Lot's Loss Initiated

If you've got your Bible, turn with me to Genesis chapter 14. Genesis chapter 14. And while Lot's name is only mentioned two times in chapter 14, the whole chapter truly is about Lot. And we will show you that in a moment. If you were with us two weeks ago, you know that we began our study by looking at Lot's learning process. How is it that Lot has learned the things that he has learned? We talked to you about the sorrows that he experienced very early on by the loss of his father and grandfather.

And then we talked to you about the sojourns that he encountered as Uncle Abraham would take him from Ur of the Chaldees to Haran and then from Haran to Canaan, then from Canaan down to Egypt and back to Canaan again. One was a trip of compromise, one was a trip of commitment or consecration, and the other was a trip of corruption. And all of that played a part in the thinking process of this young man, Lot, as he was being raised by Uncle Abraham. And then we also saw the schooling that he himself earned, both vocational and spiritual.

And so all that played a part in his early upbringing. And yet none of that should govern the way he makes his decisions, but all of them play a part in how he does end up making his decisions each and every day that he is a Lot. And so we need to realize that no matter where we were raised or how we were raised, the truth of the Scriptures needs to govern how we make our decisions. For Lot, that was not the case. So we move from looking at Lot's learning process to Lot's leaving Abraham. That was last week in Genesis 13.

He would leave Uncle Abraham and he would move away from really his protection. And he moved because he truly had a worldly desire in his heart. That worldly desire came because there was a weak devotion in his life. And that always leads to a wrong decision. And that's what happened in Lot's life. Worldly desires come from a weak devotion, a weak devotion to God. And we will make wrong choices every time. And sure enough, he did. He lifted up his eyes. He looked toward Sodom. It reminded him of Egypt.

And in his heart, he longed for that. And so that longing would cause him to look in that direction and to lust after Sodom. And so he would leave Father Abraham. He would lean toward Sodom. He would now live in Sodom, as we will see in Genesis 14. And in Genesis 19, he ultimately leads in Sodom. And that eventually leads to his losing everything in Sodom. And that's what happens when you have a weak devotion to God. And he did. Never do we read of Lot building an altar to God. Never do we read of Lot communing with God.

For Abraham, Abraham made some bad choices, too. He made some wrong decisions at times, too. But the difference is that Abraham would repent of his ways. Abraham would quickly make restitution. Abraham, before the consequences ensued upon him, would seek reconciliation with his Father in Heaven. And that was the difference between Abraham and Lot. And the Bible does tell us that Lot was a righteous man. So we understand that Lot was, for lack of a better phrase, someone who loved the king of Israel.

He had followed Father Abraham in that instance. The question comes, when was Lot declared righteous? When was he truly born again, for lack of a better phrase? When was he truly give his life to the Lord God of Israel? Was it in Ur of the Chaldees? Maybe so. We don't know. The Bible doesn't tell us. Was it in one of the sojourns that he made? Maybe down to Egypt or back, or maybe it was from Haran to Canaan, or from Ur to Haran. We don't know. The Bible doesn't tell us when. But we do know that he was a righteous man when he was leading in the city of Sodom.

Because we know that Peter's context deals with Lot leaving Sodom. And he was a righteous man at that point. So we don't know exactly when he became a righteous man. We can assume that when he crossed over the river, the great river Euphrates. And Abraham, when he crossed over that river, he became a Hebrew man. Because that's what Hebrew means, to cross the river. And so he was starting a new nation. And he was called by God while a polytheistic individual in Ur of the Chaldees. And having been called by God, Abraham became monotheistic.

And believing in the one true God of Israel. And maybe it was at that time that Lot made a profession. Maybe it was at that time that Lot gave his life to the King of Israel. We do not know exactly when the time was. But, no matter when that time was, you can't escape the fact that Lot made enormous bad choices. Huge, horrific choices. Based on a worldly desire in his heart. That caused him to truly make bad choices. And so, we are trying to learn how it is we don't do that. How it is we don't follow Lot, but follow Abraham.

How is it we don't follow in the footsteps of Lot and end up in a situation like Lot was in? Because tonight, Lot begins to lose. Now really, he began to lose when he left Uncle Abraham. When he left the protection of Abraham, he was on the downward spiral of losing. But he didn't recognize it yet. He doesn't know that. He doesn't know that until Genesis chapter 14. With the great war that ensues. And how it is he is taken captive by the kings of the east. But even with that, he doesn't learn his lesson.

