Genesis 13-14 | A Tale of Two Kings

Introduction: Two Paths Before Us\n\nYou have a Bible, go and grab it and open it to the book of Genesis. We'll be looking at two full chapters of Genesis this morning: Genesis 13 and 14. If you don't have a Bible, use the pew Bible in front of you. If you don't own a Bible, feel free to just keep that Bible with you and take it home. We would love for you to have a copy of God's Word that you could use and read for yourself.\n\nWe're looking at the very first book of the Bible, Genesis. The big numbers are chapter numbers; the little numbers are the verse numbers. I am not going to read all two chapters right now. We will read through those as we go along. For now, I just want us to read chapter 14, verses 18 through 20.\n\n> Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine; he was a priest to God Most High. He blessed him and said:Abram is blessed by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, and blessed be God Most High who has handed over your enemies to you.And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.\n>\n> — Genesis 14:18-20 (CSB)\n\nLet's pray. We pray that as we look at the two different decisions, two choices, two options of how we can live our lives, that we would choose to submit ourselves to the King of Righteousness this morning. You only do that by Your help and by Your Spirit. So we ask that You would help us in Jesus' name. Amen.\n\nWe don't like to be put in a box. You know, when you look at older films, older stories, older television, they used to operate in a matrix of good and evil, of right and wrong. You have the Jedi and you have the Empire; you have the wizard and you have the wicked witch. But nowadays, we're more interested in complexity, the mixture of motivations that make up who someone really is. The wicked witch isn't really wicked anymore; she's just misunderstood. Different movies try to reinvent conventionally evil characters as complex villains with complex motivations. If you just took the time to really get to know them, you'd be able to see the tragedy in their lives and understand that they're really good at heart.\n\nAnd we resonate with both for different reasons. The reason is because the Bible actually teaches both aspects. Not that we're fundamentally good, but that we have a mixture of both good and evil, right? That we're made in God's image and we are fundamentally flawed by our sin. At the same time, there are absolutes. Good absolutely exists regardless of whether or not you think it's good, and evil absolutely exists regardless of whether or not you think that you're evil. We aren't perfect people. Our motivations are often mixed. But despite the motivations, justifications, and complications of this world, the Bible still presents us a choice between two options: between good and evil. And depending on what you choose, it will determine where you will be.\n\nThis morning, we're going to see Abram, who fell last week flat on his face in light of God's promises. This week, we see that same Abram choose to follow righteousness while his nephew Lot chooses evil. Two men, two different choices, two different results. What God wants us to do this morning is to choose God's promises over the world's prosperity. And the sermon has three points. These three points were plagiarized directly from Sam Wolfford, who this Wednesday gave the best sermon outline for this passage, better than anything I could possibly come up with. Point number one: two lands. Point number two: two fates. And point number three: two kings.\n\n## Two Lands: Choosing Between Appearance and Promise\n\nLet's start with point number one: two lands. Read with me from Genesis 13, verse 1:\n\n> Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev—he, his wife, and all he had, and Lot with him. Abram was very rich in livestock, silver, and gold. He went by stages from the Negev to Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had formerly been, to the site where he had built the altar. And Abram called on the name of the Lord there. Now Lot, who was traveling with Abram, also had flocks, herds, and tents. But the land was unable to support them as long as they stayed together, for they had so many possessions that they could not stay together, and there was quarreling between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. (At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land.)\n>\n> — Genesis 13:1-7 (CSB)\n\nSo after Abram's great sin in Egypt—offering up his wife as his sister, and then Pharaoh condemning him and sending him out—Abram rewinds the VCR tape. He leaves Egypt. He keeps all of the goods and the plunder that he obtained, but goes back to where he was before, and he settles in the place that he went through the desert. But there's a problem: even though he's back to where he was before, the amount of possessions that he has is significantly greater than what he had before. Not to mention that Lot also seems to have plenty of flocks, herds, and tents. So you have Abram with a ton of prosperity and Lot with a ton of prosperity. And as we all know, more money means more problems. This city wasn't big enough for both of them. So the herdsmen begin fighting with each other. And this is all happening while there are Canaanites and Perizzites living in the land.