Amen. Okay, so we're up to Genesis 14 now in our Wednesday evening Bible study and
last week we were in Genesis chapter 13 where we saw Abraham and Lot come out of
Egypt with a lot of wealth but the wealth became a problem for them.
Basically they had too much substance for the land to bear and there was
strife between the workers so Abram basically gave us a great lesson in
humility didn't he? He said please let there not be trouble between us, choose
where to go and I'll go the other way and and he could have pulled rank on him
he could have you know said look I'm your uncle and I you know you do as I
say but instead he was just humble he just wanted to just end that strife. Now
Lot saw the well-watered plain of Jordan towards Sodom and he basically made a
business decision he said that looks like I can make more money that way I'm
going that way he went towards the basically the east and outskirts of
Canaan towards a wicked city full of wicked people because he could get
richer that way okay and look we looked at the many ways that Christians will
compromise and put wealth before the things of God and that's an error it's
an error all day long and we're gonna see that with Lot here. It was after Lot
was separated by the way that God had more revelation for Abram if you
noticed and a lot for me being a covetous Christian that would have
hindered Abraham or Abram at this point is spiritual life and it was once he
was separated that you know things then God was like right now I'm going to tell
you some more and we looked at the promise to Abram and his seed and how it
was fulfilled in Christ and will be fulfilled eternally and in verse 14
we're just going to look at the end of 13 again obviously the chapter divisions
came much later it's interesting to see where we're at verse 14 of Genesis 13
says the Lord said unto Abram after that Lot was separated from him lift up now
thine eyes look from the place where thou art northward and southward and eastward
and westward for all the land which thou seest to thee will I give it to thy seed
forever and I'll make thy seed as a dust of the earth so that if a man can number
the dust of the earth then shall thy seed also be numbered arise walk through
the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it for I will give it unto
thee then Abram removed his tent and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre
which is in Hebron and built there an altar unto the Lord and then we go
straight into now chapter 14 of verse 1 which reads and it came to pass the days
of Amraphel king of Shinar, Ariot king of Eleazar, Kedoleomah king of Elam and
Tidal king of nations that these made war with Bera king of Sodom and with
Bershe king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admar and Shemeba king of Zeboim and the
king of Bela which is Zoar I'd like to pray before we get going with this
chapter father thank you for your word thank you for this chapter of the Bible
which I'm about to preach from Lord just help me to just preach this now just
just clearly Lord and accurately as well and help me to preach the messages
that I've taken from this chapter just you know in a way that people will
remember them that it will edify your church Lord and fill me with your
spirits and I'm just able to do that and just preach through me please Lord in
Jesus name pray all of this Amen okay so you've got these four kings coming from
the east okay Shinar was where Babel was which was basically not far from
Baghdad in what we know of now as Iraq Elazar was a region in what is now
northeastern Syria not far from Nineveh Elam was a descendant of Shem and and an
area east of Babylon Persia and then Tidal he did say king of nations was
likely the king of various tribes in that Arabia region I believe so it's
basically everyone east from northeast to southeast of Canaan have made war
with these eastern cities of Canaan because that's what all these are
they're all near to the Dead Sea these cities that we that we're seeing listed
here it said that they made war with beer a king of Sodom Bursa king of
Gomorrah Shina king of Admah and Shemaeba king of Zeboim and the king of
Bela which is Zohar he's all very close to what we know as as the Dead Sea now
all these were joined together it said in verse 3 in the vale of Siddim which
is the salt sea 12 years they served Kedoleoma and in the 13th year they
rebelled and in the 14th year came Kedoleoma and the kings that were with
him and smote the Rephaims in Ashtoreth Carneim and the Zuzims in Ham and the
Eimims in Shaveh, Kiriathayim so Ashtoreth Carneim is basically east of the
Sea of Galilee okay so that's quite a long way off now from where where where
the Dead Sea is Ham being likely a similar area here to there near Galilee
I think the Zuzims where it said being in Ham may be related to the giant
Zamzimims we're gonna see later in the Bible Shaveh, Kiriathayim is likely in
Moab east of the Dead Sea he said in verse 6 and Ahorites in their Mount
Seir unto Elparam which is by the wilderness Mount Seir being southeast of
the Dead Sea and Elparam being the wilderness south of Canaan where the
children of Israel later wander so again we're looking at pretty much eastern
nations although it goes now deep south and high and north they've just been
going around just smashing everyone on those sort of eastern southern and
northern borders of Canaan it said in verse 6 sorry in verse yeah verse 6 and
Ahorites in their Mount Seir unto Elparam which is by the wilderness so so the
wilderness by the way that is where Israel later wander as well just south
of Canaan verse 7 says and they returned and came to Enmishpat which is Kadesh
and smote all the country of the Amalekites and also the Amorites that
dwelt in Haziz on Tamar now Kadesh in the south okay Haziz on Tamar being just
west of the Dead Sea so this is now the furthest east now into Canaan and
basically look to cut a long story short there Kedar Layomah of Elam and his
Confederate cities it looks like it says here they've been running the show for
12 years okay they've been getting you know you'd imagine some sort of tribute
money or tribute goods or some percentage of their animals of their
wealth or something else and now these are now they've decided right we're
gonna rebel okay we're not having this anymore so they they they've decided to
rebel against him now is an interesting thing this seems to be the first
obvious warfare recorded since the flood and obviously there's a lot of violence
in the flood and everything else but this is the first obvious warfare really
recorded at all and just to put it into perspective Noah only died a few decades
ago here okay so we're not a long way off and I know obviously Noah lived a
long time okay but it's a few hundred three hundred fifty years after the flood
that's still not a great deal of time is it in the history of the world so we're
talking sort of you know a few centuries on from the flood and they're
all relatives these people aren't they okay they're all relatives of and look
everyone is a relative really however here it's pretty close relatives that
you know basically I yes the whole earth ultimately is a relative now but here
these people know each other they know who went where and everything else they
know who went out you know from Shemham and J fifth and which areas and their
kids and everything else so it's it's still pretty close isn't it genetically
the world here we're talking at you know a handful of generations down and
already there's tribute being paid people going to war didn't take long did
it didn't take long for people to just start now killing each other and what
does it come down to really what did come down to wealth and power look at