And you'd think that having lost his possessions. Being taken captive by Cedar-Liamar and the kings of the east. That he would learn his lesson. But he doesn't. And we'll talk to you about that tonight. And ask and answer the question, why doesn't he learn his lesson? And so, we're going to read the narrative for you. Set the context for you. To help you understand what happens with Lot. And why loss begins for him on this night. In this chapter. And how it's only the beginning of great loss in his life.

Oh, by the way. At any time, he could have stopped the bleeding of losing. By just repenting. By turning to the Lord God of Israel. But he never does that. See, the same is true for you. In the midst of your loss. You can always stop the bleeding through repentance. He never does. And so, all the while God is trying to get his attention in Genesis chapter 14. By the time you come to Genesis chapter 19. The loss becomes horrific for him. Because he didn't learn the lesson in Genesis chapter 14. So hopefully, you can hear what God has to say.

And learn the lesson early on in life. So you don't experience the loss that Lot experienced in his life. Okay? Genesis chapter 14, verse number 1. Here we go. And it came about in the days of Amraphel, king of Shinar. Ariok, king of Elessar. Kedilamer, king of Elam. And Tidal, king of Goen. That they made war with Bera, king of Sodom. And with Bersha, king of Gomorrah. Shinab, king of Adma. And Shemeber, king of Zeboim. And the king of Bela, that is Zoar. You with me? Good. Stay with me. All these came as allies to the valley of Sidin.

That is the Salt Sea or what we know as the Dead Sea today. Twelve years they had served Kedilamer. But the 13th year, they rebelled. In the 14th year, Kedilamer and the kings that were with him. Came and defeated the Rephaim. And Ashtaroth, Karnaim. And the Zuzim and Haim. And the Emim in Sheba, Cariathim. And the Horites in their Mount Seir. As far as El-Paran, which is by the wilderness. Then they turned back and came to En-Mispah, that is Kadesh. And conquered all the country of the Amalekites.

And also the Amorites who lived in Hazazon-Tamar. And you are still with me, right? You better be because before you leave. You will be quizzed on the spelling, geographical location. Of each of these kings and the cities they represent. Okay? Or you can't go home tonight. You got to spend the night here at Christ Community Church. And it says in verse number 8. And the king of Sodom and the king of Gomorrah. And the king of Admah and the king of Zeboim. And the king of Bela, that is Zoar, came out.

And they arrayed for battle against them in the Valley of Siddim. Against Caelior Lammer, king of Elam. And Tidal, king of Goim. And Amraphel, king of Shinar. And Eriach, king of Elessar. Four kings against five. Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits. And the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled. And they fell into them. But those who survived fled to the hill country. Then they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah. And all their food supply. And departed. They also took Lot. Abram's nephew.

And his possessions. And departed. For he was living in Sodom. Then a fugitive came and told Abram the Hebrew. Now he was living by the Oaks of Mamre, the Amorite. Brother of Eskel. And the brother of Aner. And these were allies with Abram. When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive. He led out his trained men. Born in his house. Three hundred and eighteen. And went in pursuit as far as Dan. He divided his forces against them by night. He and his servants. And defeated them. And pursued them as far as Hobah.

Which is north of Damascus. He brought back all the goods. And also brought back his relative Lot. With his possessions. And also the women. And the people. We'll stop right there. Three things I want you to see. Number one.

Is the raid. On the land. Number two. We want you to understand the rescue of Lot. And then number three.

The return of Lot. Back to Sodom. Okay. First of all. The raid on the land. If you read your Bible carefully. You will know. That in chapter fourteen. There are many firsts. The book of Genesis is the book of beginnings. Right? So there are many firsts. As you go through the book of Genesis. And it's always neat to note when these firsts occur. For instance. This is the first time the word priest or king is used in the Bible.

We didn't read about Melchizedek. We will. But it's the first time the word priest or king is used. Or the first time bread or wine is used in the scripture.

Also it's the first recorded war in scripture. Very important to note. The first recorded war in scriptures.

Because there is a parallel. Between the first recorded war in scripture. And the final recorded war. In scripture. And it's neat to know. How it is. The two parallel one another. What was the cause of the raid? Well note this. First of all there is a surface cause.

