November 6, 2011
Morning Worship
Text: Genesis 14:1-24
Subject: Recovering What is Lost
Title: Behind Enemy Lines
Today we celebrate Veterans’ Day and I want to give my personal thanks to all who have served in our military forces. Thank you for your willingness to serve and place yourselves in harm’s way so that we may live lives that are free.
One of the things that amazes me about our military is the camaraderie that is formed when troops remain together and learn to fight side-by-side. I know that there is an unstated policy among our soldiers that really touches me. I said it is unstated, but what I mean is that is doesn’t have to be commanded – it is something that our troops just do. What I am talking about is the willingness of soldiers to go into harms way to rescue a wounded comrade or even a fallen comrade.
It is stated in the Army Rangers Code. Let me read that code to you.
Recognizing that I volunteered as a Ranger, fully knowing the hazards of my chosen profession, I will always endeavor to uphold the prestige, honor, and high esprit de corps of my Ranger Regiment.
Acknowledging the fact that a Ranger is a more elite soldier who arrives at the cutting edge of battle by land, sea, or air, I accept the fact that as a Ranger my country expects me to move further, faster and fight harder than any other soldier.
Never shall I fail my comrades. I will always keep myself mentally alert, physically strong and morally straight and I will shoulder more than my share of the task whatever it may be, one-hundred-percent and then some.
Gallantly will I show the world that I am a specially selected and well-trained soldier. My courtesy to superior officers, neatness of dress and care of equipment shall set the example for others to follow.
Energetically will I meet the enemies of my country. I shall defeat them on the field of battle for I am better trained and will fight with all my might. Surrender is not a Ranger word. I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy and under no circumstances will I ever embarrass my country.
Readily will I display the intestinal fortitude required to fight on to the Ranger objective and complete the mission though I be the lone survivor.
Go back and reread the last part of the fifth paragraph. … I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy…
I want you to remember that as we look at a story from the Old Testament that follows along these same lines. God does not want His fallen soldiers left behind to fall into the hands of the enemy.
Let’s look at a short list of those God has rescued. Noah and his family, Moses, Gideon, Elijah, Elisha, Jeremiah, Daniel, Peter, and Paul…
I’m not going to read the whole passage today, but we will tell the story as we go along.
Lord, I believe this is your word…
I believe all of it…
I believe it is for me…
I accept it as mine…
And I appropriate it to my life right now…
In Jesus’ name…
I. GOD CARES ABOUT ALL HIS PEOPLE…In our story today we see that there had been continual conflict among the peoples of that area, and that now, five kings had gone into battle against four others, Starting in verse 10, 10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits, and when the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some of the men fell into them and the rest fled to the hills. 11 The four kings seized all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food; then they went away. 12 They also carried off Abram’s nephew Lot and his possessions, since he was living in Sodom. I suppose the key figure in this passage is Lot. We know him as Abram’s nephew. He was one who also received benefit of God’s blessing because he was with Abram. When their possessions became too great and their flocks too big they had to separate and Abram gave Lot the choice – go wherever you want and I’ll go the other direction. 13:10-13, 10 Lot looked up and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan was well watered, like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, toward Zoar. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11 So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company: 12 Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom. 13 Now the men of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the LORD. I don’t know about you, but if I had to make a decision as to whether I went to rescue Lot or not, I would have chosen “not”. I mean, look, he kind of brought this on himself didn’t he?” Do you think that he didn’t know what kind of people lived in Sodom and Gomorrah? Don’t you think that he gave up some of his spiritual standards in order to have the best of life? So, it may have been kind of like, “Adios, amigos. I wish you well. I’ll be praying for you. Hope things get better.” You see, I guess I would have doubted whether Lot really had a relationship with God because of the choices he made. But God sees the heart… Turn over to 2 Peter 2. 4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment; 5 if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others; 6 if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; 7 and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men 8 (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)— 9 if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment. Do you see in verse 7 that God lets the record show that He considers Lot to be a righteous man? In God’s eyes he was worth rescuing. Kind of odd it seems that the world places a value on people according to what they have to offer society and if they don’t have much then they write them off. And at the same time will spend countless time and money to save animals. PETA just last week filed a lawsuit against Sea World charging them with enslaving five Orca whales that perform at the park. Back to the story – God cares about His people and is concerned when they are carried away by the enemy.