first for 12 years they serve keyed Oleoma and in the 13th year they
rebelled so they're serving him he's taking something from their rebelling
against him like I said it'll be some sort of tribute some sort of money some
sort of tax they're paying him and he's then just gone around killing people
killed all these different groups people basically relatives of his just going
around you know putting people to death I'd imagine with some sort of you know
probably swords and things like this just killing people over money over
wealth didn't take long did it verse 8 says and there went out the king of
Sodom and the king of Gomorrah and the king of Admah and the king of Zeboim and
the king of Bela the same as Zohar and they join battle with them in the veil
of Sidim so these guys have joined together for greater numbers okay now
here's a question should the kings of Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboim and Zohar be
joining with Sodom should they be joining with Sodom look back in chapter 13
if you're going well well how bad was Sodom well chapter 13 and verse 12
chapter 13 and verse 12 said Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan a lot
dwelled in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent towards Sodom but the
men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly so at this
point by the way lot is in the cities of the plain okay these cities that it's
talking about here said it said that lot dwelled in the cities of the plain
they're not mentioned here it's the men of Sodom that are noted as the filthy
Sodomites basically isn't it it's not the rest of it that he's in the cities
of the plain he pitched his tent towards Sodom but the men of Sodom were wicked
and sinners before the Lord exceedingly now what was the result of their affinity
with Sodom well turn to Deuteronomy 29 okay we just read in verse 8 well you
turn to Deuteronomy 29 I'm just going to remind you what we just read in in
Genesis 14 verse 8 where it says and there went out the king of Sodom and the
king of Gomorrah and the king of Admah and the king of Zeboim and the king of
Beelah the same is Zoar and they join battle with them in a veil of Sidon okay
now Deuteronomy 29 the children of Israel being warned about turning away from God
in the repercussions it says in verse 22 Deuteronomy 29 in verse 22 so that the
generation to come of your children that shall rise up after you and the stranger
that shall come from a far land shall say when they see the plagues that land
the sickness which the Lord had laid upon it and that the whole land thereof
thereof is brimstone and salt and burning that it is not so nor beareth
nor any grass growth therein like the overthrow of Sodom and where and Gomorrah
Admah and Zeboim which the Lord overthrow overthrew in his anger and in
his wrath even all nations shall say wherefore have the Lord done thus unto
this land what meaneth the heat of this great anger so was it just Sodom was it
now we often say Sodom some will say Sodom and Gomorrah it wasn't just Sodom
and Gomorrah but also Admah and Zeboim which got destroyed okay and we've just
read those as these people confederate with with Sodom now go back to Genesis
but chapter 19 because you might be there going well what about Zoar what
about Zoar what happened to Zoar why didn't they get smashed as well why
didn't they get raised to the ground to the point where you can't even grow
anything on the land there because it got so smashed with fire and brimstone
well Zoar was only spared because it was where Lot fled to if you remember it was
spared due to one righteous guy and his daughter's going there that's the only
reason that place was spared Genesis 19 we see Lot's fleeing Sodom and verse 17
says and it came to pass when they had brought them forth abroad that he said
escape for thy life look not behind thee neither stay thou in all the plain
escape to the mountain lest thou be consumed and Lot said unto them all not
so my lord behold now thy servant hath found grace in thy sight and now has
magnified thy mercy which thou has showed unto me and saving my life and I
cannot escape to the mountain lest some evil take me and I die behold now this
city is near to flee unto and it is a little one oh let me escape there is it
not a little one and my soul shall live well you know you think what you ever
wonder why does it keep going about how little it is you know and if I think if
God was willing to spare Sodom for ten righteous remember when he haggles with
Abraham gets down to ten righteous ten to save people perhaps Lot and his
daughters were enough to spare little Zoar maybe that's why it was spared it
was spared because he was a similar percentage maybe because this righteous
guy going into little Zoar it did get spared it's not on that list it didn't
get raised we see Zoar later on and he said unto him see I have accepted the
concern in this single so that I will not overthrow this city for the which
thou has spoken haste the escape there therefore I cannot do anything till
thou become there therefore the name of the city was called Zoar the Sun was
risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar then the Lord rained upon
Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven and he
overthrew those cities and all the plain and all the inhabitants of the cities
and that which grew upon the ground okay that's what God thinks about sodomites
and in fact it's not just what he thinks about sodomites it's what he thinks
about sodomites and and cities and people confederate with sodomites
because I don't there's no evidence again we can assume you could go maybe
that's full of sodomites I don't see that I see some nations which yoked up
with Sodom get raised as well and yeah I'm sure they were infected I'm sure
they were they were open to it and everything else and sodomite friendly
however that's what we're seeing there aren't we why Zoar got a very fortunate
pass but why did the rest of these Confederate cities get wiped out because
they were yoked up with wickedness okay because they were yoked up they were
joined up they they were a part of that by being yoked up with them and that's
the result of yoking up with God haters of joining affinity with the wicked with
reprobate and that's a lesson to all of us isn't it because a lot of people do
that in life in various ways whether it's to get richer like lot you know
you know and here look you could argue these you know it's not the same way a
lot at least managed to escape however look still bad things happen we're gonna
see in lots life bad things happen because he yoked up with a bunch of
god-hating reprobates and we need to make sure we don't yoke up with
god-hating reprobates okay and there's a lot a lot of god-hating reprobates
around and is it is there any difference if your best buddies with a Pentecostal
pastor is that any different in fact let's be honest he's doing more harm
against Kingdom of God than some sodomite walking around being a sodomite
is it any different if you're yoked up with some c of e priest somewhere well
it's you know the family member and you know okay so he wears a dress and you
know has a silly thing on him preaches work salvation but in fact it's probably
a sodomite as well anyway but regardless he's a false prophet but
people yoke up with these people people go well it's like well they just think a
bit differently now don't get me wrong you've got some unsaved family who are
into a false religion that doesn't mean you can't fellowship with them yeah you
want to try and get him saved okay however if they're if they're preaching
they're leading there there's some false prophet behind some version of a pulpit
