1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,060 I am Pastor Nathan and this morning we're gonna be looking at the sequel to chapter 13 of Genesis 2 00:00:06,060 --> 00:00:09,360 We're gonna be in chapter 14 look at verses 1 through 16 3 00:00:09,800 --> 00:00:10,940 where 4 00:00:10,940 --> 00:00:18,880 Abram went from a doubting self focused faith in Egypt to giving his giving Lot his nephew the choice of 5 00:00:18,880 --> 00:00:21,020 Wherever he wanted to go in the promised land 6 00:00:21,760 --> 00:00:27,600 Where to take his flocks in the land of Canaan there and their separation was a very peaceful separation 7 00:00:27,600 --> 00:00:32,480 We saw that in Abram's life. He was being very altruistic in his faith 8 00:00:32,720 --> 00:00:37,800 Trusting in God's promises that the land would go to his descendants. And so there was no worry on his part 9 00:00:38,560 --> 00:00:43,460 About giving Lot the option to take whatever part of the land he wanted because Abram knew 10 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:50,720 Because God promised it it was definitely gonna go to his descendants no matter what and so Lot chose the Jordan River Valley 11 00:00:51,200 --> 00:00:52,960 We read in Genesis 13 12 00:00:52,960 --> 00:01:00,120 He went down into this very verdant lush plain green grass well watered a place that on the material level 13 00:01:00,880 --> 00:01:04,400 looked amazing a place that was gonna be awesome for his flocks and 14 00:01:04,840 --> 00:01:10,680 He went down there, but it tells us ominously that he pitched his tent near Sodom a 15 00:01:11,080 --> 00:01:18,720 Place that was very evil and very wicked and full of wickedness and then in contrast Abram settled peacefully in Hebron 16 00:01:18,720 --> 00:01:23,540 Which was in the promised land where he then worshiped God at his newly built altar 17 00:01:24,040 --> 00:01:30,040 Now the whole process of the story of Abram and then today especially we're gonna see that when we live for God 18 00:01:31,240 --> 00:01:33,240 expressing the character of God 19 00:01:33,840 --> 00:01:39,280 Especially God's devotion to the well-being of others and that would be all of us 20 00:01:40,080 --> 00:01:44,440 We then display a very others focused humility 21 00:01:44,440 --> 00:01:50,440 That allows God to lift us up and what I mean by that is when we live and operate 22 00:01:50,800 --> 00:01:54,280 Knowing that we deserve nothing nothing is ours. It's all God's and yet 23 00:01:54,880 --> 00:02:00,280 We walk in faith trusting his promises God could bless us knowing that it's not gonna go to our head 24 00:02:00,520 --> 00:02:06,400 You see James chapter 4 verse 10 says humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you 25 00:02:07,440 --> 00:02:09,440 when we serve the Lord with 26 00:02:09,440 --> 00:02:14,880 That altruistic heart we find ourselves finding peace that surpasses all understanding 27 00:02:15,080 --> 00:02:19,240 Because we know that God loves us. We know that God cares for us 28 00:02:19,240 --> 00:02:21,640 We know that God is going to take care of us 29 00:02:21,640 --> 00:02:27,400 And so trusting in God and his promises and living and acting accordingly 30 00:02:28,200 --> 00:02:31,240 Really shines the glory of God to a very dark world 31 00:02:31,240 --> 00:02:38,120 It has so much to do with our witness and when we walk according to our faith in him and our trust in him 32 00:02:38,120 --> 00:02:42,760 It allows our witness to flourish and in that God then promises 33 00:02:43,280 --> 00:02:50,560 He honors his promises to take care of his children and to bless his children as we're gonna see him honoring his promises to Abraham 34 00:02:50,720 --> 00:02:54,160 It allows us to trust God with all that we have 35 00:02:54,840 --> 00:02:58,280 to be very altruistically generous to those in need and 36 00:02:58,880 --> 00:03:03,680 Our faith in God and his promises allows us to also move to make 37 00:03:03,680 --> 00:03:07,560 Sacrificial decisions for the well-being of others 38 00:03:08,400 --> 00:03:10,400 in all of this 39 00:03:10,400 --> 00:03:15,720 It's us living according to the example of Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit 40 00:03:16,560 --> 00:03:20,760 That is what we are called to do in our lives. This is what we see in the life of Abraham 41 00:03:21,400 --> 00:03:28,360 John chapter 15 verse 13 says no one has greater love than this to lay down his life for his friends 42 00:03:28,360 --> 00:03:34,280 And the question to all of us this morning as we go through this portion of scripture is does your faith 43 00:03:35,640 --> 00:03:39,480 prompt you allow you to give up and risk 44 00:03:40,240 --> 00:03:42,240 Everything in service to God and his people 45 00:03:43,120 --> 00:03:46,040 Do you believe in him so firmly that you will take? 46 00:03:46,520 --> 00:03:50,400 sacrificial risks with your possessions with your life with your time 47 00:03:51,720 --> 00:03:54,600 Knowing that if God has promised it's gonna come true 48 00:03:54,600 --> 00:03:58,800 Does your faith lead you to not worry about your future and how your decisions might affect it? 49 00:03:59,320 --> 00:04:04,280 Yes, we're called to be wise and to make decisions, but God is the one who holds the future in his hands 50 00:04:04,520 --> 00:04:06,520 Do you trust him with it? 51 00:04:07,200 --> 00:04:10,240 Does your faith prompt you to put it all on the line to do the right thing? 52 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:16,520 The godly thing the Christ like thing even if the cost is great 53 00:04:17,560 --> 00:04:24,160 Today we explore what altruistic living looks like as Abraham goes from being willing to give up 54 00:04:24,160 --> 00:04:29,600 Being willing to give away what God had promised him to his nephew Lot in full faith that God would return it 55 00:04:30,240 --> 00:04:36,720 To being willing to risk his own life and his own well-being to rescue Lot from the consequences of his own decisions 56 00:04:37,560 --> 00:04:44,220 Because after Egypt after the renewal of his faith in Canaan we see now that he trusted God fully with his family 57 00:04:44,560 --> 00:04:48,880 With his possessions and even with his life. Let's pray father 58 00:04:49,440 --> 00:04:52,120 We love you. We thank you God so much 59 00:04:52,120 --> 00:04:54,120 For your hand in our life 60 00:04:54,640 --> 00:04:58,280 God we thank you Lord for our salvation. We thank you for your promises 61 00:04:59,240 --> 00:05:02,760 We thank you for giving us your word that we would know you and those promises 62 00:05:03,960 --> 00:05:07,760 And God we ask that as your people you would continually work in our lives 63 00:05:09,200 --> 00:05:12,280 To cause us to have faith in you more to trust you more 64 00:05:13,720 --> 00:05:18,360 God that we would be people that wouldn't grasp for what we have thinking that it's our 65 00:05:18,360 --> 00:05:23,640 Wisdom that's gonna protect it Lord, but that we would handle what we have knowing it all belongs to you 66 00:05:25,080 --> 00:05:27,800 And that we are simply stewards of what you've given us 67 00:05:28,600 --> 00:05:32,120 And so help us God to be others focused in our faith 68 00:05:32,760 --> 00:05:36,280 To really be devoted to what is best for others God and being willing to 69 00:05:36,680 --> 00:05:41,000 Sacrifice and to give of what you've given us Lord that that others would be blessed 70 00:05:42,600 --> 00:05:45,320 Lord we trust you with everything help us to trust you more 71 00:05:45,320 --> 00:05:49,800 And God we understand that all we have is from you and so God we just want to praise you this morning 72 00:05:50,440 --> 00:05:52,680 The very breath in our lungs is a gift from you 73 00:05:53,240 --> 00:06:00,280 The ability to do the jobs we do is a gift from you the resources we have to to pay our bills is a gift 74 00:06:00,280 --> 00:06:02,280 From you Lord. It's all yours 75 00:06:03,160 --> 00:06:09,000 And God we thank you for all of it. We praise your holy name and ultimately God and most importantly 76 00:06:09,000 --> 00:06:11,000 We thank you for saving our souls 77 00:06:11,000 --> 00:06:17,320 That because of your work and what you did we have the hope of heaven and paradise forever in eternity with you 78 00:06:17,960 --> 00:06:21,480 We praise you. It's in Jesus name. We pray. Amen 79 00:06:22,280 --> 00:06:29,160 We are in Genesis chapter 14 looking at verses 1 through 16 this morning and just as a quick recap, you know after 80 00:06:29,640 --> 00:06:33,560 Leaving Egypt we read in that story a couple weeks ago that abram 81 00:06:34,120 --> 00:06:37,240 And his nephew lot they became very wealthy 82 00:06:37,240 --> 00:06:45,160 from that one of the unintended effects of abram lying or making his asking his wife to lie about 83 00:06:45,720 --> 00:06:52,520 Her being his sister was that pharaoh just dumped all sorts of wealth onto abram and his family there 84 00:06:52,840 --> 00:06:54,280 And so they left 85 00:06:54,280 --> 00:06:59,720 Egypt after that fiasco resolved itself just loaded with with riches 86 00:06:59,720 --> 00:07:03,160 And so this abundance unfortunately became a point of division 87 00:07:03,160 --> 00:07:08,440 Between them because as they got back to the land of canaan there wasn't enough room for their their flocks 88 00:07:08,760 --> 00:07:11,400 They both had massive flocks at this point. There wasn't enough 89 00:07:11,960 --> 00:07:18,600 Graze land for him. And so this division came up between lot's herdsmen and abram's hers herbs herdsmen 90 00:07:19,160 --> 00:07:23,240 Arguing about that and so abram very graciously said okay lot 91 00:07:23,240 --> 00:07:29,240 Just decide where you want to go pick the land you want to go to and if you go right i'll go left if you want to go 92 00:07:29,240 --> 00:07:34,120 Pick the land you want to go to and if you