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Speaker 1: For I know him that he will command his children

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Speaker 1: and his household after him, and they shall keep the

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Speaker 1: way of the Lord to do justice and judgment, that

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Speaker 1: the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he has

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Speaker 1: spoken of him Genesis eighteen nineteen. Lord, as I meditate

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Speaker 1: and reflect on Genesis eighteenth, sixteen thirty three, I ask

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Speaker 1: that you train my ears and my heart to hear

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Speaker 1: the promises you've ordained for my life in this very moment.

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Speaker 1: Strengthen my faith to believe as you do, transform my

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Speaker 1: heart to see opportunities in the midst of obstacles, like

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Speaker 1: the miracle you did for Abraham and Sarah, I too,

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Speaker 1: am choosing to believe that, no matter how long I've

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Speaker 1: had to wait, in a moment's notice, you will bring

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Speaker 1: to pass all that you've promised. I declare that I

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Speaker 1: will not laugh at the magnitude of my miracle, but

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Speaker 1: instead will embrace the truth that you specialize in the impossible.

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Speaker 1: As I wait to receive my promise, I will also

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Speaker 1: intercede on behalf of all those who are lost and

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Speaker 1: have yet defined your saving grace. I will stand in

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Speaker 1: the gap for the lives of others, like Abraham did

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Speaker 1: for those in the city of Sodom and Gomorrah. Thank

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Speaker 1: you Lord for your grace and faithfulness. Your love endures

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Speaker 1: forever in Jesus name. Amen. Listening to these daily prayers

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Speaker 1: strengthens your relationship with God. Continue hearing from the Lord

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Speaker 1: by listening to today's Bible in a Year brought to

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Speaker 1: you by Bible in a Year dot Com.

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Speaker 2: Abraham and God talk about Sodom and Gomorrah. Before this story,

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Speaker 2: we learned about how God made a covenant with Abram

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Speaker 2: and renamed him Abraham. He renamed SARAHI to Sarah and

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Speaker 2: promised them a son. Despite their old age. Even in doubt, insecurity,

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Speaker 2: and disobedience, God continues to make promises to Abraham's family.

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Speaker 2: Now we revisit the evil cities of Sodom and Gomorrah

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Speaker 2: as God is about to judge those within the city

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Speaker 2: and Abraham intervenes. Inspired by the Book of Genesis.

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Speaker 3: Hello, I'm Jack Graham with today's episode of the Bible

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Speaker 3: in a Year podcast. When we last saw Abraham and Sarah,

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Speaker 3: they were receiving their new names and a renewed affirmation

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Speaker 3: of God's covenant to make a great nation through them.

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Speaker 3: In today's reading, we'll find God paying a special visit

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Speaker 3: to Abraham, and when he comes, he is not alone.

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Speaker 3: Abraham bows before the Lord and welcomes the travelers with hospitality,

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Speaker 3: sparing no good thing as he lavishes them with fresh

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Speaker 3: food and drink. The first thing that God does is

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Speaker 3: once again reassure Abraham and Sarah of his promise to

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Speaker 3: give them a child. But that's not all he is. Therefore,

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Speaker 3: there is a grave matter to which God must attend,

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Speaker 3: the rampant wickedness of two cities. We've heard their names before,

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Speaker 3: Sodom and Gomorrah. But now God's patience with the evil

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Speaker 3: doing has run out. As we've seen before, evil cannot

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Speaker 3: and will not go unpunished. Justice will be served, must

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Speaker 3: be served. As you listen today, pay attention first to

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Speaker 3: God's patient love towards Sarah, who is still very dubious

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Speaker 3: of her prospects for me motherhood. Notice how God does

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Speaker 3: not become angry at her doubt, but instead reassures her

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Speaker 3: as a loving parent does to a child. Then, as

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Speaker 3: you hear the Lord in Abraham discuss Sodom and Gomorah

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Speaker 3: and God's plan to meet out his righteous justice on

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Speaker 3: the great sin he is seeing, watch how Abraham intervenes.

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Speaker 3: This is a great lesson in both humility and boldness

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Speaker 3: before the Lord to be learned here in this passage.

