Latest / Meadows Baptist Church Podcast / The Brawn of Abraham - 7/15/26 - Meadows Baptist Church - Pastor Charlie Branch

Transcript

The Brawn of Abraham - 7/15/26 - Meadows Baptist Church - Pastor Charlie Branch · Meadows Baptist Church Podcast

• 0:02
  Welcome to the podcast of Meadows
• 0:05
  Baptist Church of Walnut Cove, North
• 0:07
  Carolina. We're so glad you joined us
• 0:10
  today. If you enjoy today's message, be
• 0:12
  sure to subscribe, follow, and share
• 0:15
  with your friends. Now, let's join
• 0:17
  Pastor Charlie Branch with a word from
• 0:20
  God.
• 0:27
  Genesis tonight. If you have your Bible,
• 0:29
  turn with me there. Genesis chapter
• 0:32
  number 14,
• 0:41
  you pray for us tonight that the Lord
• 0:43
  will help us. And uh
• 0:46
  I need your attention this evening. So,
• 0:48
  if you could just give me that for just
• 0:50
  a few minutes. And I won't be long
• 0:52
  tonight. Just got a couple of things
• 0:54
  I'll share with you. We'll read a pretty
• 0:56
  lengthy portion of scripture and then we
• 0:58
  will dive into it this evening. Genesis
• 1:00
  chapter 14 verse number one. It came to
• 1:04
  pass in the days of Amrifale, king of
• 1:06
  Shinar, Arichot king of Elisar, Chador
• 1:09
  Leom, king of Elum, and Tidal king of
• 1:12
  nations that these made war with Barah
• 1:14
  king of Sodom, with Bersa, king of
• 1:16
  Gomorrah, Shyab, king of Admma, and
• 1:19
  Sheamebra, king of Zaboam, and the king
• 1:21
  of Bala, which is Zoir. All these were
• 1:24
  joined together in the veil of Sidum
• 1:26
  which is the salt sea. 12 years they
• 1:29
  served Chedor Le and in the 13th year
• 1:32
  they rebelled. In the 14th year came
• 1:35
  Chedor Lemer and the kings that were
• 1:37
  with him and smoked the Raphaims and
• 1:39
  Ashare Carneam and the Zuriums and Ham
• 1:44
  and the Mms and Shva Corium and the
• 1:47
  Horites and their in their mountier unto
• 1:49
  El Pan which is by the wilderness. They
• 1:52
  returned and came to Enmishad, which is
• 1:54
  Kadesh, and smote all the country of the
• 1:56
  Amalachites, and also the Amorites that
• 1:59
  dwelt in has his own toar. And there
• 2:03
  went out the king. And there went out
• 2:05
  the king of Sodom, and the king of
• 2:07
  Gomorrah, and the king of Admma, and the
• 2:09
  king of Zapoam, and the king of Bella,
• 2:11
  the same as Zor. And they joined battle
• 2:13
  with them in the veil of Cidium, with
• 2:16
  Chador Le,
• 2:18
  the king of Elum, and with Tidal, king
• 2:21
  of nations, and Amrael, king of Shinar,
• 2:24
  and Aroch, king of Elisar, four kings
• 2:26
  with five. And the veil of Cidium was
• 2:29
  full of slime pits. And the kings of
• 2:31
  Sodom and Gomorrah fled and fell there.
• 2:33
  And they that rema they that remained
• 2:35
  fled. They that remained fled to the
• 2:38
  mountain. They took all the goods of
• 2:40
  Sodom and Gomorra and all their victuals
• 2:42
  and went their way. They took Lot,
• 2:44
  Abram<unk>'s brother's son, who dwelt in
• 2:46
  Sodom and his goods, and departed. And
• 2:49
  there came one that is had escaped and
• 2:51
  told Abram the Hebrew, for he dwelt in
• 2:54
  the plain of Mamry, the Amorite, brother
• 2:56
  of Esho, and brother of Anor. And these
• 2:59
  were confederate with Abram. When Abram
• 3:01
  heard that his brother was taken
• 3:03
  captive, he armed his trained servs,
• 3:06
  born in his own house, 318,
• 3:09
  and pursued them unto Dan. And he
• 3:12
  divided himself against them, he and his
• 3:15
  servants by night, and smoked them,
• 3:18
  pursued them unto Hoba, which is on the
• 3:21
  left hand of Damascus. And he brought
• 3:23
  back all the goods, and also brought
• 3:25
  again his brother Lot and his goods, and
• 3:28
  the women also, and the people. Now,
• 3:31
  Father, I ask you, God, tonight, Lord,
• 3:33
  that you would help me. God, I'm not
• 3:35
  going to be able to do this if you don't
• 3:36
  help me tonight. And so, Lord, I pray
• 3:38
  that you give me strength. I ask you,
• 3:40
  God, that you would help me. I pray,
• 3:42
  Father, for anointing from the spirit of
• 3:44
  God. And Lord, I pray that you move in
• 3:46
  our midst tonight. Get glory unto
• 3:47
  yourself. And Lord, help us as we
• 3:49
  preach. God, you're so good to us. Lord,
• 3:52
  I love you and I bless your name for who
• 3:55
  you are and all that you've done. And
• 3:56
  Lord, I ask you once again, help us
• 3:58
  tonight. We pray in Jesus name. Amen.
• 4:03
  Genesis 14 begins the passage concerning
• 4:08
  the meeting of Abram with Lot again in
• 4:10
  this text. Now, I want to lay the
• 4:12
  groundwork. And so, I want you to stay
• 4:14
  with me tonight. Of course, this is
• 4:16
  Wednesday night. You come here um on
• 4:18
  Wednesday night, you know that we're
• 4:19
  just going to look at the text
• 4:21
  expositionally speaking. And so, I want
• 4:23
  to lay just a few things tonight by way
• 4:25
  of introduction concerning the
• 4:26
  groundwork. Now, don't lose me in the
• 4:28
  groundwork. I've got a point I want to
• 4:30
  make tonight with the help of the Lord.
