The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-02-14
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON.
LESSON VII. FIRST OF ARTER. INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES. FEB. ~.


The text of this lesson and the title.
Gods Judgment on Sodom.' are some
what perplexing. The proper text for
the title is I'm the next chapter. and il
seems 10 me that better title for the
text assigned would he "Abrahams In
tercession for Sodcm. | viii not take
up the lesson verse by verse. as is my
custom, but taking the topics assigned
will gather some helpful lessons from
the whole story in the two chapters
xviii and xix
NNIll. 1-2l. The Lords visit to Abra-
ham and communion with him. The in
cident Of the visit Of the three heavenly
ones, Jehovah Himself and two angels
To Abraham, his providing food for
them and their eating il under the tree
II in many respects the only one OF the
kind In the bible. II is true that iu tn
DAYS of his humiliation after lie dined
in many homes, and even after His res
direction did eat with His disciples
duke xiv, A., az but before He be
came man this is the only instance Of
such intimate fellowship as man
with man. 1t reminds us of the fell
lowship that must have been in Eden
and suggests tc us the coming days
when the tabernacle Of God shall be
with men. and He will dwell with them
tReV. xxi. -. Bue we have a privilege
now. which seems to he enjoyed by
very few, of the constant presence and
fellowship of the Lord Jesus REV. iii,
20. John xiv. %; II Cor. Vi. 16). If we
would only determine to be wholly His.
and only and always His. presenting our
bodies unreservedly as a living sacri-
flee, He would certainly accept and iii
these temples for His glory Rom. xii. I.
p. The Lords question. Shall l hide
from Abraham that thing which | do?
reminds us that ii is written, surely
the Lord GCd will do nothing. but He
reVealeth His secret unto His servants,
the prophets CAmos iii -. And His own
words in John Ky. Is. Il have called you
friends, for all things that I have heard
of my Father | have made known unto
you" show US how intimate He would
like to be with US.
XVIII. 1888 Abraham's intercession
for Sodom- The angels have passed on to
Sodom, and we shall meet them in the
next section, but now Abraham is alone
with the Lord, and feeling his own I'M
worthiness he yet ventures, though he
be but dust and ashes Verse 20, TO plead
with the Lord TO spare SOdOm While
we wait for the coming of the Lord
both righteous and wicked all die and
are often taken out of this world in the
same disaster, cyclone earthquake, ship
wreck smashup or what not, but the
upright shall have dominion over others
truest sense the righteous can never
perish (John iii. 16). The destroying of
verse % can only refer TO their being
cut off I'm the overthrow Of the city. So
Abraham pleads for the sake of the
righteous whom ne hopes are TO be
| found there that the city may be
spared. He thinks there may be fifty
and asks and receives. Fearing there
may not be SO many, he comes down TO
fOrty-fiVe, then to forty, then thirty and
4 4
the assurance that II there are ten right
eouS men in SodOm the city viii be
| spared. The sequel proves that there was
! but one righteous man to be found III
| Pet. ii, Z, S. and while he would pass in
| most Of our churches today, perhaps in
| ALL even HIS own children had not much
confidence in him. On the power of in
| tercession consider the pleading of Moses
(Num. xiv, 49, 20. and remember that
even for such as Lot the little town of
Zoar was spared xix, 2D. On the other
| hand. note that wickedness may become
| so great that the intercession Of a Moses
| or Samuel may not avail. nor the pres
| ence Of Noah, 2 Daniel or Job suffice
| TO deliver der. Nv. l; Eek. xiv IL 20).
| our Lord Jesus is rot represented as in
terceding for sinners John xvii. 81,
| though He did pray for them at the
cross, but He ever liveth to make inter
| cessiOn for His own OHeb. vii 25 Verse
SO says the Lord went His way, and Abra-
| ham returned to his place. Separated
| for little OutWardly, but not i'm heart
! What word this is in 1 Thes. iv, L.
which shall be fully true of all believers
| forever with the LOrdr
XIX, 1928. The rescue of Lot. What
a contrast between their ready accept
ance Of Abrahams invitation and the
| angels preference of the street to the
| house Of Lot xix, 49, Is there any
thing IN our hearts or lives or home or
nrrGf
| the angels desire TO stay outside? In
| verses II to "A consider how inconsistent
| the life of Lot must have been that his
| testimony should only cause his children
to mock at him. In verses 10. 10, see
the earneStneSS of the angels as fbev
take Lot and his wife and daughters by
| the hand and hasten their escape. In
verses Il TO 20 see Lots perverseness
| and lingering and evident clinging to
SOdOm. but he was saved for Abraham's
| sake (verse 2S). The angels went into
| Sodom; so we must go where sinners
are if we would reach them. They did
| not mince matters, but spoke very
| plainly Of the coming destruction We
! should speak as plainly as the bible does
Of hell and everlasting punishment and
| the lake and fire and birthstone and the
worm that dieth not. The angels work
| ed hard to save n very few and they
| but poor specimens We cannot esti-
mate the value Of one soul. If we had
only the OLD testament record, we would
| not think Lot a righteous man. There
| fore judge nothing before the time until
| the Lord come Il Cor. ~. -.
| XIX. 1929 The judgment upon Sod
| ON. The Lord Jesus believed that fire
| and birthstone came from heaven and
| destroyed SOdOm and all her people and
| that Lots wife became a pillar of salt
| duke xvii. %. 32). He also believed that
! there was a deluge in the days Of Noah
| and that Jonah was three days and
| nights in the belly of "A fish duke xvii.
| %; Math. xii. 400. We should have no
| fellowship with those who think they
| are wiser than Jesus and teach that
| these things are not true CCaI. l. s. 9:
| II John tx. IL. In the verses referred
| to in Luke xvii our Lord plainly teaches
/ that when He shall come back in His
| glory the condition OF affairs on earth
shall be about as they were before the
| deluge and in SOdOm. II is also plainly
| taught that as = oah was safe i'm the ark
| before the deiuge came. Lot out Of Sod
ON before the fire, Rahab out of Jericho
| before the destruction. so all true be-
/ levers shall he with the Lord before He
| shall be revealed in flaming fire lisa. XVI
| 20 81: Luke xxi. 36; Rev. iii. I0
In verses 27-29 consider Abraham
| dwelling in peace and safety and fellow
| ship with Jehovah at Hebron. Learn
| NOW Ia dwell with God and i'm Cod and