Praise the Lord for deliverance from enemies. Lot was delivered by Abraham, we have been delivered by Christ. Mechchizedek blesses Abraham. We know Him as Jesus. Keep seeking Him.
Genesis 14: Abram Rescues Lot
1 In the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim,
2 these kings made war with Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar).
3 And all these joined forces in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea).
4 Twelve years they had served Chedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled.
5 In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him came and defeated the Rephaim in Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shaveh-kiriathaim,
6 and the Horites in their hill country of Seir as far as El-paran on the border of the wilderness.
7 Then they turned back and came to En-mishpat (that is, Kadesh) and defeated all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who were dwelling in Hazazon-tamar.
8 Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out, and they joined battle in the Valley of Siddim
9 with Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goiim, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar, four kings against five.
10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of bitumen pits, and as the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some fell into them, and the rest fled to the hill country.
11 So the enemy took all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way.
12 They also took Lot, the son of Abram's brother, who was dwelling in Sodom, and his possessions, and went their way.
13 Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, who was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and of Aner. These were allies of Abram.
14 When Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, 318 of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan.
15 And he divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them and pursued them to Hobah, north of Damascus.
16 Then he brought back all the possessions, and also brought back his kinsman Lot with his possessions, and the women and the people.
Abram Blessed by Melchizedek
17 After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley).
18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.)
19 And he blessed him and said, "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth;
20 and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!" And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
21 And the king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself."
22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have lifted my hand to the LORD, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth,
23 that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, 'I have made Abram rich.'
24 I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me. Let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share."
Genesis 15: God's Covenant with Abram
1 After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: "Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great."
2 But Abram said, "O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?"
3 And Abram said, "Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir."
4 And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: "This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir."
5 And he brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be."
6 And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
7 And he said to him, "I am the LORD who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess."
8 But he said, "O Lord GOD, how am I to know that I shall possess it?"
9 He said to him, "Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon."
10 And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half.
11 And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
12 As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him.
13 Then the LORD said to Abram, "Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years.
14 But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.
15 As for yourself, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age.
16 And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete."
17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.
18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, "To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates,
19 the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites,
20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim,
21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites."
Things to think about…
Abram was a mighty warrior, not just a guy who was made wealthy by raising sheep. He defeated 4 kings who had defeated 5 kings simply to deliver Lot. Lot was delivered at great risk to his uncle Abram. This would not be the first time Lot would need to be delivered by putting himself in moral danger by living at Sodom. In what ways have we been delivered even after doing something unwise? The church should be an ‘Abraham’ to the individual ‘lost Lots’ around the place.
Note that Abraham’s allies are Amorites, Gen 14:13, 24 who went and fought with him. It’s a shame when historical allies turn against you. Christ alone brings peace where there is no peace.
Abram chooses to be blessed by Melchizedek instead of the king of Sodom, Gen 14:17-24. Look at what he brings Abram – bread and wine. Abram gives him a tenth of everything. Melchizedek of course is a pre cursor and type of Christ. Jesus chose to be blessed by the Lord rather than accepting Satan’s gifts in Matt 4. We can be tempted by go into debt for many earthly things, but our Lord calls us to be godly and content. We can despise the Lord’s provision and seek after the idolatry of a covetous spirit adding to our captivity, much the same way Lot did.
4. Abraham’s greatest desire was for an heir. Something which the Lord had not blessed him with and yet the Lord had promised him that his descendants would be as the stars of the heavens, Gen15:5. Look at how Abraham was justified in vs 6 – by believing (faith). We also read this in Rom 4. He was not justified by the promises he received. In fact, like Moses, he didn’t receive the promised inheritance – Canaan. This would come to his descendants. Sometimes our inheritance is left to others, but the spiritual inheritance is in Christ.
5. Note that in the vision Abraham is promised the land, Gen15:14, because the iniquity of the Amorites is not complete – vs 16. The land would only be given to those who would honour the Lord. Churches are only effective when they lift up Christ and maintain His cause.
6. Even under Solomon’s reign the promises given to Abraham in Gen 15:18 were never fulfilled. They have never been fulfilled in Israel’s history up to this point. We know when Christ returns they will literally be fulfilled in His millennial reign on the Earth.
Vision Point
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Questions for Cell groups
Sunday’s sermon, “Am I my brother’s keeper” came from Gen 4:1-16 by Ps Jay.
1. Is there a person’s life that you envy, either past or present? Discuss reasons why.
2. God didn’t accept Cain’s sacrifice, but accepted Abel’s sacrifice. Why was this the case?
3. God told Cain that sin was crouching at the door, ready to strike. This is like Satan the snake. Cain didn’t listen, even though God spoke to him directly. Cain then murders Abel after speaking with him. Discuss why it is easier to destroy God’s servants rather than focus anger directly to the Lord.
3. Eve was told her seed would bring separation from the seed of the Serpent. What a tragedy for her when her son rather than being a messiah was a murderer. Discuss how you bring Christ to your children, even when they do not embrace the Saviour.
4. Pray for your cell group and prayer/praise points.
Prayer Points
1. Pray for the people of Beirut, Lebanon. Huge explosion, not related to Israel or Hezbollah. Waiting information. Reports saying 50 dead. There will be many more over the coming hours.
2. Pray for those who heard the gospel on Sunday. Pray for Christ to grant them salvation.
3.Pray for Victoria they are in stage 4 lockdown. Curfews and very strict travel restrictions in place for 4 weeks.
4.Pray for our church services now meeting together and our streaming that both can continue to be done well every Sunday.
5.Continue to pray for our government for wisdom and economic management.
6.Sunday’s fb live messages and for Kids church. The message this week – “The legacy of Abraham” Gen 4 – Doug Horne.
7.Church finances to meet our expenses and to put a roof over our café.
8.Our City and Country – Pray for revival over our city and the leadership of our country even through these challenging times.
Praise Points.
1.New visitors on Sunday. Please pray that they receive Christ as their Saviour. Pray they keep coming back to CBC. Looking at starting a discipleship course with the Taiwanese visitors.
2.Full church – had to use our overflow in house and café
3.Wonderful spirit of joy in our church. Thankyou Jesus.
4.Finances being maintained and donation to Café roof. Thankyou!
7.Praise God for worship and technical team – amazing individuals.
Announcements
1.One service at 9:30am Every Sunday morning. This service will also be live streamed. No kisses, hand-shakes or hugs are allowed. Hand sanitizer is to be used, tables will be wiped and chairs arranged for appropriate distancing. Families can of course sit together. CBC is allowed up to 50 people inside, then we will have an overflow into the café.
2.Cell groups – Ask for details as to how and what is required.
3.Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
4.Kids Church will be run in the house when the message starts.
Q. 15. What do we pray for in the fifth petition? A. That God would pardon our sins for Christ's sake, and enable us to forgive those who have wronged us.
