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Welcome to the live big broadcast with Derek Greer. We believe this teaching from God's word will empower you to live a full impactful life in Christ. Let's dig in.

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Today we're going to be in Genesis chapter 14. So verse one. And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel, King of Shinar, Arioch, King of Eleazar. And I've tried for over 20 years to pronounce this next king's name properly. So what I decided to do. How Many remember the 80s? Any of you alive during the 80s? Yeah. I decided to call this king Shalimar. So I'm going to call him make that move for the lover in me. Okay, so. So he's officially at Gracie Shalimar, King of Elam, entitled King of the nations or king of nations that they made war with Barak, King of Sodom, Bersha, King of Gomorrah, Shaneb, King of Admah, Shemember, King of Zeboim, and the king of Bela, that is Azor. So that was a long list of kings. But all this was said to state that this is the first recorded war in the entire Bible. Now I'm sure many wars, you know, on planet Earth were fought before this time, but this one is documented because it affected Abram or Abraham. And you know, when you belong to God, everything that affects you, affects him. The very hairs on your head are numbered and God misses absolutely nothing. And all these joined together, the five small Canaanite kings joined in a confederacy against the four mighty eastern kings. And nothing unites people like a common enemy. And the best time to make friends is really before you need them. 12 years. The Canaanite nations serve Shalimar. They paid yearly homage or taxes or revenue to the very powerful Eastern overlords. The situation at this time in history was a lot like the way the mob operates in certain cities. Each year the five Canaanite kings would pay protection money to the head of the four nations in the east to ensure they weren't invaded. And if you know how that type of thing works, what happens is someone shows up at your door, the door of your business and says this is a dangerous neighborhood and if you want us to protect you, you're going to have to pay us like you do adt. And if you do not pay us, all of a sudden you're going to find windows broken and all the rest. So some folks decided not to pay. And guess what happened? Windows were broken, people began to break in. As soon as they started paying, all of a sudden all that went away. So there's powerful nations, big armies, and the kings in the little Jordan Valley were threatened and intimidated, and they were willing to pay this protection money year after year after year after year. But how many know? Everyone has a breaking point. Yeah, what we tolerate ultimately teaches people how to treat us. You know, when we get to heaven, the lion's going to lay down with the lamb. But that's not happening right now. When the lion sees the lamb, he says, breakfast. Most things do not change in this life until you put your foot down. So in the 13th year, they rebelled. 13 Years a Slave was more than enough. And finally they stood up for themselves. And for a year, they didn't pay protection anymore. They stopped paying the money. And finally the kings of the east said, no, no, no, this is not the way this is going to happen. So in the 14th year, again, the kings from the east, Shalimar and Hewitt and all those people came and the kings. No, that's not in the Bible that were with him came and attacked the Rephaim in Asherath Carnab, the Zuzimous in Ham, the Emim in Shava Karathaim, and the Horites in the mountain of Seir as far as the El Paran, which is by the wilderness. Now, another long list. But what. What they. What the Bible is showing us here. This is a list of the villages that the eastern king sacked on the way to the battle with the five kings. And archeologists tell us that whole populations were completely wiped out or enslaved as these four kings made their way to fight this big battle. And here's what I know. Left to itself, war is just basically survival of the fittest. It seldom settles the question who is right, only who will be left. And this is what's happening here. The bad guys win so far. Verse 7. Then they turned back and came to Enmishpeth, I.e. kadesh, and attacked all the country of the Amalekites and the Amorites, who dwelt in Hazazon Tamar. If we had a map, you'd see that the four kings attacked from the north to the south initially. But then they make a U turn to come up to fight the five kings in the Jordan Valley. So at this point, the eastern kings have gained so much momentum that they were virtually unstoppable. I mean, there was a head of steam behind them, and they were terrifying. Verse 8. And the king of Sodom, now, in a moment, the name of that city will. Will matter. And the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboim and the king of Bela, that is Zor, went out and joined together in battle in the valley of Sidon. So here we have it. The battle is on. The four Kings against the five Kings. You know, swords are drawn, blood splattered, skulls are crushed. And the four kings from the east totally defeat the revolting kings from Canaan lands. Now, I said to you that the five Kings finally had enough. But I didn't say to you it would be easy. If you have a minute, I'd like to let you in on a secret. If you're gonna win, you gotta first learn how to deal with losses. Maybe you're better than me. Maybe you know God loves you more than me. I don't know. But I'll tell you for my life, I did a lot of losing before I began to win. Verse 10. Now, the Valley of Siddim or Sidum was. Was full of asphalt pits or tar pits. And the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled. Some fell there, and the remainder fled to the mountain. So what would happen here is the Five Kings soldiers not only died on the battlefield, they couldn't even run away without falling into pits and dying. I mean, these kings couldn't win for losing. The worst things kept happening at the very worst possible times. And if it wasn't one thing, it was another. Anyone have days like that in your life? Yep. Then they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, which was a rich city, and all their