20250622 Sermon Genesis 18: Help! Our Need for Intercession

There is a children’s book that won two Best Book of the year awards in 2019 called The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, and the Horse. This book follows the friendship of these four characters. On one page, the boy asks the horse, “What is the bravest thing you have ever said?” The horse answers, “Help!”

Help! Some of us do not ask for help! This is a problem. It could be due to family factors or other reasons. When we do not ask for help, we live as if we are alone in this world. We are living a lie that we need to be self-sufficient. The isolated posture of “I need to live life without help” or “I need to figure this out alone” is not Christian. The posture of “I don’t want to bother them” is robbing Christians from the pleasure of bearing another's burdens. It may be that we subconsciously believe neediness is weakness. It may be that we are afraid of being rejected or judged for asking.

The truth is that we live in a world with sin and suffering. We need help. I need the help of wise compassionate guides to navigate life with my own sin and suffering. Most important, I need a savior. This posture of seeing our need for help and wanting help is at the heart of the Christian Message.

The Bible teaches us that God has created the world that our hearts long for. In Genesis 1-2, humanity experienced Edenic delight and harmonious peace with God, within themselves, and with others. And we sinned.

The story of the Bible is about God’s sovereign orchestration of all things to work through Abraham to restore Eden in the New Creation. In a world marked by sin and suffering, we need help, and this is what Genesis 18 is about. We need one to act on our behalf to make things right. We need an intercessor.

Genesis 18 teaches us our need for intercession, God’s provision of intercession, and our transformation for intercession.

First, we look at our need for intercession in Gen 18:20-28.

Genesis 18:20-28

In Gen 18:20, the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, 21 I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me.” Sin is the problem, and Abraham understands that judgment is coming. Abraham describes God’s judgment as “Sweeping away the wicked” (Gen 18:24), “putting to death the wicked” (Gen 18:26), and the “destruction of the city” (Gen 18:28). In Gen 18:25, Abraham asks, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?”

Sin is the problem in the world. Sin is a severe problem. God, the judge of all the earth does what is just. God responds to sin in the world with judgment on the wicked.

Application: Our Depravity and Our Need.

If everything I have just said is true, we are in trouble. The Bible describes our sin in very extreme ways. After the sin of Adam, sin affects all people, since all die. Gen 6:5; 8:21 teach that the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth. Isa 59:2 and Ps 5:4 both teach that our sin separates us from God. Eph 2:3 calls us children of wrath.

The impact of sin is so deep that without God’s initiative, we could not repent and believe the gospel. We are spiritually dead and need God to raise us from spiritual death. According to Eph 2:1, we are “dead in our trespasses and sins.” According to 1 Cor 2:14, "the natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned." According to Rom 8:7, the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot.

Because of sin we are helpless on our own. We need help, we need one to act on our behalf. We need an intercessor.

Second, we see that God graciously provides intercession (Gen 18:1-15, 17, 19, 22-33).

In Genesis 18, Abraham fulfills his calling of being a blessing to the nations. Abraham also foreshadows Christ, our intercessor.

Gen 18:1-15, 17, 19, 22-33

Genesis 18 portrays Abraham as the ideal human being in four ways. First, he is a better Adam. Second, he enjoys intimacy with God and knows God’s will. Third, he teaches God’s law to others, and fourth, he intercedes for the righteous in Sodom.

Genesis 18:1-15 The first way Abraham is an ideal human is that he is a better Adam.

The summary of Gen 18:1-15 is that three angels come to Abraham’s tent. Abraham feeds them and they promise that in a year, Sarah will have had her promised son. Gen 18:1-15 uses Eden language from Genesis 2-3.

Gen 18:1-15 is a scene where God meets with man. Abraham is “by the oaks of Mamre” this is where he built an altar in Gen 13:18. It is on top of a mountain with trees like Eden. On his Edenic hilltop, Abraham took and gave food, and they ate under the tree. Like in Gen 3:15 there is a promised son.

In Gen 18:12, after hearing that she will have a son, Sarah says, “shall I have "pleasure?” The Hebrew word for pleasure is: “Eden.”

The difference between this scene in Gen 18 and Genesis 3 is that Abraham does not sin. He took and gave, and ate and enjoyed fellowship with God's angels. This is a reversal of Genesis 3 and anticipates God’s redemption of the world. Abraham is a better Adam. This text is showing that Abraham is an agent of blessing.

Genesis 18:17: The second way Abraham is an ideal human is that he knows God’s will.

In Genesis 18:17, the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?” James 2:23 calls Abraham a friend of God. In John 15:15, Jesus tells his disciples, “… the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.”

The Lord reveals his will to Abraham because Abraham is God’s friend. God reveals that he will destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Human beings who enjoy a relationship with God and know his will can intercede for others.

Genesis 18:19 The third way Abraham is presented as an ideal human is his commission to obey and teach God’s law.

Gen 18:19 teaches that Abraham must “command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice.”[i] Keeping God’s law is part of how we love God and walk with him.

Genesis 18:22-33 The fourth way Abraham is presented as the ideal human is that he intercedes for others.

In Gen 12:3, God promised to bless the nations in Abraham. In Genesis 18, Abraham is living up to his calling. He intercedes for the righteous of Sodom. Abraham is concerned that if God judges Sodom, some righteous will be swept away with the wicked. He asks in Gen 18:25, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” Abraham knows that the righteous are spared from God’s judgment.

Abraham asks if God would save the city on account of 50 righteous, the Lord agrees. Then, he lowers it to 45, then 40, then 30 and all the way to 10, and God agrees.