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Speaker 3: So let's listen in as God and Abraham talk about

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Speaker 3: Sodom and Gomorrah.

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Speaker 2: Under the shade of the trees and manory. In the

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Speaker 2: heat of the day, the Lord appeared near Abraham's tent,

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Speaker 2: Only this time he did not come as he usually did.

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Speaker 2: Abraham was visited by three strangers, seemingly divine in nature,

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Speaker 2: and one among them spoke as the Lord. Abraham bowed

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Speaker 2: to them, knowing that this was not a usual thing.

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Speaker 2: He lavished them with a meal and worshiped God with

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Speaker 2: his hospitality underneath the trees. After the men had their

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Speaker 2: fill and were rested, one of them asked, where is

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Speaker 2: your wife Sarah. Sarah was close by in the tent

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Speaker 2: beside the trees, listening to their conversation and trying not

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Speaker 2: to be heard. She is in the tent, Abraham responded,

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Speaker 2: not sure how to speak with these strangers. The Lord

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Speaker 2: once again spoke his promise to Abraham, knowing Sarah was

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Speaker 2: listening through the tent. When I returned to you about

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Speaker 2: this time next year, your wife shall have a son.

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Speaker 2: A faint laugh could be heard from the tent. Sarah,

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Speaker 2: an old woman far past her child bearing years, could

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Speaker 2: not fathom such a notion. The idea of two people

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Speaker 2: nearly a hundred years old even having normal sex was

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Speaker 2: a laughable idea idea. After I am worn out and

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Speaker 2: my husband is old, shall I even have pleasure? Sarah

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Speaker 2: chuckled to herself. God, hearing this, turned to Abraham and asked,

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Speaker 2: why does Sarah doubt that she can have a child

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Speaker 2: at her age? Let me ask you this is anything

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Speaker 2: impossible for the Lord? Is anything too hard for the

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Speaker 2: creator of the stars and the mender of all things broken?

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Speaker 2: Listen again about this time next year, I will return

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Speaker 2: to you, and Sarah shall have a son. Sarah, now

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Speaker 2: found out for her silent chuckling, denied ever having laughed

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Speaker 2: or doubted. With a kind grin as a loving father

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Speaker 2: looks at his child, who was caught sneaking around, said

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Speaker 2: yes you did. And then the three strangers began their

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Speaker 2: descent towards Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham walked with them to

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Speaker 2: send them on their way. The three were speaking among themselves,

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Speaker 2: and the lords said, shall I hide from Abraham. What

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Speaker 2: I am about to do, Abraham will become a great

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Speaker 2: and mighty nation established by me. I have chosen him

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Speaker 2: to lead the way of the Lord by doing righteousness

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Speaker 2: and justice. So God turned to Abraham honestly and spoke plainly.

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Speaker 2: The prayers and the outcries of those suffering because of

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Speaker 2: Sodom and Gomorrah have become great. They are a people

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Speaker 2: corrupted and poisoned by selfishness, and their sins are grave.

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Speaker 2: I am going down to observe them and measure them

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Speaker 2: according to their deeds. If they are truly as sinful

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Speaker 2: as reported, I will know. As the Lord and Abraham

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Speaker 2: were talking, the two other strangers began their descent into Sodom.

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Speaker 2: Whether Abraham was aware of it or not, a compassionate

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Speaker 2: and curious heart came upon him. He inquired to the Lord, asking,

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Speaker 2: will you wipe out the righteous with the wicked? Suppose

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Speaker 2: there are fifty righteous people in the city. Will you

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Speaker 2: then destroy the place and not spare it for the

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Speaker 2: fifty righteous who are in it. It does not sound

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Speaker 2: like you to do such a thing, to put the

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Speaker 2: righteous to death with the wicked. Far be that from you.

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Speaker 2: You are the judge of all the earth, should you

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Speaker 2: not do what is just? This was a bold inquiry

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Speaker 2: coming from Abraham as he was speaking face to face

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Speaker 2: with he who causes the seas to rise and fall

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Speaker 2: with the moon, and cradles the heavens and the span

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Speaker 2: of his hands. The Lord, however, spoke plainly and compassionately

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Speaker 2: with Abraham, saying, if I find in Sodom fifty righteous

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Speaker 2: in the city, I will spare everything for their sake.

