Last week I began my sermon by talking about those people who constantly change lanes to get ahead of the traffic. Drivers like that put themselves and others at risk and we don’t like it. But when an ambulance with sirens blaring does the same thing, we don’t mind. In fact we’re trained to make room for such emergency vehicles because they’re rushing to the rescue. That’s what we want them to do isn’t it—to rush? After all a quick response may mean the difference between life and death.
In our sermon series on Abraham and his journey of faith, we learned last week how he set a peacemaker pace when he unselfishly let his nephew Lot choose where he wanted to move his flocks even if this meant Abraham might fall behind in the race for wealth. Abraham was the kind of guy that if you cut in line ahead of him at SuperStore, he wouldn’t object. But we should not take this nonchalance to mean that Abraham was uncaring. No, we see just how considerate Abraham was when he rushed to the rescue of his nephew Lot in today’s text. Rushing to the rescue should also be something that we do often on our journey of faith—even if we’ve been on that journey for a long time and are rather tired of bailing others out. Let’s find out more.
You’ll remember from last week that Lot moved his family into the Jordan valley because the grass was greener there. He made this choice as eagerly as a street racer zipping into a gap in traffic never pausing to consider that his Uncle Abraham might like to move his flocks there. Lot thought only of himself, and didn’t seem to care that he would end up living next door to the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. In time he actually moved into the city of Sodom. But unfortunately for Lot, his adopted city had some nasty enemies. Kings from places we know today as Iran and Iraq swooped down to attack Sodom and Gomorrah because they had stopped paying tribute. They soundly defeated the cities and took everything of value including the citizens to make them slaves or to use them as hostages. Among the captives was poor Lot.
When word reached Abraham he sat back and chuckled, “My rascal nephew made his bed, now he’s got to lie in it. Good luck to him!” No, that’s not what Abraham said. Instead he quickly got his servants together to pursue and rescue the hostages. If you were in your late 70’s, early 80’s, would you consider going on a Navy Seal type military rescue mission to save a brat? And keep in mind, Abraham wouldn’t make this pursuit in a Blackhawk helicopter. He would spend days on foot or on a mule! And yet there was no hesitation. He rushed to the rescue. Abraham’s love and concern for his nephew Lot is impressive. It was an enduring and gracious kind of love.
How does your love for others compare? Are you in the habit of rushing to the rescue on your journey of faith, or do you find yourself standing off to the side, minding your own business because you don’t want to get involved or because the person who could use your help is someone who has slighted you in the past? And anyway you’ve performed your share of rescues, it’s someone else’s turn! But how does such an attitude compare to Abraham’s who thought nothing of the cost or the effort as an 80-year-old to embark on a military campaign to rescue a rascally relative? How does it fit with the words of Jesus from our Gospel lesson where he said, “If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. 4 Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them” (Luke 17:3, 4).
“Ah, see Pastor, that’s the rub. The people who could use my help haven’t repented of their slights. I’m under no obligation to help them.” Couldn’t Abraham have said the same thing of Lot? As far as we know Lot never apologized to Abraham for his past behavior. He didn’t even have the chance to cry for help before he was taken captive. And yet Abraham rushed to the rescue—unafraid to put his own life on the line. Doesn’t that remind you of another dramatic rescue, like how God rushed to our rescue? He did so even though we were willing captives of Satan. We rag on Adam and Eve for believing Satan’s lie that they could be like God if they ate from that tree, but we fall for that lie daily whenever we put our comforts ahead of God’s honor like when we cut others off to get ahead whether on the road or at the dinner table. And still God didn’t just shrug his shoulders and turn away. Instead he rushed to our rescue and look at the effort he made. He didn’t send his servants to fight it out with Satan, he sent his own Son. While there is no record of Abraham sustaining any injuries in his fight to rescue Lot, Jesus was pierced through his hands, his feet, but worst of all he was shot through the heart when his own Father turned his back on him—all because of our sins.
Do you suppose Lot’s attitude towards Abraham changed after the rescue? Was he sorry for having put his own comforts first? If so, it seems funny that Lot went back to live in Sodom. Isn’t this the cycle that we often find ourselves in? We get into trouble, but receive God’s rescue through Jesus, and then we walk right back into our sins! Today God calls us to break that cycle. He calls us out of a life of slavery whether that’s slavery to alcohol, to pornography, to pursuing a certain standard of living at the expense of feeding our faith. He instead calls us to go on rescue missions of our own—to make meals for the sick, to write cards to the lonely, to drive others to their appointments. Even if these people are not “deserving” of our love they’ve been declared recipients of God’s love, which he intends to show through us.
