Your work, a work too great for me. Lord, I can do nothing on my own. Without You, we can do nothing. Lord, we are 100% reliant on the Holy Spirit to take and use my lips, Lord, to speak Your word.

Father, I pray that You would forgive us of all our sins and remove our transgressions. May we listen with humble hearts. May the seed of the word be planted and bear fruit this morning. Lord, may we learn what it means to intercede and pray for the lost and those who are perishing. Lord, we pray that You would shake us out of our complacency right now. May Your word burn within us. May we have a passion for the name of Jesus to be known, so that You may be glorified. Lord, we pray that we would have a burning desire to see the lost saved, and that we would learn from the life of Abraham what it means to pray and intercede for those who are lost. Lord, we pray if anyone is lost this morning that You would bring them conviction, draw them to Yourself. Grant them saving faith that they may believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ and call upon His name and be saved this morning. May Your name be magnified in this church. May You have Your will and way in every heart and life that is gathered here, in Jesus' name. Amen.

So I'm going to give you an illustration this morning. Imagine there are two cliffs separated by a deep canyon. On one side, a holy God; on the other, sinful humanity. This gulf is so vast and so deep that no one can cross.

Now, reconciliation, that's a big Bible word, right? Reconciliation means to be reconciled. And that is when someone builds a bridge across that gap—bridging the gap between one side and the other, a holy God and sinful man.

Now, what created that rift between the two sides? Something called sin. We were made in the image of God. We were made to have perfect fellowship with God. But in the Garden of Eden, what happened? They rebelled. Then they lost fellowship with God. And the canyon of separation between God and humanity has grown wider and deeper. It's been widening ever since, and it gets ever wider and ever deeper. So we need someone to build a bridge. We need someone to reconcile both parties. That's reconciliation: the act of building the bridge.

But intercession is when someone stands upon that bridge, and he begins to plead before God on behalf of the sinners on the other side. Now, intercession, that's a churchy word as well, right? So what does it mean when we intercede for someone? Well, the word in the Greek literally means to meet with or to fall in with someone. And it carries the idea of coming between two parties and bringing one person's need to another who has the power to help. That is the heart of intercession. It is meeting with God on behalf of someone else, bringing their desperate need before the One who can save them. And that is exactly what Abraham does here in chapter 18. He steps onto that bridge between heaven and earth, between God's holiness and Sodom's sinfulness. He doesn't defend their wickedness. He doesn't condone their sin, but neither does he stand aloof or far off. He gets involved, and he begins to plead and intercede with God for mercy. And later on, he will ask the question, will not the judge of all the earth do right?

Envision a courtroom scene where justice is about to be served, the air thick with the weight of judgment. The judge, unyielding in His righteousness, holds the scales of truth. The verdict is clear, the sentence inevitable—until a voice rises from the defense, bold and unflinching: "I'll take their place." That is the raw, unvarnished power of intercession. It is the moment when someone steps into the gap between divine justice and human frailty, pleading not for the guilty to escape consequence, but for mercy to temper judgment. Abraham, the patriarch, becomes a champion of grace before the throne of God. He does not shield the wicked from their sin, but he appeals to the heart of the Almighty—His compassion, His power, His promises. Intercession, in essence, is this: standing before God on behalf of others, not to rewrite justice, but to remind Him of the mercy He has already chosen to extend. It is the act of bringing desperate pleas to the One who holds the keys to salvation.

Now, Abraham reveals the heart of a humble intercessor. He’s deeply moved by the plight of others, yet trusts in God’s justice, and he carries that burden with unwavering confidence in God’s mercy. Abraham will make intercession for the Sodomites. So when we’re looking here in Genesis 18, we’re not just listening to Abraham pray—we’re stepping into the very moment where God walks among His people, where Abraham’s hospitality and faith intersect with divine revelation. We’re invited to learn what it means to personally stand on that bridge, to stand in the gap between God and man, to intercede with the weight of compassion and the assurance of God’s covenantal faithfulness.