And then there is a sovereign cause. The surface cause. Is that the five kings. In the valley of Sidin. Including Sodom and Gomorrah. Decide to rebel against Caeli or Lamar. And the kings of the east. Evidently they had been under their regime for 12 years. And in the 13th year they decide to revolt. To rebel against their authority over them. Because they want to be independent. They want to be away from them. Now we don't know why they rebelled. What caused the revolt the bible didn't tell us. And that's okay.

Because all that's irrelevant. That's all irrelevant. Why? Because the war. Was caused. Providentially. By God's divine. Work and timetable. This was a war caused by God. God wanted the war to ensue. Because God, listen carefully, was going to move nations. For the sake of one man. Lot. And that man's family. And the city of Sodom. And the city of Gomorrah. This all happened because of Lot. If it wasn't about Lot we'd never know about the war. But there was a war. Because there is a man named Lot.

Who somehow needs to repent. Who needs to turn back to God. So God will move nations. Will design armies to come together. To cause nations to revolt against one another. For the sake of one man's repentance. This is important to understand this. Because God stops at nothing. To get people to turn from their wicked ways. See we need to see the sovereign act of God in the whole process. The first war was all about one man named Lot.

Oh by the way, the final war is all about one man. The God man. The Lord of the universe. In the first war, Genesis 14.

Nobody repents. In the final war, Revelation chapter 16. Nobody repents. Nobody repents. And yet God moves nations. So that people are without excuse. When it comes to understanding the need to turn from their wicked ways. And to repent of their sins. God is the cause behind the war. Because God wants Lot to repent. God wants Lot to call upon him. So Lot will get right with God. So Lot will then get his family right with God. So then his family and he will be able to affect the city for the glory of God.

But because Lot never repents. His family never turns. The city is destroyed. And so it's very important to realize. That God stops at nothing. To get one person to repent. There is this coalition of kings. There are five kings. And by the way, the first war is about the kings of the east.

And the final war is the gathering of the kings of the east in the valley of Megiddo. It's all about the kings of the east coming against the people in the land of Canaan. And God orchestrates them all. Because God is in charge. And this coalition of kings comes together. And Cedio Alarmer is a smart man. He gets and destroys the cities west of them. Plunders them all. So that they have no assistance. When it comes to going to war. And you would think that these cities. Sodom and Gomorrah and the likes of the five cities and the five kings.

Would have the advantage. Because there were five against four. They had the numbers numerically. They fought on their home turf. They had an advantage geographically. And because they fought on their home turf. They had all the goods and possessions they needed to help their armies. So they were at an advantage economically. So they were at an advantage numerically, geographically, and economically. And yet they lose the war. Why? Because God wants them to lose the war. God wants Lot to be taken prisoner.

God wants Lot to see the effects of his sin. See? God wants all that. So there's this raid on the land. And it comes together. Yes, because there are five kings that revolt against the four kings. But that's just a surface cause. Because there's a divine cause. God's at work. God is moving nations to get one man to see the error of his way. That he might repent of his sins. They gather together. And there's a great conflict. And in that conflict there are tar pits, the Bible tells us. In the Valley of Siddin.

That you would think that the residents of that area would know where they were. But somehow they fall in these tar pits. And they are captured. And others flee to the mountains. That they might escape being captured. God can say, Lot is taken captive. Taken captive. By Cadi Rhalarmer and the kings of the east. He's taken away captive. And he begins to lose. His loss begins now.

The effects of wrong decisions happens now. And you must wonder what's going through his mind. As he has begun to experience loss in his life. Let me help you understand something.

Some of you, even tonight. Are experiencing a raid in your land. Maybe it's a raid in your soul. And already things are starting to fall apart. Maybe it's a raid on your family. Maybe it's a raid on your workplace. Maybe it's a raid on your home. But things are starting to crumble around you. Don't think for one moment they are by accident. It's all by divine appointment. God wants your attention. And God will stop at nothing to get your attention. And we need to be able to listen to what God has for us.

That we might be able to turn from our ways if we're involved in sin. And listen to what God has for us. That we might be obedient to his word. That's very important for us to come to grips with. As we begin to understand the word of the Lord. Because you know what? The Lord disciplines those who are his own. Remember the book of Proverbs? Book of Proverbs, the third chapter.

