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Your Worship is Your Worldview
Genesis 13:5-14:24
“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” These are the immortal words of Jim Elliot. When he heard about the Waodani tribe, a violent unreached people, the call he felt was greater than his fear of death. So he made the choice to go, knowing the danger, as a young man with a young family. He was killed. The tribe? They converted to Christ. What would we risk for God’s kingdom? Truthfully, many choose not to leave the comforts of home. But we live in a world of choices. Every day, we choose what to value, what to pursue, and where to invest our hearts. Beneath every choice is a deeper reality - what we choose to worship. This foundation shapes all of our lives. If we worship comfort, we’ll build towards it. If we worship excitement, we’ll pursue reveals it.
Today’s ancient account, of Abram and Lot, kings and battles, and promises and oaths, reveals an urgent truth - your worship is your worldview. And the object of your worship determines how you see the world, the choices you make, and also the compromises you make to achieve it. We’ll see this theme in 2 parts. Firstly, the different worships of God’s people. Secondly, the different worldviews of kings.
Firstly, the different worship of God’s people. Verses 5-7 reveal both Abram and Lot had flocks, herds, and tents. Their collective wealth was great. But it also shows that Lot’s prosperity was a result of his relationship with his uncle. They left Haran together with possessions, entered Egypt during famine, and exited with more possessions. Lot was rich because of Abram. Genesis 14:16 says his household was large - with many women and people. But we see the problem they had. The land at Bethel wasn’t able to sustain both of them. The vegetation required for so many herds couldn’t be found in one grazing area. Notice the phrase - “their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together.” And verse 7 says their wealth resulted in strife. Strife can mean a simple conflict or a lawsuit needing resolution. Their wealth caused such controversy that it needed mediation. The same word is used in Exodus when the people strove against the Lord by complaining about water at Meribah, and he judged them for being ungrateful. Now this could’ve been the case - the strife was caused by resentment by Lot’s household. Abram had more. But it was a bad situation overall. The Canaanites and Perizzites also competed for resources. So the triple problem of wealth, resentment, and competition led to strife. But Abram, to whom the promise was given, took the lead to diffuse tension; to mediate controversy. “We’re family, let’s not strive. There’s a whole land before us. We can part ways. If you take the left, I’ll take right, and vice versa.” The words “left and right” speak about choice. And he gave Lot the first choice. What did he choose?
Here we see his problem. Verse 10 is so sad - “And Lot lifted up his eyes and beheld all the plain of Jordan.” We should know enough what this means. Just as Eve saw the fruit, and the sons of God saw the daughters of men, like how God saw their continual wickedness, and the Egyptians saw Sarai’s fairness; Lot saw the plain of Jordan. It was well-watered and like the land of Egypt. So this believer - yes, 2 Peter 2:7 calls him “just” - saw the immediate advantage. He saw a land that resembled both paradise and power. It was a well-watered garden - even as the garden of the Lord, verse 10. It was Eden! But it was also like Egypt. Verse 12 says there were cities on the plain. Lot wanted the best of both worlds - Eden and Babel.
And so we see in verse 11 these ominous words. “Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.” He chose for himself - based on his own worldview. We learn that he moved his tent as far as Sodom, and the men there were wicked exceedingly, verse 13. Wicked - very very. And to where did he travel for it? East - like Adam and Eve, Cain, and the world towards Babel. And while Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, Lot dwelled in the periphery of Canaan, in the cities - like Sodom. But what irony! The well-watered land Lot chose would be consumed by fire. This revealed his worship. He worshiped provision. Sadly, what attracted Lot was an evil land, because it looked beautiful. He could only perceive the outward beauty but not the inward danger.
So we see a difference between these two believers. Abram trusted in the promise. Lot saw and went east. But in verse 10, Abram was instructed by God - “Lift up now thine eyes [see!], and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward. For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.” Abram’s looking followed God’s instruction. He didn’t choose, he received. He looked not for provision, but to the Provider. His worldview wasn’t shaped by a fertile land, but the faithful Lord. And this land wasn’t east, but all directions. And God reiterated the promise - that whatever he saw, he’d give it to him and his descendants forever. Now, this would’ve also included the plains of Sodom. Just as Lot saw it, Abram would’ve seen it. And God promised him that his seed will be numerous - like the dust of the earth. Then God told him in verse 17 “to arise”. These are conquering words - arise and walk through it. Now, to be clear, did Abram truly understand the land was a physical piece of real estate in the middle east! All the dust of the world can’t fit into it! We do know eventually he looked for a city whose foundations, and builder and maker was God. He saw beyond the physical land. How do we know? We see in his next actions, he moved his tent, not to the fertile plains, which he saw, but to the plain or oak of Mamre at Hebron. And there he claimed this pagan land by building an altar.
Beloved, we see two men with two different worldviews and worship. Both were righteous - believers. Both were blessed - but in different ways. Both made choices. While Lot pitched his tent toward Sodom and dwelt in a city, Abram pitched his tents toward God and built an altar. One grasped for provision and was drawn to the city of man. The other received the promise and was content at the altar of God. Lot suffered loss, a further corrupted worldview, and ultimately a shameful legacy. Saved by the skin of his teeth. The other, Abram, wasn’t always strong. But he trusted. He sought God alone. We see this illustrated clearly next.
Secondly, the different worldviews of kings. In chapter 14, we see the ways of earthly kings. But we also learn of the ways of the divine king - God. Here we see how his promise was illustrated in Abram - how one man overcame the nations. The kings of these nations ruled, conquered, and subjugated. An alliance of 4 eastern kings was led by Chedorlaomer against 5 eastern kings. They beat them and made them pay tribute for 12 years. That’s what kings do. But in the 13th year, these western kings refused to pay. They rebelled. That’s also what kings do. So in the 14th year, the eastern kings responded by punishing them - also what kings do. Kings conquer, demand tribute, rebel, and fight back. And what they did was impressive. If you can see a map of it, they came from the east, and conquered from the north all the way down south - from Ashteroth Karnaim in Bashan, Zuzims and Emim in Moab, Horites in Edom, and Kadesh near Sinai; even fighting the Amalekites and Amorites and ending up in Sodom and Gomorrah. This was a comprehensive invasion from north to south, from east to west, the length and breadth of the land as far as the eye could see. They conquered! This eastern coalition smashed the western coalition. They were so successful, the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah hid in the asphalt pits in the Dead Sea. All their possessions taken! The western coalition took the spoils of war, including, get this, Lot and all his possessions. He was dwelling in Sodom, verse 12, during the attack. He’d become a citizen. This man who chose based on prosperity and security lost everything. The cities of the plain didn’t give him what he sought. His worldview failed him.
On the other hand, you have Abram. He worshiped God. He was promised the length and breadth of the land; north, south, east, west - which land had now been conquered. Now, when the news reached him about Lot, he didn’t say,“He made his bed, let him lie in it.” But verse 14 - “when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan.” He armed 318 trained men - not mercenaries - but his citizens. He was a chieftain in his own right. But this was a tiny force against a coalition of kings! Yet, he pursued them north until Dan. He walked from south in Hebron to north in Bashan, the breadth of the land. There was reclamation. God’s promise was being worked out. But why did he do it? Because his land was taken? No. Because his brother’s son, Lot, was. Covenantal loyalty not commercial lust. So what happened?
Verse 15 - he ambushed the eastern coalition using a phalanx tactic, attacking them on two sides in the middle of the night, pursuing them further north, with just 318 men! One chief against 4 kings. And get this, verse 16 - “And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.” It was a reclamation and reversal! But read between the lines. If 4 eastern kings had ruled over 5 western kings, and if they conquered from north to south, and from east to west, and took all the possessions; but now Abram conquered them and took it all back - who was the rightful ruler of the land? North, south, east, west; the length and breadth? Who possessed the things taken inwar? Wasn’t it Abram? Wasn’t this now his land as promised? Through him these western nations were blessed right? Couldn’t he now be that king who possessed all? That would’ve been the worldview of earthly kings. But Abram knew there was more to the promise.
Which is why he worshiped - this illustrated that he knew the promise. It was more than the land, more than the possession. What follows is truly interesting. In verse 17, after conquering the eastern coalition, he came to the valley of Shaveh, which is the king’s valley. Where was this? This was Jerusalem, where the central, Hinnom, and Kidron valley met. At that intersection, the king of Sodom went to meet him. But also significantly, the king of Salem. Here we see the different worldviews of kings.
When Melchizedek, King of Salem came to Abram, he blessed Abram. He said in verses 19-20 - “Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand.” He called him Abram of the most high God and blessed him. He also blessed the most high God, who has two titles: the possessor of heaven and earth, which Abram also acknowledged God to be, and deliverer. Meaning, Abram didn’t win the battle. God delivered them into his hands. The spoils of war - not his, but God’s. There are different worldviews here. Lot’s choice was to move. Abram’s was to receive. The kings’ choice was to conquer to get more. Abram’s conquering was to save. But he gave tithes of all, verse 20, from the spoils of war. He worshiped God with his substance. He knew it wasn’t his but it belonged to the most High God, the possessor of heaven and earth. He wasn’t interested in keeping it, nor possessing the land, or ruling over it. The promise wouldn’t be fulfilled in this way. In fact, the king of Sodom told him in verse 21 to take all the goods. This was a tempting offer. He acknowledged Abram’s rightful prize. Here was his chance to be validated. “Yes! I made the right choice to follow God, and this is my reward! The land and spoils of war are mine! I now have north, south, east, west!” No! That wasn’t his worldview. And we can also see a difference between the two kings’ worldviews. Melchizedek’s first words were to bless. The king of Sodom’s was to bribe. So what was Abram’s response? “I’ve sworn to God who owns everything, that I won’t take anything of yours - not even a thread - so you can’t claim credit for my wealth.” This is the sermon in a sentence. His worldview was centered around this truth - God alone is the source of blessing. To take the world’s wealth on the world’s terms would distort that testimony. His worship showed his worldview, which dictated his actions.
Brothers and sisters, what are some ways we can apply this sermon? Consider the kingship of Christ. Melchizedek appears suddenly here with bread and wine. He blesses Abram, and takes tribute. Who’s the real king here? Not Abram, but Melchizedek. And we know in Hebrews 7, Melchizedek points to Christ. Just as Abram pays a tithe in worship, our substance belongs to Christ. Therefore, what we worship must not be our own prosperity, but the kingdom’s prosperity. There are too many Lots around - saved, but weak, immoral, saved only by the skin of his teeth, because he loves the prosperity of the world. He aligns himself with the kings of the world. But we, must have Abram’s faith. When we come before Christ’s table, to receive bread and wine, we’re reminded that he alone is our king. At the table, we recognize that he is our sole provider.
Consider therefore your trust in this world’s kings and their values. Abram fought kings. Evil kings. Kings that would bribe him. We’re lulled into sleep because we believe that the prosperity of the church comes from compliance. We forgot our will to fight. Abram fought kings out of covenant loyalty. He refused to build God’s kingdom through the paltry offerings of the kings. The church is often afraid to preach the gospel and to speak the truth today. Many churches will affirm that they’re for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ, Revelation 1:9. But that’s not the entirety! “I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.” John was imprisoned for the gospel because he was a preacher of righteousness and the gospel. So if we’re for the Word of God and testimony of Christ - it’s in the context of fighting kings! Do we chase after prosperity and soothe our conscience because we have right doctrine, and do none else?
What is our worship? Is it the well-watered valley of success, comfort, and cultural approval? If so, you will affirm every sin in today’s woke ideology. Or do you worship, with Abram, the LORD, the Most High God, Possessor of heaven and earth? On this our church anniversary, let us lift our eyes to see what is at stake. Not the well-watered gardens and cities of this world, but the one who possesses heaven and earth, who has given himself to us. What you worship is your worldview.
1. The Different Worships of God’s People (13:5-18)
A. The problem they and he had (5-13)
B. The promise that he trusted (14-18)
2. The Different Worldviews of Kings (14:1-24)
A. The promise illustrated over nations (1-16)
B. The promise illustrated in worship (17-24)
Conversation for Change:
1. What are the “kings” of this earth today that we must fight against? How do these “kings” bribe us to accept their offer of prosperity? How has the church lost its witness because of this?
2. From all Abram received, he paid a tithe. If all that you have comes from God, in what way are you using your substance, time, gifts, and efforts for God’s kingdom - not to build your own, but to build his?
* As a matter of courtesy please advise Rev. Mark Chen, if you plan to use this sermon in a worship service. Thank-you.
(c) Copyright 2026, Rev. Mark Chen
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