Now, to set the context, if you remember from the first part of chapter 18, God came to visit His friend Abraham. What did God do? He partook in a feast—Abraham prepared bread, curds, and a calf, serving them with great hospitality. Abraham waited on Him hand and foot, giving God his first and his best. He ministered to the Lord and then to his family. Remember, God once again said, “I will give you a son,” and Abraham replied, “By this time next year, that promised son will be born.” And remember Sarah—she laughed within herself. I’m 89 years old. My husband is 99. How can this ever come to pass? And God said, “Why did you laugh?” I didn’t laugh. And God said, “Yes, you did. You laughed within yourself.” Remember, God knows our thoughts, and He says this child is to be named Isaac. Anybody remember? Isaac means laughter, right? Because He’s going to bring joy into the life of Abraham and Sarah. And He’s also going to be the conduit through which the blessings of the covenant will flow. This experience of God’s faithfulness in the face of impossibility—Sarah’s laughter, the promise of Isaac—shapes Abraham’s heart, preparing him to stand as an intercessor, trusting God’s power to transform even the most impossible situations.

Now, Abraham and Sarah have learned to trust God's faithfulness in an impossible situation. With his faith now firmly rooted in God's faithfulness, Abraham is uniquely positioned to intercede on behalf of others. See, once we've experienced God's faithfulness in our own lives, it fuels our ability to pray for others, doesn't it? This deepened relationship with God not only strengthens Abraham's own faith but also equips him to act as a bridge between God's promises and the needs of others. So we understand that God is faithful—He hears our prayers, keeps His promises, and calls us to stand in that same faithfulness as intercessors for those who are lost.

So here's my main point: like Abraham, we must intercede for the lost and point them to the greater intercessor in heaven. Just as Abraham did, in doing so, we align ourselves with the Lord's confidence as seen in verses 16 through 19.

Let's look at our first point: the Lord's confidence in verses 16 through 19. The men who rose up from there faced Sodom. The meal was over, and the men stood up. The two angels who accompanied God during His visit to His friend were about to descend to Sodom.

Now, after spending time with His friend, God gives him another reason for His visit. He is assessing the sins of the wicked city of Sodom. Notice before God brings judgment, what does He do? He weighs the wickedness of its citizens. Why? So that God's justice and righteousness may be upheld, His judgment upon Sodom, as we'll explore next week. It's not arbitrary. It is measured. It is just. It is right. But before He moves in judgment, He will inform His friend Abraham of His plan.

Notice God asked, shall I hide from Abraham what I'm about to do? Seeing that Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation and all the nations, all the earth will be blessed in him, for I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord to do righteousness and justice. Notice God reveals His plan to Abraham because He knows Abraham will become a great man. But what makes Abraham great? Let me ask you this morning. What makes him great? Is it his wealth? No, it's his faith—his faith in God. It's not comparable to social status as a sheik in the Middle East. It's not his accomplishments. Abraham is great because he is known by God. But what truly sets Abraham apart is not his wealth, his accomplishments, or his social standing. It's the fact that he is known by God.

Notice God says, I know him. That means I know him personally and intimately. I am a friend with Abraham. Remember, Abraham is the only person in the Old Testament to have that title, the friend of God. Friends, we are great because we are known and loved by God. That is the measure of greatness—the true measure of success. It's not what kind of job you have or what vehicle you drive or what neighborhood you live in or who you're related to. It's the fact that you are known by the God who spoke the universe into existence and that you know Him, because without Him, you can have everything, but you have nothing. True greatness lies in the fact that you are known by God and that you know God personally.

But also, there's a second element to his greatness. He knows that he will lead his family well. He knows that he will train his children to obey the commands of the Lord. You might want to write this verse down. This is very cool. Psalm 25:14. The Bible says, the secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him. He will show them His covenant. Psalm 25:14. In other words, God shares His heart with those who walk closely with Him. God is going to confide in His friend Abraham, not asking him for advice, but just sharing His plan, sharing His heart. There is something so precious, a precious, intimate relationship that believers have who spend time in the secret place with God in prayer, who view God not as some distant deity but as their Father and as their friend. God shares His secrets with them. In other words, He reveals Himself to them in a special, intimate way. And just like God confided in His friend Abraham, Jesus declares to His disciples in John 15:14-15, you are my friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, I call you friends. Even though Abraham is the only person in the Old Testament to be called the friend of God, we New Testament believers, we are all invited into that intimate friendship and to enjoy time in the secret place with God. He calls us His friends. Why? Because everything that He's heard from the Father, He tells us. This intimacy with God is not just personal—it’s foundational for leading the next generation. God entrusts His truth to those who will pass it on faithfully, just as He revealed His plans to Abraham and His heart to His disciples. This is why we are called to disciple our children, to teach them God's Word, and to model a life of prayer and obedience. The same God who shared His secrets with Abraham and Jesus now invites us to be His partners in shaping the next generation.

