Please take your Bibles and open them up to Genesis chapter 14 this morning.
And our passage is all of chapter 14 this morning.
You know, somebody asked me again this morning,
are you really going to read that whole list of names and places?
You know, we could skip some of that if you really wanted to.
And I just, you know, have I been with you so long and you don't know me?
All scripture is God breathed and profitable and useful.
And we will stand and read all of Genesis chapter 14.
Let's stand in honor of the reading of God's word this morning.
Be gracious to me, please.
In the days of Amraphel, king of Shinar,
Ariok, king of Elessar,
Kedor-Lehomer, king of Elam,
and Tidal king of Goim.
These kings made war with Bera, king of Sodom,
Bersha, king of Gomorrah,
Shinab, king of Adma,
Shemaber, king of Zeboim,
and the king of Bila, that is, Zoar.
And all these joined forces in the valley of Sidim,
that is, the Salt Sea.
Twelve years they had served Kedor-Lehomer,
but in the thirteenth year they rebelled.
In the fourteenth year,
Kedor-Lehomer and the kings who were with him
came and defeated the Rephaim and the Ashtaroth-Karnaim,
the Zuzim and Ham,
the Emim and Shabba-Kiriathim,
and the Horites in their hill country of Seir,
as far as El-Paran on the border of the wilderness.
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 Hezazon-Tamar.
Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah,
the king of Adma, the king of Zeboim,
and the king of Bila, that is, Zoar,
went out and they joined battle in the valley of Sidim
with Keter-Lehomer, king of Elam,
Tidal king of Goim,
Amraphel, king of Shinar,
and Ariok, king of Elessar,
four kings against five.
Now the valley of Sidim 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.
So the enemy took all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah
and all their provisions and went their way.
They also took Lot, the son of Abram's brother,
who was dwelling in Sodom,
and his possessions and went their way.
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.
And when Abram heard that his kinsmen 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.
And he divided his forces against them by night,
he and his servants,
and defeated them and pursued them to Hobah,
north of Damascus.
Then he brought back all the possessions
and also brought back his kinsmen Lot with his possessions
and the women and the people.
After his return from the defeat of Keter-Lehomer
and the kings who were with him,
the king of Sodom went out to meet him
at the valley of Shabbat,
that is, the king's valley.
And Melchizedek, king of Salem,
brought out bread and wine.
He was priest of God Most High.
And he blessed him and said,
Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
possessor of heaven and earth.
And blessed be God Most High,
who has delivered your enemies into your hand.
And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
And the king of Sodom said to Abram,
Give me the persons,
but take the goods for yourself.
But Abram said to the king of Sodom,
I have lifted my hand to the Lord God Most High,
possessor of heaven and earth,
that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap
or anything that is yours,
lest you should say,
I have made Abram rich.
I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten
and the share of the men who went with me.
Let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share.
Grass withers, flower fades,
but the word of the Lord endures forever.
Father, we praise you for this passage of scripture.
We praise you for your commitment to your promises.
And we pray now that as we read of them once again,
developing in Abram's life,
that we would be reminded and encouraged
by your commitment to your promises towards us in Christ.
We pray this in Jesus' name.
Amen.
You may be seated.
We are in a pretty incredible section of scripture here
in the story of Abram,
and we've seen over the past few weeks
that God has made some incredible promises to Abram.
Promises that ultimately find their fulfillment in Christ
and then come to us by faith.
So chapter 12, we saw him promise,
I will make you a great nation.
I will bless you.
I will make your name great
so that you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
and him who dishonors you I will curse.
And in you all the families of the earth
will be blessed.
And he promised to your offspring,
I will give this land.
I will make your offspring as dust of the earth
so that if one can count the dust of the earth,
your offspring can also be counted.
That was chapter 13.
These are incredible promises.
And we saw last week that no threat,
whether internal or external,
can ever nullify the promises of God.
God will accomplish all his promises
ultimately in Christ.
This passage is another demonstration
of God's commitment to his promises.
This morning we see that Abram faces yet again
two more threats to the promises.
And we see the threat of war here
in the first half of the chapter there
in verses 1 through 16.
There's war in the land.
And then we see this threat of temptation
in the back half of the chapter
in verses 17 through 24.
But once again, through it all,
we see God's promises succeed.
So let's take a look and we'll see
two more promises for God's people.
This will be our outline this morning
if you're taking notes.
Two more promises for God's people.
First, God promises his people success in the battle.
God promises his people success in the battle.
Chapter 14 starts off detailing this war
in the ancient Near East.
You all didn't really give me the round of applause
I was hoping for reading all those names and places.
I'm going to try not to rehearse
as many of those as I can.
There's four kings against five here.
We really have no idea,
no information about these kings.
They just kind of show up here in the story.
And they're fighting.
They're going to war.
It kind of feels like we press play on the movie
about halfway through, doesn't it?
We don't have the context that we wish that we had.
But if nothing else, what it illustrates for us again
is how far we have fallen.
You remember, we're just 12, 13 chapters away
from the Garden of Eden.
Adam and Eve dwelling in perfect paradise.
Perfect harmony with God and with one another.
There is no war.
There is no violence.
There is no death.
But now sin has come in,
disrupted God's good creation.
And now we see nation at war with nation.
God dispersed the nations at the Tower of Babel
and now they are coming against each other in war.
And as we look out of these four walls
at the nations around us,
you realize this is still going on today, isn't it?