• 4:32
  So chapter 14, it it begins or chapter
• 4:36
  13 ends with Abram dwelling in the plain
• 4:38
  of memory there at Hebbron where he
• 4:40
  built an altar unto the Lord. And some
• 4:43
  time has passed. Chapter 14 comes around
• 4:46
  and there is a war that begins. And I
• 4:49
  want to say this tonight uh on the
• 4:51
  outset, this is the first recorded war
• 4:53
  of nations in the word of God. There's
• 4:55
  going to be a lot of first tonight. And
• 4:57
  so I encourage you to write these down
• 4:59
  in your Bible if you can. Not Genesis is
• 5:01
  a book of beginnings. It's a book of
• 5:03
  first. And so I I want you to notice the
• 5:06
  governments that are mentioned here in
• 5:08
  chapter 14:es 1 and two. Now there are
• 5:12
  four kings that are mentioned here in
• 5:14
  verse number one. And they represent
• 5:16
  what is modern-day uh Iraq, Iran, and
• 5:20
  Turkey is what I'm told. Verse number
• 5:22
  one, Amrifale, king of Shinar and Aroch,
• 5:25
  king of Elsar are uh tribes that
• 5:28
  represent Iran more than likely. Chedle,
• 5:32
  king of Elim or Iraq. Those first two
• 5:35
  represent Iraq. Ched, king of Elim
• 5:38
  represents a a group from Iran. And then
• 5:42
  title, king of nations. That word
• 5:44
  nations translates to another Hebrew
• 5:46
  word. And that Hebrew word it translates
• 5:49
  to translates to Turkey. All right? And
• 5:51
  I know that's that's that's broad. Okay?
• 5:54
  But the imagery in the text is is this a
• 5:56
  is a Middle Eastern war. Okay? And uh I
• 5:59
  think it's interesting. I don't know
• 6:01
  about you, but it's interesting to me
• 6:02
  that the first recorded war in the Bible
• 6:05
  is Iraq, Iran, and Turkey. Okay? And uh
• 6:08
  I think there's reasons for that. Amen.
• 6:10
  them people over there's been fighting
• 6:11
  for forever. Amen. And I'm going to tell
• 6:13
  you, they going to be fighting until
• 6:15
  Jesus comes back. All right? And so they
• 6:17
  ain't nothing going to change over
• 6:18
  there. And let me just put this out
• 6:19
  there. I seen a thing today where Trump
• 6:22
  said he's pulling out of Iran. Well,
• 6:23
  just give it some time. We'll be right
• 6:25
  back. Okay? And we'll be right back over
• 6:27
  there because that's what they do.
• 6:29
  That's what they do. They fight. And so
• 6:31
  we see the governments. It's mentioned
• 6:33
  uh verse one. Then there's the
• 6:34
  governments mentioned verse two. Uh Bara
• 6:37
  king of Sodom. Bersa, king of Yammora,
• 6:39
  Shinab, king of Adma, and Shemeabber,
• 6:42
  king of Zaboam, and the king of Bala,
• 6:45
  which is Zor. So, you've got four
• 6:47
  kingdoms that are mentioned in verse
• 6:49
  one, and then five rival kingdoms that
• 6:51
  are mentioned in verse two. Of course,
• 6:53
  these are kingdoms that are mentioned
• 6:55
  according to verse number three. You
• 6:57
  note not the go only the governments,
• 6:59
  but you note the geography of the five
• 7:01
  that are mentioned in verse verse number
• 7:03
  two. Verse three, look what he says. All
• 7:05
  these were joined together in the veil
• 7:08
  of Sidim which is the salt sea. And so
• 7:10
  the salt sea is the dead sea. And that
• 7:13
  veil that is the valley uh that would be
• 7:15
  on the southern side of the dead sea.
• 7:18
  These five land five kings these five
• 7:21
  lands Sodom, Gomorrah, Adma, Zaboam and
• 7:24
  Zoir in the text are in that valley uh
• 7:28
  according to verse number three. And
• 7:30
  then I want to lay this on your heart.
• 7:32
  This kind of where we begin to look into
• 7:34
  the thought a little bit more tonight. I
• 7:36
  notice not only the governments and the
• 7:38
  geography, but then there is a mention
• 7:40
  of grief in verse number four. You say,
• 7:43
  well, what is the grief? Well, notice
• 7:45
  that first phrase. It's mentioned in
• 7:46
  verse number four. 12 years they served
• 7:50
  Chador Le. So, what has happened in this
• 7:53
  text is what you find is this is the
• 7:56
  first mention of national war. But this
• 7:58
  also is the first mention here of a
• 8:01
  government that is servant that has a
• 8:04
  overrule over another land. And so what
• 8:07
  this is is much like the days in
• 8:09
  Jerusalem uh in Jesus day when Jew
• 8:12
  Jerusalem and the Hebrews they were
• 8:15
  ruled by Rome that greater government.
• 8:16
  And so this here is an image of that
• 8:19
  very same thing. I want to say this.
• 8:21
  Anytime you see this in the word of God,
• 8:24
  the reason this takes place is because
• 8:26
  of sin.
• 8:27
  All right. The reason why a a nation
• 8:31
  greater than another would come and take
• 8:33
  over a smaller nation is because of the
• 8:36
  sin of that smaller nation. It's just
• 8:37
  like when the Lord turned Israel over,
• 8:39
  he turned them over to Babylon. He
• 8:41
  turned them over uh to Persia, Meo
• 8:44
  Persia. He turned them over uh to
• 8:46
  captivity of Assyria. Amen. And so
• 8:48
  they've all been all every time you see
• 8:50
  this uh there is a a uh indication of
• 8:55
  sin in the mix. Now I want to say this.
• 8:57
  You see it readily in the text by that
• 8:59
  word serve. Now that word serve in verse
• 9:02
  number four. That's the first time that
• 9:04
  word is mentioned in the King James
• 9:06
  Bible. That word serve. And it it's it
• 9:08
  has two definitions. The first mention
• 9:11
  uh first definition of it has to do with
• 9:13
  a labor or a masterership. And so they
• 9:16
  are serving these five nations Sodom,
• 9:19
  Gomorrah, Adidas, Aoam and Zor are
• 9:22
  serving Chedor Lear king of Elim in the
• 9:25
  text. and they are bound grievously unto
• 9:28
  him. You know what? Sin is a cruel
• 9:30
  taskmaster.