It says these words. My son do not reject the discipline of the Lord. Or loathe his reproof. For whom the Lord loves he reproves. Even as the father corrects the son in whom he delights. God is at work. God wants you to experience his discipline. Because he loves you so. Lot didn't get that. Lot didn't understand that. You would think because this was a warning. This was a warning to Sodom, Gomorrah, to Lot and his family. Wake up. Your ways are the wrong ways. You turn from the error of your way.

But they did not hear the call. They did not respond in that way. They did not listen to what God was trying to do in their lives. And so they experienced loss. Let me talk to you a little bit about the loss that Lot began to experience.

The first loss would be the loss of peace. The loss of peace. Don't think for one moment that the citizens of Sodom did not know about the plundering of the cities in the west. Where would we get out? Where would we get out? They would begin to hear the rumblings of Kedi-Ralam and his armies plundering the cities of the west. So they would know. And they would know that those kings were coming their way. That they were going to come to their geographical location. And they would come to war with them.

And so don't think for one moment that the citizens of Sodom would go to bed at night at ease. They would not. They would know that war was on the horizon. And when you know that war is on the horizon, there's a lot of anxiety going on in your heart and soul. And there was much, much anxiety in the heart of Lot and the citizens of Sodom. Because Kedi-Ralam was winning, wasn't losing. And they knew they would have to face him. And so there was no peace in their hearts when they slept at night. Their lives were filled with anxiety.

And as one city would go down, and then another city would go down, and then another city would go down, they would know that the enemy is coming their way. And they would begin to lose all sense of peace. Because they thought that in the midst of all their sin, in the midst of all their wickedness, they would truly be at peace. They would have fun. They would have joy. But they weren't experiencing that at this point. And so the Bible says, Great peace have those who love thy law, and nothing causes them to stumble.

But the citizens of Sodom didn't love the law of God. And Lot wasn't too in love with what God had said. So how would he experience the peace of God? The Bible says in Isaiah 57 that there is no peace for the wicked.

None. No peace for the wicked. So even the citizens of Sodom, even though they would portray the fact that they were at peace, they had no inner peace. And Lot, even though he was a righteous man, would have some semblance of righteousness because he was right with God. But because he lived in sin and made bad choices based on worldly desires, he too did not experience any overwhelming peace. Remember Isaiah chapter 31 says, Woe to you. Why? Because those things can't save you. Chariots and horses can't save you.

Even though you might trust in them, they will not save you. Only the Lord God of Israel can save you. But Lot had built no altars in Sodom. Lot was not communing with the God of Israel while living in Sodom. So he wasn't going to God and let the peace of God rule in his heart because he wasn't letting the fact that he was on God's side govern his decisions because he was making decisions based on his own selfish desires. So he was losing, at the outset, any semblance of peace that he might have in his life.

But not only that, not only did he lose peace, but he would lose protection. He lost protection as soon as he left Uncle Abraham. Uncle Abraham was the righteous man. Lot was a righteous man. But notice that Abraham is not affected by the battle because he's protected by God.

But Lot faces the battle. He is losing all sense of protection because he's on his own. He's on an island all by himself. The enemy was on the horizon. And he had so much to fear. And so he would lose protection. You see, you have to be careful the places you go because there are some places you go that put you outside the protective purposes of God. You have to be careful with the people you hang out with because if you hang out with the wrong people in the wrong place, like Sodom and Gomorrah, you lose protection.

And all of a sudden, because Lot had chosen the wrong people, had chosen the wrong place for the wrong purpose, he was outside the realm of God's protection. Now God was still protecting his life. But he would begin to lose all that he had in this life. And so he was in the process of losing the protection that he had. It's very important to realize that every decision that we make puts us closer to God or further from God. Right? And Lot's choices just pushed him further and further from God. He left Abraham.

He could have reconciled with Abraham. They could have handled the dispute between them. He could have realized that living with Abraham was the best place to be, but his heart wanted to be away from Abraham. His heart wanted to be toward the things of the world because he had this pull that was so strong in his heart. And as he did, he moved further and further away from the Lord. He moved further from the altars that Abraham had built and was in communion with God and was now on an island all by himself in a city that was filled with sin.