go right i'll go left if you go left i'll go right 93 00:07:34,760 --> 00:07:38,280 And so lot chose his land and then they separated to different locations 94 00:07:38,280 --> 00:07:42,280 But when they parted there's an uh, there's a inferred 95 00:07:43,160 --> 00:07:50,200 Time of calm and peace that happened right lot went his way and dwelled next to saddam abram and his way down to 96 00:07:50,520 --> 00:07:56,760 Hebron and so we see that the there was a peaceful resolution here as abram just trusted god with the promised land 97 00:07:56,760 --> 00:08:01,160 He didn't have to grasp and hang on to it. He just said lot pick what you want and i'll go the other direction 98 00:08:01,880 --> 00:08:04,200 And that was just a picture of abram living by faith 99 00:08:05,240 --> 00:08:12,520 And lot however living by sight because lot chose the land he wanted to go to based upon what would be the most materially 100 00:08:13,380 --> 00:08:19,000 Adventitious to him rather than what would be the most spiritually advantageous to him and his family now 101 00:08:19,000 --> 00:08:23,640 Just to recap that we saw that in genesis 13 verses 10 through 13 and it said this there 102 00:08:23,640 --> 00:08:29,560 Lot looked out and saw that the entire plane of the jordan as far as zoar was well watered everywhere like the lord's garden 103 00:08:29,560 --> 00:08:33,400 In the land of egypt this was before the lord destroyed saddam and gamora 104 00:08:33,720 --> 00:08:36,440 So lot chose the entire plane of the jordan for himself 105 00:08:36,760 --> 00:08:41,560 Then lot journeyed eastward and they separated from each other abram lived in the land of canaan 106 00:08:41,560 --> 00:08:48,120 But lot lived in the cities on the plane and set up his tent near saddam now the men of saddam were evil sinning immensely 107 00:08:48,520 --> 00:08:50,520 against the lord 108 00:08:50,520 --> 00:08:58,520 That's the backdrop to the story we're looking at here in genesis 14 because those verses in in genesis 13 showed that lot made a choice 109 00:08:58,920 --> 00:09:00,920 based upon what was um 110 00:09:01,160 --> 00:09:05,960 Like I said materially advantageous to him. He said this is going to benefit me the most materially 111 00:09:05,960 --> 00:09:09,880 It's going to be good for my flocks good for my money good for my you know possessions 112 00:09:10,440 --> 00:09:12,440 and he went and then 113 00:09:12,440 --> 00:09:16,920 Pitched his tent next to a very wicked and evil place, you know wickedness and evil and sin 114 00:09:16,920 --> 00:09:20,440 It is not something a child of god should try to get close to 115 00:09:21,320 --> 00:09:26,440 We shouldn't try to get near it rather. We should run from such things is what the bible tells us 116 00:09:27,160 --> 00:09:33,800 Instead a lot of children of god are tempted to see how close we can get to wickedness and evil 117 00:09:34,280 --> 00:09:36,280 without participating of course 118 00:09:36,600 --> 00:09:43,800 You know and and we justify these things by by well, it's going to be materially advantageous to me to do so 119 00:09:43,800 --> 00:09:47,560 What this looks like is sometimes believers will cheat on their taxes 120 00:09:48,120 --> 00:09:53,720 They'll make up reasons why that's okay. Sometimes believers will conduct dishonest business and you know 121 00:09:53,720 --> 00:10:01,560 Well, you know, but that's just how we do it in our in our industry and and they'll get as close as they can to sinful activity 122 00:10:02,120 --> 00:10:03,320 without 123 00:10:03,320 --> 00:10:04,280 um 124 00:10:04,280 --> 00:10:08,840 Being a sinful person in their own mind, but the problem is is every time we do that 125 00:10:08,840 --> 00:10:15,720 Is every time we do that we eventually get swallowed up into the world we get swallowed up into those sinful practices 126 00:10:16,040 --> 00:10:18,040 Jesus talked about this in um 127 00:10:18,760 --> 00:10:21,000 Luke chapter 12 verses 13 through 21 128 00:10:21,000 --> 00:10:26,440 He told a parable there about the rich fool and if you remember this parable he started out in verse 15 129 00:10:27,240 --> 00:10:34,600 Saying he then told them watch out and be on guard against all greed because one's life is not in the abundance of their possessions 130 00:10:34,600 --> 00:10:37,800 And he went on to tell this story about this guy who was very wealthy and he goes man 131 00:10:37,800 --> 00:10:42,520 I got so much stuff that I need to build bigger barns and bigger barns and bigger barns to hold all my 132 00:10:43,080 --> 00:10:46,840 material possessions and he came to trust in those things 133 00:10:48,120 --> 00:10:52,520 He said i've got so much money so much wealth so much stuff that I don't have to worry about anything 134 00:10:52,920 --> 00:10:57,720 And then in verse 20 of luke 12 it says this but god said to him you fool 135 00:10:58,680 --> 00:11:00,840 This very night your life is demanded of you 136 00:11:00,840 --> 00:11:04,200 And the things you have prepared whose will they be? 137 00:11:04,200 --> 00:11:09,720 That's how it is with the one who stores up treasures for himself and is not rich towards god 138 00:11:10,920 --> 00:11:15,480 You see the most important thing in our life here on earth is our relationship with god 139 00:11:16,360 --> 00:11:22,280 Our relationship with god is what determines our or lack thereof is what determines our future after we live this world 140 00:11:22,840 --> 00:11:25,160 Now there is a reality here on earth where we have to 141 00:11:25,160 --> 00:11:31,080 Work so we can eat and pay our rent and pay our bills and and do all that and that's all well and good 142 00:11:31,880 --> 00:11:37,960 But oftentimes we find ourselves trusting in those things at the exclusion of god thinking well i've made a good 143 00:11:38,440 --> 00:11:45,160 Career plan so i'm set i've got good investments so i'm set i've made these decisions so i'm set 144 00:11:45,480 --> 00:11:47,480 Nothing is going to go wrong in my life 145 00:11:47,960 --> 00:11:50,360 The problem is is we don't know the future 146 00:11:50,360 --> 00:11:57,720 Only god knows the future and and the question is always then why do we find it so easy to trust our future into everything? 147 00:11:57,720 --> 00:11:59,400 But god 148 00:11:59,400 --> 00:12:03,240 The story before us is the contrast between lot 149 00:12:03,880 --> 00:12:09,480 Who chose to be close to wickedness because of the material benefit to himself looked great 150 00:12:10,200 --> 00:12:17,240 Contrasted with abram who chose to trust in the lord's promises and stayed close to the altar meaning he stayed close to his lord 151 00:12:17,240 --> 00:12:21,640 And the worship of his lord and we're going to see the the results of both of those decisions today 152 00:12:22,040 --> 00:12:24,600 So genesis 14 verse 1 read with me 153 00:12:25,400 --> 00:12:30,040 It says in those days king am frail of shinor king ariak of elisar 154 00:12:30,520 --> 00:12:37,080 King cheder leomer of elam and king title of goim waged war against king berah of sodom 155 00:12:37,640 --> 00:12:43,800 King bursa of gamora king shinab of adma king shemember of zeboim and 156 00:12:43,800 --> 00:12:47,320 As well as the king of bella that is zoar 157 00:12:48,120 --> 00:12:52,040 All of these came as allies to the siddim valley that is the dead sea 158 00:12:52,760 --> 00:12:58,520 And they were subject to cheder leomer for 12 years, but in the 13th year they rebelled 159 00:12:59,480 --> 00:13:03,080 So what we have here is is setting up some of the local political 160 00:13:03,480 --> 00:13:08,840 National things taking place in the land here and we read of these four kings from the east 161 00:13:08,840 --> 00:13:16,360 Coming against these five kings that lived just south of the dead sea now at some point these four kings had come in and subject 162 00:13:16,920 --> 00:13:22,120 Subjected these five cities to their rule and so these five cities kind of became 163 00:13:22,840 --> 00:13:26,200 Like vassal states of these four kings from the east 164 00:13:26,760 --> 00:13:30,280 Now these five cities two of them were very familiar with sodom and gamora 165 00:13:30,280 --> 00:13:34,440 They each had their own king and based upon what we know about sodom and gamora 166 00:13:34,440 --> 00:13:38,840 Is it's likely all five of these cities were the same had the same debased 167 00:13:39,400 --> 00:13:43,720 Wicked sinful evil culture that we're told that sodom and gamora had 168 00:13:44,200 --> 00:13:48,680 So they were all located at the bottom of the dead sea here and as we pick up the story in genesis 14 169 00:13:49,160 --> 00:13:51,800 We read about this coalition of these kings now 170 00:13:52,360 --> 00:13:58,200 You know oftentimes when we're reading through stuff like this. It's very difficult to unpicture where things are right? 