Our rescue missions probably won’t involve taking up arms like Abraham did, but every day we are called on to protect our fellow believers from the attack of Satan. Teaching the next generation to fear, love, and trust in God above all things, withstanding criticism from unbelieving neighbors, and working to sustain the congregation with whom we grow in faith—these are all brave acts that God calls on us to do. And with the Lord on our side, we can rush to the rescue as Abraham did. (Robert Koester)
As Abraham returned from his successful rescue mission he passed by the city of Salem. A priest-king from that city by the name of Melchizedek came out with bread and wine for Abraham and his hungry and tired men. He also offered this blessing: “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. 20 And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand” (Genesis 14:19, 20). It’s hard to overstate the importance of this encounter since even the New Testament makes mention of this meeting between Abraham and Melchizedek. The first thing worth noting is that Abraham would have learned that he was not alone in his worship of the true God. There were others not of his own family who were also believers. I received that wonderful reminder this past week when I attended a pastors’ conference. And you can receive and give that kind of encouragement too when you attend events like our Reformation Rally in Wetaskiwin at the end of this month, or serve as a delegate to church conferences, or participate in a Women’s Day retreat. Don’t pass on those opportunities!
But there’s more to Melchizedek. The New Testament says that he serves as a picture of Jesus because Melchizedek’s name means “king of righteousness.” He also was the king of Salem, which means “peace.” Like Melchizedek, Jesus is a king of righteousness and a king of peace. And like Melchizedek did for Abraham, Jesus comes to serve us. But what was it that Melchizedek gave to Abraham? Just bread and wine and a blessing. It must not have seemed like much, but neither does the bread and wine we have before us today, but through God’s promise we know that we’ll also be receiving Jesus’ body and blood for the blessing of forgiveness!
In response, Abraham gave Melchizedek a tenth of all he had. Now isn’t that amazing? It shows Abraham’s humility and recognition that his great victory over the kings of the east was not due to his amazing military prowess; it was a gift from God. How could he not show his thanks for this in return, even if he had already given much in the way of his time and talents in the effort of rescuing his nephew?
Do you see how this translates into our lives? Sure, you may have worked hard to receive that bonus. You may have practiced more than others to nab that spot on the team or on stage, but before you congratulate yourself, take a moment to thank your God who blessed those efforts. And don’t just thank him with your mouth, thank him with your actions, thank him with your treasures. Take a portion of that bonus, for example, and give it back to the Lord as a way to confess that you trust there’s more where that came from.
There is more that can be said about this text. For example I won’t touch on the interaction between the king of Sodom and Abraham, but I do include a question about it in the bulletin sermon notes. Be sure to go through those questions with your family this evening. But for now let me recap what we’ve learned. The Lord sometimes requires us believers to go through difficult times to help others. But like Abraham, we will discover that those times will come to an end, and when they are over, the Lord will refresh and strengthen our faith. The Apostle Peter put it like this: “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast” (1 Peter 5:10). (Robert Koester) That promise makes us bold to rush to the rescue even if we’ve been doing this every day already on our journey of faith. Don’t become weary of helping others. Don’t let past slights cool your love for God’s people. Instead keep gathering together with them because through them God also wants to refresh you with his love. Amen.
SERMON NOTES
Explain how Lot ended up as a hostage.
What was “surprising” about Abraham’s rescue efforts of Lot? List two points.
Why do we often hesitate to rush to someone else’s rescue?
(This question may need extra thought at home.) How was Jesus’ rescue mission of us similar to Abraham’s rescue mission of Lot? How was it different?
After Lot was rescued, he went right back to the wicked city of Sodom. What sins are you tempted to rush back into? What can you do with God’s help to keep from those sins?
List three facts about Melchizedek.
How was Melchizedek an encouragement to Abraham?
Abraham gave an offering to Melchizedek. Why is this surprising? Why is it not surprising?
(Not touched on in the sermon.) The king of Sodom wanted to give Abraham a reward for rescuing his people and possessions. Why did Abraham refuse this reward when he had accepted riches from other heathen kings? How might Abraham’s example play out in your life today?