• 9:32
  >> Amen. When you decide to go against God,
• 9:35
  when you decide to walk against the
• 9:36
  truths of God's word, it's not going to
• 9:38
  be long before you find yourself in
• 9:40
  bondage. And the grief that appears on
• 9:43
  the pages of the scripture is pointed
• 9:45
  out in the fact, verse four, not only by
• 9:47
  their service, but it's also pointed out
• 9:49
  by the fact, notice verse four. And in
• 9:52
  the 13th year, they did what? rebelled.
• 9:56
  They walked away. Let me say this. All
• 9:58
  right. They've decid for all this time
• 10:00
  because of the lives that they were
• 10:02
  living, they were servants unto this
• 10:04
  man. And in the text, it says they
• 10:06
  decided that they are going to walk away
• 10:09
  from this rulership. Let me say this,
• 10:11
  sin's not easy to walk away from.
• 10:14
  >> Amen. When you decide to walk away from
• 10:16
  sin, you know what? It's going to come
• 10:17
  after you. Just because you decide to
• 10:20
  get right doesn't mean that it's not
• 10:21
  going to reappear in your life once
• 10:24
  again. And so there is mentioned here
• 10:26
  the grief. Now I want to give you just a
• 10:28
  few things here and then we will get
• 10:29
  into the thought tonight. So what
• 10:31
  happens is Taylor Lemer these four kings
• 10:34
  that are mentioned in verse one they get
• 10:36
  together. All right they decide that
• 10:37
  they are going to begin to lay siege on
• 10:40
  the five lands that are mentioned in
• 10:42
  verse two. So verses five 6 and 7
• 10:46
  begins to take out the neighboring
• 10:48
  lands. I put that in my in my Bible.
• 10:50
  When you look at the geography that's
• 10:52
  mentioned by these lands that are
• 10:54
  mentioned, the the Zuzims in Ham, the
• 10:57
  Mmsiums, the Horites, and verse number
• 11:00
  seven, Kadesh, the Amalachites, the
• 11:03
  Amorites, all of that is land
• 11:05
  surrounding these five people, these
• 11:08
  five groups of people that are mentioned
• 11:09
  in verse two. So what they do is is they
• 11:12
  begin in their tactics of war, they take
• 11:14
  out all the people that's going to help
• 11:15
  him.
• 11:17
  That's how the devil works. He takes out
• 11:20
  all the people in your life who can help
• 11:22
  you. And then you know what he does? He
• 11:23
  isolates you to destroy you. And so they
• 11:26
  take out the neighboring lands. And then
• 11:29
  there is verse number eight. We could
• 11:31
  say a whole lot about all that, but we
• 11:32
  going to move on. I'm going to go back
• 11:34
  to one thought here a little later. But
• 11:36
  then so after they take out the
• 11:38
  neighboring lands, they journey. If you
• 11:40
  look at a a map, you can see they
• 11:42
  journey from the north down to the south
• 11:44
  and then they go down southwest and then
• 11:46
  they come back up. And when they come
• 11:48
  back up, they are headed directly
• 11:50
  towards that veil of Cidium that's
• 11:53
  mentioned, which is the the valley
• 11:55
  beneath the Dead Sea. Verse number verse
• 11:57
  number seven. And they returned. Notice
• 11:59
  that they came back the same way and
• 12:02
  came to Enish, which is Kadesh, and
• 12:04
  smoteed all the country of the
• 12:05
  Malachites and also the Amorites that
• 12:07
  dwelt in Hazison. So they took out
• 12:10
  everybody that's around them. Verse
• 12:12
  number eight, you notice not the
• 12:14
  neighboring lands, but you lo notice the
• 12:16
  ne I can't talk tonight. The nefarious
• 12:19
  lands. Verse number eight, look what the
• 12:20
  Bible says. And there went out the king
• 12:22
  of Sodom and the king of Gomorrah and
• 12:25
  the king of Admma and the king of Zaboam
• 12:27
  and the king of Ba, the same as Zor. And
• 12:30
  they joined battle with them in the veil
• 12:33
  of Cidon. So these four kings have been
• 12:35
  victorious over every land that they've
• 12:37
  come to. And now they arrive at the five
• 12:40
  kings of Sodom and Gomorrah and the land
• 12:43
  that surrounds that. Verse number nine
• 12:45
  is continued that they are in battle.
• 12:48
  They are in battle with these four
• 12:49
  kings. And then you notice what happens.
• 12:51
  All right, out of this. They come up and
• 12:54
  and we think about this. All right,
• 12:55
  isn't it always an advantage when you're
• 12:58
  fighting on your own turf?
• 13:00
  >> Amen. And so when we think about this
• 13:02
  text, we realize that Sodom, these five
• 13:04
  kings had the advantage. They were
• 13:07
  fighting on their own turf. But you know
• 13:08
  what? That wasn't the only advantage
• 13:10
  they had. The Bible says, notice the
• 13:12
  last pray phrase of verse number nine.
• 13:14
  It says they were fighting four kings
• 13:17
  with five. So five kings were fighting
• 13:20
  against four kings. And the implication
• 13:21
  there is is that these five cities of
• 13:24
  the valley of uh below the dead sea had
• 13:28
  more people in their armies than even
• 13:31
  these four kings did that were coming up
• 13:33
  against them. But how many of you know
• 13:35
  just because you got more people don't
• 13:36
  mean you got better ability to fight.
• 13:39
  >> Notice what happens. Three things
• 13:41
  tonight I'm going to give you and I'm
• 13:42
  going to be done this evening. We notice
• 13:44
  that though they had their they had an
• 13:47
  advantage of being in their own land and
• 13:49
  having more people. The first thing
• 13:50
  that's pointed out to us in scripture is
• 13:52
  their failure. Notice verse 10. And the
• 13:55
  veil of Sidim was full of slime pits.
• 13:57
  And the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled
• 13:59
  and fell there. And they that remain
• 14:02
  fled to the mountain. Now, what's
• 14:05
  interesting to me about their failure is
• 14:07
  is number one, the first thing you see
• 14:08
  them doing is not fighting, but they're
• 14:10
  leaving.
• 14:12
  Amen. Notice the text. It said, "And the
• 14:14
  kings of Sodom and Gomorra did what?
• 14:17
  Fled. They left." What were they
• 14:20
  leaving? Well, they were leaving their
• 14:21
  city. They were leaving the people that
• 14:23
  were there behind. You notice it's
• 14:25
  mentioned not only what they left, but
• 14:27
  notice what they lost. Verse number 11.