\n\nIf you remember God's promises that he made to Abram in Genesis 12, he promises Abram this great land that he's going to obtain. And while Abram should be focused on establishing himself and living in the land that God promised, instead he is spending his time engaged in familial civil war. I mean, they're not literally killing each other, but it feels like that sometimes, doesn't it? Some of you may be dreading the holidays in the coming weeks and the tension. Abram's dealing with the same problems: herdsmen that are arguing and quarreling with one another.\n\nDid you notice the way that Moses described this problem in verse 6? He says that the land was unable to support them, that the land couldn't do it. This isn't just an issue of circumstance; this isn't just that Abram happened to gain a bunch of stuff and now he's stuck between a rock and a hard place. The land, the place that God promised itself, doesn't have the space or the capability to have both Abram and Lot. That the promises that God gives to Abram isn't enough for both him and Lot. This promise doesn't belong to Lot at all. We saw this two weeks ago: that Abram compromises after God tells him to leave his family into the land that he would show him. That Abram decides to take Lot with him. Almost like a functional son, right? Lot doesn't have a father, Abram never had kids. He views Lot almost like a contingency plan, a worldly parachute of sorts to take with him on his travels. And within one chapter, there are already problems coming up because he took Lot with him. There's not enough room in the land for God's promises and man's plans.\n\nThe same is true for our hearts. If you try to negotiate on God's promises, if you try to make halfway compromises, you will find yourself expending more energy battling the evil inside of you rather than combating the evil of this world with the gospel. You will spend a civil war driven inward rather than seeing the need outward. And that's exactly what Abram has been doing. Because Abram sees this promise, he then decides to offer Lot a generous compromise in verse 8. Read with me:\n\n> So Abram said to Lot, “Please, let’s not have quarreling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, since we are relatives. Isn’t the whole land before you? Separate from me: if you go to the left, I will go to the right; if you go to the right, I will go to the left.” Lot looked out and saw that the entire plain of the Jordan as far as Zoar was well watered everywhere like the Lord’s garden and the land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) So Lot chose the entire plain of the Jordan for himself. Then Lot journeyed eastward, and they separated from each other. Abram lived in the land of Canaan, but Lot lived in the cities on the plain and set up his tent near Sodom. (Now the men of Sodom were evil, sinning immensely against the Lord.)\n>\n> — Genesis 13:8-13 (CSB)\n\nAbram comes with an olive branch, offers Lot first picking over the whole land, and he chooses to split the land peacefully, and Lot looks out and he chooses the nicest land. At least it seems like it. He looks—it's pretty obvious what he sees. He sees that the plain of the Jordan is well watered, like the Lord's garden, literally Edenic, and like the land of Egypt. Man, I wonder what you would have picked. You have the choice of all that land before you. Between comfort and challenge, it can almost seem like the choice is obvious, right? I mean, especially when you think about how well situated this land is. There's green grass, you're near a river, there's a metropolis nearby. There's a good place for your flocks to be able to feed. Unlimited resources available to you. Prosperity, trade, civilization right around the corner. Lot sees this choice as obvious.\n\nBut friends, beware evaluating wise decisions based on what you can see. Because choosing the most optimal, the best, the obvious choice may result in your eyes constantly deceiving you. I'm sure all of us have had times where we've tried to justify to our family or our loved ones, "This is a foolproof plan. This is the obvious choice," only to find out after the fact it was anything but good. All of us wear "sin goggles" that distort our perception, limit our vision, and lead us astray. When Lot looks out, he sees that the land is green like the Lord's garden and like Egypt. Are those two places different? Oh yeah, huge difference! But to the eye, there is no difference. Eden and Egypt look the same. And so to Lot, they are the same because when you base what's best based on what looks best, you cannot tell the difference between Eden and Egypt, between good and evil.