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Speaker 2: Abraham had more questions. He was unsatisfied with his question before,

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Speaker 2: now coming to realize who he was speaking to, Abraham

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Speaker 2: approached the subject again, only this time with more reverence.

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Speaker 2: He asked, I know who I am speaking to, and

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Speaker 2: I am but dust and ashes in front of you,

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Speaker 2: and not worthy. But suppose there are forty five righteous

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Speaker 2: in the city, will you destroy the whole city? If

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Speaker 2: there are five less righteous than before? The Lord looked

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Speaker 2: again at Abraham and answered, I will not destroy it

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Speaker 2: if I find forty five righteous. What about forty righteous?

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Speaker 2: Suppose there are only forty, will you destroy the city?

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Speaker 2: Then I will not. Please, do not get angry with me,

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Speaker 2: Abraham said, But what if there were only thirty righteous

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Speaker 2: people in the city? I will not do it if

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Speaker 2: I find thirty there, God replied twenty. For the sake

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Speaker 2: of those twenty, I will not destroy the city. Please, Lord,

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Speaker 2: I know that I am dust before you. Do not

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Speaker 2: be angry with me. And let me ask this last question.

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Speaker 2: What if there were only ten righteous among the city,

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Speaker 2: would you spare the city if there were ten righteous?

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Speaker 2: The Lord looked again finally at Abraham, his chosen hero,

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Speaker 2: was speaking before him with boldness and humility. The man

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Speaker 2: he had chosen to be Father of nations was now

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Speaker 2: displaying a heart to see the righteous upheld and the

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Speaker 2: innocent spared. He answered Abraham tenderly, and one final time

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Speaker 2: he said, for the sake of ten, I will not

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Speaker 2: destroy it. And the Lord went his way towards Sodom,

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Speaker 2: and Abraham returned to his home.

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Speaker 3: Our passage today opens with a visit by God to

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Speaker 3: Abraham and Sarah's tent. But this was a different kind

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Speaker 3: of visit, and we see God as joined by two

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Speaker 3: others who are heavenly beings angelic beings. These were angels

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Speaker 3: that would later visit, most likely Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham

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Speaker 3: immediately recognizes this is an important visit and rushes to greet.

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Speaker 3: The Lord then extends great hospitality, lavishing his guests with bread, milk, kourds,

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Speaker 3: and a freshly slaughtered calf. One cannot help but be

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Speaker 3: reminded again of Abel and of his sacrifice of the

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Speaker 3: best of his flock and offering which the Lord was pleased.

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Speaker 3: What comes next is another reassurance that what God has

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Speaker 3: promised is always true. God will give a son to Abraham,

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Speaker 3: born by his wife Sarah. But now God gives her

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Speaker 3: an actual timeline by this time next year. You see,

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Speaker 3: God doesn't always reveal timing to us. In fact, most

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Speaker 3: often he does not reveal his timeline. But that doesn't

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Speaker 3: mean he can't or won't give you an idea of

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Speaker 3: his timing. He knew how much this couple had endured,

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Speaker 3: and this was the final stretch. God wanted them to

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Speaker 3: keep holding fast to the promise because it was just

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Speaker 3: about to happen. The newly renamed couple is continuing to

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Speaker 3: trust and have faith, but this doesn't prevent Sarah from

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Speaker 3: laughing incredulously, unable to yet imagine how this could possibly happen.

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Speaker 3: But notice that God doesn't get upset or offended by this. Instead,

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Speaker 3: he simply ask if there's any doubt that he can

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Speaker 3: truly do what he said. Even after Sarah tries to

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Speaker 3: deny her doubt, the Lord does not grow weary of

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Speaker 3: her or chastise her. All he says is that he

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Speaker 3: knows she laughed, as if to say, I know you did.

