Pre-Sermon Preparation

We are returning to Genesis tomorrow, and to a text that would not be the place I would normally start (or restart) a series, but it is where we are.  We will be looking at the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the concluding chapter of Lot's sad biography.  It is even more sad when you realize that Lot was a follower of the Lord.

Up to this point, we have been able to read entire texts every morning, but as we move into the longer narratives, this will not always be possible.  Tomorrow is a case where I will not be able to read the text as a whole as we study.  So I am asking you to consider some "pre-sermon preparation."

For anyone who would like to be better prepared for tomorrow's sermon, may I suggest the following?

• Read Genesis 19 in its entirety.
• Look back at the end of ch. 18 to see how Abraham had prayed about this very situation.
• Note the major issues you discover as you read, and spend a moment reflecting on them.  What questions come to mind?
• Ask God to prepare me to speak clearly to the important "take aways" from the text, and to prepare your heart to receive them.

This is not an easy passage to preach, and I already know I cannot faithfully expound every idea and  subject on which it teaches.  I know that a number of Grace Group leaders are already preparing for good discussion following; I hope that they can deal with the material I have to leave out!