• 14:29
  and they took all the goods of Sodom and
• 14:31
  Gomorrah and all their victuals and went
• 14:33
  their way. These kings didn't even have
• 14:35
  to fight. They just cleaned them out.
• 14:38
  You say, "Preacher, why is that?" Well,
• 14:40
  this this city, these cities are
• 14:42
  described by one individual, and his
• 14:44
  name is mentioned in verse 12. Look what
• 14:46
  the Bible says. And they took who?
• 14:49
  Lot. Abram's brother's son who dwelt in
• 14:53
  Sodom and his goods and departed. Now,
• 14:57
  what do we know about Lot in the
• 14:58
  scripture? Lot was always looking out
• 15:00
  for who? Number one, wasn't he? He was
• 15:04
  always looking out for himself. And you
• 15:06
  know what? The cities that are
• 15:07
  represented in this text, you know what
• 15:09
  they paint to us in the scripture? They
• 15:11
  paint to us. The reason why Lot went
• 15:13
  there is because they all just like him.
• 15:16
  They're all looking out for themselves.
• 15:20
  And the Bible says that when they came,
• 15:22
  the failure scene is that they didn't
• 15:23
  even fight. There was no defense placed
• 15:26
  against them. Why is that? Because they
• 15:28
  were so given to pleasure. They were so
• 15:31
  given to the lust of their flesh. They
• 15:33
  had no will to fight. All right. Now,
• 15:35
  let y'all looking at me like I'm crazy.
• 15:37
  All right. Let's just bring this to
• 15:38
  where we live. All right. Let's say we
• 15:41
  get all these people that are sodomites
• 15:44
  and homosexuals,
• 15:46
  all these people that are transvestites
• 15:48
  and all the other ites of this country,
• 15:50
  and they decide they're going to get up
• 15:52
  an army to fight against those in the
• 15:55
  nation that are, you know, patriots,
• 15:57
  those that believe right and try to do
• 15:58
  right. Well, we know exactly how that
• 16:01
  would go.
• 16:03
  >> You know why? Because them people ain't
• 16:04
  never worked a day in their life.
• 16:06
  >> Them people ain't never wielded a rifle.
• 16:08
  Them people have have no strength. They
• 16:10
  have no ability to defend themselves if
• 16:12
  they don't have a gun in their hand.
• 16:14
  They have no ability to do anything. And
• 16:16
  the point I'm making is this. The reason
• 16:19
  why it was an easy target is because
• 16:21
  they had lived and wanting this so long.
• 16:24
  They had lived a lavish, luscious
• 16:26
  lifestyle so long that when the enemy
• 16:28
  came, they didn't even fight. They just
• 16:30
  fled. You know, the scary thing to me in
• 16:34
  this day and time is is is is how many
• 16:36
  people when things get hard just say,
• 16:38
  "All right,
• 16:40
  >> I'm done."
• 16:42
  >> Just just say, "Well, well, that that's
• 16:44
  as far as I'm going to go cuz I don't
• 16:46
  feel good." And the truth is, if we
• 16:48
  operated off of our feelings, we'd quit
• 16:51
  today. We'd have quit a long time ago.
• 16:53
  Amen. I'm telling you tonight, friend, I
• 16:55
  ain't working for my feelings. I'm
• 16:57
  working for my savior. Amen. And he has
• 16:59
  commissioned me. He has called me and I
• 17:02
  DON'T SEE AN EXIT sign anywhere.
• 17:05
  >> I'M NOT SEEING A ROAD OUT OF THIS THING.
• 17:07
  I'M NOT SEEING SOMEWHERE WHERE I CAN GET
• 17:09
  OFF THE TRAIN THAT'S HEADED TO GLORY.
• 17:11
  AMEN. I'M SAYING, FRIEND, AS LONG AS I'M
• 17:13
  HERE, I AM COMMANDED TO FIGHT. I'M
• 17:16
  COMMANDED TO SERVE. AND THE BIBLE SAYS
• 17:18
  THAT NO man that warth, no man that
• 17:20
  warth ENTANGLETH HIMSELF WITH THE
• 17:22
  AFFAIRS OF THIS LIFE. The reason why
• 17:25
  they didn't fight, the reason why THEY
• 17:27
  WERE A FAILURE IS BECAUSE THEY HAD LIVED
• 17:29
  IN the lust OF THE FLESH TOO LONG.
• 17:32
  >> YOU SAY, "HOW long was it, preacher?"
• 17:34
  Well, notice the text again. Chapter 12,
• 17:37
  verse number four. Look at your Bible.
• 17:38
  Chapter 14, verse 4. Look what it says.
• 17:41
  12 years they served Chador Leon. You
• 17:45
  know what they've done all this time?
• 17:47
  They've been fine with him. One day they
• 17:49
  decided, "Well, I've had enough of
• 17:51
  that."
• 17:53
  You know what happened?
• 17:55
  He had got them to a place where they
• 17:57
  were weak. Because you know what he did?
• 18:00
  He had run over them and allowed them to
• 18:02
  have everything that they want. You know
• 18:04
  why the devil's got America in his grips
• 18:06
  right now? Is because we have been we
• 18:09
  have more than any generation that's
• 18:10
  ever come before us.
• 18:12
  >> We have everything. Listen to me. We
• 18:16
  have everything pretty much everything
• 18:18
  that we want.
• 18:20
  You may not have everything that you
• 18:22
  want. Amen. I'm telling you tonight,
• 18:24
  from my heart of hearts, I don't need
• 18:26
  nothing.
• 18:27
  >> I'm not lacking anything. God has been
• 18:30
  good.
• 18:31
  >> I don't want for a thing. I'm not
• 18:33
  missing nothing. I ain't missed a meal
• 18:36
  my entire life. And I thank God for
• 18:38
  that. God has been good. But what I'm
• 18:40
  saying is where there's an abundance of
• 18:42
  blessing, many times there's an
• 18:44
  abundance of wickedness. Amen.
• 18:47
  >> Right.
• 18:47
  >> What happens to them in this text is
• 18:52
  that they've allowed their flesh to
• 18:55
  control them and their flesh leads them
• 18:57
  to failure.
• 19:00
  You know what? I don't ever want to
• 19:01
  leave my let my flesh lead me to
• 19:03
  failure.