So here's our application for this part of the text. It's talking about leading the next generation. And God places His confidence in those who will faithfully pass on His truth to the next generation. That's part of our job as intercessors, right? It's praying for our children, but it's also actively discipling them so that they too will become intercessors for the next generation. We must not delay this responsibility, for the future of God's kingdom depends on raising up a generation that knows His voice and carries His truth forward with courage and faithfulness.

So I want to ask you, fathers, let's make it personal. Are you commanding your children? That is, are you leading them, instructing them, discipling them in the ways of the Lord? And that's not just bringing them to church. Praise God. Bring them to church, all right? Be faithful. But also be faithful in your own home. Read the Scriptures with your children every day. Pray with them every day. Model righteousness before them every day. So when's the last time that you opened up your Bibles and read with your children? When's the last time you prayed with them? When's the last time you repented before them and asked for forgiveness? When's the last time you put the Gospel on display before your children? Because that is the measure of a man. It's not about how strong you are or how much money you make. It's about being a godly leader of your home. Abraham was great because he was known by God and because he led his family.

I want to ask you also, mothers, are you raising your children in the training and admonition of the Lord? Are you nurturing them in godliness? Are you saturating their minds with the Word of God? Are you putting that gentleness and that godly elegance on display? Collectively, as parents, are we doing our job to raise our children in the ways of the Lord? Or are we letting the school systems or screen time raise our children? That is our sacred duty. No one else will bear that responsibility. This is not a suggestion—it is a command. The Lord has entrusted us with the most important task in life: shaping the next generation in His image. We cannot delegate this to the world. We cannot outsource this to the media or the classroom. This is our calling, our privilege, our burden. If we fail, the consequences are eternal. If we rise to this, the glory belongs to God. This is our job. This is no one else's.

I want to ask us as a church, are we faithfully discipling the next generation? Are we outsourcing our responsibilities to the schools or to our neighborhood? That's our responsibility: to disciple these young believers. Paul told Timothy, the things which you have heard among many witnesses, commit these things to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Already in the book of Timothy, we have four generations of believers. Four generations. One generation teaches the next generation, and that generation teaches the next generation. How do we do that? Well, we disciple our children. Christianity is not just some abstract principle. It's not something we just say we believe. No, we live the gospel out at home. We read the word with them. We live the word with them. We sing the word with them. We raise them up in a community of believers. We teach them what it means to pray. We teach them what it means to share the gospel. We show them what faithfulness to God's house looks like. We show them how to prioritize spiritual, eternal things. But it requires intentionality. We don't outsource that.

And that takes being intentional, because it's easy, isn't it? It's easy to fall into the trap of saying, "Go in your room and turn on the TV." No—be involved. Be in your children's business, or your grandchildren's business. Show up to events and engage in conversations about what matters to them. It's not about you. It's not about me. Love them. Have meaningful conversations with them. Spend quality time with them. They are not distractions from the more important work—they are the most important work, friends. So I want to see us as a body of believers love our young people and praise God for our new youth pastor. Praise God, keep bringing them in, but that is not just his job, okay? That's our job as parents. That is a supplement to what we are to already be doing at home. So teach them, love them, train them.

That is the measure of greatness in God's eyes. It's not our resume. It's not our earning potential. It's the fact that we are actively leading others to love and treasure the things of God. So what's a concrete step this morning that we can take to do that? Well, we can do that by scheduling the time this week. Maybe put it in your phone or on your calendar to have a real spiritual conversation with your child. Fathers, I want to encourage you to read the Scriptures with your children and pray with them before they lay down tonight. That's what we do at home. And they begin to ask for it. And if you forget, they'll remind you—"You need to read the Bible with me." Man, that blesses me. Because I am instilling in them something of eternal, inestimable value. And maybe this morning, if you're a more mature believer, find some new converts in this congregation. They're here. Take them under your wing. Love on them. Schedule a coffee date with them. Read the Bible together. Invite them into your home. Be invested in their lives.