171 00:13:58,520 --> 00:14:01,160 We read about you know all these different things that we're reading about 172 00:14:01,160 --> 00:14:06,920 We read about you know all these different lands and saddam valley and zoa and all this stuff 173 00:14:07,320 --> 00:14:09,080 And it doesn't really land with us 174 00:14:09,080 --> 00:14:12,520 And so I tried to take time to make maps for you guys 175 00:14:12,600 --> 00:14:16,360 But I realized that if you're in the back you're not going to be able to read any of the labels back there 176 00:14:16,600 --> 00:14:18,600 And so please make sure you get the notes. Okay 177 00:14:19,160 --> 00:14:25,880 But so we understand kind of what's taking place here that map up on the screen shows us these four eastern kingdoms 178 00:14:26,200 --> 00:14:30,360 That banded together to subject the five cities south of the dead sea 179 00:14:30,360 --> 00:14:37,160 The first one was chedro cheddar leomer of elam. That was the king there cheddar leomer. That's where cheddar cheese was invented 180 00:14:37,720 --> 00:14:39,720 no 181 00:14:39,720 --> 00:14:41,240 No, no, no 182 00:14:41,240 --> 00:14:46,200 But elam was in modern iran so you guys kind of get an idea of where it was at on the map there 183 00:14:46,200 --> 00:14:54,440 Okay, amphreel of shinar. That was the land that babalon was found in the the south side of the mesopotamian area there 184 00:14:54,440 --> 00:14:56,600 And so that is today modern iraq 185 00:14:56,600 --> 00:15:03,880 Eriak of elisar there's disagreement on where that is it was either up in turkey or it was in the northern part of the mesopotamian valley 186 00:15:04,440 --> 00:15:08,920 This is where the hitites came from and then you had this guy named title of goem 187 00:15:09,400 --> 00:15:15,240 That was a group of people called the hurrians that were in the south of turkey northern syria and northern iran 188 00:15:15,720 --> 00:15:19,880 And so this coalition had come together to subject to these five cities 189 00:15:20,440 --> 00:15:25,320 That are called the cities of the plains south of the dead sea so that they could control trade routes 190 00:15:25,320 --> 00:15:29,640 And all this kind of stuff right pretty pretty typical stuff has happened over the history of mankind 191 00:15:30,120 --> 00:15:33,880 And then it tells us here in this opening that for 12 years they were subject to them 192 00:15:34,520 --> 00:15:39,640 But in the 13th year they rebelled against them and then verses five through seven just gives us a 193 00:15:40,280 --> 00:15:46,680 response the response of these four kings it almost gives us like their tactical battle plan and and we're going to talk about why does 194 00:15:46,760 --> 00:15:52,120 God give us these types of details in the scripture, but let's read through it verse five of genesis 14 195 00:15:52,120 --> 00:15:56,840 In the 14th year chedoleomer and the kings who were with him came and defeated the refaim 196 00:15:57,240 --> 00:16:02,760 in ashtroth karname the zuzim in ham the emim and shavekirithim 197 00:16:03,320 --> 00:16:09,000 And the hurrites in the mountains of seyr as far as el-paran by the wilderness anybody lost yet 198 00:16:09,880 --> 00:16:10,600 Okay 199 00:16:10,600 --> 00:16:14,520 Then they came back to invade en-mishpat. Oh, yeah, okay 200 00:16:14,520 --> 00:16:20,360 I know where that's at that is kadesh and they defeated the whole territory of the amalekites as well as the amalekites 201 00:16:20,360 --> 00:16:23,400 Who lived in hazazan tamar? 202 00:16:24,920 --> 00:16:29,880 Yeah, okay, so there's no point of references here that we can see on the map today 203 00:16:29,880 --> 00:16:33,960 But in the past in ancient times there were these places and so 204 00:16:34,680 --> 00:16:37,720 Like I said maps for me they they helped me understand 205 00:16:38,600 --> 00:16:43,800 What's going on they help bring the bible to life for me and they really help us to understand the battle plan of these people 206 00:16:43,800 --> 00:16:48,840 So I got more maps from you. Okay, so this pic that's going up the screen now is just going to show you 207 00:16:48,840 --> 00:16:52,200 Kind of the the battle plan of the different groups, you know 208 00:16:52,200 --> 00:16:58,520 They all came together at the euphrates and then they that little light blue line is kind of their march down through the promised land 209 00:16:58,760 --> 00:17:03,560 To get to the cities that they were attacking and then so we're zooming in here 210 00:17:03,880 --> 00:17:09,640 Down to the Dead Sea area and what we see is a bunch of cities that you can't read there on the screen 211 00:17:10,200 --> 00:17:14,680 That are the places that are listed here in genesis. And so I'm going to go to those real quick 212 00:17:14,680 --> 00:17:21,480 The army of these four kings came down from the north and and traveled south and it says they first attacked the refaim 213 00:17:21,880 --> 00:17:23,880 in ashtaroth karname 214 00:17:24,280 --> 00:17:26,840 Ashtaroth karname is a city that's at the top of that map 215 00:17:26,840 --> 00:17:31,640 It's just 20 miles to the east of the sea of galilee if you've ever been to israel 216 00:17:32,040 --> 00:17:35,720 And it says that they defeated these people called the refaim who are the refaim 217 00:17:36,600 --> 00:17:41,960 Well, the first mention of the refaim is here. They were a pre israel population of 218 00:17:41,960 --> 00:17:45,080 Giants that lived east of the jordan river 219 00:17:45,800 --> 00:17:52,760 The refaim are described in deuteronomy chapter 2 verse 20 as strong and tall as the anacheme 220 00:17:53,880 --> 00:17:57,240 You go great. I don't know what the anacheme are either. So let's talk about that 221 00:17:57,800 --> 00:18:01,580 The anacheme are described for us in numbers 13 33 222 00:18:02,440 --> 00:18:08,200 When israel is wandering and they finally get to the promised land and they send in the spies. You remember that story? 223 00:18:08,200 --> 00:18:12,120 Those spies came back and they said no, there's giants there. We can't go in 224 00:18:13,000 --> 00:18:16,200 Well, the giants in that land were the anacheme 225 00:18:16,520 --> 00:18:20,840 Okay, and it says that they went into the land. They saw these people that were the nephilim 226 00:18:21,320 --> 00:18:26,520 So now we understand where these giants came from. They were descendants of these great warriors of old pre-flood 227 00:18:27,080 --> 00:18:30,360 And the spies said we were like grasshoppers to them 228 00:18:31,080 --> 00:18:34,920 The description is that these these were giants. These were very huge and huge giants 229 00:18:34,920 --> 00:18:39,000 The description is that these these were giants. These were very huge and tall people 230 00:18:39,640 --> 00:18:42,280 Now we get a further description on what they are 231 00:18:43,160 --> 00:18:46,520 The anacheme and the refaim are are similar people, right? 232 00:18:46,520 --> 00:18:53,320 The refaim were east of the jordan giants. The anacheme were west of the jordan giants that lived in the land 233 00:18:54,680 --> 00:18:56,680 now 40 years later 234 00:18:56,840 --> 00:18:59,000 from israel sending in the scouts 235 00:18:59,080 --> 00:19:02,760 They wandered the wilderness because they were too afraid to go in 40 years later 236 00:19:02,760 --> 00:19:06,680 They're heading into the promised land again and it's going to tell us in joshua that they 237 00:19:07,080 --> 00:19:14,920 Battled with a king named aug king aug of bashan now in in joshua 12 4 and 13 12 238 00:19:15,400 --> 00:19:20,540 It tells us this about king aug that he was the last of the refaim 239 00:19:21,240 --> 00:19:24,040 He was the last giant in the land east of the jordan 240 00:19:24,840 --> 00:19:30,360 And this is what it tells us about him. His bed was 13 feet long and six feet wide 241 00:19:30,360 --> 00:19:33,560 What that means is he was between seven to 12 feet tall 242 00:19:34,200 --> 00:19:36,760 Big dude, right giant and then obviously 243 00:19:37,240 --> 00:19:44,280 We have goliath later on coming from the philistine lands and stuff and a lot of people believe that he was a remnant or a descendant of these people 244 00:19:45,000 --> 00:19:50,360 So we have these refaim that are attacked first in the northern east side of the holy land, right? 245 00:19:50,840 --> 00:19:57,640 They are just like the anacheme who are the giants that were in the promised land when israel got there later on and so what we're being told 246 00:19:57,640 --> 00:20:01,640 Is that these giants were first attacked by these kings from the east? 247 00:20:02,840 --> 00:20:08,120 Then they travel further south and defeat the zuzim and ham and the emim and shaveh 248 00:20:08,760 --> 00:20:13,000 Pyrethane so those are two areas directly south along the east side of the 249 00:20:13,560 --> 00:20:17,880 Dead sea there and then we go who are the zoom him and who are the emim? 250 00:20:18,760 --> 00:20:20,760 They are giants 251 00:20:20,840 --> 00:20:24,840 Deuteronomy chapter two tells us that the word zoom him was the 252 00:20:24,840 --> 00:20:28,200 zoom him was the um amirite word 253 00:20:29,080 --> 00:20:30,840 for refaim 254 00:20:30,840 --> 00:20:37,880 And emim was the moabite word for refaim, right? This is what it says there deuteronomy 2 10 255 00:20:38,760 --> 00:20:43,800 The emim a great and numerous people as tall as the anachem had previously lived in that land 256 00:20:44,360 --> 00:20:49,640 They were also regarded as refaim like the anachem though. The moabites called them emim. Okay 257 00:20:50,360 --> 00:20:52,360 and then deuteronomy 2 verse 20 258 00:20:52,360 --> 00:20:59,960 Says this too used to be regarded as the land of the refaim the refaim lived there previously though the ammonites called them 259 00:21:00,580 --> 00:21:06,600 Zamzumim a great which means physically huge and numerous people tall as the anachem 260 00:21:07,320 --> 00:21:13,800 So there's giants. Okay, there's giant people there now when they defeated king ang and it told us he was the last of the refaim 261 00:21:13,880 --> 00:21:16,360 That's why there's no giants anymore. Okay, they got wiped out 262 00:21:17,160 --> 00:21:20,120 So the refaim the zuzim the emim big people 263 00:21:20,120 --> 00:21:25,240 giants possibly 10 feet plus tall all down the east side of the jordan river sea of galilee 264 00:21:25,240 --> 00:21:29,880 So this was the first peoples that the four kings from the east wiped out 265 00:21:30,600 --> 00:21:33,960 Then it says they went down to the horites in the mountains of seyr 266 00:21:34,840 --> 00:21:39,800 The horites were an ancient people ancient people group if you can put that image back up, please 267 00:21:40,120 --> 00:21:45,640 They they lived in the mountains that were south of the dead sea. No the last image 268 00:21:45,640 --> 00:21:51,640 The last image the first one there you go right there see that brown area. Those are the mountains of seyr 269 00:21:52,120 --> 00:21:54,120 That is the land that became edam 270 00:21:54,760 --> 00:21:58,120 Edam was where esau went with his people 271 00:21:58,920 --> 00:22:03,880 And his people came from there edam. It's where that famous city of petra is you guys have seen that rock city 272 00:22:03,960 --> 00:22:05,960 That was in indiana jones, right? 