Synopsis: The sermon warns believers of the pervasiveness, pollution, and persuasion of sin using the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. Sin is compared to farm machinery that slowly pulls a person in and to pollution that contaminates the air we breathe, emphasizing how cultural sin seeps into our lives. Lot is portrayed as a righteous man struggling with lingering attachment to sin, while his wife looks back and perishes, illustrating the danger of loving what God hates. The sermon stresses that sexual sin is particularly pervasive in modern culture, including pornography and broken sexual behavior, but urges believers to start at home, cleansing their households from sin’s influence. Central to the message is the gospel: Christ bore the judgment for our sins on the cross, breaking sin’s power over us. The call is urgent, flee from sin, do not linger, and cling to God’s mercy through Christ.

Text: Genesis 19
Date: November 9, 2025

Introduction

Opening Illustration – Machinery: There was a man who used to go to our church before he moved away. He had a scar on his hand that I asked about one time. And he told the story of when he was a child working on his family’s farm. One day he was near the farm equipment that was on, a corner of his shirt sleeve got caught in the cogs. Apparently this is a very common way that many farmers get seriously injured and even killed. The catch the shirt sleeve, and then slowly pull and pull and pull, until a person can be pulled themselves into the machinery. Many men have died this way. My friend, was able at the last moment to rip his shirt off himself before he became entangled in the machine. He bore the scar to remind him of the time he nearly lost his life. So it is with sin. No person can go in between the cogs of sin and say to themselves, “I will go thus far and no further.” No, sin is enticing. It pulls you in. And once you’re in, only the sheer grace of God can get you out.

Personal: What chief sin do you most wrestle with? Is it a love of money? Is it pride? Is it a lack of zeal for God? Is adultery and fornication, pornography? Perhaps for you, you are drawn to gossip, or foul speach. What sins are you drawn to?

Context: Today we come to the story of Sodom & Gomorrah. This is the original Fire & Brimstone Bible Story. By the end of the story these two towns were annihilated by God through fire and brimstone raining from heaven. Indeed, we know the story is true because it is in scripture. But fascinatingly, it is likely that these two towns were discovered in somewhat archaeological history. Two towns, from the right time period, in the right location, were discovered having been destroyed by metors that caused functionally an atomic blast on their site. Quite astounding. Because this is so full the warning of judgment to come, today I must preach a sermon full of warning of judgment to come. I must have an edge of the truth of fire and brimstone. I will not lose sight of grace, as indeed we discoverd grace all through this passage.

Main Idea: The main idea is captured in this phrase. Do not linger in Sodom, but flee to christ. Today, I’m going to answer the question “Why.” Why ought we not linger in Sodom.

Meaning & Application

THE PERVASIVENESS OF SODOM’S SIN

First, we must beware of the pervasiveness of sin. The pervasiveness of sin.

Story Begins: This story actuall begins a bit before the text that was read to us today. In chapter 18, God appears to Abraham who we have been studying. And God told Abram that he was about to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, where Abraham’s nephew Lot lived. God’s reasoning is told to us in Genesis 18:20.

Genesis 18:20 “Then the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave,”

And so at the beginning of chapter 19, two angels appear in Sodom.

The Gate: We’re told in verse 1 that Lot was sitting in the gate. This is an important detail. The Gate was where the men of prominence in the city sat. It was often the place where sales were made, where judgments were made. So if you recall in the book of Ruth, when Boaz goes to redeem Ruth, he goes and sits in the gate of the city. And so Lot, is an influential man in Sodom.

Sees the Angels: When Lot sees the two angels who are disguised as men in the town square, Lot knows that’s not good. As an influential man in the city, he is well aware of the sins of Sodom. He knows if those men stay in the city square, they’re going to get abused. And so, seeking to show good Eastern hospitality, he invites the two angels the two angels into his home. When they initially say “No,” Lot insists and “pressed them strongly.” The inuendo is that he knew what would happen.

All the People: That night as the men are in Lot’s house, something awful happens. We read of it in verses 4-5.

Genesis 19:4–5 “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. And they called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them.””

The word “know” clearly implies sexually. These men want to sexually abuse the two visitors to Sodom that are staying in Lot’s house. If that sounds outrageous, it ought to be. This is sick, perverted, gross, and awful. But that’s not the worst part. Verse 4 clearly goes out of its way to say that this disease of sin had permeated every person in the town. The text almost has a drum beat to it. The men of the city… The men of Sodom… both young and old… all the people… to the last man. Here we discover the pervasiveness of sin. This vile sin of Sodom had so pervaded Sodom that everyone was in on it, everyone wanted their share.