In Genesis 19, after God spares Lot and his family, Gen 19:29 states, “God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow when he overthrew the cities in which Lot had lived.” God is a just judge and would not have judged the innocent. And, he chose to work through Abraham’s intercession to save the righteous in Sodom.

Humanity needs an intercessor, here God graciously provides an intercessor.

Application: This text shows that God provides an intercessor in Abraham. Abraham also foreshadows Christ’s intercession for us.

We also need intercession. Ultimately, Abraham is a blessing to all the families of the world through his descendant, Jesus Christ. Abraham offers us a picture of Christ’s intercession for us. What Abraham does on account of the righteous of Sodom, Christ is doing for us in the present. On the cross, Jesus interceded for us. He paid the punishment for our sins so that we would not have too. Christ’s work is accomplished, and he is still active.

Heb 7:25 reads, “[Jesus] is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”

The compassion Christ had for the sick, the lost, and sinners, the zealous love that led him to offer his life as a sacrifice on the cross, is ongoing today. He is at the Father’s side interceding for us.

Rom 8:33-34 reads, “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.”

Because Christ paid for our sins once and for all, we could logically conclude intercession is no longer required. And yet, Christ loves us even more.

Dane Ortlund writes, “Christ’s intercession reflects how profoundly personal our rescue is. … His posture right now as he is in heaven, … is to pour his heart out on our behalf before the Father.” “The divine Son never ceases to bring his atoning life, death, and resurrection before his Father in a moment-by-moment way.”

When we shock ourselves by how sinful we are and wonder if God could ever love us, in John Calvin’s words, the doctrine of intercession teaches us, that Christ “turns the Father’s eyes to his own righteousness, to avert his gaze from our sins. He so reconciles the Father’s heart to us that by his intercession he prepares a way and access for us to the Father’s throne.” God’s provision of an intercessor is great news for us sinners. On account of our faith, God declares us righteous. This is made possible through Christ’s intercession. He rescues all who come to him.

Third, we look at our Transformation for Intercession.

We are first and foremost receivers and benefactors of Christ’s intercession. And, in Christ we become children of Abraham. Abraham was a man who interceded. Today, we get to participate in what God is doing in the world. Like Abraham, we are made in God’s image to rule and spread his glory. Like Abraham, we are friends of God who know God’s will. So like Abraham, we can intercede for others.

Jesus says in Matt 5:14-15, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.” Do you believe this about yourself? We have a life to live for Christ.

First, we can intercede like Abraham because we are friends of God and know his plan.

Jesus calls his disciples his friends because he makes his will known to us. With the Scriptures, we know God's plan for the world. Through Christ’s redemptive work, God is restoring Edenic peace. Through Christ, God offers the forgiveness of sins. He offers us peace with God, a new heart, that can enjoy restored human relationships. Because God is committed to peace, he is also committed to judging wickedness. Because we know judgment is coming, we must act.

Because of our sin, we all deserve God’s just judgment. But the message does not end here. God makes a way for sinners to be declared righteous so they escape judgment. According to Gen 15:6, people are declared righteous on account of faith. Those who trust God’s promises are declared righteous and escape judgment. Today, this means trusting that God so loved the world that Jesus died on the cross to pay for sins. Trusting God leads to submitting to his reign and repenting from our sins. We intercede by sharing this good news because we want people to turn to Jesus and be spared from judgment.  We can intercede by praying for people and we intercede by sharing this good news.

A second way, we live like Abraham is that we must keep the way of God and command our children and household to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice (Gen 18:19).

Christian living is way more than warning of the judgment to come. We have a message, and we have a way of life. We desire to see the practice of righteousness and justice in our lives and in the lives around us.

We keep God's commandments. We are merciful, gracious, compassionate, and we seek justice in all we do. God's people must be a force for good in society. We would love to have such a reputation that people would want Christians in schools, leadership, and in their neighborhoods.

We want to people to find life in Christ and we also enjoy the abundant life Christ came to bring. Because we know God’s work leads to New Creation peace, we seek to promote peace and restore relationships. Any act of love, any word of blessing, that contributes to peace and harmony in the world is an act of intercession, as we act on behalf of others.

Illustration

When I was in university, I had a friend group. There was a guy who was not in our friend group that I considered to be the coolest kid in the class. He had dreadlocks, he was always talking with different girls. It my mind, he was the embodiment of popularity. So, I decided he was going to be my friend. I went and spoke to him. We became friends, and from then on he was in my friend group.

I remember on our last day of university, he told me that he remembered the day we met. He said that it was the day he went not enjoying his university experience to enjoying it. From not having friends to having friends. I was so shocked. It was my vain attempt to become friends with the cool kid that became a moment of inclusion, belonging, and friendship for him and for me.

As Christians, we absolutely want to focus on sinners hearing the gospel to escape judgment. And, the Christian life and abundant life today also includes peace, harmony with God, with others, and within ourselves.

Small acts of kindness and love can go a long way and reflect the peace and harmony in the world to come that Christ is bringing. It includes bringing people into your friend group.

It fits today in our intercessory work.

Conclusion

We need help. God provides the help we need in Christ. Today, we need help from our church, our friends, and our family. We are also agents of help.

God’s plan is to bless the world. God used Adam, then Noah, then Abraham, but ultimately Jesus is the intercessor all people need. Judgment is coming on account of sin. Jesus is the solution to sin and the provision to escape judgment. If we have benefited from Christ we are now God’s agents of blessing in the world. We point people to Jesus, and act to promote the enjoyment of abundant life, New Creation peace.

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[i] Abraham's children and household received circumcision in Genesis 17, now Abraham must commen them to keep the way of the Lord. This sounds a lot like the Great Commission - circumcise and teach to obey everything (Matt 28:19-20).