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Speaker 3: I know you laugh, But don't worry. The Lord and

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Speaker 3: his travel companions then began to leave, headed down south

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Speaker 3: to Sodomon Gomorah. God has plans for these evil cities,

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Speaker 3: so he shares his plans for justice with Abraham, his

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Speaker 3: chosen man, this man who was to pave the way

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Speaker 3: for God's redemptive plan. The evil and the sin of

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Speaker 3: Sodom and Gomorrah can no longer be tolerated. God is

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Speaker 3: going to wipe out those two towns. These are the

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Speaker 3: cities where his nephew Lot, Abraham's nephew Lot lives with

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Speaker 3: his family. But otherwise they are of no great consequence

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Speaker 3: to Abraham. That's why what happens next is so amazing.

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Speaker 3: Abraham intervenes. He intervenes by asking God to allow for

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Speaker 3: an opportunity for these cities to be spared. He asked

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Speaker 3: God to find just fifty righteous men in Sodom and

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Speaker 3: if he does to relent from destroying them. Throughout his life,

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Speaker 3: Abraham has seen that God's plan will not be stopped,

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Speaker 3: and yet here he is boldly asking God to change

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Speaker 3: his mind. God agrees, but Abraham wants more. Fifty might

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Speaker 3: be too many. He has, after all, been living in

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Speaker 3: the area, knows of the wickedness of the people of

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Speaker 3: these cities, so he suggests a lower number. What I

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Speaker 3: love about Abraham's second request is the humility with which

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Speaker 3: he approaches God, even as he is being so incredibly bold.

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Speaker 3: Genesis eighteen twenty seven to twenty eight records this conversation,

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Speaker 3: and Abraham replied, now, behold, I have ventured to speak

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Speaker 3: to the Lord, although I am but dust and ashes.

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Speaker 3: Suppose the fifty righteous men are lacking five? Will you

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Speaker 3: destroy the whole city because of five? And he said,

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Speaker 3: I will not destroy it if I find forty five.

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Speaker 3: There now here is a wonderful lesson on boldness and humility.

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Speaker 3: At the same time, Abraham has asked God for a

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Speaker 3: huge thing, and God has agreed, but he wants to

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Speaker 3: take it a step further. Notice how he handled this

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Speaker 3: first acknowledging his position relative to God. I'm but dust

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Speaker 3: and ashes, and that's who we are compared to the

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Speaker 3: greatness and the glory of God. We are dust and ashes,

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Speaker 3: and then boldally and clearly making his requests. This is

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Speaker 3: how we are to approach God in prayer, first recognizing

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Speaker 3: God's immense greatness and power and glory and our smallness

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Speaker 3: by comparison. But then we can make our request with confidence,

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Speaker 3: confidence because we know in Jesus Christ, God has promised

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Speaker 3: to hear us here. God once again agrees with the proposition,

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Speaker 3: and this goes on several more times until Abraham is

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Speaker 3: able to whittle the number down to just ten righteous men,

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Speaker 3: just ten. The Lord then turns and heads to Sodom

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Speaker 3: in search of a few righteous men who can spare

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Speaker 3: this wicked city. We'll find out the next time what happened.

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Speaker 3: Lord God, thank you for this passage and how we

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Speaker 3: can learn so much. Thank you for your loving patience

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Speaker 3: with us, and for the times when you reveal your

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Speaker 3: great plans in detail to us, as you did with

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Speaker 3: Abraham and Sarah. We know you do not have to

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Speaker 3: do this, but you choose to do it for our sake.

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Speaker 3: Thank you, Lord, that we can approach you with boldness

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Speaker 3: and humility that we could ask for our heart's desire.

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Speaker 3: Help us to trust you more, Father, in Jesus's name. Amen,

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Speaker 3: thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.

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Speaker 3: I'm Pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download the Prey

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Speaker 3: dot com app and make prayer a priority in your life.

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Speaker 3: If you enjoyed this podcast, share it with someone you know,

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Speaker 3: someone you love, because by sharing this podcast, you can

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Speaker 3: make a big difference in someone's life. In Jesus' name,

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Speaker 3: And if you want more resources on how to tap

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Speaker 3: into God's life, God's power, God's strength for successful Christian living,

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Speaker 3: be sure to visit Jack Graham dot org. God bless

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Speaker 3: you