\n\nThis is why we should never evaluate a ministry or a religion or Christian life based on its results, based on hype cycles or its success. There will always be a flavor of the month. There will always be a movement that sweeps over the nation. And what determines whether a church or a God is worth following shouldn't be determined by its visual effect, by its truth. Not "does it work," but "is it right?" Not "does it look good," but "is it actually good?" If Lot were to look at his situation in light of that question, the answer couldn't be any more obvious. The cities on the plain near Sodom are anything but good. They are evil, sinning immensely against the Lord. And if he truly feared God, he would steer clear of anything that rises up against Him. But he doesn't do that, and he settles in a land that looks prosperous, at least for now, because "this was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah." That's a timer that's set that won't go off for another like five chapters. For now, Lot chooses the world.\n\nAnd while Lot sees with his eyes, Abram, in contrast, gets to hear God. You see that in verse 14:\n\n> After Lot had separated from him, the Lord said to Abram, “Look from the place where you are. Look north and south, east and west, for I will give you and your offspring forever all the land that you see. I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust of the earth, then your offspring could be counted. Get up and walk around the land, through its length and width, for I will give it to you.” So Abram moved his tent and went to live near the oaks of Mamre at Hebron, where he built an altar to the Lord.\n>\n> — Genesis 13:14-18 (CSB)\n\nGod reminds Abram by telling him to look, but not to look with a view of what currently is or what he could get right now, but to look in light of what will be. That all of the land, including even the land that Lot settles in, would become his; that his offspring would be like the dust of the earth. God wants Abram to look with spiritual eyes. Hebrews 11 talks about this:\n\n> Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen. For by this our ancestors were approved.\n>\n> — Hebrews 11:1-2 (CSB)\n\nSee, God doesn't want Abram to bank on what is, but what will be, the reality of what is hoped for, that God would fulfill His promises. Do you trust in those promises? It's easy to trade what we can't see for things that we can, to choose the one in the hand instead of the two in the bush. But when it comes to the gospel message, the only hope that you and I have isn't anything that we get to see with our physical eyes, but in the world to come. Not in a bank balance now, but having all our needs met then. Not seeing a perfect life now, but looking forward to the perfect world then. We are future-oriented, hope-filled people. Would you say that your walk with Christ reflects God's promises or the world's prosperity? God wants Abram to take a lap around the land so that he could feel the weight of God's promises on him. That as he walks around, as he looks out, he would be able to know tangibly, "This is all going to be mine." And that promise of the future should lead him to be confident, obeying in the present. Because the result of this choice is either destruction or deliverance.\n\n## Two Fates: Consequences of Our Choices\n\nWhich brings us to point number two: two fates. Read with me from verse 1 of chapter 14. And pray for me as I try to pronounce these names.\n\n> In those days King Amraphel of Shinar, King Arioch of Ellasar, King Chedorlaomer of Elam, and King Tidal of Goiim waged war against King Bera of Sodom, King Birsha of Gomorrah, King Shinab of Admah, and King Shemeber of Zeboiim, as well as the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). All of these came as allies to the Siddim Valley (that is, the Dead Sea). They were subject to Chedorlaomer for twelve years, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled. 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, and the Horites in the mountains of Seir, as far as El-paran by the wilderness. Then they came back to invade En-mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and they defeated the whole territory of the Amalekites, as well as the Amorites who lived in Hazazon-tamar. 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 lined up for battle in the Siddim Valley against King Chedorlaomer of Elam, King Tidal of Goiim, King Amraphel of Shinar, and King Arioch of Ellasar—four kings against five. Now the Siddim Valley contained many asphalt pits, and as the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some fell into them, but the rest fled to the mountains. The four kings took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food and went on. They also took Abram’s nephew Lot and his possessions, for he was living in Sodom, and they went on.\n>\n> — Genesis 14:1-12 (CSB)\n\nOkay. While civil war almost broke out amongst Abram's family, war was breaking out amongst the land of Canaan. A real fight. Four kings wage war against five kings. If you got lost in all the details, all you need to know is that these four kings know how to throw down. Chedorlaomer seems to be victorious in battle and knew how to defeat all sorts of different Canaanites in the land. And so the five kings, including the king of Sodom and the king of Gomorrah, ally together to face off against these four kings. Five kings versus four.