If we will to Genesis chapter 14. Genesis chapter 14. My inclination, as we've been
going through Genesis on Wednesdays, was to get right to Melchizedek,
who's mentioned also in this chapter. However, as I was telling Melinda
as I was reading and going through this this week, there was a couple of verses
before that, the introduction of Melchizedek, that kind of stuck in my craw as it
were, because Melchizedek is introduced in verse 18. And we'll get there, Lord willing,
either this Wednesday or next Sunday. Melchizedek is just a
wonderful type of Christ, as you read about him here, and
then what Paul says about him in Hebrews 7. But as you read
through Genesis in the 14th chapter, you find a couple verses before
we get to the introduction of Melchizedek, that I could not
overlook. So, I don't know how long this
message is going to be because there's not a lot of verses here,
but there is a wonderful, wonderful picture of God's grace in Abraham's
recovering and restoration of Lot. Now, to begin with in this
first several verses in Genesis, we find the first war mentioned
in the Bible. You've got a whole bunch of kings,
you've got a certain group that rebel against the other. I'm
not going to try to pronounce all these names, but in verse
4, you see 12 years they served this one particular king, and
in the 13th year they rebelled. So you've got the first war between
kings. That's going on. And some of
the kings that are mentioned here are the king of Sodom and
the king of Gomorrah. Well, that's where Lot and his
family, that's where they're living, is in Sodom and Gomorrah. And in verse 10 In the vale of Siddim was full
of slime pits, and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled and
fell there, and they that remain fled to the mountain." Because
you've got these other kings together and they're fighting
and they have victory over the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah.
And in verse 11, and they took, the victorious kings, they took
all the goods of Sodom, and all the goods of Gomorrah, and all
their vittles, and went their way." And verse 12, and these
same, the same army, they took Lot, Abram's or Abraham's brother's
son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed. Verse
13. And there came one that had escaped
and told Abraham, the Hebrew, for he dwelt in the plain of
Mamre, the Amorite, brother of Escol and brother of Anar, and
these were confederate with Abraham. And when Abraham heard that his
brother was taken captive, He armed his trained servants, born
in his own house, 318, and pursued them unto Dan. And Abraham divided
himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote
them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of
Damascus. And Abraham and he brought back
all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his
goods, and the women also, and the people." As I said, what
we have this morning is simply the recovery and restoration
of this one called Lot. Now, in these short few verses,
we behold a lovely picture of the grace of God in the recovery
of one of His chosen people. And as we look at Abraham, let's
look past Abraham and let us see the Lord Jesus Christ greater
than Abraham. It's a picture of how He goes and fetches His people who
are held captive. The first point is simply this,
found in verses 11 and 12, Lot and all that he is and all that
he has is taken captive. And they took all the goods of
Sodom and Gomorrah, their vittles, and they went their way, and
they took Lot, Abraham's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom. Not
only did they take Lot, but they took all of his goods. They took
all of his goods. Turn to Matthew chapter 12. Matthew chapter 12. Lord Jesus Christ in this 12th
chapter is teaching a lesson and in this lesson there's a
few crumbs and bits that are parallel to what we're looking
at this morning and I want to show this in Matthew chapter
12 and verse Let's start in verse 27, but the verse I want to get
to is verse 29. Christ says, if I, because they
were accusing Christ of being part of Satan's army, Satan's
legion. And Christ said in verse 26,
if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself, how
then shall his kingdom stand? And Christ says in verse 27,
if I be Beelzebub, if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your
children cast them out? Therefore they shall be your
judges. Verse 28, But if I cast out devils
by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. And he uses this little illustration.
How can one enter into a strong man's house and spoil his goods,
except he first bind the strong man, and then he will spoil his
house? So you've got this, what he's
saying here is Christ is saying there's the person whose goods
and house is being bound has to be done so by somebody stronger
than him. Or that man can just walk away
and set himself free. We, just like Lot, are no match against sin, Satan,
or God's law that hold us fast. That hold us fast. I can talk
to any number of you who are believers and how hard we struggle
with sin. We still, it still has our number. It's still, the old man, that
old flesh is still there and he's not going to get any better.
But before Christ does or did a work in us, we, like Lot, are
taken. Taken captive. And we're no match
against sin. We're no match against Satan.