273 00:22:06,040 --> 00:22:11,000 This is that land there was a people there according to genesis 36 called the horites 274 00:22:11,000 --> 00:22:17,080 That were descendants from a man named seyr the horite so the mountains of seyr, okay 275 00:22:17,960 --> 00:22:20,920 The kings wiped those people out or came down and battled them 276 00:22:21,320 --> 00:22:25,800 And then it says they went all the way down to el piran that is all the way down at the bottom of the screen 277 00:22:25,880 --> 00:22:29,640 At the tip of the gulf of akaba, you know in the red sea when you see it on a map 278 00:22:29,640 --> 00:22:31,640 It has two bunny ears, right? 279 00:22:31,800 --> 00:22:36,840 One of those bunny ears is the gulf of akaba and so it was a town on the edge of the wilderness there the 280 00:22:37,000 --> 00:22:39,000 wilderness being to the left of that 281 00:22:39,000 --> 00:22:41,000 And so then it says they chased 282 00:22:41,560 --> 00:22:45,400 Uh battled all these people all the way to end mishpat, which is kaddesh 283 00:22:45,800 --> 00:22:51,720 That is a town that was right in the middle of the wilderness area there today. It's called kaddesh barnea 284 00:22:52,200 --> 00:22:55,960 This was a location of many of the significant events in the history of israel 285 00:22:56,360 --> 00:23:00,120 One being kaddesh was where israel stopped to send in the scouts 286 00:23:00,440 --> 00:23:03,640 And when the scouts came back and said we can't do it. There's giants in the land 287 00:23:03,720 --> 00:23:06,280 They turned back into the wilderness for 40 more years 288 00:23:06,280 --> 00:23:08,280 Kaddesh is also the place where moses 289 00:23:09,000 --> 00:23:13,080 Struck the rock out of anger when the israelites were thirsty misrepresenting the lord 290 00:23:13,800 --> 00:23:18,840 And then they went to hazan tamar, which is they traveled back north towards the dead sea to a place 291 00:23:18,840 --> 00:23:22,520 We know today as engedi. It's a place you can visit if you go to israel 292 00:23:22,520 --> 00:23:29,560 It's on the west side of the dead sea and we know that engedi is hazan tamar because it tells us in second chronicles 20 verse 2 293 00:23:30,760 --> 00:23:33,480 So why are we being told all these details? 294 00:23:33,960 --> 00:23:34,920 right 295 00:23:34,920 --> 00:23:41,500 It's because god wants us to understand the well planned and well executed strategy 296 00:23:41,880 --> 00:23:47,720 Of these worldly kings as they were coming in to put down this rebellion of the cities of sodom and gamora 297 00:23:47,960 --> 00:23:54,680 They actually did a very very very tactical thing in wiping out everybody around them 298 00:23:55,000 --> 00:23:57,160 So that when they attacked sodom and gamora 299 00:23:57,720 --> 00:24:02,680 There were nobody that they could call on for reinforcements all the people around them had been wiped out 300 00:24:02,680 --> 00:24:05,320 The dead sea was north of them so they couldn't flee that way 301 00:24:05,480 --> 00:24:09,320 And so these kings had a very very good plan meaning they were very 302 00:24:09,960 --> 00:24:17,400 Very organized. They were very tactically brilliant. Right? These this was a smart army of people with these four kings 303 00:24:18,200 --> 00:24:23,640 And so then verse 8 we get into the next part the actual attack on the five cities 304 00:24:24,440 --> 00:24:31,640 Then the king of sodom genesis 14 8 the king of gamora the king of adma the king of zeboeam and the king of bellis 305 00:24:31,640 --> 00:24:36,520 That is zoar went out and lined up for battle in the sedim valley 306 00:24:37,320 --> 00:24:44,360 Against king chedoleomer of elam king title of goin king empriel of shinar and king ariak of elisar 307 00:24:44,760 --> 00:24:48,840 Four kings against five now the sedim valley contained many 308 00:24:49,400 --> 00:24:54,600 Asphalt pits and as the kings of sodom and gamora fled some fell into them 309 00:24:54,760 --> 00:25:00,280 But the rest fled to the mountains and so the sedim valley is today 310 00:25:00,280 --> 00:25:04,760 A area south of the dead sea some believe it was once underwater 311 00:25:05,240 --> 00:25:09,560 It was actually a southern part of the dead sea. But today it's just a 312 00:25:10,360 --> 00:25:14,520 A dry area where there's some asphalt pits and all that. Can we put up that picture? 313 00:25:16,600 --> 00:25:18,200 So we're zoomed in now, okay 314 00:25:18,200 --> 00:25:21,720 This is where those five cities of the plane were if you go there today 315 00:25:21,720 --> 00:25:24,120 You'll see those little green areas. They're different kind of 316 00:25:24,440 --> 00:25:26,280 Pits and stuff that they're doing there 317 00:25:26,280 --> 00:25:32,200 But it was once a part of the dead sea now what you don't see is on the right side there 318 00:25:32,200 --> 00:25:38,920 There's the five cities sodom was the northernmost then you had gamora and then you went down from there to the five cities of the valley 319 00:25:40,200 --> 00:25:45,160 So what we see here is that these five kings of the plane they go out they line up for battle 320 00:25:45,160 --> 00:25:51,720 They know the army's coming and then they get defeated in the sedim valley. Okay, others called it the salt valley 321 00:25:51,720 --> 00:25:56,840 Josephus actually in his writings called this whole sea the dead sea the asphalt sea 322 00:25:57,240 --> 00:26:03,640 Because in that area and even today there's asphalt pits tar pits that are bubbling up out of the ground with these 323 00:26:03,960 --> 00:26:07,480 Real thick tar that is then used to make asphalt 324 00:26:08,040 --> 00:26:11,240 It was also a thing called bitumen in the in the old stuff 325 00:26:11,240 --> 00:26:14,360 So you might read bitumen in some of the older translations of the bible 326 00:26:14,680 --> 00:26:18,840 But the point is is that these four kings showed up they came down from the north where engedi was 327 00:26:18,840 --> 00:26:23,240 Fought these five kings defeated them and then the five kings started to flee and run away 328 00:26:24,120 --> 00:26:28,200 Now you might read there. It says that it was only the kings of sodom and gamora that fled 329 00:26:29,160 --> 00:26:34,360 You think what about the kings of zozo? Zohim and zoar and all that other stuff. Well 330 00:26:35,160 --> 00:26:39,800 In other places in the bible such as genesis 19 and deuteronomy 29 331 00:26:40,120 --> 00:26:43,400 We read that when when you see the term sodom and gamora 332 00:26:43,400 --> 00:26:45,960 It's kind of an encapsulated term to write about 333 00:26:45,960 --> 00:26:50,120 Sodom and gamora, it's kind of an encapsulated term to refer to that whole area 334 00:26:50,360 --> 00:26:55,400 So all five cities of that area are kind of included in what we say in sodom and gamora 335 00:26:55,800 --> 00:27:02,280 Um deuteronomy 29 actually refers to the judgment taking place at sodom and gamora and then it includes zebo iman 336 00:27:02,280 --> 00:27:07,240 Zoar, I believe genesis 19. It tells us that god destroyed all the cities of the plane 337 00:27:07,240 --> 00:27:11,400 So when we see this phrase sodom and gamora, we know it's referring to everything there 338 00:27:11,400 --> 00:27:16,520 And as you can imagine when we get to the destruction of sodom and gamora and god rained fire from the heaven 339 00:27:17,320 --> 00:27:22,040 From the heavens what would happen if there was all this tar and asphalt bubbling up out of the ground? 340 00:27:22,040 --> 00:27:24,040 It was just a conflagration. So 341 00:27:25,480 --> 00:27:27,480 Genesis 14 11 342 00:27:27,880 --> 00:27:31,960 The four kings took all the goods of sodom and gamora and all their food and went on 343 00:27:32,840 --> 00:27:38,680 They also took abram's nephew lot and his possessions for he was living in sodom and they went on 344 00:27:38,680 --> 00:27:41,080 So now we're getting to the meat of the story, right? 345 00:27:41,480 --> 00:27:46,680 These four kings come to put down this rebellion in the place that lot went to live, right? 346 00:27:46,680 --> 00:27:51,560 It says earlier that he pitched his tent next to it. But did you notice a detail about lot there? 