somewhere and I'll include the Imam and the rabbi and all of that stuff these
are on the same level in fact they're worse they're worse than these people we
were talking about it with some of these guys in it because again there's people
that you don't even think about I can get him into this sermon people like
Andrew Tate for example and all these guys they're false prophets they're out
there preaching foot they pull people in and then they try and take that guy's
trying to preach Islam now to his millions and millions of clown followers
who somehow think that the guy's manly which is a laugh okay and the rest of
these guys like all these your your atheist you know professors and
everything else if they're preaching that stuff and they're trying to teach
that way and everything else I look for me you know I'm starting to see false
prophet in them right and all these people we want to be away from you don't
want to be yoked up with them you don't want to think that somehow it's the
right to be like best buddies with them hanging around with them friendly with
them and everything else that's what happened to these are they yoked up with
them they went to war alongside them and look what happened they got raised
raised to the ground and that's what happened and even in an individual sense
they'll bring you down they will destroy your life in one way or another these
people are dangerous around your kids they're dangerous around your families
they're dangerous around you they'll find a way to stab you in the back one
way or another you don't want to join affinity with them that's why David said
by the way you have to turn there though in Psalm 101 and verse 4 forward heart
shed apart for me I will not know a wicked person I will not know a wicked
but I don't want to know these people I want to know what they're teaching I
don't want to know all their rubbish that they're proud I want to and
nowadays you can know these people online can't you nowadays you can know
the wicked in various ways can't you can know them just through through through
YouTube you can know them through through social media you can know and we
shouldn't be wanting to know the false prophets we shouldn't be wanting to know
all these people out there that are just teaching lies and just teaching
falsehoods and teaching false gods what we want to know is the Word of God don't
we want to know the Word of God he said David said I will not know a wicked
person and all these nations around the world as well all these nations yoking
up with sodomites with with the pushing and promoting of filth they they're
gonna get destroyed too aren't they I mean if you think about it those those
nations in the coming wrath that are eventually just gonna get all this grief
and all this stuff happening to them I mean really what the end of the day who
do you think's gonna get it worse do you think that the the people in the middle
of some nation someone had got nothing to do with anything do you think for
example do you think those out in in Uganda where they're basically at least
they're kind of halfway there and they're saying okay we're not having
this sort of stuff we've got the death penalty on certain stuff like that we're
we're arresting people for this sort of filth do you think do you think they're
gonna be getting as raised as quickly as some of these just wicked Western just
pro-sodomite nations no way it's coming on these nations and it comes on
individuals too they will be destroyed and and with that I don't know if
anyone's looked into the Uganda thing but good on him right I mean us they
haven't gone far enough but good on them good on them for at least standing
strong and resisting because they've been trying to push him with money it's
always money isn't it they're gonna withdraw funding withdraw this withdraw
that and their presence I don't care I'm not having it not having it and and all
they're all they say this is how this is how messed up this world is they're
saying the death penalty for those abused children and those that knowingly
infect people with you know filthy diseases I mean there should be the
death penalty across the board yet then our Western nations others go this is
just tragic abuse of human rights it what are you talking about because it
because they're the death penalty of people that should have been killed a
lot before that unbelievable isn't it but anyway I don't go down that route
but okay so here we we see like I just said where we were he overthrew those
cities and it's these cities that have yoked up go back to verse 8 of Genesis
chapter 14 where it says and there went out the king of Sodom and the king of
Gomorrah like I said and the king of Admah like we've just seen the king of
Zebarim like we've just seen the king of Bela the same as Zoar that got off
lightly and they joined battle with them in the veil of Sidim with Kedah
Leomah the king of Elam and with Tidal king of nations the Amravel king of
Shinar and Ariot king of Elisa four kings with five now you could go yeah
but it was a righteous cause wasn't it these guys were exacting probably
tribute money they were controlling them they were rebelling it was still
unacceptable doesn't matter what the cause is you don't yoke up with a bunch
of God haters you know yoke up with open sodomites that's why Jehoshaphat was
told in 2 Chronicles 19 2 by the man of God by the seer he was told should
have so help the ungodly and love them they hate the Lord therefore is wrath
upon me from before the Lord wrath is upon me when you're yoking up when
you're helping out open blatant God haters and by the way they didn't
succeed anyhow the you know they they got destroyed anyway so they tried they
tried to help the truth of it was a king of Sodom probably rode out on a pink
pony or something and it all went a bit downhill but I don't know I don't know
what happened there but what I do know is they failed anyway and end up fleeing
into the mountains it says in verse 10 the veil of Sidim was full of slime pits
and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled and fell there and they that remained
fled to the mountain now this is some sort of adhesive mud remember they were
using it as mortar back in chapter 11 perhaps one of the sources of wealth for
building I don't know I mean if you remember they were using that to build
back in chapter 11 when they're building the Tower of Babel in the city there and
they were using slime for mortar maybe somewhere with a lot of slime there's
some sort of some some sort of benefits to that if a lot of people are building
cities I don't know I don't know how common it was but they've all fled these
guys have fallen here so when you're talking slime pits it's it's mud that's
used for kind of as a mortar and verse 11 says and they took all the goods of
Sodom and Gomorrah and all their victuals and went their way so basically
they've ransacked the cities okay victuals is food sustenance they've gone
and taken everything worthwhile there and I'd imagine you know the animals
cattle all this sort of thing and they took Lot Abram's brother's son who
dwelt in Sodom and his goods and departed now the last time that we saw
lot in chapter 13 of verse 12 it said in chapter 13 verse 12 lot dwelled in the
cities of the plain and pitched his tent toward Sodom so lot wasn't in Sodom was
he he dwelt in the cities now he's living in Sodom isn't he why because of
compromising because of putting wealth first God's second and eventually you're
justifying all sorts like living in Sodom well we've already been warned
that these men of Sodom we're just it was like just his hive of just filthy
homosexual iniquity and he's now living there but it started with his pictures