Point number two, we see Sodom's cry. Verse 20 and 21, the Lord says, "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great because their sin is very grave." God says, "I will come down and see whether they've done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me. And if not, I will know." Just as God responds to the cries of the lost, we are called to intercede for them and point them to Jesus Christ. The same God who hears the cries of the wicked now calls His people to rise up, to plead for the lost, and to lead them to the only One who can save them. This is not a passive act—it’s a battle cry for the kingdom. The cry of Sodom is a warning, but our cry must be a call to action. God is not distant; He is near, and He is waiting for us to join Him in rescuing those who are perishing.

Remember Genesis 4:10. When Cain killed Abel, Abel's blood did what? Cried out from the ground. Remember in Genesis 11:4? God once again came down, where? To the Tower of Babel, because their sins had ascended into heaven. And now, once again, the cry of the wicked city of Sodom, the cry of their sins has reached the ears of the Lord. And once again, God comes down to investigate. Now, by the way, this doesn't mean that God doesn't know, or God doesn't see or hear in heaven. God's investigation is a demonstration of His justice. He is portrayed as saying, "I will come down, I will see for Myself." In other words, He is weighing their sins against them, so that His judgment is just and right.

But friends, that's the reality of sin's consequences, isn't it? Numbers 32:23, be sure your sin will find you out. It's not the fact that God comes looking for you. It's the fact that your own sin cries out against you, crying out to the justice of the Judge of all the earth. It is calling for things to be made right. Leviticus 18:25 tells us that when the land is defiled, the land itself will vomit its citizens or its inhabitants out of the land. Think of all the blood. Think of all the blood of all the millions of babies who have been slain. All the crime and oppression and injustice. And the land is crying out, God, bring justice. Will not the judge of all the earth do what is right? The sins and the crimes of our society are crying out to God, and they are reaching His ears, friends. He sees and He hears. Paul writes in Romans 8 that all of creation is groaning, waiting to be liberated from its bondage to decay. In other words, it is longing for Christ to come and to make all things right and to make all things new. And even now, the Bible teaches that the sins of unbelievers are measured against them as they store up wrath against the day of wrath in the revelation of the righteous judgment of God, Romans 2:5. So even now, the sins that sinners are committing are crying out to God for holy justice.

So in our communities, in our cities, the injustice, the violence, the sexual immorality, the pride, the rejection of God, every act of rebellion, every time the truth is suppressed, every time the gospel is rejected, it is adding, building up wrath against the day of wrath. And by the way, the Bible says Jesus didn't come to condemn, but to save. But whoever does not believe is condemned already. Already, their sins are like a storm cloud, following them wherever they go. And it's only by the mercy of God that that cloud does not burst and rain down the wrath of God upon them. Lost people are a ticking time bomb. As Jonathan Edwards said, they're like on a spider's web, ready to drop into hell at any moment. That is the state of the unbeliever's soul. That is a terrible place to be.

Friends, that is why we must stand in the gap and intercede for lost people. Because Abraham understands that the cry of Sodom's sin has reached the ears of the just Judge of the universe, and that He will and must bring judgment. Therefore, Abraham cries out, God, there's lost people there that I care about. And they need to be saved. It's the fact that people, listen, two people every second, do you know that? Two people every second slip into eternity. Most of them are going to hell. See, that's very mean of you. No, that's very biblical of me. Because without Christ, there is no hope. He is the only Savior. He is the only way to heaven. And unless they hear, unless they know, unless they turn and repent, they will perish. They will experience the wrath of God in hell for all eternity. Is that not a reason to pray? Is that not a reason to cry out to God, to stand on the bridge? Say, you need to be reconciled to God. Remember, we are the ambassadors of Christ as though God were making His appeal to us. Be reconciled to God.

Let's talk about Sodom's specific sins. And we'll get into this next week. What exactly were the sins of Sodom? Well, they were pride, self-satisfaction, and perversion. Ezekiel actually gives us a glimpse into the Sodomite society in Ezekiel 16, verses 49 through 50. And by the way, this is God speaking to Jerusalem. And He's comparing Jerusalem to being a sister city of Sodom because they are acting much the same way. God says, look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom. She and her daughter had pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness. Neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty and committed abomination before God. So let's go through that. There's pride—arrogance. They don't need to follow the God of Abraham. I'm a citizen of Sodom. Who needs God? Not only are they wicked and detestable in their practices, but they are proud of it. They rejoice. They have their own "pride months," don't they? There's fullness of bread—in other words, I've got everything I want. I want everything I could possibly need, right here. Like in the Roman Empire, give them bread and circuses, and you can do anything you want. An abundance of idleness—in other words, too much time on their hands to get into mischief. And they committed abomination: that is sexual perversion, as we'll see next week. That includes rape and homosexuality. But Ezekiel 16:49-50 adds a critical detail: Sodom and her daughter refused to help the poor and needy, choosing instead to exploit and abandon them. Does that not sound like our society today, friends? Sure does. Pride, vanity, perversion, fullness of bread, idle time—and a calloused heart toward the lost. This is why we must intercede for those who, like Sodom, are spiritually complacent. Their example warns us: without compassion and faith, even the most prosperous society can become a place of judgment.