347 00:27:52,920 --> 00:27:54,760 Read it again 348 00:27:54,760 --> 00:27:56,760 For he was living in Sodom 349 00:27:57,320 --> 00:28:02,920 Back in Genesis 13 12. It says but lot lived in the cities of the plane and set up his tent near 350 00:28:03,480 --> 00:28:05,160 Sodom 351 00:28:05,160 --> 00:28:07,160 But now we find a lot living in 352 00:28:07,160 --> 00:28:08,920 in Sodom 353 00:28:08,920 --> 00:28:13,720 This place of great wickedness and great evil and and just great debauchery and you know 354 00:28:14,360 --> 00:28:16,760 Oh boy lot, how's that decision working out for you? 355 00:28:17,800 --> 00:28:20,520 You know, you've just been invaded the town's wiped out 356 00:28:22,120 --> 00:28:28,520 All the people are taken all your possessions have taken and and think about it lot made the decision to move there based upon his material 357 00:28:28,600 --> 00:28:31,800 Possessions of what would be most materially advantageous to us 358 00:28:31,800 --> 00:28:35,960 This is going to be best for my business if I go live next to this evil wicked city 359 00:28:37,080 --> 00:28:38,840 And now everything's taken away from them 360 00:28:38,840 --> 00:28:40,120 Not just his possessions 361 00:28:40,120 --> 00:28:45,720 But it also says lot was taken and in those days to be taken as a captive of an invading army meant you were going to 362 00:28:45,720 --> 00:28:50,120 Be a slave meant you were going to be a sacrifice to their gods something of that nature 363 00:28:50,680 --> 00:28:54,200 Now the idea here and again going back to look how well 364 00:28:55,080 --> 00:28:59,720 Put together these armies of the east are look at their brilliant tactical plan 365 00:28:59,720 --> 00:29:05,240 But for lots sake what we're seeing here is now the the application is simply this as I said it earlier 366 00:29:05,720 --> 00:29:08,920 The world will always swallow you up when you decide to commingle with it 367 00:29:10,040 --> 00:29:13,640 Lot started near Sodom and then we find them living in Sodom 368 00:29:14,920 --> 00:29:16,600 some people like to 369 00:29:16,600 --> 00:29:23,640 Will sometimes date Christians will date non-christians and they think oh i'm gonna get them saved right? We call that missionary dating 370 00:29:24,280 --> 00:29:28,280 Right, you're on a missions trip to save that you know that guy or that girl that you know 371 00:29:28,280 --> 00:29:30,840 You shouldn't be dating and i'm gonna save them 372 00:29:31,480 --> 00:29:33,480 Guess what happens every time? 373 00:29:33,480 --> 00:29:36,520 You end up falling into sin with them not the other way around 374 00:29:37,480 --> 00:29:42,680 That's why the bible says flee from sin get as far away from it as possible don't get close to the line 375 00:29:42,680 --> 00:29:49,560 Don't try and dance right there because if you get close to the line you will eventually find yourself living in sin 376 00:29:50,680 --> 00:29:52,680 And so stay away 377 00:29:52,680 --> 00:29:56,280 Now verse 13 it says one of the survivors came and told abram the hebrew 378 00:29:56,280 --> 00:30:02,040 Who lived near the oaks belonging to mammary the amorite the brother of eshkol and the brother of anor 379 00:30:02,520 --> 00:30:07,000 They were bound by a treaty with abram when abram heard that his relative had been taken prisoner 380 00:30:07,480 --> 00:30:13,480 He assembled his 318 trained men born in his household and they went in pursuit as far as dan 381 00:30:14,840 --> 00:30:21,080 So again hebron or abram was living in a place called hebron which was just west of the 382 00:30:21,080 --> 00:30:25,240 Dead sea and he pursued them north all the way to the place called dan 383 00:30:25,240 --> 00:30:32,200 So what we have here is this army comes through wipes out everybody goes into the valley defeats the five kings 384 00:30:32,200 --> 00:30:37,720 The five kings flee and then that army is leaving to go back home. Well, they came down from the north 385 00:30:37,720 --> 00:30:42,120 So they're going back north following the roads back to the eastern mesopotamian area 386 00:30:43,160 --> 00:30:45,880 Meanwhile back over in the land promised by god 387 00:30:45,880 --> 00:30:51,080 Among the pagan inhabitants is just abram chilling and living his life 388 00:30:53,240 --> 00:30:54,760 And then one moment 389 00:30:54,760 --> 00:30:56,280 One day this 390 00:30:56,280 --> 00:30:58,280 Ragged out of breath 391 00:30:58,280 --> 00:31:05,560 Possibly wounded person stumbles into hebron and it says one of the survivors came and told abram so came into the area 392 00:31:05,560 --> 00:31:07,560 Where's abram? Where's abram? 393 00:31:07,560 --> 00:31:09,960 I need to tell you your nephew lot was taken 394 00:31:11,000 --> 00:31:13,000 And we go where's abram? 395 00:31:13,000 --> 00:31:19,400 I need to tell you your nephew lot was taken and we go how did why does that person want to come seek out abram? 396 00:31:20,120 --> 00:31:22,120 How do they know to seek out abram? 397 00:31:22,280 --> 00:31:27,080 Now this is conjecture, but it's very likely that his lot was over there living in the plains 398 00:31:27,400 --> 00:31:29,400 He was talking about his uncle abram 399 00:31:30,520 --> 00:31:34,280 Maybe saying some good things maybe saying some bad things. Oh, yeah, he's foolish 400 00:31:34,280 --> 00:31:37,960 He let me take this whole plane for my flock, right? But whatever it was 401 00:31:37,960 --> 00:31:44,360 I was not going to tell you what happened in the land because they knew who abram was and so one of the survivors of this battle 402 00:31:44,360 --> 00:31:47,320 Tracks down abram to tell him what's going on here 403 00:31:48,280 --> 00:31:50,280 It also tells us that these three 404 00:31:51,080 --> 00:31:52,920 Amorite people 405 00:31:52,920 --> 00:31:58,680 Mamrie the Amorite who was the brother of eshkol and the brother of anor they also lived in this land because you remember 406 00:31:58,680 --> 00:32:01,240 Abra went down to live by the oak of 407 00:32:01,960 --> 00:32:03,000 memory 408 00:32:03,000 --> 00:32:05,000 So it was this famous tree 409 00:32:05,000 --> 00:32:08,040 But why is it telling us that detail? 410 00:32:09,480 --> 00:32:16,280 Well having a treaty meant that these three amorites and abram had a hit a commitment to support one another 411 00:32:16,760 --> 00:32:22,440 To live peaceably among one another even to support one another militarily if it came to that 412 00:32:23,080 --> 00:32:29,160 Now it doesn't tell us that these three guys necessarily went with him to battle, but why is it mentioning this treaty? 413 00:32:29,160 --> 00:32:34,280 I believe it's simply this because what we're going to see abram do is leave his possessions 414 00:32:34,680 --> 00:32:39,080 Leave his home leave the rest of his family to go chase after this army 415 00:32:39,880 --> 00:32:43,400 And he does so without any worry that he's going to lose any of it 416 00:32:43,880 --> 00:32:46,680 One because god promised that the land is going to go to his descendants 417 00:32:47,480 --> 00:32:49,800 Two because he has this treaty with his other people 418 00:32:50,600 --> 00:32:54,600 We see abram now seeking peace with people 419 00:32:54,600 --> 00:32:58,840 And that is what a christian is supposed to do blessed are the peacemakers 420 00:32:59,560 --> 00:33:01,560 Right, that's what the scriptures say 421 00:33:02,280 --> 00:33:05,160 That as believers we live in this world. We're not supposed to be 422 00:33:05,720 --> 00:33:12,520 antagonistic and angry and in and just fighting with people we're supposed to be the ones bringing peace preaching the 423 00:33:12,920 --> 00:33:18,280 The prince of peace bringing the gospel to people and living in this world as sojourners 424 00:33:19,400 --> 00:33:22,760 That we're just passing through and that's what abram did when he got to hebron 425 00:33:22,760 --> 00:33:27,480 Hey guys, I know you're amorites. I want to tell you about my god and stuff, but i'm gonna live here and they go 426 00:33:27,480 --> 00:33:31,160 Wow, you're got a lot of stuff. You're pretty powerful great. Let's make a treaty 427 00:33:32,120 --> 00:33:38,200 And so now abram could just peacefully take off and go chase after lot and trying to save him from his own decisions 428 00:33:39,000 --> 00:33:43,560 It says abram grabbed his 318 trained men born of his household 429 00:33:44,680 --> 00:33:50,920 That means that these trained men were family members. They weren't outside servants that came in these were family 430 00:33:50,920 --> 00:33:53,960 These were the most loyal people he had the most dependable 431 00:33:54,840 --> 00:33:56,440 Now you can imagine 432 00:33:56,440 --> 00:33:57,800 Again, this is conjecture 433 00:33:57,800 --> 00:34:05,400 But the army of four different kings from four different nations was probably a little bit bigger than 318 people 434 00:34:07,640 --> 00:34:09,640 Not a stretch to assume that right 435 00:34:10,120 --> 00:34:12,120 It doesn't tell us that they they 436 00:34:12,840 --> 00:34:18,840 Like were greatly harmed in the battle just as they came in that wiped everybody out and they wiped out the cities and so 437 00:34:18,840 --> 00:34:22,840 It's very possible that much of their army was still intact and yet abram takes 438 00:34:23,540 --> 00:34:30,360 318 guys to run after them now when it says that they were trained it means that they were highly skilled 439 00:34:31,720 --> 00:34:34,680 Highly skilled so what are they going to do? They're going to go fight 440 00:34:35,320 --> 00:34:40,280 So these 318 men is like seal team six, right? These are the best 441 00:34:40,920 --> 00:34:45,800 Operators, these are the most talented people and they run off and go after the army 442 00:34:45,800 --> 00:34:51,640 This is where we see the altruistic living of abram's altruistic faith 443 00:34:52,120 --> 00:34:56,600 You guys remember that word altruism was being devoted to the well-being of others 444 00:34:57,880 --> 00:35:03,000 Having faith and trust in god allows us to be more focused on others than ourselves 445 00:35:04,440 --> 00:35:09,720 The example of jesus christ, excuse me was being more focused on others than himself 446 00:35:09,720 --> 00:35:16,920 Excuse me was being more focused on others than himself. It says that he laid down everything 447 00:35:17,800 --> 00:35:21,080 So that we would be saved. That's what altruism is 448 00:35:22,440 --> 00:35:26,600 You imagine this this survivor of the battle runs up to abram abram 449 00:35:27,240 --> 00:35:30,120 This army came through they took lot and all his stuff 450 00:35:31,000 --> 00:35:33,000 abram could have been like 451 00:35:33,400 --> 00:35:35,400 Lot made his bed. Let him lie in it 452 00:35:35,880 --> 00:35:37,960 He chose to go there 453 00:35:37,960 --> 00:35:42,120 That was a wicked place and he said well i'm gonna take my family and my flocks and everything to go 454 00:35:42,360 --> 00:35:45,960 Go live next to this wicked place. He he's got his cake. Let him eat it, right? 