tender it started with him seeing the well-watered plains and compromising on
the things of God going out at least towards the outskirts of the land of
Canaan away from where God wanted him for wealth for money that's where it
starts you start picking and choosing you start you start pick your choosing
what you will and won't follow what bits you ignore out of the the word of God
watch which bits of God you don't want to do which which sort of things in in
your life that that you think well yeah I don't really have to follow that you
put money first and what's the answer that you cannot serve God a mammon can
you you can't have both one will eventually give now he's dwelling in
Sodom and what's the result he's taking captive his sings his his wealth we see
you know here they took all the stuff out of there so that would have included
lot who had a lot of sustenance he had a lot of substance it called it him as
well that's why they couldn't dwell together him and Abraham his treasures
on earth I'd imagine you know whatever was there was taken turn to Matthew 6
because lot for me is a great real example to put alongside Jesus
preaching in Matthew 6 now you're turning to Matthew chapter 6 a lot like
I said look he's he's put money first he's put wealth first above God and now
he's been taken captive he's probably lost a lot of his wealth you know look
at verse 19 in Matthew 6 where Jesus said in Matthew 6 and verse 19 lay not
up for yourselves treasures upon earth where moth and rust doth corrupt and
where thieves break through and still so that's what happened here to law and
regardless of what was recovered or not afterwards you you know ever think here
because I think often we read the Bible and you kind of read it almost sometimes
like a story don't you but put yourselves back in history you're living
in a city okay back in in these days that people weren't these automatically
different people you know they would have had a say a very similar thoughts
feelings ways that of doing things that you would have done right okay it's not
like a kind of separate type of person you're living in a city seeking wealth
the leader of the city and his army got to battle next thing you know you're
being what violently rounded up you've been invaded you're being rounded up
your other magic can you imagine how stressful that I mean can you imagine
how scary that would have been people coming with weapons you didn't you
couldn't defend your family his his daughters his wife whoever else people
around him all just being grabbed and taken away knowing probably what their
fate was as well like this isn't just oh well yeah well I got captured for a bit
now I got back I mean this is a massive truck this is the sort of trauma that if
this happened in your life you would never forget it you'd be talking about
it for years and years and years to come you'd be talking about until your old
age wouldn't you that time when they came in and they basically just just
kidnapped us kidnapped my family you probably have post-traumatic stress
disorder from it you'd be having nightmares about this or I mean this is
serious stuff isn't it I mean he's expecting to probably now why do you get
taken captive I'd imagine because he was a farmer because he was like a cowboy so
he's probably useful but he's no good taking loads and loads of cows and
livestock and all this other stuff if you got no one to deal with it right so
they're capturing people that would he would have been enslaved I'd imagine to
some degree okay so he would have now been under the the you know the well at
least the leading of this keyed Oleoma who didn't sound like the most pleasant
of fellas he would have been taken away dealt dealing with all of that who knows
what would happen to his wife to his daughter I mean what an absolute
nightmare what an absolute mess everything taken all your stuff and what
what was that as a result of laying up for himself treasures upon earth where
moth and rust are corrupt where thieves break through and still now look and
look because something this stuff comes up a lot in the Bible and just to make
it clear look some people have money yeah there's like that doesn't mean
they're bad people okay some people earn good money that doesn't mean they get
bad people that doesn't mean that they need to stop doing that however where
your priorities that's what's important where are your priorities if your
priorities are on that if money goes here and God goes here then there's a
problem okay but here it says in verse 20 but lay up for yourself treasures in
heaven how'd you lay up treasures in heaven by doing the will of God by going
out and doing things not just so winning but so winning is obviously a big part
of it it's like the first commandment the first love but doing things for God
doing living the Christian life lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where
neither moth nor rust of corrupt and where thieves do not break through nor
steal for where your treasure is there will your heart be also and just to make
this clear do you have to make this clear when you preach this sort of stuff
you almost forget because we you're just so used to being surrounded by people
that understand it's gracefully faith okay let's talk about treasures in
heaven that's not to about earning heaven okay that's talking about when
you are already saved you can earn a lot of treasures in heaven okay on top of
that you get saved by putting your faith in Jesus Christ but after that there's a
lot of treasures there's a lot of rewards you can earn if you want to earn
them okay or you can you can just go okay well I'm saved and that's that
right and it's your choice however you can lay up for yourself treasure in
heaven where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt where thieves do not break
through nor steal for where your treasure is there will your heart be
also and that's what we should be focusing on the things of God and
believe me lots heart was not on treasures of heaven because what happens
he ends back he ends up back there soon after so all this happens and then in
chapter 19 he's back in Sodom unbelievable it says in verse 12 they
took lot Abrams brother's son who dwelt in Sodom and his goods and departed and
there came one that had escaped and told Abram the Hebrew for he dwelt in the
plane of Mamre the Amorite brother of Eshkol and brother of Einah and these
were confederate with Abram so Abram is living in Mamre which is named after
it's named after an Amorite okay here called Mamre Mamre the Amorite it said
he clearly doesn't mind Abram there as they they must have had some sort of
deal going you'd imagine Abram obviously had a lot of animals and a lot of wealth
now Abram hasn't gone and taken anywhere by force okay just to make it
clear he's gone to dwell in the land that God led him to and it seems to be a
mutual agreement here doesn't it and although the Amorites are descendants
of the curse Canaan they're not automatic Sodomites by the way so in
case you're wondering you think that the curse of Canaan must be that like every
descendant was weak no like a lot of those nations end up doing all sorts of
wickedness like that and obviously look Sodom they came from the Canaanites as
well it's still all land of Canaan yeah however not that every not every single
tribe was was some sort of sodomite because what was the actual curse the
curse was that the Canaanites would be a servant of servants being conquered and
controlled by the children of Israel in the future the curse wasn't that every
single Canaanite was going to be some sort of vile reprobate okay so there's
nothing wrong with them being allied by some agreement at this point he's not
