Where Have all The Good Men Gone?
Genesis 14
Ya know, Men have gotten a pretty Bad rap here in the United States. Every where I look, it seems like the role of the Man is being attacked and belittled by the culture, by our media, and even by our government officials. Single women are told, that they don’t need a man to start a family: a father isn’t really that important after all. You’ve got clinics where you can go: why wait for a husband? A quick look on the internet, will find literally THOUSANDS of websites, dedicated to demeaning the role of the father, as well as males in general. And this, of course, is all in the name of acceptance and equality.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m all in favor of equality. But
let me tell you something: there is NOTHING we need more today than a few good men. “Where have all the Good men gone, anyway?” Where are the righteous men?! Where are the men that have a backbone where it counts?
It is shocking to me the way men in our society behave today. There are men that will break your nose for leaning against there car. There are men that will shoot you, for holding your hand in the wrong way. For the last fifty years, violent crime has increased in the U.S. at an EXPONENTIAL rate. Rape, murder, domestic violence, gang violence all of these have skyrocketed. You can find scores of men that will hurt you for stepping on their shoes, but will pay you for murdering their unborn child. . Yet rare is the man who will stand up for the Word of God.
This is all part of an alarming trend I have been noticing lately. There is an almost complete lack of younger men of faith. I don’t have any studies to back me up, but everywhere I look I see men that are less and less concerned with matters such as faith, and honor, and a growing number that are seeking nothing more than the instant gratification of their every whim.
Ya know, I’m pretty sure if I asked Willy or Walter how many Godly men they know in their age group, they would probably be able to name off quite a few. I bet they know men, outside of this church, who have hands and eyes that are glued to the Word of God. But if you ask me that same question, I can count on one hand the number of dedicated Godly men my age that I have known in my entire life time.
And I bet if I go to some of the young men out there in our youth building, and asked them how many guys there age they know that they could honestly call faithful men of God, I doubt they could name more than one or two. Certainly if I clarify it, and I asked them about how many men they know that study the Bible regularly, and are unafraid to speak the word of God, that are saving themselves for marriage, or go out of there way to help others, SURELY I would not get a very positive reply.
Now you need to understand the kind of men that I am speaking of here. I’m not talking about men that go to church. We have plenty of men that just go to church: we don’t need anymore of those. I’m speaking of men that are completely in love with and sold out to Jesus Christ, and aren’t afraid to do something about it. I’m talking about Godly, Holy men, who will FIGHT evil tooth and nail, wherever it might be found.
This was an eye opening study for me. I was forced to see some things about myself that I can’t exactly say I’m proud of. I ask that as we go through this material (whether you a man or woman), you would hold up your life to the things we are going to discuss, and see how you measure up.
So with these things in our minds, we turn to our text, to look at a true man of God. We’re going to be reading from Genesis, Chapter 14 so if you would turn there now.
1 About this time war broke out in the region. King Amraphel of Babylonia,* King Arioch of Ellasar, King Kedorlaomer of Elam, and King Tidal of Goiim fought against King Bera of Sodom, King Birsha of Gomorrah, King Shinab of Admah, King Shemeber of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (also called Zoar). 3 This second group of kings joined forces in the valley of the Dead Sea. For twelve years they had been subject to King Kedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled against him. 5 One year later Kedorlaomer and his allies arrived and defeated the Rephaites at Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzites at Ham, the Emites at Shaveh-kiriathaim, and the Horites at Mount Seir, as far as El-paran at the edge of the wilderness. Then they turned back and came to En-mishpat (now called Kadesh) and conquered all the territory of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites living in Hazazon-tamar. 8 Then the rebel kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela (also called Zoar) prepared for battle in the valley of the Dead Sea.* 9 They fought against King Kedorlaomer of Elam, King Tidal of Goiim, King Amraphel of Babylonia, and King Arioch of Ellasar—four kings against five. 10 As it happened, the valley of the Dead Sea was filled with tar pits. And as the army of the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some fell into the tar pits, while the rest escaped into the mountains. 11 The victorious invaders then plundered Sodom and Gomorrah and headed for home, taking with them all the spoils of war and the food supplies. 12 They also captured Lot—Abram’s nephew who lived in Sodom—and carried off everything he owned. 13 But one of Lot’s men escaped and reported everything to Abram the Hebrew, who was living near the oak grove belonging to Mamre the Amorite. Mamre and his relatives, Eshcol and Aner, were Abram’s allies. 14 When Abram heard that his nephew Lot had been captured, he mobilized the 318 trained men who had been born into his household. Then he pursued Kedorlaomer’s army until he caught up with them at Dan. There he divided his men and attacked during the night. Kedorlaomer’s army fled, but Abram chased them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus. 16 Abram recovered all the goods that had been taken, and he brought back his nephew Lot with his possessions and all the women and other captives.