\n\nAnd if you look with your eyes, which is bigger? Very good, five kings, right? It looks like the battle is lopsided for the five kings, except you and I don't get to see anything that happens in this fight. There is no detail of this battle. They line up and then the footage cuts to the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah running for their lives. They got completely destroyed. These kings are sprinting through this valley. Not only are they sprinting through this valley, they're sprinting through a valley that's full of tar pits, right? It's like a rite of passage for those of us who went to elementary school here to go to the La Brea Tar Pits in LA, right? To smell the asphalt, to see the steam rising up from these pits and different fossils of ancient animals that fell into them. Now, imagine if you have a valley full of tar pits that also happens to be no man's land in battle. Like, it is the battlefield and you are sprinting through this valley, running uphill with people behind you trying to chase you to take your life. And what happens is as these men are fleeing, they aren't just running for their lives. They are looking at the boiling tar pits around them as a preferable end to their life than the enemy's sword. They would rather be fossilized than face the destruction that was coming for them. This isn't just a defeat. This is what we would call domination. Four kings dominate these five kings. They take all of their things. And those things include Lot.\n\nSee, Lot isn't an innocent bystander either. He's not like he was casually there and then caught like a stray bullet and was taken prisoner. It says here that Lot was living in Sodom. Now, is that where Lot moved in the previous chapter? No. In chapter 13, verse 12, it says that he settled *near* Sodom. By the time the battle breaks out, Lot has made yet another move. Now, this isn't a warning about just being physically around evil. I think sometimes you could read a passage like this and be like, "Alright, the best strategy is to hear no evil, see no evil, touch no evil, and we won't be evil." That's not true. Jesus himself prays in John 17, "I am not praying that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one" (John 17:15). And later in that prayer, he says, "I have sent them into the world" (John 17:18). So you and I are designed as Christians to be forces within the kingdom of darkness, to be able to speak light, to be a good witness, to be holy. This is not about being absolutely removed from the presence of evil. If so, there's nowhere on this planet that you could live faithfully, because you would be there.\n\nThis isn't primarily about geography. It's about your heart. Think about the conveyor belt of convenience that Lot threw himself on through the decisions that he made. This isn't just about proximity to Sodom and Gomorrah; he moved towards Sodom and Gomorrah because he was drawn to it. James 1 talks about how "each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desire. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death" (James 1:14-15). You see how sin has a current that flows—it drifts us towards a cliff that then falls us to our death. Lot starts near Sodom, lives in Sodom, and ends up captive because of Sodom. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he actually participated in this battle for Sodom. Trusting in the world's prosperity resulted in him losing everything. His only hope is Abram the Hebrew.\n\nThis brings us to verse 13. Read with me:\n\n> One of the survivors came and told Abram the Hebrew, who lived near the oaks belonging to Mamre the Amorite, the brother of Eshcol and the brother of Aner. They were bound by a treaty with Abram. When Abram heard that his relative had been taken prisoner, he assembled his 318 trained men, born in his household, and they went in pursuit as far as Dan. And he and his servants deployed against them by night, defeated them, and pursued them as far as Hobah to the north of Damascus. He brought back all the goods and also his relative Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the other people.\n>\n> — Genesis 14:13-16 (CSB)\n\nThis is the first time in Genesis that you see Abram called the Hebrew. I think the reason is because this is how he would have been known in the land of Canaan. He would have been known as Abram the Hebrew. And while Abram wasn't much to notice, he would become very well known because when he finds out that his nephew Lot has been captured, he grabs 318 men and went out to fight. Now, if you think five kings versus four kings looked lopsided, this looks absolutely ridiculous for a guy who doesn't own any property or land himself, to grab 318 men against five kingdoms. This is like "Hebrew 300," right? And Abram is not a Spartan. And yet, they are completely victorious. The camera cuts, you blink, the next thing you know, 318 men are chasing five armies completely out of the land of Canaan as far as Dan. And they bring back all the goods that they had. While Lot becomes a captive, Abram becomes a victor. It's no wonder that they call him Abram the Hebrew because those five kings will never forget Abram's name ever again. God promised Abram that he would make his name great. In Genesis 14, God's promises are already starting to materialize. Abram the Hebrew defeats the great King Chedorlaomer, forever forgotten, only to be spoken when preachers butcher his name while preaching this text.