yoked up like they're doing all this stuff there's a confederate there's some
sort of agreement okay there's some sort of agreement that they have going here
for him to be able to live in their land and it says in verse 14 and when Abram
heard that his brother was taken captive he armed his trained servants born in
his own house 318 and pursued them unto Dan isn't isn't isn't he his nephew so
he called it his brother because why because more importantly than him being
his nephew he's a brother in Christ that's why that's why he's called when
Abram heard that his brother was taken captive it's because he's a brother in
Christ yeah a lot was saved he's described as just lot and there's
nothing just about lot barring his salvation by being justified by the
blood of Jesus Christ but he's called a brother turn to Galatians 6 it was a
quick point I want to make here is that look we want to be good to our fellow
man don't we yeah to the unsaved yeah we want to help them not just with
salvation okay that's one way we help them but we want to look we want to help
people out yeah we want to help our family out you want to help your flesh
and blood don't you want to be a kind family member you know a kind brother
sister father son you know daughter mum whatever it is you want to help people
out whether they're saved or not yeah but Galatians 6 10 does put it into
perspective here where he says in Galatians 6 and verse 10 as we have
therefore opportunity let us do good unto all men yeah look we should be good
unto all people shouldn't we okay obviously barring if you put this in in
context with the rest of the Bible barring God haters haters of God who we
should therefore hate however let us do good unto all men especially unto them
who are of the household of faith especially yeah there should be an
extra drive for our brothers and sisters in Christ shouldn't there there should
be something extra there should be like an extra want to to do more to to do
good unto your brother and sister in Christ it shouldn't be the opposite
something can get a bit jaded with church and church members and everything
else and sometimes you're seeing people regularly and then they start to kind of
they're more likely to go and help out the unsaved person than their brother
and sister in Christ hello obviously if we got like you know you do get in
church sometimes professional grifters you kind of work churches just to get
stuff off people you know get money get everything they can but we don't have
that here you know and what we should do is is that we should be looking to
help each other find ways it says especially there the household of
fashion it and you know what you know here it's described he was described as
his brother not as his nephew Abram heard that basically his backslidden
nephew didn't he that that covetous compromiser which is what he was wasn't
he that that sellout who'd yoked up with the sods of Sodom I mean that was a
pretty bad family member as they go wasn't it first and this is a safe guy
as well yeah had got himself in a spot of bother so what did Abram do he said
mount up let's go save him that's what he did and look why was that because
he's a brother in Christ I reckon had it been some unsaved nephew I don't reckon
he would have gone after him that's what I think maybe would have done and look
I'm not saying he shouldn't have done what I'm saying is he went I believed
because he was a brother and it makes that point of it being his brother verse
14 said when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive he armed his
trained servants born in his own house 318 and pursued them unto Dan now Dan is
right up north beyond Galilee okay it's a thousand mile journey Abram had his
own special forces didn't he okay the servants that were born in his own house
were trained and that's not a bad idea is it you know you got your your loyal
servants train them up and I don't know how like how trained they were but they
do well here now what was the difference between being born in his own
house well they were loyal weren't they okay they were loyal that they had no
other allegiances so it's not that they were kind of hired from somewhere else
they still had allegiance to maybe there I remember like we said like I said
earlier still were at kind of an early point in the world's kind of families
and everything else and maybe these people now they're born in Abrams house
era they're off really the family of Abram now aren't they rather than of
wherever it was that you picked them up you know along the way of the cowdies or
elsewhere so they're loyal they weren't maybe previously compromised maybe
already you know maybe they're a bit dodgy and got in there as a servant but
really they were looking to help out someone else in their past and I reckon
the reason I say that is I reckon that you could apply that both to your own
family members okay it should be the case that your family members are the
most loyal people in the world to you that should be the case and if that
isn't the case and when I say your family members I'm talking about if
they're raised in Christ and everything else I'm not talking about just kind of
exterior family somewhere okay but your own household your own house if you're
they're saved and you and you know and you're you're not unequally out they
should be they should be your yeah they should be your team shouldn't they yeah
your kids you should be raising to be loyal and and and because it's not
always automatic something kids aren't that little you know and and you want to
be raising that in them you want to instilling that loyalty to each other as
well loyalty to their siblings a lot of the time siblings can be like the
opposite can't they they should be loyal to each other because you have
more in common with you you're you're like a safe family here or you know in
the future you've got more in common with each other than anyone else in the
world okay and you should be loyal to each other you should be law like for
example these people of his own house there but I would add as well hopefully
to those raised in this church raised in the things of God hopefully not bringing
a load of baggage with them like most of us have here most of us first-generation
Christians here are bringing baggage into the Christian life and bringing
maybe some weird allegiances to things and doors opened in our life to certain
sins and everything else however and look don't get me wrong it's not the
kids here aren't gonna walk on water okay some people get too messed up with
this they just sing oh they're saved yeah you know they should just kind of
just be reading the Bible all day every day and you know skipping along merrily
singing hymns and you know they'll never have any temptations in life okay that's
not reality however they do have the massive advantage of having not had the
start that most most people here have had yeah most and been in the world and
everything else and therefore you would hope that if we can get things right and
raise the kids here right and the things of God they're gonna be some law church
members aren't they be some churchmen they'll be loyal like these like like
for example his trained servants born in his own house were for Abram to the
point where they just pursued with him they were like so they were they were
the truck because these kids are getting trained young here aren't they as well
but they said but again it's a big responsibility for all of us as parents
here as well to train them in right to get them right to make sure that they're
going to continue in the things of God but you know there's some application
for that there Abram heard that his brothers take captive he armed his
