Loyalty
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
Kid Chat
1 In the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim,
2 these kings made war with Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar).
3 And all these joined forces in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea).
4 Twelve years they had served Chedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled.
5 In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him came and defeated the Rephaim in Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shaveh-kiriathaim,
6 and the Horites in their hill country of Seir as far as El-paran on the border of the wilderness.
7 Then they turned back and came to En-mishpat (that is, Kadesh) and defeated all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who were dwelling in Hazazon-tamar.
8 Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out, and they joined battle in the Valley of Siddim
9 with Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goiim, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar, four kings against five.
10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of bitumen pits, and as the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some fell into them, and the rest fled to the hill country.
11 So the enemy took all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way.
12 They also took Lot, the son of Abram’s brother, who was dwelling in Sodom, and his possessions, and went their way.
13 Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, who was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and of Aner. These were allies of Abram.
14 When Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, 318 of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan.
15 And he divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them and pursued them to Hobah, north of Damascus.
16 Then he brought back all the possessions, and also brought back his kinsman Lot with his possessions, and the women and the people.
Disloyalty can be seen in the relationships between the kings.
Chedorlaomer appears to have gained power over the other kings to they paid tribute. Some of them rebelled and refused to pay. The battle forms as Chedorlaomer and 4 more go against 4 others. These were what we think of as city-states from history, not so much sprawling kingdoms like the Roman or Ottoman empires.
For whatever reason the king of Elam was rebelled against and all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah were taken along with Lot, Abram’s nephew.
In that battle the kings aligned with Sodom planned to draw the others into the tar pits outside Sodom (next to the Dead Sea) but wound up falling into them themselves.
Loyalty - As a characteristic of God we usually call it faithfulness. He is ultimately faithful to Himself. If He werent, He wouldnt be God. We see this through the relationship between Father and Son. Would we have stayed true or taken Him off the cross? The Son was loyal to the Father. The Father was loyal to Himself.
Lest we see that as narcissistic or self-centered or anything less than completely gracious: God is the creator of all. Has all knowledge and power. Knows the beginning from the end. Is just and true and good. He has aimed His knowledge, power, just, true and good at mankind!
God to Abram
God to Abram - The heart of the promise to Abram was that he was chosen.
1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.
7 And he said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”
Abram did not decide he would be anything. He simply responded to God’s statement about him.
What does God say about me that I could respond to?
29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.
30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.
31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Another part of the promise was that God would bless those who bless him and curse those who curse him. This has held true down through the ages. Many peoples have raised their hand against the nation that came through the promise and God has fought their battles.
Abram to Lot
His rescue of Lot follows his offer to Lot to take his choice of land. He had, after all, taken Lot with him when he left his homeland. He was the patriarchal influence in the absence of his own father.
God to Us - The heart of the promise to us is that we are chosen.
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Us to each other
If Abram’s loyalty to Lot is part of this story, then our loyalty to each other is something we can embrace as well.
30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’
31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
So what is it to love you as much as I love me?
When I am as concerned about your spiritual, physical and emotional well-being as I am my own then I love you as much as I love myself.
I owe a debt of love to all mankind in the spiritual realm. There is no one alive today that doesnt deserve to hear the Good News I have. Putting myself in a mindset and geographical location to present this news is part my life calling. It is yours as well.
My loyalty to the Father.
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”
And so I ask the Holy Spirit today: Do I? I dont ask Him if you do.