• 19:05
  >> Because you know what? There ain't none
• 19:06
  of us that's exempt from that. Not a
• 19:09
  single one of us this evening is
• 19:11
  perfect. Not a single one of us has done
• 19:13
  everything right. You ought to
• 19:14
  understand something tonight. Myself
• 19:16
  included. We are failures at best. Amen.
• 19:19
  And if we are LEFT TO OURSELVES, WE
• 19:21
  CERTAINLY WILL END OUR LIVES for oursel.
• 19:24
  Amen. It's only BY THE GRACE OF GOD THAT
• 19:27
  I MAKE IT FROM DAY TO DAY. And until you
• 19:29
  REALIZE THAT, FRIEND, YOU WON'T make it
• 19:31
  in this life.
• 19:32
  >> Amen.
• 19:33
  >> Paul said, "I am what I am by the grace
• 19:36
  of God." And if anybody had religion to
• 19:38
  trust in, it was him. Amen. He was a
• 19:40
  Hebrew of Hebrews. And then after he got
• 19:42
  saved, he's the best Christian that ever
• 19:44
  lived. But you know, even he himself, he
• 19:46
  didn't trust in his flesh. That's why he
• 19:48
  said in Romans chapter number 7, he
• 19:50
  said, "Who shall deliver me FROM THE
• 19:52
  BODY OF THIS DEATH?" HE SAID, "THIS BODY
• 19:56
  IS A BODY OF DEATH." IT'S IT'S GOT THE
• 19:58
  CURSE OF DEATH UPON IT. AND WHEN YOU GET
• 20:01
  SAVED, YOUR BODY, YOUR FLESH IS NOT
• 20:03
  SAVED. And Paul said, "The only way I'm
• 20:06
  going to be delivered is through Jesus
• 20:08
  Christ." That's why he said in Galatians
• 20:10
  chapter 2 and verse number 20, he said,
• 20:12
  "For I'm crucified with Christ.
• 20:14
  Nevertheless, I live yet not I." He
• 20:16
  said, "But Christ liveth in me and the
• 20:18
  life that I now live in the flesh. I
• 20:20
  live by the faith of the son of God who
• 20:22
  loved me and who gave himself for me."
• 20:25
  Amen. I'm not living on my own terms.
• 20:27
  And you will be just like them in this
• 20:30
  text if you are living in the lust of
• 20:33
  the flesh. Their failure is seen in
• 20:35
  their leaving. Their failure is seen in
• 20:37
  their what they lost, their losing. But
• 20:39
  I'll say this, their failure is seen in
• 20:41
  who left, and that was Lot.
• 20:45
  Notice this. All right. I see not only
• 20:48
  their failure, but I see there's a a a
• 20:50
  focus that appears on this on the page
• 20:52
  of scripture. That's what I love about
• 20:54
  this text. Bible said in verse 13, and
• 20:58
  notice what your Bible says, and there
• 21:00
  came one that had escaped. Now, the
• 21:05
  clutches of sin, the clutches of this
• 21:07
  king in the text has taken them all
• 21:09
  away. But there's one that gets out. And
• 21:13
  isn't it interesting where he's going to
• 21:17
  look what the Bible says? And there came
• 21:19
  one that had escaped. What's the next
• 21:21
  phrase? And told Abram. Now, let me ask
• 21:24
  you something. How did he know to come
• 21:26
  to Abram?
• 21:28
  Well, he'd heard about him somewhere.
• 21:30
  Somewhere along the way he had met
• 21:33
  Abram. Now what's interesting to me
• 21:36
  about this text is what's said in the
• 21:38
  next phrase. I told you this is a
• 21:39
  chapter of first. All right. And there
• 21:41
  came one that had escaped and told Abram
• 21:44
  what's that description of him? The
• 21:46
  Hebrew.
• 21:48
  It doesn't say Abram and Hebrew. It says
• 21:50
  Abram the Hebrew. Now I looked this up.
• 21:55
  All right. I like words. Y'all know that
• 21:57
  by now. This word Hebrew is the first
• 21:59
  mentioned in the word of God. First time
• 22:02
  the word Hebrew is mentioned. Do you
• 22:03
  know where the word Hebrew is derived
• 22:05
  from? I didn't I I'm ashamed to admit I
• 22:08
  didn't know this till today. I should
• 22:09
  have. Probably would have. I'd thought
• 22:11
  about it, but I'll be honest with you, I
• 22:12
  didn't. Amen.
• 22:14
  That word Hebrew comes from a translated
• 22:18
  word of the father, distant father of
• 22:22
  Abram. You know his name? His name is
• 22:24
  Eber. His name is Eber. Now, what does
• 22:27
  the Bible tell us about Eber? Turn back
• 22:28
  with me to chapter 10, verse number 25.
• 22:32
  Hebrew literally means a son of Eber.
• 22:35
  Chapter 10, verse number 25.
• 22:39
  Verse 24, Genesis 10. And Arfacad begget
• 22:44
  Sa and Sah begget Eber. Verse 25, notice
• 22:48
  this. And unto Eber were born two sons.
• 22:51
  The name of one was Pleg, for in his
• 22:54
  days was the earth divided, and his
• 22:56
  brother's name was Jockan.
• 22:59
  Now, what you what you discover by that
• 23:01
  is is that Eber has a distinction about
• 23:04
  him. For it was his children were the
• 23:07
  ones that were born. It was his days. It
• 23:10
  was his birth when the earth was
• 23:12
  divided. Now, notice this in the text.
• 23:14
  All right? And there came one that had
• 23:16
  escaped and told Abram, Moses writes
• 23:19
  this. All right? Abram, the Hebrew. Why
• 23:22
  did he put that in there? Well, he was
• 23:24
  he was making a distinction about Abram,
• 23:26
  and it was a distinction of power. You
• 23:30
  see, what was different about Abram in
• 23:32
  this text is is that all those men, all
• 23:33
  those other cities, you know what they
• 23:34
  did when the battle got hot?
• 23:39
  They fled, didn't they? Notice what
• 23:41
  happens in the text. And there came one
• 23:43
  that had escaped and told Abram the
• 23:45
  Hebrew, for he dwelt in the plain of
• 23:46
  Mamry the Amorite, brother of Eshko,
• 23:49
  brother of Anaran, these were
• 23:50
  confederate with Abram. So there is a
• 23:52
  power obviously that this young man
• 23:54
  knows about. Now we know what the power
• 23:56
  of Abraham's life, Abram's life is.