trained servants born in his own house three hundred eighteen and pursued them
unto Dan and he divided himself against him he and his servants by night and
smote them and pursued them unto Hobar which is on the left hand of Damascus so
Hobar is probably another another 30 miles or so so he's not just gone sort
of on a hundred mile journey like Dan is right up like north beyond Galilee I
don't know if I mentioned that to you but it's a long way he's now got another
probably 30 miles from there and and you know you could look at this and say
those servants must have been told I think these servants were tough okay
they're mentioned for a reason that they're trained they're born his own
house it's 318 in there I don't know if there's a reason why it's 318 or not but
what you know there's a couple of things just to point out here it was an army of
four cities okay however they have just had a big battle or some maybe they did
it maybe it was just a route I don't know but they were on the back of a
previous battle but in verse 24 it does seem that some Amorites went with him
verse 24 says save only that which the young men have eaten and the portion of
the men which went with me aina this is Abraham talking about Abraham at this
point aina Eshkol and Mamre let them take their portion now those men we saw
were kind of I mean Mamre was where the plane of Mamre was named after maybe
they also when it mentions those men it might have included their men as well
with them I don't know so maybe look maybe because verse 14 15 didn't
specifically say that it was just a 318 on their own so when Abram heard that
his brother was taken captive here armed his trained servants born in his own
house 318 and pursued them unto Dan but we've just read that there are other
people with him and he divided himself against him he and his servants by night
and smote them I reckon they did most of the work though and pursued them unto
Hobo which is on the left hand of Damascus and he brought back all the
goods and also bought again his brother Lot and his goods and the women also and
the people so either way that these guys got stuck in they won they brought back
the goods and he brought back his his brother Lot again calling him his
brother rather than his nephew I believe because of the salvation here and his
goods and the women also and the people now they'd captured other people too
okay and and maybe there are other farmers it's it like I said some you
know people of use to them so Abram rescued his brother Lot from trouble in
his life okay he rescued his family from those from those you know I know others
around him okay rescued those people in his life and what did Lot do did he
rethink his ways get away from Sodom that was the cause of this because
that's what it was all about wasn't it he went back to the filth back to the
money back to the world didn't he okay and that's it's pretty sad this story
isn't it really he's just he's been captured because of basically the
uselessness of the king of Sodom as well who then flees and falls and old things
just an absolute mess and he goes back there by chapter 19 he's calling a
brethren while they're trying to beat down his door I mean this guy's is a
joke really isn't he yeah what a joke and but the thing with this is it is
something that you just have to accept in the Christian life because you know
you'll have this and we'll have this as a church because it's not just myself
all of a church you'll help people in church life there'll be people that will
come in in the future and you know you'll help them for a time they'll come
and then maybe they'll grow and you'll see some things changing their life and
stuff and then you're just kind of you know maybe it's a new convert maybe
something we just had an effect in one way or another rescue them like in a way
here from pain and destruction and whatever else in life and for many of
the pitfalls and then watch them go straight back to the old life and that's
that's that can be kind of the not so nice parts of church life can't it when
you just when you and we'll see that you know we probably already have you know
for people that you know will have come here for a bit and then kind of dropped
out and everything else and it's sad isn't it because believe me the grass
isn't greener they're not going to suddenly be smashing things up and
tearing things up for God okay they're not you know they're not going to be
soul-winning like they were they're not going to be they might for a little bit
you know whoever you know when people leave and they might have some good
intentions but they won't and and it can be sad can't it and you'll see people
and you see them grow and you see things change and then you know and that's
obviously what you want to do it's more concerned if you don't see that but you
want to see change and then sadly you're gonna we're gonna lose people along the
way and I think that's gonna be hard and it'd be hard for many of us here
sometimes you think what a disappointment but it is the way it
because you can't force someone can you you can't you can't force you you could
try and part of church life is trying to encourage people to live for God not
just for themselves but part of that is because let's be honest I don't think
anyone here I hope isn't looking back and going that old life was so much
better right let's go for a show of hands
but I don't think I don't think you are are you look yeah sometimes you have
some some there can be some pitfalls gotten in the Christian life there can
be some harder times it can be tiring sometimes and it you know and you can
have some rough times with it right but however there's there's nothing like it
is there it's nothing like serving God there's nothing like knowing that you're
on the front lines there's nothing like there's nothing like knowing that when
you're in the will of God and you feel like you're in the will of God are you
doing things for God on a daily basis on a weekly round I'm not saying you're
sinless but you're trying your hearts right your heads in it there's nothing
like it is there life isn't the same without that and and you know and you
but you can't force that and other people but what you can do is try and
encourage them and here he tried he what you can do is try and rescue them and
you could try and get him and try and change their lives and try and get him
into the things of God and you could try and preach those sins out and look you
you know sometimes we're gonna get it wrong with some people you know and some
some people just maybe won't deal with it you know in in the way we try and do
it whatever else but we're gonna try aren't we but and it can be
disappointing however it's down to them ultimately isn't it people have it is
there look at the end of the day we all have responsibility in life yeah it's
not our responsibility we'll try but the responsibility is individual and what we
do can do though is do what what Abram did here where he got his walk right
okay Abram made sure his walk was right okay and that and and that's something
look because sometimes you can even focus too much on other people and then
start compromising to try and help them out to try and get that personal try and
encourage them and everything else well Abram doesn't do that verse 17 says in
the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of
Kedah Leomah and the kings that were with him at the valley of Shaveh which
is a Kings Dale so this is back in Canaan again pretty central I think a
Melchizedek king of Salem yeah in fact we're quite near to Jerusalem that's
what Salem Salem is is short for brought forth bread and wine and he was
a priest of the Most High God so now we're gonna meet Melchizedek okay who