II. GOD WANTS HIS PEOPLE RESCUED… Let’s start in verse 14. 13 One who had escaped came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew. Now Abram was living near the great trees of Mamre the Amorite, a brother of Eshcol and Aner, all of whom were allied with Abram. 14 When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained men born in his household and went in pursuit as far as Dan. 15During the night Abram divided his men to attack them and he routed them, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus. I want to give credit here to someone in the story that you may have never considered. It doesn’t tell us who it is who brought Abram the news about Lot. It might have been one of Lot’s servants or it may have been one of the soldiers of one of the defeated kings. The point is that he didn’t try to convince him by appealing to his political alliances. He didn’t try to win him over by talking about the injustices of war. He spoke to him about the one that God considered worthy of saving. Think about this though, when Abram made the decision to go after Lot and his family and possessions, he was making a political decision. He could have responded like many Christians do today. “Well, I’m just a pilgrim here. This isn’t my home. Why should I worry about the things of this world? I’m looking for a different city whose builder is God.” That is true. But while we are here on this earth, aren’t we supposed to make a difference? Galatians 6:9-10, And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. 10As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. Abram could have missed it but he didn’t. He understood that if you want to be blessed you have to be a blessing. Those who honor me I will honor… When we look at people who need rescuing – who have been stolen from us and are now under the oppression of the enemy – we often doubt how much we can do. That is a good thing, because it is in our weakness that God becomes strong in us. Zephaniah 3:17-20 – though this is directed to the restoration of Israel, it is also a general promise for all who have been taken as hostages by an enemy, 17 The LORD your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing.”
18 “The sorrows for the appointed feasts
I will remove from you;
they are a burden and a reproach to you.£
19 At that time I will deal
with all who oppressed you;
I will rescue the lame
and gather those who have been scattered.
I will give them praise and honor
in every land where they were put to shame.
20 At that time I will gather you;
at that time I will bring you home.
I will give you honor and praise
among all the peoples of the earth
when I restore your fortunes
before your very eyes,”
says the LORD.
God wants His people rescued from the arms of the enemy. 16He recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people.
III. GOD WANTS TO BE GLORIFIED THROUGH HIS PEOPLE… 17After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). 18Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine… He was priest of God Most High, 19and he blessed Abram, saying,
“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
Creator of heaven and earth.
20 And blessed be God Most High,
who delivered your enemies into your hand.”
There are two things here that show us the character of Abram in relation to the two kings who come to meet him and by which God is glorified. 1) The first king is Melchizedek king of Salem or “king of Peace”. Melchizedek offers Abram a token which Abram readily accepts – bread and wine… and then this king/priest of God Most High blesses Abram and then gives God the glory for being the one who delivered the enemy into Abram’s hand. . Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything… There is no command yet about tithing, but Abram knew that it was right.
2) The king of Sodom on the other hand, offers Abram the spoils of the battle, which he rejects. 21The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people and keep the goods for yourself.” 22But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the LORD, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, and have taken an oath 23that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the thong of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, ‘I made Abram rich.’ 24I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share that belongs to the men who went with me—to Aner, Eshcol and Mamre. Let them have their share.” Why does he do this? To accept the spoils of battle from the king of this immoral city would align Abram with not only the king but also with the immorality that he allowed in his kingdom. … “I have raised my hand to the LORD, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, and have taken an oath…
Abram’s purpose in recovering the lost was not only his concern for his nephew. That was true and real. But it pales in comparison to his love for God and his desire to glorify Him.
Jude verse 22-23, 22Be merciful to those who doubt; 23snatch others from the fire and save them;
We are called to rescue those who have been taken captive by satan.
Earlier we recognized those who have served in the military. That code of conduct that each of them were sworn to is the same code that the church is supposed to have. I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy…
It is not ours to decide whether they deserve it or not…
It is not for us to decide whether we are able or not…
It is our choice as to whether we will be obedient or not…
Our fallen comrades… those who have been taken by the enemy:
I could begin to name names and spend the rest of the day doing so. But there is no need for that. You know those who have come to church here and have come forward in an apparent desire to give their hearts to the Lord. And now they have been captured by the enemy.
It is time to begin a tactical attack against that same enemy.
It is a three-phase attack.
1. If you don’t care – then you need to repent. Ask God to give you His heart for these prisoners.
2. Ask the Lord to show you, and then begin to pray for the prisoners that you know. Claim them for Christ. This isn’t a physical battle that we can go out and fight. This is spiritual warfare and it must take place on our knees.
3. Begin to make contact with them inviting them back into the sheep pen.
Jesus told the parable of the lost sheep. Don’t you remember that He was more concerned with the one who was lost than with the ninety-nine? The bible says that your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus…
One last thing. We don’t do this so we can grow the church – receive the spoils of war. We want these lives restored for the glory of God. Our motives must be right.
James 4:2-3, You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives..
If our motive is that God be glorified then watch how He will rescue the prisoners and grow this church.
Thank you military veterans…
And thank you spiritual veterans for your commitment to Jesus and His Word.