• 23:58
  Somebody tell me, what is the power in
• 24:00
  Abram's life?
• 24:02
  That's right. It's his faith, right?
• 24:05
  Amen. It was his faith. Abram's the
• 24:07
  father of the faith. So his faith Amen.
• 24:11
  And what John say? He said, "This is the
• 24:12
  victory that overcometh the world, even
• 24:15
  our faith." All right. So, it is his
• 24:18
  faith that has made a distinction. It is
• 24:21
  the power of God. Why else would this
• 24:23
  young man have come to him? You say,
• 24:24
  "Preacher, well, how did he know who
• 24:26
  Abram was?" Well, notice verse 13 again.
• 24:29
  And he dwelt in the plane of what?
• 24:32
  Mamry. Well, let's turn back a chapter.
• 24:36
  Chapter number 13, verse number 18. Look
• 24:40
  what the Bible says. And Abram removed
• 24:42
  his tent and came and dwelt in the plain
• 24:44
  of Mamry, which is in Heedron, and built
• 24:48
  there an altar unto the Lord. Verse 13
• 24:50
  of chapter 14. And there came one that
• 24:52
  had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew,
• 24:54
  for he dwelt in the plain of Mamry, the
• 24:56
  Amorite, brother Veshov, brother of
• 24:58
  Anor, and these were confederate
• 25:03
  with Abram. So this young man obviously
• 25:06
  by the label Moses puts on him, there's
• 25:08
  a distinction that's present. All right?
• 25:10
  He has the power of God on his life, the
• 25:14
  Hebrew. But then there's also a piece
• 25:16
  that's mentioned in this. All right? You
• 25:17
  with me? Y'all with me tonight?
• 25:20
  Anybody with me? Amen. Somebody say
• 25:22
  amen. All right. Verse 13. We'll get
• 25:24
  done a lot faster. I promise. Here just
• 25:25
  a minute. And these were confederate
• 25:28
  with Abram. Now, that word confederate
• 25:30
  means this. All right. As far as I can
• 25:32
  tell, that's the first mention of that.
• 25:33
  All right, first mention of that I've
• 25:34
  ever seen. All right, conferred.
• 25:36
  Confederate. This means that these young
• 25:38
  men, these these Amorites, they have m
• 25:41
  subjected themselves to Abram.
• 25:44
  Now, what do we know about Abram? God's
• 25:46
  blessed him. He has rulership. Lot was
• 25:48
  with him. He was ruling over Lot. He
• 25:50
  separated from him because God told him
• 25:52
  to. Everywhere that Abram has went, he
• 25:54
  has had authority, hasn't he? He had
• 25:57
  authority when he went down into Egypt.
• 25:59
  He has authority when he goes back. And
• 26:01
  and and and there's many other places.
• 26:02
  We're going to look at that later on.
• 26:04
  But what this points out to us is is not
• 26:06
  only was there power that this young man
• 26:09
  knew about with Abram, but there was
• 26:11
  peace. You see, Abram when he came into
• 26:13
  the land, he didn't fight against him.
• 26:16
  But the Bible says this young man
• 26:17
  escaped. So, you know what's happened?
• 26:20
  He went to Abram because he knew Abram
• 26:22
  was at peace with them. Abram was the
• 26:24
  only one left in the land that could
• 26:26
  help.
• 26:28
  Listen to me tonight. It's going to get
• 26:31
  to a point one of these days when
• 26:32
  there's just going to be just a few
• 26:34
  Christians
• 26:36
  >> left
• 26:38
  and you ain't going to have anywhere
• 26:39
  else to go.
• 26:40
  >> That's right.
• 26:41
  >> You hearing me?
• 26:44
  They had nobody else to turn to.
• 26:48
  Everybody else is wiped out.
• 26:51
  Notice the text. And these were
• 26:53
  confederate. That word confederate
• 26:54
  almost has the implication that Abram is
• 26:57
  is like I I want to say dictator for
• 26:59
  sake of alliteration but they are in
• 27:01
  subjection
• 27:03
  to Abram in this text and they know that
• 27:06
  Abram has their best interest in mind.
• 27:10
  Notice what happens. I see not only the
• 27:12
  power and the peace but notice the
• 27:14
  preparation. You see this young man
• 27:16
  obviously knows all of this. Obviously
• 27:19
  that's why he comes to Abram. Well
• 27:20
  notice what happens. Verse 14. And when
• 27:23
  Abram heard that his brother was taken
• 27:25
  captive, he armed his strange servants
• 27:27
  born in his own house 318
• 27:30
  and pursued them unto Dan. Now every
• 27:34
  other city around has been took out.
• 27:37
  Every other army wasted. Nothing left.
• 27:40
  They've all left. They've all fled.
• 27:42
  They've all run away. You know who's
• 27:44
  left? Abram. But you know what? Abram's
• 27:47
  got some men with him.
• 27:50
  Boy, aren't you thankful
• 27:52
  >> that when every resource of this world
• 27:54
  dries up, God has some people
• 27:57
  >> somewhere in some place that's going to
• 28:00
  help you when you need it most.
• 28:02
  >> Amen.
• 28:03
  >> Amen. And I'll say this, we can paint
• 28:06
  him as the type of Christ that he is.
• 28:08
  When every other resource fails, Jesus
• 28:10
  will never fail. Amen.
• 28:13
  >> Never. You say, "What is it?" Well, his
• 28:16
  focus was on Abram's power. His focus
• 28:18
  was on that peace that Abram had. But
• 28:20
  his focus was on the fact that Abram was
• 28:22
  prepared.
• 28:24
  Notice it again verse 14. And when Abram
• 28:27
  heard that or ver yeah when Abram heard
• 28:29
  that his brother was taken captive, he
• 28:30
  armed his what? Trained servants.
• 28:35
  He armed his trained servants. Born in
• 28:37
  his own house.
• 28:40
  Born in his own house. These are men
• 28:43
  that Abram himself has raised from their
• 28:46
  youth. And you know what he's done? He's
• 28:49
  brought them up in the nurture and the
• 28:51
  admonition of the Lord for such a time
• 28:54
  as this.