His protection was gone. So he lost peace. He lost protection. And because he lost protection, he lost power. He had no power to overcome evil. He had no power to overcome the enemy. Why? Because he had nobody who was the way he was. Nobody who was righteous who lived with him. So what was he going to do? How would he respond? He had lost all power. Remember what the Bible says, that if you faint in the day of adversity, Proverbs 24, 10, your strength is small.

And he was going to faint in the day of adversity because his strength, his power was truly very, very small. Power belongs to God, Psalm 62, 11. So if you want to experience power, be close to God. Yesterday I spent some time with my youngest, Avery, and we had gone to McDonald's and we had breakfast. And I told her, I said, I want you to be able to lead our devotions tonight at home. So we're going to give you a couple of verses you need to think about. So we took her to Proverbs 28, verse number 1, which says very simply these words, the righteous are as bold as a lion.

Now let me ask you a question. Was Lot a righteous man? Answer, yes. Was Lot as bold as a lion? Yeah, I don't think so. Okay. But Proverbs 28, 1 says that the righteous are as bold as a lion. So we talked about how bold is a lion, that the lion is the king of the jungle. What does the lion fear? The lion fears no one. The lion fears nothing. He's the king of the jungle. So the righteous are as bold as a lion. So I asked Avery, why do you think the righteous person is compared to a lion? And how is it that we can become as bold and as strong as a lion?

How can you, Avery, be king of your neighborhood? How can you be king in your school? How can you not fear anyone that you come in contact with? How can you be as bold as a lion? So I took her to the book of Proverbs 18. And I said, Proverbs 18 says this, verse number 10, the name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous runs into it and is safe. So we talked about what the name of the Lord is. What is the name of the Lord? Is it just that you say the name Lord and that's it? I said the name of the Lord is the fact that He's almighty God.

He's the mighty God. He's the Prince of Peace. He is the Alpha and the Omega. He is the King of Kings. He is the Lord of Lords. The name of God are the characteristics of God, the attributes of God. The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous man, he runs to that name. He runs to the strong tower. And once he ascends the strong tower, he is absolutely secure. He's as bold as a lion because he's with the lion of the tribe of Judah. Now think about that with Lot. Where did Lot run when he had the opportunity to go to war?

He ran into the slime pits with everybody else. Fell down and was captured. He wasn't running to the lion of Judah. He wasn't running to the strong tower of Israel. He wasn't doing that. So he couldn't be as bold as a lion even though he was positionally righteous with the living God. He could not practically live a righteous life. Therefore, he had nowhere to turn, nowhere to run. And therefore, he could not ascend the strong tower and be secure and safe. So we need to understand that Lot lost all power even though all power was available.

It was right there. All he had to do was fall on his knees and commune with the living God. Cry out to God. He did not do that. God's trying to get his attention. So the kings of the east come to war. As they're coming, he realizes his time is short. He loses peace. When they arrive, he's unprotected. He loses protection. Because he doesn't commune with the living God, he has no power. He loses power. Not only that, he loses, next, you need to understand, he loses his possessions. They come and they plunder the city.

They take all of his possessions. He loses everything. Everything that he had trusted in, everything that he had hoped in, was now gone. It's all gone. And not only did he lose his possessions, he loses the pleasure that's associated with the worldly possessions. He loses the pleasure because his joy was in those possessions. His joy was not in the Lord God of Israel. His joy was in those possessions. So as he lost the possessions, he lost all the pleasure that was associated with those possessions.

Which emphasizes the passing pleasures of sin. They're only for a season. Is sin pleasurable? Of course it is. But it's only a passing pleasure of sin. It doesn't last. Because it doesn't touch the soul of a person. It doesn't touch the inner part of a man, the inner part of a woman. So they're called the passing pleasures of sin. That's why in Proverbs chapter 11, verse 28 says this, He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like the green leaf. Which person flourished, Abraham or Lot?

Abraham. Because Lot was trusting in his riches. And he fell. And then it says over in Proverbs chapter 28, verse number 20, these words, A faithful man will abound with blessings, but he who makes haste to be rich will not go unpunished. Lot was one who made haste to get rich. He loved Egypt. So he would love Sodom. And everything is Sodom represented. And then it says in verse number 22 of Proverbs 28, A man with an evil eye hastens after wealth and does not know that want will come upon him. A man with an evil eye hastens after wealth.