What Was the Sin: What was the sin of Sodom? It was layered, but it was all about sexuality wasn’t it. God’s good design for sex is that it is to be reserved for one man and woman in the context of marriage. All through scripture we see this pattern, that God’s good design brings fruit, and when we break that good design, and pervert it for another design, there are drastic consequences. Here in Sodom, the young and the old alike had adopted a broken sexuality They were practicing rampant open and homosexual sex with many partners. And on top of it all of, according to this text, the culture was so overcome by a spirit of lust that rape had become normalized and expected.

We Know This: Church, this should not surprise us. Look around at our own city. Many of the sins of Sodom are celebrated as public goods in our city. And we have seen the pervasiveness. When sins become pervasive, they feel normalized. And it becomes the water that we’re swimming in. But we have to beware of the pervasiveness of sin.

Minister: I would like to speak for a moment on the sin of sexuality. That is not the sole topic of this entire sermon, but I would be remiss if I preached on Sodom and Gomorrah and did not take the opportunity to minister to my flock on this topic. We, like Sodom, are a culture steeped in sexual sin. Most folks in this room, in one way or another, struggle with sexual sin of various kinds. In a city like Chicago, everything is amplified. From the messages we hear to the images we see, living a faithful Christian life, in this area, is quite difficult.

Homosexuality, as in Sodom and Gomorrah, has become normalized and celebrated as a good. The truth is, it sin and leads to all kinds of brokenness.

Sex outside of marriage, as in Sodom and Gomorrah, has become expected, even among those who take the title Christian. But the truth, it is sin, and leads to all kinds of brokenness.

Viewing pornography, has become simply part of our culture. By some estimates, Pornography makes up 1/3 of the entire internet. Children are viewing and engaging with pornography at a younger and younger age. Countless marriages have faced an increasing array of challenges, due to pornography.

The sins of Sodom are pervasive. They are not content to settle for a small foothold in a home or in a community, they spread.

Application: If you are struggling with sexual sin today… If you have been lingering on the borders of Sodom, and have found yourself a bit stuck in the city where sin is so pervasive, what can you do. There are no simple solutions, no magic buttons, but there are particular theological truths to ground yourself in that make the permeation of the sins of the Sodom less and less attractive to you.

The pervasiveness of a sin does not make that sin any less an abomination before the Lord.

All have sinned. Whatever your sins that you are enduring right now, know that when it comes to sin, we’re in all in the same sinking boat.

On the cross, Christ defeated sin and Satan’s hold over you. The cross a triumph over the power of sin. Therefore, before believing in Christ, the scriptures say that we are slaves to sin. The image is of a king leading a trail of captives who are chained together behind him. No matter how much you struggle against those chains, you’re enslaved. But Christ is the chainbreaker, who has set us free. And so by placing your faith in Christ, those chains of slavery to sin are broken. The truth is, in Christ you are free. You are free from Sin’s power to enslave you. You are free from sin’s power to condemn you.

The wonder of grace is such that, the grace that I preach from this pulpit, is that even when in our weakness we return to sin with our wills, or with our minds, or with our affections, that no less changes God’s decision to adopt you. This is the wonder of grace. That is not an excuse to just keep sinning with no care at all (that’s a sign that maybe you haven’t received the gospel). But if you’re in the battle, lean daily into the knowledge that your ongoing battle with sin does, remove grace from you in the least.

The key tool in your battle with sin is repentance through prayer. Confess your sin daily if you must. And get at the root. Repent of your false affections, the fallen desires that you still cling to. Plead with God for victory.

God delights in giving full victory. I know many men who have had years of viewing pornography, who God has set free fully from that slavery. From time to time they might share that they experience temptation, a flaring of the old sinful affections, but their love of God has grown in such a way that they repent quickly and experience his guiding hand. I know men and women who have experienced years of same sex attraction, who are now in joyful biblical marriages.

Start At Household: We can’t save Sodom. But we can save your households. Start at the home. Sin may pervade the culture around you, but don’t let it pervade your home. Sweep it clean. Clease out the old leaven.

BEWARE THE POLLUTION OF SODOM’S SIN

Second, I want us to beware of the pollution of sin. The pollution of sin. When I visited Beijing years ago, I was told all about the pollution and smog problems the city has. Back in previous of communist rule they removed the trees from the city, without realizing the consequences of what it would do to the air quality. But the thing about pollution is that even though you might not be the primary cause of the pollution, if you’re living in the city, you’re breathing in the air.

