“Save a Lot”
Genesis series 4
Genesis 14:1-16
Last week in Genesis:
- we looked at Lot’s and Abraham’s choices.
- Abraham gave Lot first choice of the land.
- Lot chose what he thought was the best land.
Sermon titles:
- We could have named last weeks sermon from Genesis 13 “Abram had a Lot to Lose”
- And I could have titled the message today in Genesis 14 “Abram had a lot to Gain”
- I tried other titles, and kept switching until
- I came up with my Favorite “Save a Lot”
We can rightly see:
- Abraham as a man of FAITH
- Lot as a man living by SIGHT
Hebrews 11:6
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
Hebrews 11:8
“By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.”
Summary of Chapter 14
Kedorlaomer (ked-r-lamer) has ruled over 5 subjegated kings for 12 years:
- The 5 Kings have enough and rebel
- they decided they had enough and stopped paying their tax.
- So the next year four kings go on the war path to teach them a lesson.
- the war, as described in Genesis 14 seems more like a slaughter
They defeated everyone in their path:
- the armies of king of Sodom and the other four kings are crushed
- sending them all running for the hills.
- after the sound defeat of Sodom, they destroying and looting Sodom.
- These kings conquered the land of Canaan; the land promised to Abram
- Sodom is sacked and Lot is captured while living in Sodom
Abram on the scene:
- Abram felt thought it was his job to save Lot
- This led Abram to being involved in the war to save his nephew Lot
1. There is a war between 2 sets of Kings.
- 4 kings and nations on 1 side
- 5 kings and nations on the other side including Sodom where Lot lives.
- battle lines are drawn, and there is war
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Genesis 14:8-9
“Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboyim and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) marched out and drew up their battle lines in the Valley of Siddim 9 against Kedorlaomerking of Elam, Tidal king of Goyim, Amraphel king of Shinar and Arioch king of Ellasar—four kings against five.”
How does the war affect Sodom, where Lot is living?
- Sodom is at war
- Sodom and Gomorrah are CRUSHED,
- The survivors run for their lives, are killed or taken captive
Genesis 14:10-11
“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. The four kings seized all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food; then they went away.”
- Sodom and Gomorrah are plundered
- The other 3 cities were left alone
- The cities are WRECKAGE
SLIDE OF A WAR ZONE AFTERMATH
2. Lot is captured
“They also carried off Abram’s nephew Lot and his possessions, since he was living in Sodom.” Genesis 14:12
- In chapter 13 we see Abrams nephew LOT living NEAR SODOM
- today we notice that LOT is living IN SODOM
- Sodom is described in the Bible to be exceptionally wicked.
Lot is in a TERRIBLE SITUATION:
- Largely of his own making
- Abram brought Lot, even though God told Abram to leave his family behind
- Because there isn’t enough pasture Abram and Lot split forces,
- Lot moves near the wicked city of Sodom
- And then moves INTO the city of Sodom
Instead of calling Lot unlucky, we should instead call him UNWISE.
- He’s in a terrible situation,
- But we are always in a terrible position
- when we go where God does not.
Proverbs 14:12 (ESV)
“There is a way that seems right to a man,
but its end is the way to death.”
God’s way is the best way:
- it will come at a cost
- people may mock you
- it will mean cutting things from your schedule that you’d really like to do
- it will mean arranging your finances in order to honor God with the 1st Fruits of you harvest.
Remember did not do what God said
- Abram was supposed to leave Lot behind in Haran
- Lot wasn’t supposed to with Abram, and definitely NOT IN SODOM.
When we don’t stick with God’s plan, misery awaits:
- Lot is swept up in the trouble that comes from living in Sodom
- The victorious army takes Lot captive
- All the wealth Lot possessed is taken as the “spoils of war”,
This won’t be the last time Lot is in trouble in Sodom:
- Later Abram will save Lot, and he will be made safe again
- Then down the road in Genesis we will find Lot
- Running for his life out of Sodom,
- as God destroys Sodom and Gomorrah
- Lot is slow to learn, he returns to the wicked place of Sodom
Is that your story?
- Cycle of sin and rebellion?
- God saves you and you promise:
o I’ll do better next time
o I’m so grateful, whatever you want Lord “I am you person”
o I’ll do this or that, I’m at your DISPOSAL LORD!
It’s time for REPENTANCE:
“Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed returns to her wallowing in the mud.”
2 Peter 2:22
Let us NO MORE be dogs eating vomit, or pigs returning to the mud:
“I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.”