455 00:35:46,520 --> 00:35:49,640 abram could have said that abram could have been like well 456 00:35:50,920 --> 00:35:56,760 I can't get involved and risk my men and my family and then besides I can't risk myself 457 00:35:58,440 --> 00:36:00,440 But this wasn't abram in egypt anymore 458 00:36:01,240 --> 00:36:03,560 This is abram and canaan post egypt 459 00:36:03,560 --> 00:36:10,600 He was not able to give up his humble faith his trusting in god and his promises faith 460 00:36:11,400 --> 00:36:14,120 Is what allowed him to say lot pick whichever land you want 461 00:36:15,480 --> 00:36:22,440 Because I could give this away a thousand times and god is still going to give it to my descendants because god promised, right? 462 00:36:23,080 --> 00:36:27,720 So abram was able to be altruistic with a lot. Let me think about you first not me 463 00:36:28,680 --> 00:36:32,200 That same humble trusting in god faith now is prompting abram 464 00:36:32,200 --> 00:36:36,800 And the way this reads here has prompted him without hesitation to get up and go do the 465 00:36:36,800 --> 00:36:38,600 right thing. 466 00:36:38,600 --> 00:36:42,220 To get up and go rescue his family member. 467 00:36:42,220 --> 00:36:45,300 It didn't matter what Lot had done. 468 00:36:45,300 --> 00:36:49,520 It didn't matter what choices Lot had made. 469 00:36:49,520 --> 00:36:56,580 It didn't matter that Lot was experiencing the consequences of unknown choices, right? 470 00:36:56,580 --> 00:37:00,200 Lot made the choices that were best for his material thing, thinking, I'm going to be 471 00:37:00,200 --> 00:37:01,540 secure here. 472 00:37:01,540 --> 00:37:05,040 How could he possibly have known that they were going to rebel and that the kings from 473 00:37:05,040 --> 00:37:06,280 the east were going to come wipe him out? 474 00:37:06,280 --> 00:37:07,560 He didn't know that. 475 00:37:07,560 --> 00:37:09,880 But he put all his eggs in that basket. 476 00:37:09,880 --> 00:37:13,960 And Abram just gets up and goes and takes action. 477 00:37:13,960 --> 00:37:14,960 Why? 478 00:37:14,960 --> 00:37:17,520 Because it was the right thing to do. 479 00:37:17,520 --> 00:37:20,240 To go rescue his family member. 480 00:37:20,240 --> 00:37:28,700 You see, a lot of times we as Christians could find ourselves so focused on protecting what's 481 00:37:28,700 --> 00:37:36,440 ours that when a situation presents itself to us that is the right thing to do as a Christian, 482 00:37:36,440 --> 00:37:37,440 we start to negotiate. 483 00:37:37,440 --> 00:37:43,320 Well, I don't know if I could give more to that because I have to take care of myself, 484 00:37:43,320 --> 00:37:44,440 my family. 485 00:37:44,440 --> 00:37:45,960 And that's a good and wise thing to do. 486 00:37:45,960 --> 00:37:49,640 But we resist what God is calling us to do. 487 00:37:49,640 --> 00:37:56,720 I'm busy and I have this, so I can't get involved in that outreach. 488 00:37:56,720 --> 00:38:01,240 What God is calling me to and instead of just without hesitation going, God, you said go, 489 00:38:01,240 --> 00:38:02,240 I'm going to go. 490 00:38:02,240 --> 00:38:03,800 God, you said be, I'm going to be. 491 00:38:03,800 --> 00:38:05,080 God, you said give, I'm going to give. 492 00:38:05,080 --> 00:38:07,240 God, you said trust, I'm going to trust. 493 00:38:07,240 --> 00:38:08,960 Instead we want to negotiate. 494 00:38:08,960 --> 00:38:13,000 Well, because we're trying to protect what's ours. 495 00:38:13,000 --> 00:38:17,000 Especially when it comes to possessions and finances and stuff. 496 00:38:17,000 --> 00:38:19,280 Sometimes we know it's just the right thing to do. 497 00:38:19,280 --> 00:38:21,360 God doesn't have to tell us to do it. 498 00:38:21,360 --> 00:38:26,360 It's just the right thing to do and we still find ourselves negotiating. 499 00:38:26,360 --> 00:38:32,680 Like do you really have to pray if you go park in front of a bank and say does God want 500 00:38:32,680 --> 00:38:35,040 me to rob this or not? 501 00:38:35,040 --> 00:38:37,240 Do you have to pray for that? 502 00:38:37,240 --> 00:38:38,680 You don't have to pray for that. 503 00:38:38,680 --> 00:38:45,080 You already know the right thing to do is to not rob the bank. 504 00:38:45,080 --> 00:38:48,620 Sometimes we're like, okay, God's called me to go out and preach the gospel and be a light 505 00:38:48,620 --> 00:38:50,480 to every nation and all that. 506 00:38:50,480 --> 00:38:57,040 And so we go to places and we go, God, do you want me to say anything about you? 507 00:38:57,040 --> 00:38:59,960 You don't have to pray about that, right? 508 00:38:59,960 --> 00:39:03,520 The right thing to do as you're Christian is to tell people about Jesus and so take 509 00:39:03,520 --> 00:39:05,560 tracks, do whatever works for you, right? 510 00:39:05,560 --> 00:39:09,800 There are so many things that we know as a believer based upon studying God's word and 511 00:39:09,800 --> 00:39:14,980 knowing God's character that it's just the right thing to do. 512 00:39:14,980 --> 00:39:19,640 And yet sometimes we'll say, but God didn't tell me. 513 00:39:19,640 --> 00:39:25,120 I'm going to have to sacrifice something that's mine to do that right thing. 514 00:39:25,120 --> 00:39:28,200 And we hesitate. 515 00:39:28,200 --> 00:39:30,240 And that's a lack of faith. 516 00:39:30,240 --> 00:39:36,400 It's a lack of faith because you have what you have because God gave it to you. 517 00:39:36,400 --> 00:39:37,920 And it's all His anyways. 518 00:39:37,920 --> 00:39:40,560 And He wants you to have it or not have it. 519 00:39:40,560 --> 00:39:44,040 He's going to have you have it or not have it. 520 00:39:44,040 --> 00:39:46,200 But instead we go, no, no, no, I made my plans. 521 00:39:46,200 --> 00:39:47,840 I'm securing my future. 522 00:39:47,840 --> 00:39:50,760 I chose to do this and I didn't talk to God about it. 523 00:39:50,760 --> 00:39:52,800 And I'm just so confident in what I'm doing. 524 00:39:52,800 --> 00:39:54,240 And guess what? 525 00:39:54,240 --> 00:39:59,760 An army could wipe it all out in one day metaphorically. 526 00:39:59,760 --> 00:40:02,560 And then what are you going to do? 527 00:40:02,560 --> 00:40:06,600 What we have here in Abram is just him going, it's the right thing to do. 528 00:40:06,600 --> 00:40:07,680 I'm going to take off. 529 00:40:07,680 --> 00:40:10,320 I'm going to go after my family member here. 530 00:40:10,320 --> 00:40:14,640 Now when it says they pursued him as far as Dan, that's all the way at the top of that 531 00:40:14,640 --> 00:40:15,640 red line there. 532 00:40:15,640 --> 00:40:19,720 The red line is the route that Abram possibly took. 533 00:40:19,720 --> 00:40:22,160 Now nobody knows for sure where this Dan is. 534 00:40:22,160 --> 00:40:26,320 And of course a lot of us, we read that and we go, oh, that's where the tribe of Dan was, 535 00:40:26,320 --> 00:40:27,320 right? 536 00:40:27,320 --> 00:40:31,740 Like if you take a trip to Israel, you can actually visit, tell Dan and see their pagan 537 00:40:31,740 --> 00:40:33,160 worship altars and stuff. 538 00:40:33,160 --> 00:40:34,700 It's really crazy. 539 00:40:34,700 --> 00:40:42,560 But the problem is Dan, who was the head of the tribe of Dan, wasn't born until years 540 00:40:42,560 --> 00:40:44,240 later, right? 541 00:40:44,240 --> 00:40:48,680 He was one of the original 12 sons who became the 12 tribes of Israel. 542 00:40:48,680 --> 00:40:51,120 Israel hadn't conquered this land yet. 543 00:40:51,120 --> 00:40:57,880 It wasn't the nation of Israel, so it couldn't be Dan where the tribe of Dan lived. 544 00:40:57,880 --> 00:41:01,640 I point that out because some people argue that online and stuff. 545 00:41:01,640 --> 00:41:02,980 So then what is it? 546 00:41:02,980 --> 00:41:03,980 We don't know. 547 00:41:03,980 --> 00:41:07,600 It's another place that was called Dan. 548 00:41:07,600 --> 00:41:08,600 That's all we need to know. 549 00:41:08,600 --> 00:41:09,600 They went up there. 550 00:41:09,600 --> 00:41:11,920 But it was somewhere north of the Sea of Galilee. 551 00:41:11,920 --> 00:41:19,560 So what that means is Abram and his 318 men traveled between 100 and 150 miles from Hebron 552 00:41:19,560 --> 00:41:23,200 to get to this army. 553 00:41:23,200 --> 00:41:32,120 So what we see is Abram, the shepherd, the wanderer, the man of peace, now become General 554 00:41:32,120 --> 00:41:36,200 Abram because it was time for that. 555 00:41:36,200 --> 00:41:37,680 What does it tell us in Ecclesiastes? 556 00:41:37,680 --> 00:41:39,480 There's a time for peace. 557 00:41:39,480 --> 00:41:42,240 There's a time for war. 558 00:41:42,240 --> 00:41:44,120 There's a time to back off. 559 00:41:44,120 --> 00:41:52,680 There's a time to step in while not sacrificing our beliefs and our values as Christians. 560 00:41:52,680 --> 00:41:58,800 And so General Abram now takes off in hot pursuit of the kings of the East, the Elamites, 561 00:41:58,800 --> 00:42:02,600 the Babylonians, the Hittites, the Hurrians, all these people. 562 00:42:02,600 --> 00:42:09,400 120 miles later, in the northern part of the promised land, possibly in the northern 563 00:42:09,400 --> 00:42:13,560 most point, he catches up to these four kings. 564 00:42:13,560 --> 00:42:20,240 And what we see here, and I see this, is Abram is very much like Christ in this moment. 565 00:42:20,240 --> 00:42:23,880 As Abram was to Lot, Christ is to each and every one of us today. 566 00:42:23,880 --> 00:42:26,920 What do I mean by that? 567 00:42:26,920 --> 00:42:30,240 Abram heard Lot was in trouble. 568 00:42:30,240 --> 00:42:33,840 Regardless if he was in trouble because of his own decisions, Abram heard he was in trouble 569 00:42:33,840 --> 00:42:37,400 and he didn't sit and he didn't stand by and he didn't contemplate. 570 00:42:37,400 --> 00:42:40,800 Is Lot deserving of redemption? 571 00:42:40,800 --> 00:42:43,160 I mean he made some stupid decisions. 572 00:42:43,160 --> 00:42:47,080 Should I go save him? 573 00:42:47,080 --> 00:42:53,120 Jesus didn't sit in heaven wondering whether we deserve redemption either. 