• 28:56
  Do you realize what's coming in our
• 28:58
  country?
• 29:00
  Let me ask you something. You know
• 29:02
  what's coming.
• 29:04
  >> Are your children ready for it?
• 29:08
  >> Let me ask you something. Are you ready
• 29:09
  for it?
• 29:10
  >> Amen.
• 29:12
  I'm not ready for it because I don't
• 29:14
  know the extent of all that is. But you
• 29:16
  know what? I do know this. I'm going to
• 29:17
  do my best to get ready for it. Have
• 29:19
  been trying to for some time. Friend,
• 29:22
  there's stuff on the horizon in this
• 29:23
  next election. I was talking with
• 29:26
  brother Codle here on Sunday. Communist
• 29:29
  regime in Canada is insane.
• 29:34
  He told us here Sunday that there's a
• 29:35
  preacher up there they had arrested.
• 29:38
  >> We're next. Amen.
• 29:42
  >> We're next.
• 29:44
  It's do or die.
• 29:48
  It's not quitting time. But I'll tell
• 29:50
  you what time it is. It's time to bear
• 29:52
  up our arms. Look what he says. He armed
• 29:56
  his trained servants. They were
• 29:58
  prepared. They were trained how to use
• 30:00
  it. But you know what? They didn't use
• 30:01
  it until it was time to use it. That's
• 30:03
  why we have problem in this country.
• 30:05
  There's people who are trained with it.
• 30:06
  But you know what they want to do? They
• 30:07
  want to go blow somebody up just as soon
• 30:09
  as they get an opportunity.
• 30:12
  It's sad that our country is training
• 30:14
  more terrorists than it is training army
• 30:16
  men.
• 30:18
  >> You think I'm tell you you think I'm
• 30:20
  crazy tonight, but you you just look at
• 30:22
  the news headlines for a month in a row.
• 30:26
  They can take the guns from the
• 30:27
  citizens. I'm I don't know why I'm
• 30:28
  preaching on this tonight, but they can
• 30:30
  take the guns from the citizens, but at
• 30:31
  the end of the day, the terrorists are
• 30:33
  still gonna get them.
• 30:34
  >> That's right. the evil men are still
• 30:36
  going to find them. They're always going
• 30:37
  to be available. They can come take
• 30:39
  ours. And you know what? If they if it
• 30:41
  comes down to that and it gets against
• 30:42
  the law, we might just have to fight for
• 30:44
  it. I hope nobody comes after me on the
• 30:48
  internet, but I'm just telling you.
• 30:51
  That's what I'm telling you. They want
• 30:53
  this to want this for us. Are you
• 30:55
  prepared? Let me ask you something. In
• 30:58
  the spiritual realm of things, which is
• 30:59
  more important, somebody say amen.
• 31:02
  Are you prepared for the attacks of the
• 31:05
  enemy against you? You know what he'll
• 31:08
  do? He'll let your flesh get you to a
• 31:09
  place of weakness where you are so
• 31:11
  destroyed mentally, physically, and
• 31:13
  spiritually. And then he'll just drop
• 31:15
  one little on you when you're at your
• 31:17
  weakest moment and you just go,
• 31:21
  your life's over.
• 31:24
  Notice this. But this young man had
• 31:26
  somewhere to come back to. Aren't you
• 31:28
  thankful for that? You have somewhere to
• 31:30
  go. Some of y'all in here, you've
• 31:32
  testified. You've told about how there
• 31:34
  were days you spent out of the will of
• 31:35
  the Lord. Aren't you thankful there were
• 31:36
  some people that stayed with it all that
• 31:38
  time you was out.
• 31:40
  >> Amen. Notice this. I see their failure.
• 31:43
  I see the focus here in the text.
• 31:45
  They've he's got Abram on his mind. His
• 31:49
  power, his peace, his preparation. These
• 31:51
  defenders that Abram has raised up. God,
• 31:54
  help us to raise a generation of
• 31:56
  defenders.
• 31:58
  Notice the fight. Verse number 14. When
• 32:01
  Abram heard that his brother was taken
• 32:02
  captive, he armed his trained servants,
• 32:04
  born in his own house. 318. And pursued
• 32:07
  them unto Dan. And he divided himself
• 32:11
  against them. He and his servants by
• 32:12
  night, and smoked them, and pursued them
• 32:14
  unto Hoba, which is on the left hand of
• 32:17
  Damascus. Now, I want to point out a
• 32:19
  clear difference here. All right? What
• 32:21
  you see in the text is the difference
• 32:23
  between those who were in Sodom and
• 32:25
  Gomorra, the other three cities, and the
• 32:27
  difference in Abram. You see, Sodom and
• 32:29
  Gomorrah waited till they got there. You
• 32:32
  know what? That's the flesh's response.
• 32:34
  We wait till a problem's right in front
• 32:36
  of us and it blows up in our face. We
• 32:38
  get destroyed by it.
• 32:42
  >> But you know what the spiritual man's
• 32:43
  response is? He's proactive. And you
• 32:46
  know what? That's where we all fail.
• 32:48
  >> You see, he's pursuing the enemy. In the
• 32:50
  text before, the enemy was pursuing
• 32:52
  them. Deliverance comes when we pursue
• 32:55
  the enemy. The Lord said, "Resist the
• 32:57
  devil and he will flee from you."
• 33:01
  There's the pursuing, but then there's
• 33:03
  the providing in the text, this fight.
• 33:05
  He divided himself against them, he and
• 33:07
  his servants by night, and smoked them,
• 33:09
  and pursued them under Hoba, which is on
• 33:11
  the left hand of Damascus. And he
• 33:13
  brought back all the goods, and also
• 33:15
  brought again his brother Lot and his
• 33:17
  goods, and the women also, and the
• 33:19
  people. Abram in the text with 300 men
• 33:23
  recovers what five kings could not win.
• 33:26
  in defense. You see, it ain't the size
• 33:28
  of the army. It just matters which which
• 33:30
  side you're on.
• 33:31
  >> Amen.
• 33:32
  >> Amen. It just matters who you're
• 33:34
  fighting for and why you're fighting. I
• 33:37
  want to remind you again, church, this
• 33:39
  thing ain't about quantity.