Acts 20:21
For those of US here, who are CAUGHT in SIN:
- It’s time to turn and go a new direction
- To turn our backs on our sin, and look to God for OUR STRENGTH
- To flee the wicked ways of our youth and pursue righteousness
3. Abram fights a battle to rescue Lot (Genesis 14:13-16)
Genesis 14:13a
“A man who had escaped came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew….”
- A survivor of the attack on Sodom comes and notifies Abram
- That Lot is in trouble
-
Genesis 14:14-15
“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. During the night Abram divided his men to attack them and he routed them, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus.”
Abram leads his Army:
- He led a surprise attack from various positions.
- at night
- Abram was LIKELY the commander of his own men, as well as those of his allies.
- He led his Army as though he were a seasoned Commander
Genesis 14:16
“ He recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people.”
- Abram was RELENTLESS in his ATTACK UNTIL
- Everything was recovered: the possessions, the people,
- including Lot.
Abram shows selfless loyalty:
- And we can admire Abram for his boldness
- Willingness to take a risk to save LOT
- Even willing to enter a war to save Lot
- Don’t you wish you had a friend like that?
- Willing to help you no matter what?
You CAN have a friend like Abraham:
- Someone willing to die to save
- Not only willing, but who has
- ALREADY died to save you from your sins.
“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”
Ephesians 2:13
Sing a song of victory BEFORE AND AFTER THE BATTLE:
Exodus 15:2
2 “The LORD is my strength and my defense;
he has become my salvation.
He is my God, and I will praise him,
my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
Looking back to Abram,
We see God protecting HIS PERSON, and HIS PROMISE:
Genesis 12:2-3
“I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.”
We note that the Lord:
- protected Abram from injury
- gave him victory
- though he was outnumbered
o Our own strength is not our power.
o Our strength comes from the Lord
o God possesses the power
Why was Abram so successful?
- Where do you see him trained as a warrior or a general?
- How does Abram with 318 men DEFEAT 4 Armies?
- The secret is not SECRET
o It’s not Abram, it’s God
APPLICATION:
1. God brings the victory, when victory seems impossible:
The Deck was stacked against Abram, yet he is victorious.
Be reminded that
Insufficient resources are not an issue for God:
- Abram didn’t have enough warriors
- not experience to lead the troops
- not enough time to prepare
Abram was not limited by his resources, we are not either.
Philippians 4:13 (KJV)
“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”
Be hopefully Christian:
- Be confident that you will have trouble in this world.
- Be confident that Jesus has overcome the world
- We have no reason to live hopelessly
- Hope is Wrongly placed in:
o Power, health, wealth and status
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead”
1 Peter 1:3 (NIV)
ABRAM’s victory ought to remind us of another victory:
- it ought remind us of the victory that Jesus won on the cross:
- where Jesus defeated death
- where Jesus paid for your sins,
- where Jesus demonstrated His love for us
- by being the SACRIFICE that pays for our Debt of Sin
Not not only for US:
We are in the SEARCH and RESCUE business with Jesus:
Searching for:
- Those who know they should be here, and are not
- Those who are not here, but they’ve not been asked to come here
The Church ALONE can’t save anyone:
- Only Jesus can save
- When we the CHURCH put Jesus in front people
- then Jesus can save them
- We MUST connect people to Jesus through His Bible
The Church is a PLACE for the:
- wounded, hurting and dying
- to meet the great physican
- to be saved, healed and transformed
Are we doing all we can to make sure that people get the message?
Conclusion:
- Abram saved Lot
- We are Saved through Jesus,
- or not saved at all….
Satans desire is to control you: to own you
So that you have no time to SEE GOD:
- to keep them from hearing that the Way of Satan leads to Hell
- the way of Unbelief leads to Hell
- that sin and wickedness will be punished.
Some here ought to be thankful that Jesus has not come back again:
- b/c you’ve never accepted Jesus
- be thankful you have the opportunity today
- to turn to Jesus NOW before the Judgement
Jesus is coming soon:
“He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.”
Revelation 22:20
- He is coming, are you ready to meet him?
Credit:
- I used some introductory material from the sermon “The Patriarchs The Battle Of Kings And Kingdoms” by David Taylor, sermoncentral.com)
- https://bible.org/seriespage/15-rescue-lot-genesis-141-24
- College Press commentary Genesis vol. 2
- If you see something in this sermon that is yours, let me know and I’ll give you credit.