\n\nLot and Abram have two very different fates, two different destinies. Not based on strategy or capability, but based on trust—what they trusted in. How much more for us? Sometimes it could feel like we're Abram looking at the armies of this world laid out before us while we're dealing with our own 318. Are we really capable of facing legions of demons, the world, Satan with the princes and principalities of this world? And the answer in Genesis 14 is an emphatic yes. Not only can you win, you will absolutely dominate. Not because of our own abilities, but because of who we place our trust in. God is the one who determines who's victorious and who's not. God is the one who is in control of all things. Even when it seems like every single odd is stacked against you, when you pick the way of righteousness, God will always lead us through in His way, in His timing. And this victory results in blessing after blessing for Abram.\n\n## Two Kings: The Blessing of God vs. the Bribe of the World\n\nWhich brings us to the last point: two kings. Look at verse 17.\n\n> After Abram returned from defeating Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him in the Shaveh Valley (that is, the King’s Valley). Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine; he was a priest to God Most High. He blessed him and said:Abram is blessed by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, and blessed be God Most High who has handed over your enemies to you.And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.\n>\n> — Genesis 14:17-20 (CSB)\n\nAfter this battle, you get to see two kings come out. And the first king is a king that didn't show up in the story at all. His name is Melchizedek, the King of Salem. And Salem should sound familiar to you. It's the second half of a city that you've definitely heard of: Jerusalem, right? Salem. The King of Salem comes out to bless Abram. And he's a priest to God Most High. Melchizedek follows the Lord and comes out to bless him. After all, Salem is actually considered the location where God is. Psalm 76, verses 1-2 says, "God is known in Judah; his name is great in Israel. His tent is in Salem, his dwelling place in Zion" (Psalm 76:1-2). In other words, Melchizedek comes from the place of God as a priest of God. And as a priest, he is mediating or representing God to Abram as he blesses him. He brings out this bread and this wine, a feast of celebration after Abram's victory, and recognizes that God is the one who handed over Abram's enemies over to him.\n\nAnd Abram responds to Melchizedek, this king, and this blessing, by giving him a tenth of everything that he owns. Just think about how much plunder that is to have five kingdoms and all their stuff suddenly flow into your bank account. Imagine if you had all the money of Bezos, Musk, Gates, and two other rich guys—I don't know, right?—and you obtain all of that. He then gives 10%, a tenth, to Melchizedek. Why does Abram give a tenth of everything? And it's the same reason why he chose to give Lot whatever he wanted. It's the same reason why he went to battle with 318 men. It's because he believes everything that Melchizedek proclaimed over him: that the reason why Abram won wasn't because of his strength or his might or because of his own abilities, but because the Lord handed over his enemies to him.\n\nI mean, how much more for us who have been given a victory that's so much greater? You see, the amount of trust that you have in the Lord reflects in the amount of thankfulness that you show Him. The way that you're able to connect the dots between your provision in your life and the blessings that God has shown you reflects then in your gratitude that you give back to Him. It's greater for us because we haven't just received a blessing from a king-priest of the Lord Most High. We have been delivered by the King-Priest, God Most High himself. That Jesus Christ took on flesh and dwelt among us, that while you and I were all destitute in our sin and completely unable to stand up against the forces of darkness and even our own wickedness in our heart, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, truly God, truly man. He went to battle against sin and death on the cross, and the Lord handed over sin and death in Him. He bore that punishment in full in His body on the tree, the penalty that you and I deserved for our own disobedience. And He rose from the dead three days later, victorious over sin and death, which is the reason why you and I have everything that we could possibly ask for or think. That's the reason why we've been given blessing upon blessing. Not because you and I successfully choose between good and evil all the time, but because Jesus looked at us and chose to be gracious towards you. That He chose to pour out His blood to wash sinners like you and I. We're not the ones that go out to battle. Jesus is, but we're the ones that receive all of His reward. And He celebrates by bringing out bread and wine. Not just an earthly battle that He's won, but a victory in the spiritual battle over sin and death. Jesus has conquered every enemy. That's why Paul is able to say in 1 Corinthians 15:\n\n> Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, death, is your victory? Where, death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!