That leads us to Abraham's intercession. Point number three, verses 22 through 33. We're not going to read it all for time's sake, but let's start in verse 22. Then the men, that is the two angels, they turn away from there and they went towards Sodom. But Abraham stood before the Lord and Abraham came near. If you want to underline that, he comes near to God. He draws near. Why does James tell us about drawing near to God? If we do that, He'll draw near to us, right? He stands before the Lord. He comes near. And he said, Would you also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Legitimate question, isn't it?

And now he begins to barter, as it were. Suppose there were 50 righteous within the city. Would you also destroy the place and not spare it for the 50 righteous that were in it? Far be it. Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked. Far be it from You. Remember this phrase. Shall not the judge of all the earth do right? And the Lord said, If I find in Sodom 50 righteous persons within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes. And Abraham answered and said, Indeed, now, who am I but dust and ashes, who has taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord? Suppose there were five less. Forty-five people. Would You destroy the city for the lack of five? God says, For forty-five I will not destroy it. Abraham speaks again and again. All the way to ten. Look at verse 32. Let not the Lord be angry. I will speak but once more. Suppose ten people. I will be found there. And the Lord said, I will not destroy it for the sake of ten. So the Lord went up His way as soon as He had finished speaking with Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.

These two angels, they depart for Sodom, as we'll see next week. They go into the city, and they rescue Lot and some of his family. Now God is left alone with Abraham, remaining behind with His friend. And this gives Abraham the opportunity to intercede. Now Abraham presents his case before the Lord in the language used, according to scholars, as the language of a court proceeding. God is the judge. Now Abraham is making his appeal to the Judge. He is interceding for the wicked city of Sodom. He's praying for the safety and salvation of his relatives. Remember, Lot is his nephew. He's burdened for the lost. He's even concerned for the wicked Sodomites, whom he's never even met. And he's concerned. Lord, there must be some righteous people among them. Are You going to destroy the whole city if there's 50 righteous people? Lord, You are the judge of all the earth, and You will do what's right. You will bring measured judgment. Is it fair to annihilate a whole city's population as wicked as they are if there's but 50 of Your people there? And so he continues, reducing the number each time.

This is exactly what God is looking for. God is looking for an intercessor. In Ezekiel's day, God said, in Ezekiel 22:30, So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall and stand in the gap, a gap before Me on behalf of the land that I should not destroy it. Remember, God is looking for someone to bridge the gap, the chasm between His holy character and sinful man. Friends, God is still looking for someone to stand in that gap. God is looking for someone who will intercede. And God found this person here in Abraham.

And let's look at Abraham's bold petition. Notice Abraham is humble. He expresses great humility. He says, I am but dust and ashes. I am but a creature made of dirt. You are the Almighty, and I have no right to come before You and ask anything of You, but yet I will be so bold as to present a petition that You spare the righteous. See, Abraham understands the justice of God, doesn't he? He knows that the judge of all the earth will do right. He knows that God cannot possibly allow sin and wickedness to go unpunished forever. This is proven true at the flood. This is proven true when God destroyed the Tower of Babel. And now God's judgment is about to be experienced again in a cataclysmic way. But notice his humility, but also his boldness. His humility and his boldness are working together because he begins the bartering custom of the East. Starting with 50, then 45? God agrees. Then 40, 30, 20, 10? Just as my children often persistently ask, "What if I can do this? What about that?" They're persistent. They won't give up. But couldn't we learn a lesson from them about praying? What if we were that persistent? What if we didn't take no for an answer? What if we stormed the gates of heaven and be like, God, I am so burdened for these lost people. Lord, would You spare them in Your mercy? Abraham shows great humility, great boldness, but also great persistence in his prayers, doesn't he? He works his way down to 10. If God found but 10 righteous people, He would spare the city. What happens in the next chapter? The whole city is destroyed. There are not even 10 righteous people. Now, look at this. Think about this. If Lot had only won his own family, more than likely there would have been at least 10 righteous people. But Lot failed to win his own family. What a shame. What a disgrace.

What's our application this morning? I want you to identify your Sodom. Let's bring it home to Pilot, Westfield, Mount Airy, to our neighborhood, to our workplace. How many righteous people does God need to spare a city? Only 10. But what if God is looking for 10 faithful people in a community? What if God is looking for one person in your office or in your school? What if you're the only one, the only believer in your family? Guess what? That's all it takes. Never underestimate the power of your godly influence or the prayers of a godly few to move the compassionate heart of God. You might be thinking, "Well, I'm just one person. What difference can I make?" Friend, Abraham was just one person, and yet his prayers moved the heart of the Almighty. Just as James reminds us in his letter, the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

So this week, I want you to do two things. First, identify your Sodom. Maybe that's the place where you live. Maybe it's your workplace. Maybe it's your gym. Maybe it's your child's school. Maybe it's a family member's home. And I want you to commit to praying for that place every day. Pray for the lost within it. Pray for God to raise up more righteous people. Pray for opportunities to share the gospel.

Secondly, I want you to identify your one. Identify your one. Now, we're going to do something all together here. Y'all ready for it? If you look in your pews, you'll find an index card, and you'll find a pen. I want every person here to get that out. And I want you to identify your one. What does it mean? Who is your one? That is the specific individual God has placed in your life who needs Jesus. First person that comes to your mind. The person God has burdened your heart for. And I want you to write their name down. And I want you to keep this with you. I want you to commit to pray every day for this person. Okay? I want you to share the gospel this week with that person. And I want you to invite that person to come to church with you next week. Okay? That's your assignment for this week. That is your one. Do we want to be intercessors? Do we want to stand in the gap between a holy God and sinful man? This is how we do it. It's not about just, Lord, save all the lost people. No. Be specific. Call their names out before the throne of God. And share the gospel with them. And love them. And invite them to church. This is your mission field. This is your Sodom. This is your one. This is your chance to intercede. And we're going to do something with these here in just a moment. But I want you to keep this card with you. We're going to use them here in just a few moments. But also, I want you to tuck them away in your Bible. And when you do your daily Bible reading, right? Because you all do it, right? You'll take this card out. And you'll pray for that person by name. You'll be specific. And you'll be intentional. Now, if you have to set a reminder in your phone, or if you are disciplined enough and you already got that quiet time scheduled in your day, however you can do it, be intentional. You're going to do this every day.

In light of our call to intercede for others, let us briefly examine the balance between God's justice and mercy. Will not the judge of all the earth do right? God in His justice will not destroy the righteous along with the guilty. But neither can He in His justice leave the guilty unpunished. So what will God do? It almost seems like God is in a dilemma. Well, God proves to be just and holy. There's not even ten righteous people in the city, so what does He do? He destroys Sodom and Gomorrah and several other cities around. But in His justice, He is also merciful because remember these two angels? Where do they go? They go to Lot's house and they drag him out of the city because the Lord cannot destroy the city until Lot leaves. That is mercy. Did Abraham fail? No, he didn't. Even though the city was destroyed, Lot was spared. Friends, that is the remnant that God shows mercy to time and time again throughout the Scriptures. God remains just, yet He is also merciful.

So this raises the ultimate question this morning. How does God remain just and judge sinners, but merciful and gracious in saving sinners? How can the judge of all the earth do what is right and uphold His justice while also, at the same time, showing mercy to guilty rebels? How does He do that? The answer is found in the cross of Jesus Christ that satisfies both God's perfect justice and His perfect mercy and displays His magnificent mercy. You see, because Abraham is simply a type of the greater intercessor, the Lord Jesus Christ. Abraham, he interceded for Sodom and he pleaded with God for their mercy. But he could only plead. He couldn't pay. But friends, he foreshadows the true intercessor, Jesus Christ, who not only pleads for our salvation, but also pays for our salvation by His own death on the cross. A mediator was needed to bridge judgment and mercy. Abraham's mediation was limited. However, Christ's mediation is eternal. And it's absolutely successful because of His righteousness. Jesus alone could stand in the gap, not merely appealing to God's mercy but fulfilling the demands of His justice through His sacrifice. No other intercessor could reconcile both divine wrath and divine grace as He did.

So how can God, the judge of all the earth, do right? How can God get Himself out of this seeming dilemma? How can He be just in punishing sin and merciful in saving sinners? The Bible tells us in Romans 3, verse 21 through 26. I want you to listen carefully for just a few moments. But now, the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed. Being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference. For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. That means every one of us is like those in Sodom and Gomorrah. Every single one of us deserves hellfire and brimstone. Every one of us deserves nothing but God's unmitigated wrath. Here's the good news. Now we are justified freely by His grace through faith in Jesus, through the redemption that is in Christ whom God set forth as an appeasement by His blood through faith to demonstrate His righteousness. Because in His forbearance, God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, demonstrating at the present time His righteousness so that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Christ.

Friends, the judge of all the earth has done right. God in His justice did not ignore sin. Rather, He punished it in full. But He did so in Christ. And in His mercy, He spares those who trust Him. See, He did not destroy the righteous along with the guilty. Instead, the righteous one was punished in place of the guilty. That's the old principle of substitution. It's Jesus in my place. Jesus in your place. And the wrath of God rained down upon His own Son on the cross instead of on us as it should have been. Jesus Christ, the true descendant of Abraham, has perfectly interceded before God in a way that upholds both His righteousness and His justice at the same time, saving sinners from His wrath. See, Jesus Christ is the ultimate mediator, the ultimate intercessor between sinful man and holy God. And because of the work of this mediator, sinners like those in Sodom and Gomorrah, as well as in our own society, can be saved if they will place their faith in the finished work of Christ.

See, because in Christ becoming man, it meant that Christ became the mediator between holy God and sinful man. Remember the beginning illustration? There's this great gulf, this impassable chasm. It's too wide and too deep for anyone to cross. The only way to be reconciled was for someone to build a bridge. Friends, here came Jesus Christ. And He built that bridge. And that bridge is His cross. Now a holy God and sinners can be reconciled, not consumed in wrath, but received in everlasting affection. Isn't that amazing? Jesus Christ is that bridge builder. Jesus Christ is that intercessor who is both holy God and sinless man. He unites us together in one, in Himself. He is the one who ever lives to plead for us. The Bible says He ever lives to make intercession for us. That means right now, Jesus Christ acts as our defense attorney. Right now, He is defending our case before the Father. He's saying, "Father, they can be forgiven. They can be accepted because I paid the price for their sins. I've given them My righteousness. Your justice as the righteous judge has been satisfied. Now Your judgment can pass over them because it fell upon Me. You can now accept them." And friends, His intercession never stops, for His priesthood never ends. The Bible says Christ has entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us. What that means for us, friends, is right now, at this moment, Jesus Christ is praying for you. Right now, at this very moment, Jesus Christ is praying for you by name. He knows your sins. He knows how undeserving you are. And yet, He loves you. And yet, He says, "I died for them, Father. I bled for them. I suffered in their place. They can now be forgiven. They can now be accepted and eternally loved." Friends, that is the great intercessor, the Lord Jesus Christ. And now He says, "You can come to Me." And like God accepted Abraham as His friend, He accepts us as His friend.

So as they come and give us a hymn of invitation, this is what I want us to do right now. This is how we obey the command to intercede. 1 Timothy 2, verse 1 through 4, Paul says, I exhort that supplications and prayers and intercessions and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. Friends, that is why we must intercede. Remember, intercession means to come between, to meet with on behalf of someone else.

So I want you to take your card this morning and come to the front with me. This marks the beginning of our journey in interceding for the lost—starting with a practical step: joining me in praying for your one. This is day one of interceding, which means we’re committing to a daily, intentional effort to pray for those who have not yet encountered Christ. The Bible says in Revelation that our prayers ascend before the throne of God as sweet incense. When you are praying and saying, “God, be merciful to these hell-deserving sinners,” it pleases Him. It’s like sweet incense. It moves His heart of mercy and His hand of compassion to reach out to them. As the Bible reveals in Revelation, Christ’s intercession for us is mirrored in our own prayers for others, creating a divine partnership in mercy and compassion. So as we plead this morning for the lost in our homes, offices, schools, or wherever your one is located, remember that Christ is pleading for them as well. As you are praying, He is praying. So as they play us a hymn of invitation, will you join me, whoever can and will? Bring your card. And let’s lift up our voices and pray for our one. Amen.