provisions, and they went their way. So that was a summary way of saying that it was a total smackdown. But the kings of the east made one fatal error. They messed with the Wrong one. Verse 12. They also took lots of. You see, initially, the battle was just about facts and chance. The battle of the fittest, maybe just another game of chess. Until they took one of God's kids. They also took Lot. They mess with the wrong one because God still knows how to rescue his own. Now, if you know your Bible, you know that Lot made some bad choices in his life, but Lot still belonged to God. You may not get everything right in your life, but you still belong to God. I might not always have all the answers to all the problems, but I still belong to God. Lot was not necessarily the sharpest knife in God's drawer, but he belonged to God. They also took Lot, Abram's brother's son. Now, the last time we see Lot in the Bible, the tension between him and Abe was so great that they split up. You See, the two men had their conflicts, but they were still family. You know, home is where you love the most, but it's often where you act the worst. They also took Lot, Abram's brother, son, who dwelt in Sodom. This is important because when we left chapter 13, the Bible says he just pitched his tent towards Sodom. Meaning the Bible says he selected that area because it was beautiful. But it was a great agricultural climate, but it wasn't a good spiritual climate. And a lot of us pick places we go based on the job and the money and all of it, but we miss the most important stuff. Is there a good church there? God's people there? Is the climate healthy for your children? So in chapter 13, he just pitched his tent towards Sodom so he could kind of look out of his tent and see Sodom. But by our chapter, we find him living or dwelling in Sodom. Then by the time we get to chapter 19, he's not just living there, but he's serving in the gates of the city as a city leader. Only the leaders stood at the gate. So, like boiling a frog, the surest road to hell is gradual. But even in all his bad decisions, he still belonged to God. All six of you, Hallelujah. Well, they took Lot, Abram's brother's son who dwelt in Sodom, his stuff, his goods, and departed. Many of us in this room have family dwelling in Sodom. Perhaps you live there occasionally yourself. But what I want to tell you today, God still cares. God still knows how to deliver a brother. God still knows how to set his children free. Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew. Now, this is the first use of the term Hebrew in the entire Bible. The law of first mention matters here. And the word Hebrew literally means from the other side. And scholars think that this is pointing to the fact that. That he. That Abraham was from Mesopotamia, which is the other side of the Euphrates. So he got this name, the brother from the other side. You know, Abraham still had a lot of growing before he received the promise. And if you watch his journey, he didn't come into this thing perfect. He was trading wives and swapping wives. He was doing all types of stuff early on. But he gets a little better as he gets older. Thank God some of us are getting older. Amen. Hallelujah. Thank you, Jesus. So Abraham is growing, and he had to grow before he received the promises of God. But despite the fact that he was still in progress, people still recognize there's something different about Abraham, I may not have arrived, but anyone who knows me gotta admit I'm on my way. And Abraham, he had not arrived, but there was still something different about him. I remember the chaplain of the Senate telling us the story of how he was trying to, you know, he raised in the church. Mama was in church. You know, grew up in the church pews, all the rest. And he was out in the club trying to do his thing. And people, while he was dancing, all the rest started looking at him all crazy. Said, this don't fit. You see, even in his backsliding, God's hand was on his life. And it just didn't fit right and sit right and. And even those who, who. Who, you know, he should have been able to fool, he could not fool. He said they were allies with Abram. See, you don't need a lot of friends, just the right friends. Now, when Abraham or Abram heard, he. He becomes Abraham later, that his brother was taken captive. Watch this. Though he didn't judge Lot. He didn't say, well, Lot, you got your comeuppance. Lot, you know, you finally got what was coming to you after all. Lot, you know, you know, all that strife, all that. You know, man, I raised you from a child. And then you're gonna pick the best spot for you and leave me all the rest. You know better than that. I'm the oldest. You're supposed to honor me. You're supposed to salute me. You know our culture. But you gonna still pick the best ground. And you're going to cause all that pain and anguish. And I'm thinking about you, worried about you at night and all the rest. But we don't see any of that in Abram's response. You see, godly people don't gloat over the misfortunes of the people they love. They just try to help. So. So watch what Abram did. He didn't say, well, Lot, you know, you got what's coming to you. You figure it out. He armed his 318 trained servants. Now, the Bible doesn't just say they were servants. He said, what trained servants. So here's the deal. Here's the pattern. God was doing a work in Abe's life. So Abe also did work in the lives of his men. So the pattern is God does it in me and then uses me to help do it in you. God must do two works in every successful family, in every successful army, in any successful unit, no matter the size. He must do a work in me and a work in us. A work in Me and a work in us. Say that with me. A work in me and a work in us. A work in me and a work in us. So he armed his 318 servants. Now, for Abraham to have 318 our militia was a big deal. Abraham had grown very, very powerful. This is not just some joker walking across the desert with a couple goats. This is a guy with a small militia. But still, you know, what's that to four armies coming in his direction? But here's what I know. When the Lord is at work in me, he's at work in us. When the Lord's at work in me, he's at work in us. And nothing is impossible. Joshua