\n>\n> — 1 Corinthians 15:54-57 (CSB)\n\nThat's what Jesus gives us. If you're not a Christian and you're here this morning, you can experience this kind of victory today. You can experience that kind of forgiveness. That's exactly what we're going to celebrate in Ryan's life in just a few minutes. You can feel like you are trapped like Lot. "Every dumb decision I possibly could have made, I did." You can feel completely enslaved to evil kings, unable to free yourself by your own will. The good news is that Jesus came to set you free. You can choose this grace. You can choose this kind of blessing. And what better response do you and I have in light of all that the Lord has given to us than to give back to Him in light of all that He's given, in light of all that He's blessed us with? When we give to God, it is not an obedience tax like social security to earn salvation. This is not some inheritance that's just being stored up for us when we finally make it to the afterlife. This is given in response to being given above and beyond anything we could possibly ask for or think. If you show me a giving heart, I will show you a grateful heart.\n\nAbram joyfully gives Melchizedek a tenth of everything as an act of devotion of love to the Lord, but he refuses to make deals with the devilish king. You see a second king in verse 21:\n\n> Then the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people, but take the possessions for yourself.” But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand in an oath to the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, that I will not take a thread or sandal strap or anything that belongs to you, so you can never say, ‘I made Abram rich.’ I will take nothing except what the servants have eaten. But as for the share of the men who came with me—Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre—they can take their share.”\n>\n> — Genesis 14:21-24 (CSB)\n\nSo just to rewind the tape, you have five kings versus four. The four kings win. They take all their stuff. Then Abram comes with 318 men, dominates the four kings, takes all their stuff. So in other words, Abram has the plunder of how many kings? Nine kings. That's a lot of stuff. So the king of Sodom comes, right? Maybe his crown is still dangling on his ear a little bit, tattered up, and he makes a proposition. "Listen, I just want my people. Give me my people. I can start from scratch. You take all the rest of the stuff." And this is a seductive offer to be able to absorb all the riches of the world. You even argue that's strategic. I mean, what are these people going to do? Pledge allegiance to you and your 318 men? You can forge an alliance with the biggest city nearby right away. He's even letting you keep all his stuff. You can imagine a thought that can run through Abram's mind: to be able to leverage all of these resources that the Lord has given him for the advancement of his own desires and for the exaltation of the self.\n\nI mean, have you ever seen a headline of someone winning the lottery just for like a moment? Thought about all the stuff you could be doing with that money, just how convenient and easy it would be if you saw that many zeros in your bank account or on a predictions website, which by the way is still gambling and sinful. Have you ever thought to yourself, "I could just use that money so much better?" It's a seductive thought because the allure of power tempts even the greatest of people. You could use whatever justification you want. You can even imagine Abram thinking to himself something like, "Any dollar that I leave for the king of Sodom would be used for debauchery anyway. It's probably right for me to use it and to use it for good things." But Abram refuses because Abram isn't a utilitarian. He doesn't view victory purely in light of good people getting more stuff and bad people getting less stuff. This isn't a zero-sum game where anything bad that happens to evil people is good for you. More of a good that happens for you is automatically a win. It is not as though every dollar Abram receives brings glory to God and every dollar that he leaves for the king of Sodom is a net negative, because it's not about what Abram gets. It's about who gets credit. It's about who actually gets glory.