WOW. That is like something out of a movie. Let me explain everything that just happened, in laymen’s terms.
This king Kedorlaomer had these other five kings, including those of Sodom and Gomorrah, under his boot. But the King of Sodom and Gomorrah along with the other three kings, got tired of this, and rebelled against this King. The King got his buddies together, went down beat up the rebellious kings, and took all their stuff. Not only did he take all their stuff, but he took all their people too.
Now one of Lot’s people get away, and he goes to Lot’s uncle Abram. Abram gets together his servants, he arms them, and he and his 318 servants attack this huge well trained army in the middle of the night, and take back all the people and the stuff.
I think we need more men like Abram in the world, don’t you? This is the kind of Man we need today. So lets look at the kind of man Abram was for a minute…
#1 Abraham was a man of SELFLESSNESS
Look back in Chapter 13 real quick…
5 And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, 6 so that dthe land could not support both of them dwelling together; for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together, 7 eand there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. At that time fthe Canaanites and the Perizzites were dwelling in the land.
8 Then Abram said to Lot, g“Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, hfor we are kinsmen.1 9 iIs not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left.” 10 And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the jJordan Valley was well watered everywhere like kthe garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of lZoar. (This was before the Lord mdestroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11 So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other. 12 Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom.
Ya know, there’s a saying I hear quite often from our young men today. They say “ I gotta get mine.” When someone asks why they are being selfish, or dishonest, they reply “I gotta get mine”. This is there way of saying they are unwilling to do anything with out some form of profit for themselves.
Well I have some news for those who have “gotta get theirs”. First of all, it’s not YOURS. Everything belongs to God, and how dare you have such a selfish attitude with his things. Secondly, the only thing that DOES belong to you, is your sin. Your welcome to keep that, if you want, but might I suggest you give it to Jesus. Your not going to like the wages your paid for your sin…
Contrast this attitude to Abram:
Abram as Lot’s uncle, and eldest in the family, had rights to first choice among the land. Yet he did not claim that right, allowing his nephew first pick. And even though Lot made a very poor Choice, Abram instantly responds against unbelievable odds, to rescue his nephew. Abram unlike men today, was a giver…
Tell me brother, are you a giver? When your wife or daughter or son, asks something of you, that is going to cost you time, money or effort, do you give? Do you give sacrificially? Do you put your own needs last, or do you place the boot of your authority down on their chest, and push down a little, to let them know who’s in charge?
This is something the Lord is working on within me. I am NOT a giving man. I am exceedingly selfish. My flesh wants the best piece of food, the best seat, and quite frankly the least amount of hassle.
Thank God that Jesus Christ was a giver! He came down to this earth and died for a wretched man like me, and he gets NOTHING in return, except the glory and honor for his merciful act, and the right to spend Eternity with me, which my wife will tell you is more punishment than reward.
Thank God that Jesus gave of himself for us…
#2 Abraham was a man of FAITH
Notice here, that Abram was not relying on the luck of the draw, battle tactics, or his brilliance as a commander. No, if we look back a chapter, we see that God had made a promise to bless Abram, and Abram believed him.
nAnd I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 oI will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and pin you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”2
Abram was not fearful because he had God’s promise backing him up. He was not relying on himself, he was relying on God. Abram believed God…
In fact, Abram was called a righteous man, for NO OTHER REASON, except he believed and trusted in God. In fact in Romans Chapter 4 we find that Abraham was not called righteous because of his works: NO, it says “Abraham believed God, and it was COUNTED to him as righteousness.
So let me ask you> Do you believe God? When Jesus says that “Every idle word a man speaks he will have to give an account for on the Day of Judgment”, do you believe him? When he talks about the seriousness of sin, do you believe him? Or do you justify your actions? Do you point to others saying “There worse than me!”
Let me warn you now. You are not judged by the standards of others. And I am not judged, by the standard of others. You and I will be judged before the piercing brilliance of his Holy Word, where EVERY deed done in darkness will be brought into the light.
Do you have faith like Abram?
#3 Abraham was a man of COURAGE and ACTION
There’s a catch phrase that a lot of churches have promoted: you can see it on bumper stickers, church bulletins, T-Shirts. It says
“Let go and let God”. Don’t DO ANYTHING! Just “Let go, and Let God!” Well I would agree with that to a point. But it can be carried too far. Let me ask you, how is it that you surrender to God’s will? How is that you “Let God”? I would submit to you, that we submit to God through Action: by doing what he calls us to do in his word, and “Letting go” of our own desires and dreams.