574 00:42:53,120 --> 00:42:56,920 The Father said go and he went. 575 00:42:56,920 --> 00:42:58,080 He lived a perfect life. 576 00:42:58,080 --> 00:43:00,640 He went and died on that cross. 577 00:43:00,640 --> 00:43:03,640 We know he had the moment in the garden, right? 578 00:43:03,640 --> 00:43:04,640 Father? 579 00:43:04,640 --> 00:43:11,560 If there's any other way, anything, I vote for that. 580 00:43:11,560 --> 00:43:15,120 But nonetheless, not my will, your will be done. 581 00:43:15,120 --> 00:43:16,120 And what did he do? 582 00:43:16,120 --> 00:43:18,640 He went to the cross. 583 00:43:18,640 --> 00:43:21,240 He knew it was going to destroy him and he went willingly. 584 00:43:21,240 --> 00:43:25,060 The Bible says it was for the joy set before him he went. 585 00:43:25,060 --> 00:43:30,720 The ultimate picture of putting the needs of someone else above his own. 586 00:43:30,720 --> 00:43:32,360 And Abram is doing that thing right now. 587 00:43:32,360 --> 00:43:33,360 He's just like, I'm going. 588 00:43:33,360 --> 00:43:34,360 It's the right thing to do. 589 00:43:34,360 --> 00:43:35,360 I'm going to risk everything. 590 00:43:35,360 --> 00:43:37,400 I'm going to risk even my own life and I'm going to go. 591 00:43:37,400 --> 00:43:39,800 Verse 15. 592 00:43:39,800 --> 00:43:45,340 And he and his servants deployed against them by night, defeated them, and pursued them 593 00:43:45,340 --> 00:43:48,340 as far as Hobart to the north of Damascus. 594 00:43:48,340 --> 00:43:53,520 He brought back all the goods and also his relative Lot and his goods as well as the 595 00:43:53,520 --> 00:43:56,920 women and the other people. 596 00:43:56,920 --> 00:43:59,820 So follow me here. 597 00:43:59,820 --> 00:44:04,840 When Abram left Haran, he was 75 years old, the scripture tells us. 598 00:44:04,840 --> 00:44:09,400 Later on in Genesis, it's going to tell us when Ishmael was born to him, he was 86 years 599 00:44:09,400 --> 00:44:11,200 old. 600 00:44:11,200 --> 00:44:16,640 Scripture also tells us he was 175 when he died. 601 00:44:16,640 --> 00:44:22,760 Now the average life expectancy in Israel today of just a normal Israeli life is about 602 00:44:22,760 --> 00:44:23,760 80 years. 603 00:44:23,760 --> 00:44:26,000 It's different all over the planet, but it's 80 years. 604 00:44:26,000 --> 00:44:33,320 So if you take Abram's life and where he was, he was somewhere between 75 and 86 when this 605 00:44:33,320 --> 00:44:40,020 is taking place, and you math, math, math, what you come out to is Abram is basically 606 00:44:40,020 --> 00:44:45,680 in the equivalent of his late 30s as this is taking place. 607 00:44:45,680 --> 00:44:47,440 Why do I point that out? 608 00:44:47,440 --> 00:44:51,160 Because we often, when we hear Abram, we hear the stories of Abram, we think about the old 609 00:44:51,160 --> 00:44:53,240 dude with the gray beard, right? 610 00:44:53,240 --> 00:45:01,000 We think about old man Abram, just kind of walk in and trust in God, but you know, just, 611 00:45:01,000 --> 00:45:03,760 Abram was a young dude at one time. 612 00:45:03,760 --> 00:45:06,920 He was full of faith and full of strength and full of boldness. 613 00:45:06,920 --> 00:45:12,080 And this is Abram, who's relatively young compared to the lifespan he lives, going out 614 00:45:12,080 --> 00:45:14,680 into fight. 615 00:45:14,680 --> 00:45:17,480 Now it says his servants deployed against them. 616 00:45:17,480 --> 00:45:18,480 I love that. 617 00:45:18,480 --> 00:45:20,280 That's military language, right? 618 00:45:20,280 --> 00:45:24,100 Like now it sounds like we're going to be looking at one of these like military shows 619 00:45:24,100 --> 00:45:27,700 where it's telling us all about the special ops team and their stealth deployment defeating 620 00:45:27,700 --> 00:45:29,560 the four kings of the East. 621 00:45:29,560 --> 00:45:33,920 If you just put yourself there, it's nighttime. 622 00:45:33,920 --> 00:45:36,440 They sneak up. 623 00:45:36,440 --> 00:45:41,160 They jump into this camp, this army that is likely much bigger than theirs. 624 00:45:41,160 --> 00:45:45,880 Cries of confusion and surprise rise up into the sky. 625 00:45:45,880 --> 00:45:49,520 The bad guy's being slaughtered. 626 00:45:49,520 --> 00:45:52,040 And then those that survived the initial onslaught, right? 627 00:45:52,040 --> 00:45:53,520 They fail their morale check. 628 00:45:53,520 --> 00:45:55,640 They flee. 629 00:45:55,640 --> 00:45:58,600 And they start heading up towards Damascus. 630 00:45:58,600 --> 00:46:05,400 They go past Damascus all the way up to Hobah and they're pursued by Abram and it's 318. 631 00:46:05,400 --> 00:46:10,000 And again, I just see it as like it's, this is not seal team six, it's seal team A for 632 00:46:10,000 --> 00:46:11,240 Abram, right? 633 00:46:11,240 --> 00:46:15,480 And there's a boom and they're winning huge victory. 634 00:46:15,480 --> 00:46:17,280 They recover everything. 635 00:46:17,280 --> 00:46:20,840 They recover all the people, including Lot and Lot's stuff. 636 00:46:20,840 --> 00:46:21,840 Why all these details? 637 00:46:21,840 --> 00:46:22,840 Right? 638 00:46:22,840 --> 00:46:27,440 You read a chapter like this and we believe every single part of God's word is there for 639 00:46:27,440 --> 00:46:29,440 a reason. 640 00:46:29,440 --> 00:46:31,160 Like none of it's there by happenstance. 641 00:46:31,160 --> 00:46:32,800 It's recorded for a purpose. 642 00:46:32,800 --> 00:46:37,360 And we go, why is this chapter all about this brilliant campaign of the four kings from 643 00:46:37,360 --> 00:46:42,240 the East telling us about their victories, repeated victories over the giants of the 644 00:46:42,240 --> 00:46:46,680 Transjordan, their victory over the mountain people, their victory over the desert people 645 00:46:46,680 --> 00:46:50,600 all the way up to Ngedi, their victory over the five cities. 646 00:46:50,600 --> 00:46:52,880 Why does it tell us all about that? 647 00:46:52,880 --> 00:46:58,060 And then it gets to Abram and it tells us specifically 318 men. 648 00:46:58,060 --> 00:47:01,040 It doesn't say he grabbed the most loyal dudes in his camp. 649 00:47:01,040 --> 00:47:05,080 No, 318 of them. 650 00:47:05,080 --> 00:47:07,160 Trained men, skilled men. 651 00:47:07,160 --> 00:47:13,040 It tells us about this brilliant ambush and now he wipes them out and recovers everything. 652 00:47:13,040 --> 00:47:16,000 Why these details? 653 00:47:16,000 --> 00:47:22,960 I believe it's because Moses wanted us to see and understand how Abram won his victory 654 00:47:22,960 --> 00:47:25,440 from where his courage came from. 655 00:47:25,440 --> 00:47:33,080 You see, you remember in Egypt, he tried to come up with a tactical plan, didn't he? 656 00:47:33,080 --> 00:47:34,080 Wife lie. 657 00:47:34,080 --> 00:47:38,680 Tell him I'm your brother. 658 00:47:38,680 --> 00:47:39,680 Perfect plan. 659 00:47:39,680 --> 00:47:41,120 Oops, didn't know the future. 660 00:47:41,120 --> 00:47:43,680 Didn't know Pharaoh was going to be interested in her. 661 00:47:43,680 --> 00:47:45,720 And all this stuff just falls apart from that. 662 00:47:45,720 --> 00:47:48,000 But still God says I'm going to bless you with riches. 663 00:47:48,000 --> 00:47:49,000 Go forward. 664 00:47:49,000 --> 00:47:50,000 Why? 665 00:47:50,000 --> 00:47:52,440 God did what he was going to do. 666 00:47:52,440 --> 00:47:59,140 Gets back to the Holy Land, renews his faith, believes now like look, my possessions belong 667 00:47:59,140 --> 00:48:00,440 to God. 668 00:48:00,440 --> 00:48:05,480 Just they're God's and God made promises so I don't have to try and keep my stuff. 669 00:48:05,480 --> 00:48:08,200 Lot go pick whatever you want. 670 00:48:08,200 --> 00:48:09,200 I'm good. 671 00:48:09,200 --> 00:48:10,200 I trust God. 672 00:48:10,200 --> 00:48:12,320 He's taking care of both of us. 673 00:48:12,320 --> 00:48:13,560 And then Lot leaves. 674 00:48:13,560 --> 00:48:17,280 Abram goes about his life, makes peace with the people he's living in, in his particular 675 00:48:17,280 --> 00:48:18,280 area. 676 00:48:18,280 --> 00:48:24,040 Lot, however, is falling more and more into the lifestyle of sin over there. 677 00:48:24,040 --> 00:48:28,840 What I mean by the lifestyle is living amongst those people. 678 00:48:28,840 --> 00:48:36,040 And then now this army comes through brilliantly organized, tactically smart, wipes out everybody 679 00:48:36,040 --> 00:48:37,480 and leaves. 680 00:48:37,480 --> 00:48:42,520 And now we have the same Abram who is humbled in Egypt saying God owns the possessions. 681 00:48:42,520 --> 00:48:43,520 It's God's possession. 682 00:48:43,520 --> 00:48:46,280 He will give it back to me because he's promised now saying, you know what, I can't even trust 683 00:48:46,280 --> 00:48:47,280 God with my family. 684 00:48:47,280 --> 00:48:48,800 I could leave him here. 685 00:48:48,800 --> 00:48:50,000 I got a treaty with these people. 686 00:48:50,000 --> 00:48:51,120 God is good. 687 00:48:51,120 --> 00:48:52,280 And I could trust him with my life. 688 00:48:52,280 --> 00:48:54,360 I'm going to go chase down Lot. 689 00:48:54,360 --> 00:48:58,040 It doesn't tell us here that Abram had any inclination that's like, oh, Superman, I'm 690 00:48:58,040 --> 00:49:00,120 not going to be killed. 691 00:49:00,120 --> 00:49:04,920 He just went because it was the right thing to do. 692 00:49:04,920 --> 00:49:09,320 And I believe he went because it was the right thing to do because of the settled inner peace 693 00:49:09,320 --> 00:49:15,560 that God is God and God has spoke and I believe it. 694 00:49:15,560 --> 00:49:20,040 Now the entire story of Abram's life so far has been about faith. 695 00:49:20,040 --> 00:49:23,280 Faith he left Ur. 696 00:49:23,280 --> 00:49:24,280 Sort of faith. 697 00:49:24,280 --> 00:49:26,200 He stayed in Haran for a while. 