\n\nYou see what's tricky about what the king of Sodom is doing here is that he's trying to look like he's honoring Abram by admitting defeat. But by giving Abram his riches, he actually steals credit. He gets to buy stock in "Abram Industries." He gets to say, "Sodom made Abram who he is." And Abram trusts God too much to stoop so low as to accept Sodom's bribe. He at that moment understands that taking the world is actually a demotion compared to all the things that God has given him. The same is true for you and I. When the world tries to tempt you and I, what they're really trying to tempt you with is not more stuff, it's less stuff. When Satan tries to offer you the pleasures of sin, what he's offering you is a worse life, a worse destiny. Don't act beneath your dignity. The promise that you and I have should protect our principles from the assault of the prosperity of this world. If you have Jesus, what could you possibly want? A yacht? Can notoriety or fame compare to being known by the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords? What could Satan possibly offer you that could compare to the gift of Jesus Christ Himself? We've been given the greatest gift, the greatest hope.\n\nAnd that's precisely why we want to be a church that focuses on true obedience and true revival, not revivalism. We're not pagans. Revivalism uses worldly methods that try to achieve godly goals. You justify whatever you do as long as it works. We're sick of bringing more glory to God. Whether it's seeing me ride on a zipline on the stage or other forms of worldly entertainment in the name of getting more butts in pews and seeing more salvations offered. Revival, on the other hand, trusts God in ordinary things, and it's up to Him whether He brings about extraordinary results. What happens is when we focus on being faithful rather than bringing out some kind of artificial mechanism, whether it's a social media algorithm or advertisement campaign or entertainment on the stage, we want to make sure that when we talk about this church and the lives that we invest in here, the community that we build, the glory of God that we display from here, we don't want to be able to say in any sense, "Facebook did this," or "I made this," or "I made the right choices," or "we implemented this strategy." We want to be able to look at all that the Lord has done in this church over the last 77 years and be able to say, "God did this. Jesus did it all." We just came here and opened our books. We paid attention to the Word, and the Spirit was at work. Because when we submit to the Lord's will and you and I focus on being faithful more than visible fruit, that's when we actually get to prioritize and display God's blessing because God's promises are always going to be better.\n\nSee, at the end of the day, it's not that complicated. We can try to talk about all the different factors that play into the decisions that we make, all sorts of difficulties that exist in the outside world. We could talk about all the complications inside our heart. One thing that's not complicated is God's will for you. First Thessalonians 4 says that His will for you is your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality (1 Thessalonians 4:3). What could be more important than for you to be faithful? There's a choice set before you and I: a choice to follow God or to follow sin. One results in blessing, the other results in destruction. There is always a right choice. There is always the right way.\n\nDid you notice in verse 24 about how the result of Abram's decision doesn't just result in Abram being blessed, but others as well? See, Aner, Eshkol, Mamre, all Canaanites, all blessed because they blessed Abram by assisting him in battle. See, if last week's text showed Abram falling in light of every single phase of God's promises—a place, a people, and power—Genesis 13 and 14 show us what God does when you do trust Him and all of those things. He actually fulfilled all of His promises in these two chapters alone. He gives Abram a clear place for him to live. He establishes his name as great—Abram the Hebrew. That's what He gives when He promises him a people, a great name. There are going to be legions of human beings after him that are going to call themselves Hebrews because of what Abram did. And God has now blessed those who blessed him with power. God is continuing to show His faithfulness in Abram's life. As you see God's faithfulness in Abram's life, you should know with absolute confidence God will always be faithful in yours. And what better way to celebrate this truth than baptism? To be able to say everything that this world has offered me is not enough. And to be able to say, "I would rather die to anything that Satan can possibly offer me. I'm going to choose to live and follow Him." To say that God has done an incredible thing. That even when we sink to the depths of death itself, that Jesus has conquered sin, risen our souls, and made us new in Christ. Let's pray.\n\nLord, we thank you for this good news that we have. Pray Lord that you would help us to choose righteousness every time. Pray Lord that if there's anyone here that doesn't know you, that they would turn from their sin and trust in you and receive the blessings of the New Covenant. They would trust in your grace and your blood and have an everlasting hope that's far greater than anything that this world can offer. Pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen.