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Family Research Council is serving in the kingdom of God by championing faith, family, & freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview.
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The Rescue of Lot and Spiritual Warfare 0:10 Good morning. Welcome to Stand on the Word. Thanks for joining me this morning as we continue our journey to the book of Genesis today. We're looking at chapters 14 through 17, and we're slowing down. We're only gonna0:21 cover a few decades rather than centuries or millennia. Verse 1, chapter 15. After these things, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, do not be afraid, Abram. I am0:32 your shield, your exceedingly great reward. In these chapters, we have Lot being taken captive. We have God's covenant with Abram. That is the promise to make him a father of many0:44 nations. We see his name changed from Abram to Abraham. And what we see here is God took or Abraham rather took God at his word, and it was accounted to him as0:56 righteousness even though he faltered from time to time. Now first, we start by looking at this battle between Khader Lomar, king of Elam, and 3 other kings who went to battle with the kings of1:08 Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboim, and Zor. Alright. Verse 10 of chapter 14. Now the valley of Siddim was full of asphalt pits, and the kings of Sodom and1:20 Gomorrah fled. Some fell there, and the remainder fled to the mountains. Then they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their provisions and went their way. They also took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who1:32 dwelled in Sodom and his goods and departed. Verse 14. Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his 318 trained servants who were born in those own house and went in1:43 pursuit as far as Dan. He divided his forces against them by night, and he and his servants attacked them and pursued them as far as Hobo, which is north of Damascus. This this whole round trip was about1:55 500 miles. This was a a long expedition. So he brought back all the goods and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods as well as the women and the people. Now I wanna stop there for just2:07 a moment. Here's Abram. He's a wealthy herdsman. He had no title. I mean, he was a foreigner, actually. He was a sojourner in that land. Had no title given him by a man. He was not elected in the office.2:19 No authority given him by government. He was just following the Lord, and he was serving the Lord. And then we have these 5 kings. Realistically, they were probably more like mayors.2:31 They were they they we're not talking about vast kingdoms at this time, but more like cities and towns. But, nonetheless, what they couldn't do, Abraham was prepared to do, and he did do it.2:43 He didn't have an army, but his servants were prepared for battle if needed. He took 13 318 of of them who were trained, and he went to rescue his nephew and2:55 everyone else. Now you're gonna hear me repeat this throughout the journey. Alright? So you might as well, jot this down right now. The Old Testament speaks to the physical where the New Testament speaks to the3:05 spiritual. Now we need to be prepared to do battle. Now we need to be prepared to do battle, but spiritual battle. Where Abraham was doing battle in the physical, we need to do battle in the spiritual.3:17 Abraham was prepared to do this battle for his family. Well, we as parents and grandparents need to be ready when required to do spiritual battle. Paul writes about this in Ephesians chapter 6 in3:29 verse 10. It says, finally, my brother, after he goes through the entire letter to the Ephesians about how to live the Christian life, he says, finally, my brother, be strong in the lord and the power of his might. Put3:39 on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles or the devices of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the3:50 darkness at this age, against spiritual host of wickedness in heavenly places. Our foe is not physical. It is spiritual. And there are those in our4:02 families who have been taken captive by the cultural or demonic forces of this age. You see, Satan is still at work. Alright? He's still on this earth seeking to kill,4:14 steal, and destroy. And guess what? After thousands of years of practice, he's pretty good at it. So we need to be prepared to do battle for our children, even though that's4:26 not our main occupation. Okay? Abraham's servants, they they went about their normal work, but when required, they were ready for battle. So we need to be prepared to do battle when necessary for our4:38 children, our families, who, like Lot, as we'll see in even more detail, was sucked in to the ways of the world. Also in this chapter, we see that Abraham encounters on his way back Melchizedek, kingMelchizedek, God's Promises, and Faith's Righteousness 4:50 of Salem or king of peace as the title means. Now there is some debate over who exactly Melchizedek is. Jewish tradition says that he is Shem, which was Noah's son,5:02 the survivor of the flood, who was still alive at this time. He was the oldest living man on earth at the time in a patriarchal society. Having survived the flood, it would5:14 it's easy to assume that he would be the the, the priest, at that point of those who continue to worship the true God. If so, he's a type of Christ. He's pointing to5:26 Jesus. Another perspective bolstered by the account that we read in Hebrews chapter 6 is that this is called, this is what's called a a Christophany, a preincarnate appearance of Jesus Christ. Let me just read that from5:38 Hebrews chapter 6 verse 19. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has5:49 entered for us, even Jesus, having become high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. Alright. On to chapter 15 verse 1. After these things, the6:01 word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision saying, do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield. That is your protection, your exceedingly great reward. Why would Abraham6:14 be afraid? I mean, he just had this tremendous victory. Well, for those of you who have experienced spiritual warfare, and those of you who will, don't6:26 miss this. You know, after intense spiritual battles, especially when there's a breakthrough or there's a victory, our enemy, Satan, doesn't give up. He doesn't wave a white flag and walks6:37 away. He begins to work on our minds and our emotions. And we're gonna see this later with Elijah after, he saw God destroy the prophets of Baal,6:50 in a miraculous show of God's power. Well, he then ran and hid in a cave because of the threats of Jezebel. So Abraham was probably thinking about the possibility of retribution7:02 by these kings that he had just defeated. And the result of all of this is that we're robbed of our joy and the victory that God brought about on our behalf. But God says to him, do not be7:14 afraid. I am your shield. Your reward shall be very great. Verse 5. Then he brought him outside and stars if you're able to number them.7:26 And he said to them, so shall your descendants be. If you ever been in the desert at night, it's amazing, the stars in the sky. I mean, it's just absolutely, stars in the sky. I mean, it's just absolutely7:38 it's it's stunning. And you can't count them. There's just no way you can count them. And that's what that's what God was saying to Abraham. I mean, what a promise. Now this was a physical promise. Alright? But Paul7:50 unpacks this further in the New Testament. It its total fulfillment is as the Gentiles are grafted in to the family. Father Abraham,8:02 he is the father of many nations. Verse 6, and he believed the Lord. He believed the Lord, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. So don't miss this. He believed God, and it was accounted to8:14 him as righteousness. However, in the very next chapter, we're gonna see this. He questions he questions the literal fulfillment of that promise, and he takes matters into his own hand. He has a child8:26 through Hagar, his wife's his wife Sarah, her handmaiden from from, Egypt. So did God reject Abraham as a result? Did he8:38 did Abraham lose his standing before God? No. And the same hold true same holds true for for you and I. For those who by faith have accepted Jesus Christ, and8:50 that is accounted to us as righteousness. We're we're not rejected when we stumble or even when we are disobedient. As we're gonna see in chapter 17, God calls us back to walk with9:02 him in righteousness. God also talks about the coming, captivity in Egypt as well as the deliverance that will follow it and the plundering of gee Egypt that would take place on9:14 the way out. Verse, 14. And also the nation whom they serve, I will judge. Afterward, they shall come out with great possessions. Then God announces that the Hebrews would be given the land,9:26 this land that he was currently in. He said they would be given the land from the river of Egypt to the river Euphrates. Now, by the way, that's much more expansive than the recent chant that we've heard on college9:38 campuses, in in the Middle East, from the river to the sea. This is an expansive territory that, as we're gonna see later, even under the height of9:50 the Israeli kingdom, when Solomon David and Solomon, when their kingships, they still did not have all of the land described here. Alright. But this10:02 even this was not gonna happen yet. Verse 16. But in the fourth generation, they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete. So this wasn't gonna happen now. It would be after they come out10:12 of Egypt because, look at this, the sin of the the inequity of the Amorites is not yet complete. And I think this is interesting because it speaks of both God's mercy, allowing for repentance even10:24 for those who were not not following him. But it also speaks to the consequences of sin as well, which can be divine judgment, as we saw with Sodom and Gomorrah. We we will see it with Sodom and Gomorrah,10:36 or just the natural decline in the eventual internal implosion of a civilization that's riddled with corruption and immorality, which leaves it vulnerable to external10:48 attacks, which is what happened to Rome. History shows this over and over. Chapter 16 is the birth of Ishmael. In this chapter by by the way, let me just go back to that for a moment. It is the