said, one man shall chase a thousand. You see, like Abraham, is not about judgment. It's about rescue. Means. Easy to complain about the world going sideways, but what are you doing? What are you doing to make a difference? Thank God for all this word you swallow up every week. Thank God for how long you've been in church, but what are you doing in the lives of others is a $6 million question. So his nephew was in trouble. And what he did is he armed his 318 trained servants. Watch this. Who were born in his own house. Everything Abraham needed was already in his house. Everything we need to reach and rescue is already in this house. Jesus said, we are the salt of the earth. But to be effective salt, we got to get out of the salt shaker into the stew. Thank God for us coming together on Sundays. But what's powerful is when the salt in this room gets into the decay that's in the world on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. That's when we become powerful. That's when we become a preservative. That's when we make change. Henry Ford said it this way. The only thing worse than training employees and have them leave is not training them and having them stay. So do I have, out of 6,000 people, 318 people who aren't too scared to say to somebody, can I pray for you? He's not asking us to go to prison. He's not asking us to walk a mile on glass. But do I have 318 people who care enough to say, sister, you look a little bit down. Can I pray for you? Brother, I hear what's going on with your children. Do you mind if I pray for you? Do I have 318 people who aren't scared to say, well, if you're free next Sunday, would you come to church with me? Now I know how I invite you to lunch. I'll invite you to the bar. I invite you to all, but. But can I want to invite you this Sunday to the house of the Lord? Do I have 318 people that after all this teaching, all this preaching, are finally ready to do a little something to change the lives of the people that we love? And Abraham went in pursuit as far as Dan. These 318 were all about it. He divided his forces, which meant 159 went one way and the other 159 went another way. And he divided them against them by night. So what we see here is he had faith, but he also used his brain. He knew that if he tried to fight these four powerful kings head on, he was going to be in trouble with only 318 soldiers. So he said, what I'm going to do is I'm going to fight by night. You see, you got to learn to work with what you have. You got to learn. You got to learn to play the hand that you're dealt. Do what you can with what you have, where you are, and then let God do the rest. And he and his servants, Lord, work in me and work in us. Work in me. Work in us. Me. Us. Is there us in your life or only me? You're very poor if your life is only consumed with you. And he and his servants attack them and pursue them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus. If you look at the map, these 318 men chased them over 150 miles. But you see, when the Lord fights for you, one person can chase a thousand. So he bought back all the goods, every physical thing stolen. And most importantly, he also brought back his brother Lot, with his good. So for Abraham to reach Lot, where he was, Abraham had to get involved to rescue Lot. Abraham couldn't just look at the armor that he had. He had to strap it on and use the tools God gave him, no matter how small. This is our world. Let me tell you. If we don't reach it, someone else will. If we don't go after those we love, believe me, these folks are organized. Somebody else will. Will. If we don't finally surrender and say, lord, work in me and work in us, another group will. So here's the big question. If not you, who? And if Now. Now, when the sun is setting. I've never seen the world this dark in my lifetime. I never seen things as crazy as I see today. The Lord is coming back. But we want to prepare people for his return. Because everyone, I don't care how small how great will answer for their lives before God. And when I stand before the court of God, I want to make sure that Jesus is my defense attorney. I want to make sure that. That. That I could say, well, yeah, Father, yeah, I did that and I did. Yeah, yeah, all that's true. But look at the holes in his hands. Look at the hole in his side. Look at the scar, his. He paid my punishment. He paid the penalty for me. It's so easy to talk about how bad the world is, but it takes a little work to roll up your sleeves. And again, not ask you to walk a mile, not asking you to sell your firstborn, but just ask that one, can I pray for you? What's your relationship with God like? Don't pit them over the head, their sins, already beating them up. Jesus didn't come to condemn sinners, but to save them. Show them respect, show them love, show them grace. But tell me, what do you think about God? And it's not to start an argument and listen, it's like, yeah, yeah, I had that same question. Let me tell you how the Lord answered that for me. You don't have to be a great speaker, a great teacher. You don't have to memorize the Bible, just share your story. What God did for me, let me tell you where I came from. Let me. Let me tell you what he showed me in my life. You know, I'm a living example. I've seen it with my own eyes. We just sung that this is what he's done for me. And watch those seeds begin to flourish and bloom. And eventually, now maybe you reap the harvest, or maybe it'd be three years from now, that person will remember what you said and they'll be in a church like this and come walking down the altar, all because of the seed you planted. But I'm also praying for the day that the seed man is overtaken by the harvester, meaning that it happens just like that. And my prayer is that this anointing that was on Abraham, the Bible teaches that we are sons of Abraham through faith in Jesus Christ. That means a lot of things. We're justified by faith in all those things. But we also see in the life of Abraham there was an anointing on him to reach and rescue. And as God used Abraham to rescue Lot, you see, if no one told me, I would have never heard. But somebody at some point opened their mouth and said, and now it's time for you at some point somewhere to open your mouth and share.