Lot: This story takes a tragic and twisted and bizarre turn. As the men of the town surround the house of Lot, demanding to have their way with the two men (who were angels in disguise), we read this:

Genesis 19:6–8 “Lot went out to the men at the entrance, shut the door after him, and said, “I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly. 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.””

Hospitality: This moment from Lot is horrifying. We can maybe understand it a bit more, if we consider Easter hospitality codes. When you take a person into your home, you essentially take their well being and their safety into your own well being and safety. It’s almost as if their an unspoken oath between the two of you. So, hospitality codes helps us get a bit more into the mind of Lot.

Angels: I suppose it is also possible that Lot realized these two men were angels. And thinking of them as angels, he wanted to protect them in a unique and special way.

Yet neither of those explanations justifies his actions. He was willing to throw his two young daughters out of the house into a frenzied mob of rapists!

Righteous Lot?: What makes this even more head scratching is the way that the New Testament speaks about Lot. The New Testament speaks about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah as an example to us, of what will happen to the ungodly. And then it says,

2 Peter 2:7–9 “and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked (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); then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment,”

I read that verse, and Lot is largely considered a righteous man who was tormented by the sins of his city. And so what is happening in this moment where he throws his precious young daughters to the wolves?

Too Close to the Fire: Well, sin is like pollution. Perhaps you remember the story in Daniel of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Those three righteous friends of Daniel’s who refused to bow down and worship King Nebuchadnezzar. As a result they were commanded to be thrown into the fiery furnace. If you know the story, you might remember that they were thrown into the fiery furnace and yet the Lord protected them. They were not burned. But there is a detail in that story, that is often overlooked. We are told that Nebuchadnezzar had ordered his mighty men to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to turn the furnace up extremely hot. Then we read

Daniel 3:22 “Because the king’s order was urgent and the furnace overheated, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.”

Those mighty men, weren’t themselves in the fire, or thrown in the fire. But because the flames were so hot, and they were standing so close, they got burned.

Sin’s Effect: Sin has this kind of effect on us. When you’re around it, and living in a culture so inundated by sin, particular sins, you sometimes adopt portions of that sin that you don’t even realize you’ve adopted. You’re close enough to the fire that you yourself inhale the smoke, little by little. I think that is what happened here. I think Lot, even as a righteous man, had slowly adopted some of the way of thinking of the Sodomites. And so in his weakest moment, he resorted to sin without really weighing the horrid nature of his actions.

City: This is a huge problem, especially in Chicago, where the pollution of sin is so pervasive. The heat is turned up so high, that many of us have slowly adopted sinful thoughts, paradigms, ways of behaving, ways of coping, that are actually far more in line with secularism and progressivism and the general air of Chicago, than they are with the Bible.

Illustration – Movies & TV: Perhaps I can give you an example. Again, we are dealing particularly with sins of sexuality. I have spoken with many young men who struggle with pornography. When I chat with them, they share how much they want victory. But when you look at the history on their Netflix account, you realize what one of the key issues is that keeps them from gaining victory. The movies and the television shows they watch are inundated with sexuality. Women on screen wearing almost no clothes, or many times no clothing at all. Intimacy on screen, and if not sex on screen, then very sexually explicit scenes that are evocative of intimacy. All of it is sin. But what it is doing to the mind, is it is acting like smog. It’s pollution. It’s a bit like Lot throwing his daughters to the wolves. If the alternative is worse, then it feels justifiable. This pollution is keeping our minds in a constant state of Sodom.

Repent: What is the answer. The answer is self reflection and repentance. We need to regularly examine our lives, and ask ourselves, where we have let the pollution of sin have its way. Little sins become biggers sins over time. For the sake of the glory of Christ, take an axe to to those little pollutants that will hinder your faith!

BEWARE THE PERSUASION OF SIN

Third, let us consider the persuasion of sin.

The Story: If we continue the story, we see that the angels protect Lot and his family. They blind the townspeople, and then slam the door shut so that none of them can get in. They tell Lot to gather his family, and get to the hills, because judgment is coming on the city of Sodom for all their sins. It is interesting in verses 15-18 how Lot drags his heels in this process. The angels urge him to get to the hills. But we read in verse 16,

Genesis 19:16 “But he lingered…”

Linger: Why did he linger? Because as much as he didn’t want to admit it to those holy angels, while his body was in the doorway, his heart was in Sodom. He hesitated becaues his affections were tangled up in the city he was supposed to leave behind. And so the angels seize Lot and his wife, bring them out of the city, and command them not to look back or turn back to the city. But as the judgment begins to rain down on Sodom we read in verse 26.