itIshmael's Legacy and Abraham's Covenant Renewal 11:00 is the spiritual foundation, the moral foundation, which comes from the spiritual foundation. George Washington, our first president warned he11:12 said, you know, the 2 great pillars that holds up our our our government, the the the and the happiness of society is morality and religion. And he says, you know, you can't have morality without religion.11:24 And and so if America wants to be great again, it has to first be moral again, which means it has to rediscover its spiritual foundation. And I would tell you what, going into the11:36 200 and fiftieth anniversary this year It's a great time to rediscover it. Alright. Chapter 16, birth of Ishmael. In this chapter, we see how Sarai and Abraham11:48 take matters into their own hands to fulfill God's promise of offspring. Well, this marked the beginning of the conflict between Isaac's offspring and Ishmael's offspring. We see something else here that's12:00 often overlooked, and I wanna make sure we see this. It is God's mercy toward and planned for Ishmael and the subsequent Arab people. Verse 11. And the angel of the Lord said to her, it was Hagar,12:12 behold, you are with child, and you shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael because the Lord has heard your affliction. He shall be a wild man. His hand shall be against everyone and every man's hand12:24 against him, and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren. Now look also at chapter 17 what the Lord says to Abraham about Ishmael. And as for Ishmael, I have heard you12:35 because Abraham is we're gonna see he was troubled by this. Behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget 12 princes, and I will make him12:48 a great nation. But my covenant, I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year. So chapter 17 is really a12:59 pivotal chapter. Alright? So at the age of 99, Abraham is given by God a new name, a new mission, a new promise, and a13:11 new reminder. Alright? So let me 99. I I know they lived a little bit longer in those days, but still, I mean, he's, I mean, he's ready for the golf court and the retirement community, but13:23 God's giving him a new name, a new mission, a new promise, and a new reminder. Look at verse 1. When Abraham was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to Abraham and said to him, I am13:35 almighty God. Walk before me and be blameless. And I will make my covenant between me and you and will multiply you exceedingly. Then Abram fell on his13:47 face. Good response. And God talked with him saying, as for me, behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. No longer I mean, here's a guy13:59 that didn't even have a kid, and he's gonna make him a father of many nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come14:11 from you. So here is now Abraham, father of a multitude of nations, a new name, a new mission. His14:22 mission is to walk before God and to be blameless. He has this new promise that he would be from him. God would make nations of him, and kings would come from him. And14:34 here's the new reminder so they never forget circumcision, a reminder of the covenant, and that fertility is from God, for God, and by God. And we're gonna see later how14:46 fertility, played such a significant role in the worship of demonic pagan gods. God is reminding him, everything comes from14:58 me. Father, we thank you for your word. What an amazing story as we begin here in Genesis, and we see it all the way through the Bible.15:10 This thread of redemption woven through. So, father, I pray that the Holy Spirit would guide us on this journey, teaching us, helping us to see those truths. Even those things that, lord, we may not15:22 cover in these videos, I pray as as individuals are reading, lord, that the Holy Spirit would prompt them and show just what they need to see today because it's living15:33 water. It is bread, fresh bread for today. And so, father, I pray that you would continue to guide us and direct us and lead us. Use us for your honor and glory. We15:45 thank you, father, and we pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Alright. Thanks for joining me this morning. Let me remind you, it's still it's still there's still plenty of time for others to join us on this journey. So if15:56 you have some friends, reach out to them and invite them to join us on this journey through the word of God. It is transformative, life changing, encouraging. It is, it's the16:08 best remedy for anxiety because we see God at work through history. And through when we see God work at history, we can identify how he's working today. Alright. Until16:19 next time. Keep standing on the word.16:24 Today's study comes from the Stand on the Word Bible Reading Plan available for free at f r c dot o r g slash bible. By following along in just a few minutes a day, you16:36 can read through the entire Bible in just 2 years. Learn more and request the free reading guide at frc dot org slash bible.In this video 0:00 The Rescue of Lot and Spiritual Warfare4:47 Melchizedek, God's Promises, and Faith's Righteousness10:54 Ishmael's Legacy and Abraham's Covenant Renewal
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