So many Christians faith today have some kind of a “New Age” feel to it. Just believe…Sit in your room and meditate. Contemplate life. Or worse.. Watch Left Behind on the T.V. Or for that matter any number of Televangelists. Sit on the Lazy Boy with too much popcorn, looking at meaningless or sometimes outright SINFUL things, while the world falls to pieces around us. Well let me tell you something, that’s not Faith, that’s called APATHY> your sitting cozy on your little couch, safe and secure in the knowledge that your saved. While you quite literally say “To Hell” with everyone else.
Abraham did not have some abstract ethereal faith. Abram could have sat on the couch when the messenger came, and used his faith like an excuse: “I believe the promises of God. He’ll take care of it”. But NO: Abrams faith drove him to action.
Listen to me for a minute, because I want you to really internalize this. Scripture talks of Satan snatching the word of God from our minds, and I don’t want that to happen here. Listen carefully, and remember this> True Faith ALWAYS results in action. It might not have the result you want. Everything might not happen on your timeline. But your true Faith, if you posses it, will always result in action.
Hudson Taylor, the famous missionary from the late 15th century, while on his way to China, aboard a sailing vessel, hit what is known as a “dead calm”. This is where there is absolutely no wind, and the ship is completely at the mercy of the Ocean currents.
Well, in this case, the ship was being drawn close to islands that were known to be inhabited by cannibals. The Captain, in a panic, begged Mr. Taylor to pray to God for wind. Hudson Taylor replied that he would pray for wind, if the Captain would unfurl the sails. The Captain refused at first, not wanting to look like a fool, but finally relented.
A short time later, while Mr. Taylor was kneeling in his room, there came an urgent knocking at his door. The Captain yelled “Are you still praying for wind?!” Hudson Taylor shouted back that he was. And the Captain replied “Well you need to Stop! We’ve got more than we can handle!”
True faith always inspires courage, brings action, and has results.
#4 Abraham was a man of HONESTY
God had made a promise to Abram, to bless him abundantly. But after the battle we see the King of Sodom approaching him, and the King of Sodom makes what appears to be a very generous offer: lets look at it, starting in verse 21
21 And the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.” 22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, z“I have lifted my hand3 to the LORD, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth, 23 that aI would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.
Think about that. Had he taken anything from the King of Sodom, the blessing that Abram knew was coming his way, that was promised by God, could be attributed to This Wicked King…Abram was not going to give the Glory of His God to such a man.
How many preachers and teachers do we have today, that have sold out to the King of Sodom? I was doing a job for a man at a small airstrip north of Houston, remodeling his office inside his hanger. And I looked over at this other HUGE hanger that had several 10 to 20 million dollar Jets sitting in front of it. And I asked the guy we were doing the Job for, who it was that owned it? He said, oh that’s this big televangelist such and such. Those planes are for him and his family to fly in: they don’t like flying commercial. About that time, one of the planes turned onto the tarmac, and I saw the emblem of a popular Christian television station on it.
You know what that does? It causes EVERY person that I talk to on the street to say things like “I don’t have any money”. The unsaved think that every man of God in the world, is out for there pocketbook, rather than their soul. People who don’t know any better are being turned away from God, because a few preachers have sold God’s glory for shoe strings from the King of Sodom.
And the dishonesty doesn’t stop there.
I saw the other day on the Television some preacher somewhere was apologizing to homosexuals, because of the Churches judgmental attitude. Well I really didn’t watch too much of it> quite frankly it made me sick to my stomach. But let me say, I don’t NEED to judge anyone! God has already DONE THAT! First Corinthians, 6:9..
1Co 6:9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,
1Co 6:10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
Honesty in our business; and honesty with the Word of God.
So what does all this mean to us? Maybe someone today is saying “I want to be like Abram. I want to be giving, and faithful, and honest, and courageous. But I keep failing!”
First, let me ask you, do you have Jesus? If you don’t have him, there is NO WAY that you can be any of those things. You are a wretched, sinful person, and only through Christ and his shed blood can you be anything but.
Second, how can you believe God, if you don’t know what he’s telling you? Do you study God’s Word, EVERY day? Do you set aside time for scripture and prayer EVERY day? Are you dedicated to it? A halfhearted belief, offers no rewards.
Third, are you serving? A giving heart comes with practice. Start giving of your time, your money and your energy to God’s work. There are hellbound sinners and starving people on every corner> get started.
Lastly, to everyone who feels they are falling far short: let me say welcome to the club. These are the same things that I want to see in myself. And we won’t stop being disappointed until that awesome day when the sky is split, and Jesus Christ returns. Until then, we are stuck in these sinful, fallen bodies. Continue to repent. Continue to believe. Cry if you have to…But don’t give up the battle. Keep fighting. The Kings of this world will fall soon enough…
