Draw Near: God’s Mercy, Justice, and Friendship

Devotional

Day 1: The God Who Shakes Us Awake With Love

A friend’s bold embrace melts a stern face into childlike joy. God leans into our lives the same way—grabbing our shoulders, declaring “You are cherished” with disruptive tenderness. This isn’t distant benevolence but intimate pursuit. Just as Abraham stood stunned before the Lord’s lingering presence, we’re invited to receive love that rewires our guardedness. Transformation begins when we let His voice dismantle the masks we wear. [37:00]

“The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre…he looked toward Sodom…Then the Lord said, ‘Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?’”
(Genesis 18:1,16-17, NIV)

Reflection: Where has your heart grown rigid or performative? How might Jesus’ declaration “You are cherished” soften you today like a child disarmed by delight?

Day 2: The God Who Unlocks His Heart

Divine friendship means sharing secrets. God tells Abraham His plans to judge Sodom, not to inform but to invite collaboration. He trusts His friend with hard truths. This isn’t a CEO briefing subordinates but a confidant pulling back the curtain. When we feel God is silent, we forget He’s already spoken volumes—through Scripture, through Christ, through the Spirit’s whispers. [40:44]

“I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just.”
(Genesis 18:19, NIV)

Reflection: What “divine secret” (a promise, a conviction, a hard truth) has God entrusted to you lately? How will you steward it with both courage and humility?

Day 3: The God Who Leans Into Distress

Sodom’s outcry wasn’t just about sin—it was about systemic neglect of the vulnerable. God hears the cry no politician tweets, the grief no influencer monetizes. Abraham’s intercession reveals a God who pauses omnipotence to listen. Our rage at injustice, our ache for the marginalized—these aren’t distractions from spirituality but fuel for Christlike prayer. [44:38]

“The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me.”
(Genesis 18:20-21, NIV)

Reflection: What specific injustice or pain (global or personal) makes your soul “cry out” lately? How will you bring that raw honesty to God today?

Day 4: Bargaining With the Judge of All the Earth

Abraham’s bold haggling—“50? 45? 30?”—exposes our struggle to reconcile mercy and justice. We want salvation for the “good enough,” but Christ died for the irredeemable. The cross answers Abraham’s question: God spares the wicked not because a few righteous live among them, but because the Righteous One died among them. [59:11]

“Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?… Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?”
(Genesis 18:23,25, NIV)

Reflection: Who feels “beyond saving” in your circle or culture? How might praying for them shift your heart to mirror God’s costly mercy?

Day 5: Dust That Dares to Dialogue

Abraham’s “dust and ashes” confession isn’t self-loathing—it’s liberation. Embracing our smallness frees us to ask big questions. The Creator isn’t threatened by our limits; He designed them. Our humility isn’t about groveling but groundedness—like a child climbing into a parent’s lap to negotiate bedtime, secure in being loved. [55:34]

“Abraham answered, ‘Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes…’”
(Genesis 18:27, NIV)

Reflection: Where do you need to exchange self-sufficiency (“I should handle this alone”) for the freedom of being “dust that dares” to seek God’s face?

Sermon Summary

Genesis 18 picks up as the Lord and the two angels begin moving toward Sodom, and Abraham walks with them to set them on their way. The Lord lingers with Abraham as with a friend, not hiding what he is about to do, but opening up his divine heart and plans. God draws near first, and Abraham responds by drawing near too. The whole scene is a holy conversation, a back and forth between God and his friend.

The Lord’s self disclosure shows that Abraham is not treated merely as a servant. God says, in effect, “Let me tell you about me. Let me tell you what I am going to do.” Scripture itself is God self disclosing who he is, what he loves, where he is going, and what justice he will bring. God’s nearness is not vague warmth, but covenant friendship that tells the truth.

The Lord also leads Abraham toward wellness. The “way of the Lord” is the way of righteousness and justice, the way the Creator designed human beings and the world to flourish. Sin has broken that alignment, but the Lord still calls his people away from the way of their own kingdom and into the way of his kingdom.

