Scary Bible 2 // A Corrupted Culture

Last Week:

• Exchanging the truth for a lie
• Lies try to deceive us into thinking sin isn’t harmful or is a net good
• This turns into idolatry

Today: A Corrupted Culture

• Culture is the way of life, behaviors, beliefs, values, and symbols that people accept, generally without thinking about them, and pass along from one generation to the next.
• God is pronouncing judgments on Jerusalem in today’s Bible text
• The essence of this passage is how Jerusalem shifted from mere idolatry into an entirely corrupted culture
• As we’ll see, God draws a connection between what happened in Sodom to what was happening in Jerusalem, and even taking it a step further.

Ezekiel 16:46-50, 60, 63 (NLT) | “^46b Your younger sister was Sodom, who lived with her daughters in the south. ⁴⁷ But you have not merely sinned as they did. You quickly surpassed them in corruption. ⁴⁸ As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, Sodom and her daughters were never as wicked as you and your daughters. ⁴⁹ Sodom’s sins were pride, gluttony, and laziness, while the poor and needy suffered outside her door. ⁵⁰ She was proud and committed detestable sins, so I wiped her out, as you have seen. ⁶⁰ Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you when you were young, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you. ⁶³ You will remember your sins and cover your mouth in silent shame when I forgive you of all that you have done. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!”

Sodom’s Sin:

• Pride, gluttony, and laziness
• The detestable sins of Sodom (and Gomorrah, too) were derivative of pride, gluttony, and laziness

Disobedience:

• They exchanged the truth for a lie, living apart from connectedness to God and worshiping the created as opposed to the Creator
• Pastor Mark gave a (disgusting) object lesson on how delayed obedience is disobedience using a McDonald’s in the blender to illustrate how there are things God asks us to do; when we delay them — even for good things — the time will come when we have to rush to complete our tasks and deal with whatever comes as a result.
• Delayed obedience is disobedience
• So why do we disobey?
  • Pride: I don’t have to
  • Gluttony: Others should do it for me
  • Laziness: I’ll get around to it
• God wants us to obey in a timely fashion and with the right attitude; otherwise we will face the consequences.

Consequences of Sin:

• You are free from the ultimate penalty for sin, but not the consequences
• This is what Jerusalem had to realize…so do we

God’s Promise to Restore, based on His character and nature not yours:

• 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NLT) | Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.
• 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NLT) | For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

God’s Restoration in You:

• Pride to humility
• Gluttony to generosity
• Laziness to activated love

Hope and Help

• God will convict you of your sin (John 16:8)
• We must know better (James 4:17)
• God will restore because of who He is (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Reflection Questions

1. What was the essence of God’s proclamation of judgment to Jerusalem? How did this compare and contrast to Sodom?
2. What drove Sodom to the “detestable sins” that led to their destruction? How does this connect with last week’s message regarding exchanging the truth for a lie?
3. Ultimately, the problem was revealed in the fact that the people knew better about sin and righteousness but chose sin. What did this do to them? What does this do to us?
4. When have you experienced the consequences of sin? How does this leave us feeling in light of God’s forgiveness and mercy?
5. Why does God restore us? What is required based on the passages we read from 2 Chronicles and 2 Corinthians?