He wants to get rich quick. A man with an evil eye does everything he can to get rich quick. What way do you know that people get rich quick today? Lottery, gambling. A man with an evil eye hastens to get rich. Doesn't want to work for it. Just wants to get it quick. But then it says, And does not know that want will come upon him. He doesn't even know that the result of his evil eye and his desire to get rich quick is going to leave him only wanting more and more and more. It's never going to fulfill the desires of his heart because riches can't do that.

Lot has not learned that lesson. He loses peace. He loses protection. He loses power. He loses his possessions and all the pleasure that goes with it. He loses it all. And what must he be thinking as he's being carried off by the kings of the east looking to his left and wondering what would have happened if he would have stayed with Uncle Abraham. Because Uncle Abraham is in Hebron. Hebron is representative of intimacy with God. That's why Caleb in Joshua 14 wanted the hill country of Hebron because it symbolized intimacy and communion with God.

He knew all about Father Abraham and where he built this altar in Hebron. And that's what he wanted because intimacy always equates with victory. And Caleb would be the one who would win the victory in the promised land. He would be the only one leading his tribe to complete victory. No one else had complete victory except Caleb. Because of the intimacy he had with God, he fully followed the Lord. Abraham, and by the way, Hebron is that second most valuable piece of real estate in the history of the world, okay?

Second only to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Hebron's not too far from Jerusalem. And that's a place where Abraham would buy a cave for 400 shekels of silver, which is equivalent to $700,000 today to bury his wife in the patriarchs of Israel. It represents communion and intimacy. And that's where Abraham was. And what must have been going through the mind of Lot when he's being carted off, covered in tar from all these tar pits, wondering, what was I thinking? But God is so good. God is so good.

Because look what happens. Now you have the rescue of Lot. He gets rescued. Wow. It says, verse 13, Then a fugitive came and told Abram the Hebrew, Hey Hebrew guy. Now how did he know about Abram the Hebrew? I didn't know. Did Lot tell him? We don't know. There was some fugitive from Sodom who knew about Abram. And maybe Lot would talk about Uncle Abram. Maybe he would talk about how wealthy he became because of his uncle. Maybe he would talk about his uncle Abraham and they would say, Hey, why don't you bring Abram down here to Sodom?

You don't want to bring him down here. You bring him down here, he could talk to you about his God. He could talk to you about his call from God. He could talk to you about the authors that he's built. You don't want Abram down here. No, you don't want him down here. So they'll be invited him. But, but remember, only the righteous can rescue the unrighteous. The unrighteous can't rescue the unrighteous. Only the righteous can. And even the unrighteous come to realize there must be somebody who's different than they are that can come to their aid.

Abram was different. So there was a fugitive that went to Abram and told him, said, he was living in the Oaks of Mamre, the Amorite, brother of Eskel, and a brother of Aner. And these were allies with Abram. When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he let out his trained men, born in his house 318, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. Wow. What a selfless person. What a compassionate uncle. What would you say? What would you do? You'd do the same thing I would do. Too bad. I told him.

He made his bed. He going to sleep in it now. How do you like it now, Lot? How's life treating you now, buddy? You liking the sinful lifestyle? Hope you're loving where you're at right now, in captivity. That's what you would have said. That's what I would have said. Right? Because inside, we're just as carnal as the next guy. And we want to let you know, you should have followed and stayed with me, but you didn't. And now what do you got? But Abram wasn't like that. Abram truly was a righteous man.

Abram truly had love for his nephew. Maybe, maybe Abram was convicted. Maybe he realized that some of the decisions that he made affected the way Lot made some of his decisions. If you don't know that, text us and tell us that. Who knows? But he was a selfless man. He would take his trained men, 318 of them. How trained were they? So trained that they could go after Cedil Alarmer, drive him 120 miles north, and take the people that were taken captive, and bring them back, including his nephew Lot.

Oh, by the way, the book of Ezekiel tells us, the book of Ezekiel, I think it is the 16th chapter. Yep, verse number 49. That Sodom was characterized by an abundance of idleness. They were lazy people. Lazy people. In Abram's house, the righteous man's house, there were trained men who were ready to go to war. At a moment's notice, they could fight in a battle.