is he well it says here that he's a king of Salem which is short for Jerusalem
he's a priest of the Most High God and he blesses Abram it says in verse 19 he
blessed him and said blessed be Abram of the Most High God possessor of heaven
and earth and blessed be the Most High God which is delivered thine enemies
into thine hand and he gave him tithes of all and by the way Abram gave Melchizedek
tithes of everything as we're gonna see in a minute in Hebrew 7 it's not the
other way around so he's clearly someone important and a popular opinion and I'm
sure many of you have heard it is that he's Jesus Christ appearing in the Old
Testament okay that's a very popular opinion out there a pre incarnate Christ
now turn to Hebrews chapter 6 because it would be just by the way it would be
the only time when Jesus Christ appears in the Old Testament that he's referred
to by the name Melchizedek okay just out of interest and I don't know it's one of
those things I've always just kind of thought yeah well that's what it is you
know however our pastor recently preached through Hebrews and he's of a
different opinion on this and he kind of presented this and I'm kind of I'm a bit
unsure on this so I'd be interested what some of you guys think afterwards now
the end of Hebrew 6 speaks of Melchizedek in verse 20 where it says
whether the forerunner is for us entered even Jesus made and high priest for ever
after the order of Melchizedek Melchizedek is actually mentioned a few times in the
book of Hebrews but here we're going to see now going into chapter 7 what it
what what put on we assume it's Paul writing Hebrews maybe not but what the
author of Hebrews says here about Melchizedek says in verse 1 and
obviously the ultimate author is God for this Melchizedek king of Salem priest of
the most high God who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the
kings and blessed him to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all first
being by interpretation that was a tithe by the way so it's Abraham given to him
king of righteousness and after that also king of Salem which is king of
peace Salem by the way meaning peace without father without mother without
descent having neither beginning of days nor end of life but made like unto the
Son of God abideth the priest continually now that first part of that
verse without father without mother without descent having neither beginning
of days nor end of life you'd understand why most people are going this is a
pre-incarnate Christ isn't it all day long but he was made like unto the Son
of God wasn't he didn't say made the Son of God made like unto the Son of God
abideth the priest continually again you know you could look at that in a couple
of ways there let's continue reading though now consider how great this man
was he's a great guy under whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the
spoils and verily they that are the sons of Levi who received the office of the
priesthood have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the
law that is of their brethren though they come out of the loins of Abraham
but he who's descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham and
blessed him that had the promises and without all contradiction unless is
blessed of the best so he's clearly a better person than Abraham who is a
friend of God okay so this is a great guy milk is a deck and here men that die
receive tithes but there he receiveth them of whom it is witness that he
liveth and as I may so may so say Levi also who receiveth tithes paid tithes in
Abraham and basically being that because Abraham paid those tithes and a Levi
wasn't paying tithes but ultimately Melchizedek being you know this is
priestly order was being paid tithes for he was yet in the loins of his father
when Melchizedek met him if therefore perfection were by the Levitical
priesthood for under it the people received the law what further need was
there that another priest should rise off the order of Melchizedek and not be
called after the order of Aaron so this is talking about Jesus Christ for the
priesthood being changed or is made of necessity a change also of the law for
he of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another tribe of which no
man gave attendance at the altar for it is evident that our Lord sprang out of
Judah of which tribe Moses spake concern nothing concerning priesthood and it is
yet far more evident for off for that after did it say he is or did it say the
similitude it's a similitude the similitude of Melchizedek there rise if
is it the same priest or another priest another priest who is made not after the
law of a carnal commandment but after the power of an endless life for he
testifieth thou to priest forever after the order of Melchizedek but it's
rarely a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and
unprofitableness thereof for the law made nothing perfect but the bringing in
of a better hope did by the which we draw nigh unto God and inasmuch as not
without an oath he was made priest for those priests were made without an oath
but this with an oath by him that said unto him the Lord swam will not repent
thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek which by the way
is from Psalm 110 where God the Father is talking to God the Son and says the
Lord has sworn and will not repent thou art a priest forever after the order of
Melchizedek about the Lord Jesus Christ so okay like I said I'm not really kind
of I don't have a strong opinion on this if he's not Jesus Christ and who is he
though so if it's not Jesus Christ who is he
could verse 3 without father without mother without descent having neither
beginning of days nor end of life but made like unto the Son of God abideth
the priest continually I don't know could it be talking about his parents
and birth that were unknown or maybe not at all is it just so therefore he's a
picture of Christ or was it Jesus Christ maybe maybe is okay but either way it
shows that there was a priesthood before Aaron okay so like I said I'm not really
that kind of I don't have a strong opinion on that I'll be interested what
what others think but either way there was a priesthood wasn't there okay
there's a priesthood before Aaron and it's something that I was talking about
with brother Hooner recently we do see priests mentioned a few times before
Aaron don't we in the Bible as well you you've got you've got Joseph married
Asenath who was a daughter of Potipharah priest of on and it's never really we
don't really know what exactly was that what was he a priest of it's just never
really explained there were priests in Egypt that by the way were exempt from
the law that Pharaoh introduced but it was Joseph that kind of made that law
under Pharaoh and and basically the fifth of everything was being taken
there also kind of being almost loaned back the land were after the famine but
the priests they were exempt from that law okay so there all these priests at
Joseph who was a godly guy right Joseph didn't want to tax the priests which
makes you think by the way this is at the end of Joseph's sort of governance
he's basically like the second-in-command over the whole of the
what seemed to be quite a world power and was there for quite a long time I'm
not sure I'm I don't know if we know exactly the dates or not that doesn't
come to mind but however then there's all these priests there then you've got
then you've got Moses father-in-law was Jethro the priests of Midian and Moses
father-in-law was a pretty godly guy by the sounds of it wasn't it so I've got a
feeling that that well for me there was this priest priestly order there was a
priestly order after the order of Melchizedek that continued for me up