Genesis 19:26 “But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.”

Look Back: That is fascinating language. As she is running way, Lot’s wife looks back. This doesn’t just mean that she took a glance. It means she went back. She turned around. Lot’s wife didn’t turn back to Sodom because she overtly hated God. She turned back to Sodom because she loved what God hates.

We Love Our Sin: Beware the persuasion of sin. Lot lingered because his sinful heart secretly loved his life in Sodom. His wife looked back, because at the end of the day, she could not live without Sodom. Sin’s persuasion is powerful. It whispers that what God forbids will make you happy. It convinces you that judgment is exaggerated, that holiness is too extreme, that compromise is reasonable. We linger because the world still looks beautiful to us.

Eve: We look back because Sodom still feels like home. Don’t you remember Eve in the Garden. The Devil took the one forbidden fruit in all of Eden, and he convinced her to eat it.

Genesis 3:6 “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate… ”

Beneath the allure of that fruit was the poison of death. Beneath the shiny surface was godlessness. Beneath the sweet fragrance was agony. The classic Poison Apple, dripping sugar. Eve fell for. We fall for it. Because sin usually does not shout, it allures, it seduces.

Illustration – Dog in Trap: Sin is like a hunter’s trap baited with fresh meat. As a local dog wanders through the back woods it smells the meat. As he gets close to the meat, he sees it and his eyes get wide. It’s too easy! It’s on a platter for him. So he moves towards it, and triggers the trap, and before he knows it, he’s caught in the trap. So it is with our sin. It looks too easy, but its a trap. What feels normal in Sodom is an abomination in heaven.

The Truth: The truth is that sin kills. Judgment came on Sodom and Gomorrah for their sin. The towns were destroyed through fire and brimstone that came from God. He will tolerate sin. And on the day that God rained judgment down on Sodom, every soul in that city woke up on the other side of this life and stood and gave an account for their life before a Holy God. Jesus teaches us in the New Testament that we are to:

Luke 17:32 “Remember Lot’s wife.”

Lot’s wife loved what God hated. She couldn’t bring herself to wrestle with the ruin of her affections. Sin kills. Sin separates us from God. Sin ruins our life. Sin destroys our relationships. It ruins our families. It harms our children. It divides the church. It stains our witness. And above all of that, all sin is an affront to the glory of God. Yet still, we return to it. Like a dog returning to its vomit, we return to it.

Illustration – Blood on the Knife: The story is told of a woman who had a prized set of knives. They were rather ancient, with beautifully crafted hilts of ivory. She often admired those knives and kept them in a prominent place in her house where they could be admired by all who came in. One day a visitor came into the house, and grabbed the knives and used those knives to attack her children who were present in the house. When the attacker left, the mother raced the children to the hospital, where they slowly began to recover. And when she went home, she saw the knives laying on her floor, covered in her children’s blood. She couldn’t stand the sight of them anymore.

Christ & The Gospel: If you want to gain victory over your sin, begin to see it in light of our crucified Savior. It is our sin that is covered in the blood of Christ. The very sins we continue to return to, are the very sins that Christ died for on the cross. In our story today, God rained judgment down on Sodom for their sins. And this is a picture for us of what happened at the cross. The greatest raining of God’s judgment the world has ever seen was not at Sodom, it was at the cross. The judgment that came on Sodom is just a glimpse of the judgment that Christ held on his shoulders. Lot’s sin, Abraham’s sin, your sin, and my sin, all of it absorbed by Christ on our behalf.

Lots story does not end with a moral lesson. It ends with mercy. Here we have an undeserving sinful man, who was pulled from the very city of destruction that he loved. And that is the same mercy that seizes every believer in Christ. You and I have lingered far too long in Sodom. We’ve looked back. We have been persuaded in one way or another to love what God hates. And yet God, being rich in mercy, while we were still sinners, sent his Son into the judgment we deserve. Christ took the fire and brimstone upon himself so that we escape to the mountains.

Conclusion

So here is the invitation. Do not linger at the edge of Sodom. Do not look back. Take the hand of mercy and flee! Run to Christ. The very same God that rained fire on Sodom, has rained mercy and grace on you and on me through His Son.

And for those who are already His — if you’ve been flirting with sin, if your heart has been lingering, look again to the cross. See the blood on the knife. Remember what your sin cost. But don’t stay there in shame. Rather rise up in joy, because the cross that exposes your sin also covers it.