At a moment's notice, they could go and they could deal with the enemy. But in Sodom, because they were given to an abundance of idleness, they were unfit, unprepared for any kind of battle. Which goes to show you that even in your life and mine, if there's an abundance of idleness, we will not be fit for battle when temptation comes our way and hardship comes our way. We can't flirt with idleness and laziness. That's why Paul tells Timothy in 2 Timothy chapter 2 that no good soldier engages himself, entangles himself with the affairs of this world so as to please his commanding officer.

No good soldier of Jesus Christ gets so involved in the things of this world, so entangled in the affairs of everyday life that they become so sidetracked that they're not ready to go to war at a moment's notice.

They're equipped for battle. Like these men of Abraham were. And they went to war. And they got the people of Sodom back. They retrieved a lot. The Bible says these words in the book of Genesis chapter 14.

When Abraham heard that his relative had been taken captive, he led out his trained men, born in his house, 318, and they went and pursued as far as Dan. He divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them, and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus. He brought back all the goods, and also brought back his relative Lot with his possessions, and also the women, and the people. Success. Success. Because Abraham was a righteous man. He was a man who honored God, and God would honor him.

And you would think that all that would change Lot's perspective. You would think that Lot would say, Wow, Uncle Abraham, you are the man. You are so incredible. Thanks for saving me. Thanks for coming after me. Thanks for protecting me. Thanks for saving me from death. Thanks for coming and saving my friends. Thank you for what you did, Uncle Abraham. You are just so amazing. That wasn't Lot's response either. In fact, we have no response from Lot, because probably there wasn't much response to share.

But there wasn't anything about Lot that said, Wow, God's trying to get my attention. I better wake up and smell the coffee. You know how many people, they go through a tragedy, they go through hardship, difficulty, and you'd think they'd realize that God was trying to get their attention. And they would think, You know what? Something in my life is wrong. I gotta get it right. Fall down on their knees. Turn from their wicked ways. Say, God, do whatever you gotta do in my life. Turn my life around.

Lord, whatever it is you need to do, do it now. You got my attention. I'm ready. I'm ready to do what you want me to do. Not Lot. Lot goes right back to Sodom. Right back with the people he came with, was captured with. He goes right back to them. You believe that? Not just to live with them, but to eventually, Genesis 19, which we'll see next week, to lead in the city with them. And maybe he is rewarded because of Uncle Abraham. But they get all their possessions back. The unique thing about this is that the Bible goes on to tell us in the 14th chapter, after his return from the defeat of Kedah Lamar, and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him in the Valley of Sheba.

That is the king's valley. And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine. Now he was a priest of God Most High. He blessed him and said, Blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth, and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand, and he gave him a tenth of all. In other words, Hebrews tells us, and of course the big question is, who's Melchizedek? Is it the pre-incarnate Christ? Is it Shem? Who is Melchizedek? He's a priest, he's a king.

Who is this man? We'll answer that when we get to Hebrews 5, 6, and 7, because Melchizedek is mentioned in Hebrews 5, 6, and 7, plus Psalm 110, okay? But notice this, that Abram gives to Melchizedek, the priest of the Most High God, as Hebrews says, a tenth of all his spoils, all of the best that he has.

He gives a tenth. By the way, it's not for another 400 years before Moses is given the law, and Israel's required to give a tenth back to the Lord. So the question comes, how does Abraham know to give a tenth of the best of what he has to the priest of the Most High God? How does he know to do that? And the answer is, because when you give to God, a tenth of what you have is where you begin, not where you end. It's where you begin. If you're given 1% of what you have, or 2% of what you have, you're wrong.

If you're not given a tenth of what you have, that's where you begin. That's where it begins. It isn't in there. It begins there. Why? Because that's the least amount in the Scriptures. If you go to the New Testament, you've got Zacchaeus given 50%. And then you have the widow given 100%. There are 3% in Scripture, 10, 50, and 100. Which are you? Which are you? You say, well, I'm 3%. That's not in Scripture. So where are you? 10, 50, or 100? Because that's the percentage given in Scripture. Now you've got to think about that for a moment.

There's no law telling what Abraham is to give. Telling you that because he recognized he was delivered, the enemies were delivered into his hand. Listen, those who know that the victory is God's always want to give to God. Those who have not recognized that the victory is God's don't give to God. He recognized the victory was God's. God had given him the victory. So he's going to give him a tenth of the best that he has. So that he can honor his God. How about you? What do you give? King of Sodom comes out.