I know I've talked to plenty of Pentecostals, and they say,
oh, Satan was doing this, Satan was doing that, and I challenged
him, and I said this, and I said that. No. We're no match. In God's law, if we even think
contrary to the book. We're guilty. People have these
Ten Commandments splattered everywhere and are trying to live by them,
but that's the letter. He looks on the intents of the
heart. We are taken captive and held
fast, unable to secure freedom by our own puny works, our own
deeds or promises. Can't do it. We can't do it. We tell our children, we tell
them to flee to Christ, we tell them to pay heed to the gospel
message, but we don't tell them that you, by your own ability,
by your own wisdom, by your own thought, by your own this or
that, are ever going to be able to conquer. You're not going
to be able to fulfill God's law, you're not going to be able to
conquer Satan, and you're not going to be able to overturn your sin.
Why? Because if that were the case,
then Lot would have... they came in Lot to his home,
to his family, and to his goods, and he would have been able to
resist. But it says in our text here, and so spiritual application
rightly fits, they took Lot, and they took his goods, and
they departed. No matter how intelligent we
appear, sin will always outwit us. Oh, if I was just a little
younger, if I was a little stronger, if I'd have been taught this,
if I'd have learned that, if I'd have been... You know, we
make excuses, but no matter how intelligent we appear, you think
you are, whether you have a doctorate or you don't, it doesn't matter.
No matter how intelligent we may appear or think we are, sin
will outwit us because we're captive. No matter how pure we
think we are, God's law condemns us. But I've been brought up
under the gospel, and that's a wonderful thing. I wish I had
been. But just because that is the case, do not think that that
privilege, and it is a wonderful privilege indeed, I would not
sell that short at all. That is what we desire of our
children is that they be raised under the gospel of God's grace,
the only gospel, but that will not free us from God's law. And no matter how powerful we
seem to be, Satan binds us fast. They took Lot and his goods. Now, I want you to notice this.
We were driving home from Iowa. I guess it was yesterday. No,
it was Friday. We were driving home. I was up
there for several days. Lynn and I told her, I said, because
I was driving, I said, get the Bible out and read this. Just
read it. I love to muse over these things.
And then I said, his goods, his goods. Not only was Lot taken
captive, but his goods were taken captive too. His goods, his goods. And then there in Matthew chapter
12, a strong man, he's bound, and his goods are spoiled. So
I thought, well, it's more than just the spoils of war. But what
I got to think about, what is our goods? Well, in today's terms,
it would be anything that we need to survive, right? It would
be whether the houses we have, the cars we drive, the food we
eat, everything that Lot had and everything Lot possessed
and himself was taken captive. Basically, and this is exactly
scriptural, and we'll look at some passages of scripture here,
all that we are and all that we possess is an abomination
to God. If we don't know Him, if He has
not revealed Himself to us, if we are not believers, all that
we are is captive and all that we have is held captive. It's an abomination to God and
we use it not to honor God or glorify Him. We use it for self. preservation, self, you know,
to preserve or to feed or those basic necessities. But I'm telling
you that everything about us outside of Christ is taken captive. Anything that we touch or do,
apart from His gracing us, is not used for His glory. I mean,
if you know Christ this morning, you think about, before He revealed
Himself to you, you think about all that you thought about, all
that you did, all that you, everything, your possessions and yourself,
was not used for His glory. It was used for self. It was
used for something other than His glory. Let's see if this
is what this book says. Turn to Proverbs 28. Proverbs
28. The thing is that this tells
us that sin is really as bad as this book says it is. And
you and I are really, outside of Christ, are really as bad
as this book says we are. Okay? Not that people don't do
good things for their neighbors. Not that people don't do good
things at their jobs. Whether you're a believer here
this morning or not, the Gospel teaches to glorify God in all
that you do, so we teach our children that even though they
don't understand the Gospel, or our neighbors that. We teach
what this book teaches, but we know that outside of a working
of God's grace in us, It's the motive itself. Turn to Proverbs
28, and look with me at verse 9. He that turns away his ear from
hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination. Well, you mean down the street,
across the road, out in the country, these places that are meeting,
if they have willfully turned their ear away from the gospel,
the only gospel, and are not proclaiming that gospel, their
prayer is abomination? I didn't say that. That's what
this book says. And I agree. Who did the most harm to the
early church? Who did the most harm to the
Lord Jesus Christ? Who did the most harm to His
disciples? The religious people of the day. Who's going to give you the hardest
way to go? The bum in the street? Or your
brother or sister or mom and dad who are very religious when
you tell them the truth of the gospel? Turn to Proverbs chapter 15. Proverbs chapter 15, verses 8
and 9. The point is, we, like Lot, and
you this morning, if you do not know Christ, everything about
us and us does not serve or glorify God.