until Aaron that's what I believe now I don't know exactly who was and was a
part of that but there has always been a priesthood basically is what I believe
and you've got at least from Melchizedek and then it changes with the law with
then it becomes after the line of Aaron right and anyway point being verse 19
says and he blessed him he blessed Abram back him where we were sorry in Genesis
14 and he blessed him and said blessed be Abram of the Most High God
possessed of heaven and earth and blessed be the Most High God which has
delivered thine enemies into the hand and he gave him tithes of all so this
priesthood this line this this this line from Melchizedek of priests and here we
have Melchizedek again we don't know exactly who he is what he is or whether
he's the Lord Jesus Christ or not he's receiving tithes of Abram though isn't
he okay and and that's not a first either Abel like we said before he
bought an offering to God didn't he and it was an offering of the flock Cain
bought an offering it was just an offering of the of the fruits of the
ground wasn't it Noah offered straight after he got off the
ark Abram here and we see it onwards with Isaac and Jacob and the reason I
say that just because there are a lot of clowns out there that try and say that
tithing is of the law okay that it's it's only in the law and they try and
attack it like how on earth would any any of this function without tithing
it's ridiculous but people honestly believe this stuff or at least they want
to believe it then they say it should be a house church and no one should get no
one should get any money towards anything it's just it's complete
nonsense we have tithing here long before the law okay and that's it's it's
just a fact of the godly life is tithing and the reason people try and fight it
battle it backed a lot it's covetousness it's because people hate parting with
money even when it's going to the things got now the problem is you got a lot of
fake churches around as well and you can understand people have been burnt by
that as well but look I've been tithing a long time now and I will never stop
tithing because I know full well that I'm blessed when I talk not just blessed
like in terms of goods and stuff though I know that it's that I mean God's will
doing that and it's from early on here from the first from the first offspring
we see basically at least an offering yeah well he didn't call it I well he
gave tithes of all to Melchizedek why because Melchizedek was in the correct
that was the godly person to give it to okay and I'll and for us we give it to
the New Testament Church don't we and then the work of God continues and here
he gives it to Melchizedek and the king of Sodom said unto Abram give me the
persons to take the goods to thyself so he's given these tithes of all to this
to this Melchizedek the king of Sodom then says to Abram in verse 21 and give
me the persons and take the goods to thyself so he basically he he he's he's
saying look look you can take like all the stuff all these animals all these
goods all the victuals we saw seen and stuff like this all the things which
have been taken out of Sodom why is he offering it all to Abram wondered that
why did he say that I think it's I think he's trying to buy him I think it's
probably flattery and people do that a lot you know and that's something you
kind of really got a watch for in in life you know you know people I've had
it a bit in this in this job before and people just kind of want to give stuff
to you and give you and look there's nothing wrong with if you're just being
kind and nice okay and I don't want to go too far in this but sometimes you
know when it's just trying to buy you trying to flatter you trying to control
you through giving you and again look if people just want to be kind and do stuff
I'm not saying there's a problem with that okay but I have seen the opposite
with this as well and people do and a lot of you dealt with that before here
as well people trying to buy you trying to give you stuff trying to trying to
bribe you with what they give you and and do for you and everything else but
really the goal was wasn't a genuine goal was it okay it was to basically to
it was to do an absolute really wasn't it a lot of it and you know here I think
that's what he's doing here he's saying oh take all the goods just leave the
people you could have it you know have the goods for yourself he's thinking he
can buy me thinking Abrams quite a handy guy you know he's got 318 train service
as well pretty tough guys but Abram he has the right response here doesn't he
okay look you don't have to reject anything anyone ever tries to give you
in life but when it's someone as wicked as the king of Sodom okay well it's just
some blatant reprobate trying to buy you don't get tempted to take that yeah and
people do it with other things and it's kind of like oh well I could just you
know at least do it in this way or this person oh they're a bit wicked but
they're just trying to I'll just take it it's free but you got to watch out for
that stuff and what do they often do these people afterwards they use it
against you don't know and and Abrams where he's aware of this he says in
verse 22 and Abram said to the king of Sodom I've lift up mine hand unto the
Lord the Most High God the possessor of heaven and earth that I will not take
from a thread even to a shoe latch here that I will not take anything that is
thine lest I should have say I've made Abram rich save only that which the
young men have eaten and the portion of the men which went with me a no ash
column memory let them take their portion so he said I don't want
anything from you know and anything of yours I don't want you to say that I owe
you anything basically okay I don't want you to say look what I did for you I
don't need to get involved with people like you and they do like because you
can imagine in the future well look what I did for you I gave you all that stuff
I didn't have to do that Abram you owe me now he's not yoking up with some
filthy sodomite verse 22 it says and Abram said the king sodom I've lift up
mine hand unto the Lord by the way that's another way of saying that I've
sworn to God okay he's lift up his hand to to the Lord the Most High God the
obsessed with heaven and earth he's sworn he's made a promise to God that I will not take
from a thread even to a shoe latch it and I will not take anything the design
lest I should have said I've made Abram rich save only that which the young men
have eaten and the portion of the men which went with me a no ash column memory
let them take their portion and and look that's not a bad bad stance to take is
it that's a good stance to take with a wicked I'm not taking a thing out of you
you know I don't want anything of yours we'll do things God's way we don't need
wicked people you know trying to trying to trying to control us and everything
else and that was Genesis chapter 14 the I don't know I think there's some good
talking points there like I said if anyone's got any thoughts on Melchizedek
love to chat about it on that we're gonna pray father thank you for your
word thank you for well you know just another chapter with so much to learn
from it Lord so many just you know just in in verse of the Bible they're just
so the Word of God as we know is just so rich so much we can get from it so many
angles you can go with things and learn from and apply to our lives today Lord
we thank you for that we thank you for the word thank you for this church thank
you for everyone that made it here tonight Lord please just you know help
us now to just get home safe and sound help us all return on Sunday for for the
day of church there Lord and in Jesus name