There's the king of Salem, Melchizedek. There's the king of Sodom, Barah. The king of Salem blesses Abraham. The king of Sodom bribes Abraham. He says, the king of Sodom said, Abraham, give the people to me and take the goods for yourself. Abraham said to the king of Sodom, I have sworn to the Lord God most high, possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take a thread or a sandal foam or anything that is yours for fear. You would say, I have made Abraham rich. No, no. I want nothing that you have to offer.

Because everything he represents is wicked. Everything he represents is sin. I'm not going to let you tell others that we made Abraham rich because you did not. God did. God supplied my needs. God gave me the victory. I don't need anything that you have to offer. Can you imagine if Lot was there? What are you doing giving all this to Melchizedek? That's good stuff. Why are you giving that away? Could you imagine the chariots we could drive if you didn't give all that money away? Could you imagine the houses we could live in if you didn't give that money away?

Could you imagine the number of horses we could have? Could you imagine the clothes we could wear if you didn't give all that money away? But you've got to give it away, Abraham. Why? Look what we're missing out on. But when you're giving to God, you miss out on nothing. You never miss out. Because God always supplies. Abundantly and over abundantly. But Lot doesn't go back with Abraham. Lot goes on to Sodom. Why? Three reasons. I must hurry. Number one is because Lot refused to repent of his iniquity.

There's no repentance on Lot's life. None. There's no repentance anywhere in Lot's life. He refused to repent of his iniquity. He didn't recognize he'd done anything wrong, that the choices he made were wrong, that the places he was living was wrong, that living with sinful people was wrong. He never repented of his iniquity. He refused to. And God all along had set up a war that would get him to see the error of his way. He refused to repent of his iniquity. Number two, he refused to recognize God's sovereignty.

He refused to recognize God's sovereignty. He refused to recognize that God caused the war to begin with, and then he refused to recognize that God, in His graciousness, would send a fugitive to Uncle Abraham to bring him to save him from his distress. That God was so kind and so good and so sovereign that God had orchestrated everything and brought about a saving grace to him and the people of Sodom. He did not recognize that. Listen, if you refuse to repent from your iniquity, you will always refuse to recognize God's sovereignty.

You'll never see God because your sin has separated you from your God. And lastly, he refused to realize his responsibility. What was his responsibility? To lead his family. To lead his family in righteousness. To be salt and light in the city of Sodom. Is there a reason why his wife was turned into a pillar of salt? Simply because he was not salt in Sodom. And he refused to fulfill his responsibility as a righteous person by making wise choices that honored God and being a testimony in a city that was separated from God.

And he went right back to live there. He had lost peace. He had lost protection. He had lost power. He had lost possessions. He had lost pleasure. God was trying to get his attention. He did not listen.

And God, in his graciousness, would send Uncle Abram to rescue him. He did not repent. So now, his loss will be even greater. What's the news for you and me? If in the process of there being a raid on your life, whether it's through illness, whether it's a physical raid, an economic raid, a relational raid, however it may be, if you don't understand that God is trying to get your attention, to get you to turn from what you're doing to follow him wholeheartedly, what you lost today will be nothing like what you will lose tomorrow.

That's the lesson about loss in Lot's life, beginning in Genesis chapter 14. Let me pray with you. Father, we thank you for the word of God and the opportunity you have to examine our lives. And that's what you do, Lord. You take the word and it's like a knife and you cut to the depths of our souls. Every one of us, every one of us needs to understand the message of Genesis 14. There's people here tonight. I'm not even sure who they are, but I'm sure there's somebody here tonight you're trying to get their attention.

And there has been a raid on their family, on their lives, on their souls. And they need to repent. Our prayer is that tonight that would happen. And that the loss that they've experienced is enough. It's time to turn around. It's time to get right with God. It's time to live for the honor and glory of your name and to serve you only. And I pray you use your word in their lives. They might experience the blessing of obedience. Abraham, he made bad choices, but he repented. He got right. He called upon the name of the Lord and you blessed him immensely.

Lot would only continue down a road of complete and utter devastation. Lord, don't let any of us go any further down that road. Turn us today for the glory of your kingdom, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.