The motive is not to honor him. Proverbs 15 verses 8 and 9, the
sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord. Now, now, now we're really we're
talking that we're talking people who are religiously active. First,
you got prayer. He doesn't hear it. Now you've
got the sacrifice. We don't sacrifice animals, but
we gather together to honor and glorify Him. And if the sacrifice
is not the sweet-smelling sacrifice of the blood and work and person
of Christ, it's an abomination. Read on. Verse 9, the prayer,
the sacrifice, verse 9, the way of the wicked is an abomination
to the Lord. The way. Well, lastly, turn to Proverbs
21. If that didn't set it straight, look at this, Proverbs chapter
21. Some of us are going to go to
work tomorrow. You go to work tomorrow and you're
covered by the blood of Christ? That which you do, you do to
the glory of God. So thankful that it's not according
to what we do or we don't do, but it's what He's done. But
the people that you rub shoulders with, the people that you might
highly esteem or that you might love and you should, if they
don't know the gospel, they don't know Christ, Proverbs chapter
21 and verse 4, a high look and a proud heart and the plowing
of the wicked is sin. Just out there tilling my yard.
I'm just out there plowing. I don't care anything about your
Savior. I don't care anything about your Redeemer." Well, you're
just plowing. It's sin. Turn back to our text. The point is this. Everything
we do and everything we are is against God unless He frees us
to obey and serve Him. Which leads me to my second and
last point. That blessed day of recovery. That blessed day of recovery. Verses 14-16, And when Abraham
heard that his brother We are His from before the foundation
of the world. When Abraham heard that his brother
was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his
own house, 318, and pursued them, verse 16, and he brought back
all the goods. And he brought also again his
brother Lot, and he brought Lot's goods, and the women, and the
people. Now the God and the Christ that
is preached today, He's trying to get His people, if you just
let Him. The God that is preached today
He brings back just some. He just quite couldn't get everybody
that He came to save. Because they're teaching that
He died for everybody. Isn't that what they're teaching?
If He died for everybody, and He loves everybody, then they're
all going to be brought back according to the Scripture. But
I guess, and I'm assuming, and if I understand the Scriptures,
those whom He fetches, Multitude that no man can number but not
everybody but those whom he has the father has sent his son to
fetch The son is going to get him Like Abraham did lot and
his goods and the women and the people Christ hears and pursues just
like that good shepherd that pursued that lost sheep Christ
will prevail Christ will overcome all things that are against us.
He will not fail. He will not rest until every
last one of his chosen ones are delivered and free. Turn to 1 Samuel chapter 30. If you got the conference tapes
in June, there's a wonderful message by Pastor Paul Mahan
on this. I'm just going to read it, but
it's an outstanding message. 1 Samuel chapter 30. We have a similar situation here
as we do in Genesis. And we'll start reading verse
1. on the third day, and the Amalekites
had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned
it with fire. And they had taken the women
captives that were therein. They slew not any, either great
or small, but carried them away, and went on their way. So David
and his men came to the city, and behold, it was burned with
fire. Their wives and their sons and their daughters were taken
captives then David and the people that were with him lifted up
their voice and wept Until they had no more power to weep and
incidentally verse 5 David's two wives were also taken captive
So while they were away They came back and the Amalekites
had burned the city. They didn't kill anybody. They
took everything. They took all the women and all the children
and all the substance. Verse 6, David was greatly distressed
for the people spake of stoning him because the soul of all the
people was grieved, every man for his sons, for his daughters,
but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God. Verse nine, so David went, he
and 600 men that were with him, and David pursued. Verse 10,
he and 400 men, and the other 200 abode behind. They found an Egyptian in the
field, and they said, did these guys come this way? And he said,
yeah, he said they did. Verse 16, and when he had brought
him down, behold, they were spread abroad upon all the earth, eating
and drinking. These are the ones, the Malachites,
they finally, they came close to the camp, they're getting
ready to ambush them. And this is what's going on, they come
into the site, they're eating and they're drinking and they're
dancing because of all the great spoil that they had taken out
of the land of the Philistines and out of the land of Judah.