698 00:49:26,200 --> 00:49:29,440 Faith he went down to Canaan. 699 00:49:29,440 --> 00:49:32,920 Forgot about his faith and did his thing in Egypt. 700 00:49:32,920 --> 00:49:36,320 Came back, renewed his faith, worshiped at the altars. 701 00:49:36,320 --> 00:49:40,040 Faith God will give the land to my descendants, Lot take whatever you want. 702 00:49:40,040 --> 00:49:45,160 And now we see him going, faith, I'm going to get up, I'm going to go to battle to do 703 00:49:45,160 --> 00:49:48,760 the right thing to save my nephew. 704 00:49:48,760 --> 00:49:51,160 He believed God's word. 705 00:49:51,160 --> 00:49:54,320 And believed God's word, he knew that God was with him. 706 00:49:54,320 --> 00:49:56,520 And that's what we need to believe. 707 00:49:56,520 --> 00:49:58,880 Every day God is with us. 708 00:49:58,880 --> 00:50:01,480 God has promised that in his word. 709 00:50:01,480 --> 00:50:05,360 I believe Abram knew that even if he met defeat, even if he went after the army and he was 710 00:50:05,360 --> 00:50:12,560 killed, that the land would still go to his descendants because God said so. 711 00:50:12,560 --> 00:50:15,720 We see Abram having this kind of faith as it's growing and growing through his whole 712 00:50:15,720 --> 00:50:16,720 life. 713 00:50:16,720 --> 00:50:20,160 Eventually we get to the story of Abram and Isaac. 714 00:50:20,160 --> 00:50:25,080 The son of promise, the one that he was not able to have, he has Isaac and God says, go 715 00:50:25,080 --> 00:50:27,680 sacrifice him on the mountain. 716 00:50:27,680 --> 00:50:31,360 What does it tell us in the book of Hebrews? 717 00:50:31,360 --> 00:50:36,680 Abram knew that God was going to raise him back from the dead if he had to because God 718 00:50:36,680 --> 00:50:42,680 promised that my seed was going to be a blessing to all the nations. 719 00:50:42,680 --> 00:50:45,640 That's the kind of faith God wants us to have. 720 00:50:45,640 --> 00:50:49,720 That's the kind of faith that God wants to cultivate in our lives. 721 00:50:49,720 --> 00:50:53,960 Instead of falling to distrust the way Abram did in Egypt and just shrinking down into 722 00:50:53,960 --> 00:51:01,400 very sad people, Abram was now living in a profound trust, living in boldness in God's 723 00:51:01,400 --> 00:51:07,320 child, standing tall and courageous in the face of what might have been impossible odds, 724 00:51:07,320 --> 00:51:12,080 acting like the king of the land that he was given by the king of kings, the land that 725 00:51:12,080 --> 00:51:15,680 was his by right. 726 00:51:15,680 --> 00:51:20,560 I don't care who you are, I could fight against you because this is God's land. 727 00:51:20,560 --> 00:51:27,560 Again, why such heights of courage and triumphs of belief and faith, such risky actions of 728 00:51:27,560 --> 00:51:29,840 bravery? 729 00:51:29,840 --> 00:51:34,960 Because Abram knew the one true and living God and he knew the one true and living God 730 00:51:34,960 --> 00:51:39,440 knew him and that was all he needed. 731 00:51:39,440 --> 00:51:44,720 That God had spoken, therefore there was no reason to doubt, no reason to have fear, no 732 00:51:44,720 --> 00:51:52,120 reason to let all that stuff in Egypt that took him over ever take him over again. 733 00:51:52,120 --> 00:51:56,480 Paul the apostle said this in Philippians 1 and we'll close on this verse. 734 00:51:56,480 --> 00:51:59,720 Philippians 1 verses 21 through 24. 735 00:51:59,720 --> 00:52:03,560 Paul says, for me to live is Christ and to die is gain. 736 00:52:03,560 --> 00:52:08,200 Now if I live on in the flesh, this means fruitful work for me and I don't know which 737 00:52:08,200 --> 00:52:09,360 one I should choose. 738 00:52:09,360 --> 00:52:11,720 I'm torn between the two. 739 00:52:11,720 --> 00:52:16,560 I long to depart and be with Christ which is far better but to remain in the flesh is 740 00:52:16,560 --> 00:52:19,800 more necessary for your sake. 741 00:52:19,800 --> 00:52:26,160 This phrase to live is Christ that Paul says here, it encapsulated his profound commitment 742 00:52:26,160 --> 00:52:28,020 to Jesus Christ. 743 00:52:28,020 --> 00:52:34,720 It summarized his life priorities, his commitments, his ministry, his motivation, his confidence. 744 00:52:34,720 --> 00:52:38,020 Everything he did was guided by this. 745 00:52:38,020 --> 00:52:43,760 It overshadowed his personal goals, it overshadowed wealth, it overshadowed fame. 746 00:52:43,760 --> 00:52:45,920 Everything was about to live is Christ. 747 00:52:45,920 --> 00:52:50,600 It daily transformed every decision he made. 748 00:52:50,600 --> 00:52:56,360 This is altruistic living when we take the steps of faith based upon the promises that 749 00:52:56,360 --> 00:52:59,320 we say we believe in. 750 00:52:59,320 --> 00:53:03,920 Altruistic living leads us to a growing love for the Lord and a growing concern for others 751 00:53:03,920 --> 00:53:12,000 that will even call us to step out with crazy faith, sacrificial faith, risky faith to do 752 00:53:12,000 --> 00:53:15,960 the right thing because we know it is the right thing to do. 753 00:53:15,960 --> 00:53:20,480 The Bible tells us that faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains. 754 00:53:20,480 --> 00:53:22,320 Guess what else it can do? 755 00:53:22,320 --> 00:53:23,320 Defeat armies. 756 00:53:23,320 --> 00:53:28,180 It can risk much for others with absolute peace. 757 00:53:28,180 --> 00:53:31,200 That is the faith I believe God wants us to have as his children. 758 00:53:31,200 --> 00:53:35,320 That faith, pray for that faith. 759 00:53:35,320 --> 00:53:38,880 In the process, just watch what God is going to do with your life. 760 00:53:38,880 --> 00:53:39,880 Amen? 761 00:53:39,880 --> 00:53:40,880 Let's pray. 762 00:53:40,880 --> 00:53:47,280 Father God, we love you so much. 763 00:53:47,280 --> 00:53:55,440 Lord as your children, we live in this paradox of our flesh existing with our spirit. 764 00:53:55,440 --> 00:54:05,040 God, where we live in this selfish nature along with the born again nature that is giving 765 00:54:05,040 --> 00:54:09,840 and sacrificial that will give of itself, it will risk its own life even because your 766 00:54:09,840 --> 00:54:14,720 word says, Lord, you demonstrated love. 767 00:54:14,720 --> 00:54:19,840 It said nobody has love like this in the one who is going to lay down his life for his 768 00:54:19,840 --> 00:54:20,840 brother. 769 00:54:20,840 --> 00:54:30,080 Lord, we know that our spirit, the nature we have born of you, God, is one to altruistically 770 00:54:30,080 --> 00:54:34,200 give of ourselves, trusting you. 771 00:54:34,200 --> 00:54:36,000 Give of our time, trusting you. 772 00:54:36,000 --> 00:54:39,360 Give of our resources, trusting you. 773 00:54:39,360 --> 00:54:45,600 To give of ourselves because Lord, we know this life is not what it is all about. 774 00:54:45,600 --> 00:54:51,760 Yes, God, we are called to be wise and to pray and to make plans and to be wise with 775 00:54:51,760 --> 00:54:52,760 what we have. 776 00:54:52,760 --> 00:54:54,720 Yes, God, that is all true. 777 00:54:54,720 --> 00:55:01,320 But Lord, that means that we're called to be wise by seeking your wisdom, not our own. 778 00:55:01,320 --> 00:55:05,600 And so Lord, if any of us are people who have been finding ourselves holding on too hard 779 00:55:05,600 --> 00:55:11,440 to our own thoughts, our own plans, our own decisions, thinking we're set like the rich 780 00:55:11,440 --> 00:55:13,280 fool, that we're good. 781 00:55:13,280 --> 00:55:20,360 But I don't have to worry about anything, Lord, remind us that we don't know the future. 782 00:55:20,360 --> 00:55:23,040 You know the future. 783 00:55:23,040 --> 00:55:27,860 And so when you call us to go, when you call us to do, when you call us to give, when you 784 00:55:27,860 --> 00:55:33,320 call us to be, Lord, may we trust you without hesitation, knowing that you would not be 785 00:55:33,320 --> 00:55:36,440 calling us to those things without knowing that you're going to take care of us in those 786 00:55:36,440 --> 00:55:37,440 things. 787 00:55:37,440 --> 00:55:41,760 And Lord, that even means if you call us into difficult situations that you will give us 788 00:55:41,760 --> 00:55:47,280 the strength to persevere, that you will give us the peace that surpasses all understanding. 789 00:55:47,280 --> 00:55:52,320 Lord, as you call us to step out and talk to that person or that person about Jesus, 790 00:55:52,320 --> 00:55:56,920 Lord, that we do it without hesitation, Lord, knowing that God, even if they spit in our 791 00:55:56,920 --> 00:56:01,760 face, it was the right thing to do because you called us to do it. 792 00:56:01,760 --> 00:56:08,000 Lord, even when we don't hear your word specifically confirmation, but we're faced with a situation 793 00:56:08,000 --> 00:56:11,840 and we know just based upon your word and your character what the right thing is to 794 00:56:11,840 --> 00:56:21,240 do, that we wouldn't hesitate, even at great risk, because we have great faith. 795 00:56:21,240 --> 00:56:24,440 Help us to be better Christians, Lord. 796 00:56:24,440 --> 00:56:29,400 And the only way we're better Christians is when we depend on you more, trust in you more, 797 00:56:29,400 --> 00:56:32,120 rely on you more. 798 00:56:32,120 --> 00:56:34,440 Increase our faith, Lord. 799 00:56:34,440 --> 00:56:38,200 Use us to change this world. 800 00:56:38,200 --> 00:56:44,960 Use us to stand against the evil of this world, knowing that we are more than conquerors in 801 00:56:44,960 --> 00:56:45,960 you. 802 00:56:45,960 --> 00:56:47,400 We love you so much and we thank you. 803 00:56:47,400 --> 00:56:49,400 It's in Jesus' name we pray. 804 00:56:49,400 --> 00:56:50,400 Amen. 805 00:56:50,400 --> 00:56:51,400 Well, God bless you guys. 806 00:56:51,400 --> 00:57:04,920 Thank you for your worship.