The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah shows that God takes distress seriously. The Lord hears cries of pain and does not dismiss them as inconvenient noise. Sodom’s evil includes sexual immorality, but Ezekiel shows that the guilt also includes pride, excess of food, prosperous ease, and refusal to aid the poor and needy. God sees the corrosion of sin in all its forms, and the judge of all the earth does what is just.

Abraham draws near eagerly because God is good, but Abraham also draws near humbly because he is “dust and ashes.” That phrase does not only speak of grief. It speaks of creatureliness, from dust at creation to ashes at death. Humility is not self hatred. Humility is the sane confession that the creature is not the Creator, and that human understanding is limited.

Abraham pleads for the righteous not to be swept away with the wicked, yet Abraham underestimates how deep and pervasive sin can be. The question he never asks is whether there are any righteous people there. Christ becomes the better answer to Abraham’s plea. Jesus, the righteous one, fares as the wicked, is swept away as the wicked should be, and opens the throne of grace so sinners may draw near for mercy.

Key Takeaways

1. God draws near before sinners do God’s friendship with Abraham begins in divine initiative, not human achievement. The Lord lingers, speaks, and discloses his heart before Abraham ever opens his mouth in prayer. Prayer is not forcing distance to close, but responding to the God who has already come near in covenant mercy. [38:32]
2. God takes distress seriously The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah reaches the Lord, and he does not treat wounded people as background noise. God’s justice means that cries buried by systems, pride, wealth, and power are still heard in heaven. The believer’s pain is not minimized by God’s sovereignty, it is carried into the presence of the judge who does what is right. [44:38]
3. Sodom warns comfortable pride Ezekiel’s description of Sodom refuses to let the heart reduce the city’s guilt to only one sin. Pride, excess, prosperous ease, and neglect of the poor reveal a corrosion that can sit comfortably inside respectable lives. God’s judgment exposes not only scandalous rebellion, but also the quiet arrogance that enjoys abundance while ignoring need. [46:01]
4. Humility begins with creatureliness Abraham’s “dust and ashes” does not mean that humility is rooted mainly in self loathing. Humility begins with the beautiful truth that the creature is not the Creator, and that limitation belongs to human design before it belongs to human sin. Such humility can ask boldly because it knows dependence is not shameful. [55:34]
5. Christ fares as the wicked Abraham pleads that the righteous not be swept away with the wicked, but Jesus fulfills a deeper mercy. Christ, the righteous one, willingly receives the fate of the wicked so the wicked may be spared because of him. The throne of grace is open because judgment and mercy met at the cross. [63:41]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[29:31] - Genesis 18 and Abraham’s Story
[30:59] - The Lord Lingers With Abraham
[32:47] - Abraham Pleads for Sodom
[35:12] - A Picture of Transforming Nearness
[38:32] - God Calls His People Cherished
[40:21] - Drawing Near Eagerly and Humbly
[40:44] - God Self Discloses to His Friend
[43:08] - The Way of the Lord
[44:38] - God Hears the Outcry
[46:01] - The Full Guilt of Sodom
[49:37] - The Judge Removes Corrosion
[55:34] - Dust and Ashes Humility
[60:17] - Abraham Underestimates Sin
[63:41] - Jesus, the Righteous One Swept Away

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Genesis 18:16-33 (ESV)
Ezekiel 16:49-50 (ESV)
Hebrews 4:16 (ESV)

Observation questions

In Genesis 18:27, Abraham describes himself as "dust and ashes." What two aspects of human existence does this phrase emphasize, according to the sermon’s explanation? [55:34]
According to Ezekiel 16:49-50, what specific sins (beyond sexual immorality) contributed to Sodom’s guilt?
How does Abraham’s plea for Sodom ultimately fall short, and how does Christ fulfill a "deeper mercy" in response? [01:03:41]

Interpretation questions

Why might God’s self-disclosure to Abraham (Genesis 18:17) be described as an act of friendship rather than obligation? What does this reveal about God’s character?
The sermon connects humility to recognizing our "creatureliness" rather than self-loathing. How does this distinction reshape our understanding of approaching God boldly in prayer? [55:34]
Hebrews 4:16 invites believers to "draw near to the throne of grace." How does Christ’s sacrifice (as the "righteous one swept away") make this possible, even when we feel unworthy?