Verse 17, And David smote them from the twilight, even unto
the evening of the next day. And there escaped not a man of
them, save four hundred young men, which rode upon camels and
fled. And David, just like Abraham, just like the Lord Jesus Christ,
recovered all, all, all for whom the Father chose The son bled
and the spirit quickened Will be saved and be restored and
be recovered David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried
away and David rescued his two wives and look at verse 19 and
there was nothing Lacking to them neither small nor great
neither sons nor daughters neither spoil nor anything that they
had taken to them David He recovered all. He recovered all. Let us encourage one another.
There's nothing lacking in the faith that He's given you to
walk this earth. The problem is us. The problem
is we get our eyes off Christ. Let us not find fault with the
One who's recovered us, the One who's restored us. Because He
recovers all. Back to our text. A greater than
David is being spoken of here today. A greater than Abraham
is being held before you this day. Most assuredly then, brethren,
will our blessed and omnipotent Lord Jesus Christ recover and
restore more than we lost in Adam. And we lost a great deal in Adam. But He's given us more. We have more in Christ than we
lost in Adam. Look at verse 16 back in our
text. And He brought back all the goods, also again His brother's
lot and His goods. We have everything we need. Now
I know I know our flesh says, I want this and I want that.
And I'm not saying you shouldn't desire things that would help
your family, help your friends. I'm not saying that, but I'm
saying He has equipped you because it's grace that equips you. Be
content with that which you have in Christ because you have enough. Right? Not only does He restore
our standing, now we're kings and priests to the Most High
God, but Lot and his goods. Whatever that might be, that
is now all we are and all that we possess we dedicate to Him
and to the service of His sons. All we do and all we are to do
We do for the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. That's
what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10 and verse 31. Whatsoever you
do, do the glory of God. Whereas before, what we were
and what we had is mine. Mine. Melinda has noted something
about... I think I have to be careful
here, don't I? About my family. that's my car and that's his
car. This is mine, that's his. Husband
and wife. Mine, his. It's ours. I mean, that's how
we've always taught. It's ours. It's the Lord's. But people, this is mine and
that's yours. And there truly is a separation
there. This is my money and that's your money. Except for when I
need to borrow some of your money, then it's my money. We're one in Christ. We're one
in Christ. And everything about us and everything
that we possess our goods, we now give to His
service. Foolish is the man or the woman
who stores up that which can rot. I've told you this story
before from Brother Henry, Pastor Henry. And he's been around a
long time. We all know him now better than
we've known him before. And he told me years ago that
he has sat on many a deathbed and he's never heard anybody
say, I wish I would have spent more time at work. I wish I would
have made more money. It's always, I wish I would have
availed myself to hear the gospel more. I wish I would have done
this for the Lord, I wish I would have family. Those things is
what they talk about. And one man said, I think it
was one of the Puritans, somebody was at his deathbed and he said,
so you're going to get your reward? He says, no. He says, no. I'm not going to get what I deserve.
I'm going to get mercy. I'm going for mercy. And mercy
is only found in that person who's recovered you and all you
have. We used to sing a song. It is
relevant. The blood, that is the blood
of Christ, the blood still reaches deeper than the stain has gone. The blood of Christ cleanses
us from all sins. So as I close, that's the end
of that story right there. I don't know about you, but I
would say I would have loved to have been there when Abraham
was bringing Lot and his family and the people. Don't you know that there was
a celebration? Don't you know that there was
a celebration at that time? and that those people had great
love and respect for the One who redeemed them. Great joy. And that's when we gather together
and we hear the Gospel. There's great joy and love and
awe and respect for our Redeemer. if He's the Redeemer of this
book. If He's the Redeemer, that can be put aside, swept under
the rug. No. But the Redeemer commands,
demands, and gets our love and our respect. Because when we
think about what He's done for us, it's a celebration all over
again. It's like I said before, the
weddings, sometimes the weddings and now babies, it's just time
of celebration. It's just wonderful. And His people,
even in difficult times, in poor health, In poor financial straits,
in trials and tribulations, we still rejoice in Him. We don't sorrow like this world
sorrows because we can remember that we've been restored and
we've been recovered. by our Abraham, the Lord Jesus
Christ. May the Lord bless the reading
and the preaching of His Word. Ron, would you close us please?