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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 come

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

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

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

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Speaker 3: dubious of her prospects for me otherhood. Notice how God

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

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

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

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

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Speaker 3: on 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 Gomorah.

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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. After I am worn out and my

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

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Speaker 2: 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 unsatisfy 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

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Speaker 3: greet The Lord then extends great hospitality, lavishing his guests

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Speaker 3: with bread, milk, kourds, and a freshly slaughtered calf. One

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Speaker 3: cannot help but be reminded again of Abel and of

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Speaker 3: his sacrifice of the best of his flock and offering

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Speaker 3: which the Lord was pleased. What comes next is another

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Speaker 3: reassurance that what God has promised is always true. God

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Speaker 3: will give a son to Abraham, born by his wife Sarah.

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Speaker 3: But now God gives her an actual timeline by this

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Speaker 3: time next year. You see, God doesn't always reveal timing

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Speaker 3: to us. In fact, most often he does not reveal

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Speaker 3: his timeline, but that doesn't mean he can't or won't

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Speaker 3: give you an idea of his timing. He knew how

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Speaker 3: much this couple had endured, and this was the final stretch.

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Speaker 3: God wanted them to keep holding fast to the promise

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Speaker 3: because it was just about to happen. The newly renamed

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Speaker 3: couple is continuing to trust and have faith, but this

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Speaker 3: doesn't prevent Sarah from laughing incredulously, unable to yet imagine

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Speaker 3: how this could possibly happen. But notice that God doesn't

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Speaker 3: get upset or offended by this. Instead, he simply asked

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Speaker 3: if there's any doubt that he can truly do what

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Speaker 3: he said. Even after Sarah tries to deny her doubt,

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Speaker 3: the Lord does not grow weary of her or chastise her.

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Speaker 3: All he says is that he knows she laughed, as

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Speaker 3: if to say, I know you did. I know you laugh,

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Speaker 3: But don't worry. The Lord and his travel companions then

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Speaker 3: began to leave, headed down south to Sodomon Gomorah. God

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Speaker 3: has plans for these evil cities, so he shares his

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Speaker 3: plans for justice with Abraham, his chosen man, this man

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Speaker 3: who was to pave the way for God's redemptive plan.

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Speaker 3: The evil and the sin of Sodom and Gomorah can

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Speaker 3: no longer be tolerated. God is going to wipe out

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Speaker 3: those two towns. These are the cities where his nephew Lot,

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Speaker 3: Abraham's nephew Lot lives with his family. But otherwise they

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Speaker 3: are of no great consequence to Abraham. That's why what

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Speaker 3: happens next is so amazing. Abraham intervenes. He intervenes by

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Speaker 3: asking God to allow for an opportunity for these cities

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Speaker 3: to be spared. He asked God to find just fifty

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Speaker 3: righteous men in Sodom, and if he does to relent

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Speaker 3: from destroying them. Throughout his life, Abraham has seen that

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Speaker 3: God's plan will not be stopped, and yet here he

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Speaker 3: is boldly asking God to change his mind. God agrees,

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Speaker 3: but Abraham wants more. Fifty might be too many. He has,

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Speaker 3: after all, been living in the area and knows of

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Speaker 3: the wickedness of the people of these cities, so he

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Speaker 3: suggests a lower number. What I love about Abraham's second

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Speaker 3: request is the humility with which he approaches God, even

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Speaker 3: as he is being so incredibly bold. Genesis eighteen twenty

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Speaker 3: seven to twenty eight records this conversation, and Abraham replied, now, behold,

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Speaker 3: I have ventured to speak to the Lord, although I

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Speaker 3: am but dust and ashes. Suppose the fifty righteous men

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Speaker 3: are lacking five? Will you destroy the whole city because

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Speaker 3: of five? And he said, I will not destroy it

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Speaker 3: if I find forty five. There now here is a

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Speaker 3: wonderful lesson on boldness and humility. At the same time,

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Speaker 3: Abraham has asked God for a huge thing, and God

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Speaker 3: has agreed, but he wants to take it a step further.

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Speaker 3: Notice how he handled this first acknowledging his position relative

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Speaker 3: to God. I'm but dust, and ashes, and that's who

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Speaker 3: we are compared to the greatness and the glory of God.

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Speaker 3: We are dust and ashes, and then boldally and clearly

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Speaker 3: making his requests. This is how we are to approach

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Speaker 3: God in prayer, first recognizing God's immense greatness and power

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Speaker 3: and glory and our smallness by comparison. But then we

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Speaker 3: can make our request with confidence, confidence because we know

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Speaker 3: in Jesus Christ, God has promised to hear us here.

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Speaker 3: God once again agrees with the proposition, and this goes

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Speaker 3: on several more times until Abraham is able to whittle

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

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Speaker 3: The Lord then turns and heads to Sodom in search

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Speaker 3: of a few righteous men who can spare this wicked city.

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Speaker 3: We'll find out the next time what happened. Lord God,

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Speaker 3: thank you for this passage and how we can learn

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Speaker 3: so much. Thank you for your loving patience with us,

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Speaker 3: and for the times when you reveal your great plans

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Speaker 3: in detail to us, as you did with Abraham and Sarah.

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Speaker 3: We know you do not have to do this, but

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Speaker 3: you choose to do it for our sake. Thank you, Lord,

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Speaker 3: that we can approach you with boldness and humility. That

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Speaker 3: we can ask for our heart's desire. Help us to

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Speaker 3: trust you more. Father, in Jesus' name. Amen, thank you

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Speaker 3: for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast. I'm

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Speaker 3: Pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download Theprey dot com

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

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Speaker 3: 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 you,