• 33:41
  It just ain't. And it ain't going to be
• 33:43
  about quantity until Jesus comes. These
• 33:46
  churches all over this country is going
• 33:47
  to have more people than we have. But
• 33:48
  I'm going to tell you this. At the end
• 33:49
  of the day, as long as we do what God
• 33:51
  says and we have his blessing, you
• 33:54
  hearing me? We have his blessing, at the
• 33:57
  end of the day, we'll be able to stand
• 33:58
  at the judgment seat one of these days
• 34:00
  and he'll say, "Well done."
• 34:03
  >> Amen.
• 34:04
  >> That's what I want more than anything
• 34:05
  else.
• 34:06
  >> That's what I want. That's what I desire
• 34:08
  is his approval. Amen.
• 34:12
  >> More than anything else.
• 34:14
  And out of their pursuing, they provide
• 34:16
  the spoil back again. And he was
• 34:19
  faithful to fight the battle because he
• 34:22
  loved his brother. I want to say this to
• 34:24
  you.
• 34:27
  How many battles are you willing to
• 34:28
  fight because you love your brother?
• 34:33
  We often quit.
• 34:35
  We often give up. And it's our fleshly
• 34:38
  nature to do so. But the truth is truth
• 34:41
  is if we really love our brother, if we
• 34:43
  really love our sister, if we really
• 34:45
  love our wife, if we really love our
• 34:47
  children, we just don't give up too
• 34:48
  easily. That's
• 34:49
  >> right. That's right.
• 34:50
  >> We just don't quit when it gets hard. We
• 34:53
  don't just back away when there's
• 34:55
  resistance. We get up, we go on, do what
• 34:58
  we know we're supposed to do and be who
• 35:00
  we're supposed to be because we know who
• 35:02
  we're doing it for.
• 35:04
  >> That we can't control their response.
• 35:06
  You listen to me. You thing about it is
• 35:08
  that battle Abram didn't know how it was
• 35:10
  going to go.
• 35:12
  But all he knew was Lot was in trouble.
• 35:16
  And you know what? He'd left Lot a long
• 35:18
  time ago.
• 35:20
  But Lot's decision got him in a mess.
• 35:23
  And so you know what Abram did? He come
• 35:25
  back in again.
• 35:28
  Mas, daddy's, you've had to do that with
• 35:30
  your children. Their decisions have got
• 35:33
  them in a mess. And you know what you've
• 35:34
  had to do? where you stepped off of
• 35:36
  their life when they got to be an adult,
• 35:38
  you allowed them to make their own
• 35:39
  decisions. But when they get them in a
• 35:40
  mess, you know what you do? You go help
• 35:42
  them.
• 35:44
  >> You don't leave them to theirel. How
• 35:46
  much more?
• 35:48
  How much more? Bible says, "If a man be
• 35:51
  overtaken in a fault, you know what Paul
• 35:54
  said, ye who are spiritual, restore such
• 35:56
  a one in a spirit of meekness." Because
• 35:59
  the thing is, we we should be in hell.
• 36:03
  Yeah,
• 36:04
  >> I should be in hell.
• 36:06
  >> That's what I deserve tonight. That's
• 36:09
  where I would be if it hadn't been for
• 36:11
  one who forgave me before I even knew
• 36:13
  what forgiveness was. If it hadn't been
• 36:15
  for one who paid the sin debt before I
• 36:17
  even knew that I was a sinner.
• 36:19
  >> Amen.
• 36:19
  >> Right?
• 36:21
  >> He loved us that much. How much more How
• 36:24
  much more should we be willing to do
• 36:27
  whatever it takes? And I t I didn't give
• 36:30
  you the title tonight, but this is if
• 36:33
  you want to call it the another what is
• 36:35
  it? We've been calling these B words,
• 36:36
  ain't it? Bwords. The bravery, the brawn
• 36:41
  of Abram. You know what it takes a real
• 36:43
  man to go fight somebody else's battle.
• 36:48
  >> It takes a real man to do that.
• 36:50
  >> Father, thank you for this day. Thank
• 36:53
  you for your grace and your mercy. Thank
• 36:55
  you for your love. Thank you, God, for
• 36:57
  peace that passes all understanding. And
• 37:00
  God, I ask you tonight that you would
• 37:02
  help us. Lord, we're nothing without
• 37:04
  you. God, we we are failures at best.
• 37:08
  And Lord, I know without a shadow of a
• 37:10
  doubt, God, that I would still be lost
• 37:13
  today if it hadn't been for you coming
• 37:15
  into my life and forgiving me and saving
• 37:17
  me. Lord, I'd have no ministry. I'd have
• 37:21
  no family. I wouldn't have anything.
• 37:24
  And Lord, I know without a shadow of a
• 37:26
  doubt,
• 37:28
  God, that I don't deserve anything
• 37:29
  you've done for me. And so, Lord, I ask
• 37:32
  you, God, you would help us tonight to
• 37:34
  adhere to the truth tonight that we are
• 37:36
  to be willing and ready to fight at any
• 37:39
  time
• 37:41
  because, Lord, we're just not going to
• 37:42
  let them go that easy. But, we ought to
• 37:45
  be faithful. We ought to love them. We
• 37:47
  ought to cherish them,
• 37:49
  God, because the enemy wants them.
• 37:52
  Lord Lot walked away from Abram by his
• 37:56
  own choice. But God, I'm thankful that
• 37:59
  when it come time for pain to arise in
• 38:01
  his life, that Abram went back, rescued
• 38:03
  him again. Lord, you help us to be those
• 38:06
  people. Lord, I love you. Thank you for
• 38:09
  loving us. We ask it all in Jesus name.
• 38:11
  For his sake, we pray. Amen. Amen.
• 38:15
  >> Thank you for joining our service today.
• 38:17
  We'd love it if you join us in person
• 38:20
  the next time you are able at Meadows
• 38:22
  Baptist Church. Our physical address is
• 38:25
  2988
• 38:26
  Stewart Road in Walnut Cove, North
• 38:29
  Carolina. Our service times are Sunday
• 38:32
  school at 10:00 a.m., Sunday morning
• 38:34
  worship at 11:00 a.m., Sunday evening
• 38:37
  worship at 6:00 p.m. and Wednesday
• 38:39
  evening Bible study at 700 p.m. For more
• 38:42
  information, visit us at
• 38:44
  meadowsbaptisturch.com.
• 38:46
  Thanks again for tuning in.