Application questions

Sodom’s sins included pride, excess, and neglecting the needy. In what areas of your life might comfort or abundance make it easy to ignore others’ pain? How could you actively resist this? [46:01]
God’s friendship with Abraham began with His initiative, not Abraham’s. How does this truth change the way you view prayer—not as a way to "close the gap" with God, but to respond to His nearness?
When facing personal distress (e.g., injustice, loneliness, or societal brokenness), what practical step could you take this week to bring it to God, trusting He hears it as more than "background noise"? [44:38]
The sermon warns against underestimating sin’s pervasiveness. Is there a situation or relationship where you’ve assumed "it’s not that bad," but might need to seek God’s clarity?
Abraham prayed for mercy for Sodom, even though he likely knew Lot was the only righteous person there. Who do you find hardest to pray for, and how could you ask God to help you intercede for them? [01:07:00]
How might acknowledging your "dust and ashes" identity (limited, dependent, yet loved) reshape your daily decisions—from work to relationships to handling failure?

Sermon Clips

63s

“``Little does he know how God's plan is gonna carry out, where God himself is gonna draw near again in the person of Jesus. And Jesus is gonna crawl up on a cross, and he's gonna lay himself down, and he is going to be the righteous one who fares as the wicked. He is going to be the righteous one who is swept away as the wicked should be, for the sin of you and me, and Jesus on the cross says, spare the wicked because of me. He has a better prayer than Abraham. Abraham wants the wicked spared because of the righteous of some. Jesus says, spare the wicked because of the righteous of righteousness of one, of me.”

75s

“And one of the things he talks about is we tend to think of humility, and the reason that we are to be humble as Christians is because we battle with sin. Humility flows out of the fact that you are a sinful person. Now, that is true, we are sinful, and that is an element of why we should be humble, but that's not the main reason we should be humble. The main reason to be humble is because we were created. Do you think Adam and Eve should have been humble before there was sin? Adam and Eve were humble even before they had they had sinned at all. Because how else could Jesus show up as a humble savior? He wasn't arriving on the scene humble because he was sinful, he came as a humble savior because he placed himself in a particular relationship with the father. And so, here we are told, one of the reasons we approach humbly is just because we're creatures, and it's beautiful that we're creatures. Humility doesn't have to be rooted in self loathing.”

79s

“Here he is, the king who's gonna bring justice, but he also brings mercy at the same time. Think about it. You need justice and mercy. Here he is coming with judgment. What happens if you have judgment and no mercy? If you have love without justice, you have indulgence. What happens when you have justice without love? Then you have dominance and tyranny. What happens when you don't have justice or love or mercy? Then you have indifference. You don't care. For there to be true love, there has to be justice and judgment. They must coexist, and the Lord says, I am the judge who will do right, and this is hard for us as a modern society where we people will say things like, I just want the God of love, not this God of judgment. No, that's not true. If you don't have a God of judgment, you don't want that either because you want justice in the world.”

69s

“So he doesn't treat him as a servant. Self disclosure of the Lord is evidence of being a friend. See, in our culture, disclosure can often be a dirty word. Don't talk too much about yourself is one thing. And then the other thing is like, oh, people don't have the right to know that about you, you don't need to give them a reason. Just do it, or protect yourself because you never know how people will use it against you. And particularly with men, self disclosure can seem like that's something we just don't do, that's not the manly way. Well, dear men, it's the way of God. God self discloses, are you more manly than God? God is the self discloser. After all, what's all the scripture? The scripture is God self disclosing who he is, what he loves, where he's going, what he's pursuing, the justice that he will bring.”

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Draw Near: God’s Mercy, Justice, and Friendship

Devotional

Day 1: The God Who Shakes Us Awake With Love

Day 2: The God Who Unlocks His Heart

Day 3: The God Who Leans Into Distress

Day 4: Bargaining With the Judge of All the Earth

Day 5: Dust That Dares to Dialogue

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Draw Near: God’s Mercy, Justice, and Friendship

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