As we look out and see nations warring against nation,
in our time, we should be reminded
at the root of all of this
is that same old issue called sin.
So here are these five kings.
They're from the Dead Sea area
and they have,
apparently they've served as vassals of this guy,
Kedor Leomer, for 12 years,
meaning they've likely paid him tribute,
given him money and come up under his authority.
But it seems like now they've had enough
and so in the 13th year, they rebel.
Kedor Leomer doesn't get his check.
And so in response, verses five through seven,
show us that Kedor Leomer and his bodies,
they go on a rampage through the ancient world.
They strike the Rephaites,
they strike the Zuzites and the Horites,
the Amalekites, the Amorites.
These guys weren't even involved in the conflict.
They weren't even involved in the rebellion,
but now they're kind of tossed in
as collateral in this war.
And my only assumption is that
Kedor Leomer and his buddies
were trying to bolster their troops,
their forces by conquering
all these nearby territories,
strengthen numbers.
And so he comes down like a tornado
and he gathers up,
picks up everything they can on the way
in order to come and squash this rebellion.
And by the time they arrive here in Hazazon Tamar,
they're now on the western side of the Dead Sea
and now the battle begins.
The king of Sodom,
the king of Gomorrah,
the king of Adma,
the king of Zeboim,
the king of Bila,
all come out and they go to war.
Verse 10.
It tells us that this valley of Sidim
was full of tar pits,
bitumen pits.
The king of Sodom and the king of Gomorrah,
they probably were realizing
that their defeat was inevitable
and so they fell into them.
In other words,
they tossed themselves in,
in defeat,
and everyone else runs away
to the highlands.
Keterleomer and his buddies,
they took away all the properties
of Sodom and Gomorrah,
they took all their food,
they went away,
and oh, by the way,
they also took Lot,
Abram's nephew,
and all of his property,
and they went away with Lot
for, it says,
Lot had been living in Sodom.
So now we see why this is relevant
for us to know, don't we?
Lot is there in Sodom.
The last time we saw Lot,
he was living in the direction of Zoar
near Sodom,
but now it looks like
he has fully settled in.
He's now a resident of Sodom,
and now he finds himself
as a prisoner of war.
Verse 13 tells us
an escapee comes,
and he shares all of this with Abram,
and now the question is,
how is Abram going to respond?
How is Abram going to respond?
Because last time we saw Abram and Lot,
you remember things weren't going well for them,
or it wasn't,
or they weren't really on good terms.
They had separated,
they agreed that it would be best
to just go their separate ways,
because the longer they stayed together,
the more they were going to argue
and fight with one another,
so they dispersed.
But now,
Abram gets word,
hey Abram,
your nephew,
the one who stepped all over your toes
in the promised land,
the one who then grabbed the best land
he could possibly get,
the one who left you high and dry in a desert,
while he went and took the well-watered land
near Sodom,
he's in trouble,
so how will Abram respond?
I wonder what you would do.
How would you respond?
You all have had family issues,
you've had people that have offended you,
you've had people that have stepped on your toes,
you've had people that have wronged you
and sinned against you,
you might be in a fight right now.
You may be convinced that you are right.
They wronged you.
How would you respond
if the one who offended you is in trouble?
Well, we're told that right away,
what does Abram do?
Right away,
Abram goes to war
on behalf of Lot.
When Abram heard that his relative
had been taken captive,
he mustered his 318 trained men
once born in his house
and went in pursuit as far as Dan.
You know, that's over 100 miles away.
And he plans this nighttime attack.
He divides the troops.
He strategizes this attack.
He goes in there like Rambo.
He goes in right into the battle,
starts chasing down these kings
and their armies.
And it says he chases them
all the way up to Hobah.
That's north of Damascus.
That's another 40 miles or so.
And most importantly,
he wins.
Abram recovers all the property.
He defeats these rebel kings
and he recovers Lot
and everything that Lot owns.
And we see Abram very quickly
and very eagerly,
he risks his own life
and gives everything he can
to go and rescue Lot,
even when Lot didn't deserve it.
Now, who does that sound like to you?
Abram very clearly here
is showing us a picture of Christ.
I wonder,
do you find it hard to forgive people
when they wrong you?
Do you find it hard for you
to let go of anger,
let go of resentment,
find it hard to just let go
of the tension that there might be
when someone you know
they are at fault
and they have sinned against you?
Why in the world would you
go out of your way
to make it right with them?
Well,
because we have been
radically forgiven
by the grace of God in Christ.
Whatever wrong somebody has done to you,
it isn't even worth comparing
to our sin against God.
And yet God,
in His love for sinners,
sent Christ,
who loves His enemies,
Christ who came a great distance
from heaven down to earth,
Christ who came to pursue sinners like us,
Christ who gave His life
to rescue enemies of God,
who were enslaved
by the powers of sin and darkness,
Christ who spared no expense,
who leveraged every resource
to crush the powers of sin and evil,
Christ came and rescued us
and reconciled us to God.
Jesus did that for us,
those who deserve it least.
And if He's done that for us,
then surely,
of all people,
Christians ought to be quick
to forgive others.
This is what Paul tells us
in Ephesians chapter 4.
He says,
Be kind to one another,
tenderhearted,
forgiving one another
as God in Christ forgave you.
Abram shows Lot here,
unmerited forgiveness.
But notice also what's happening here
with Abram.
In light of the promises of God,
we're seeing this promised blessing
unfold here in Abram's life,
aren't we?
You remember God promised
to multiply Abram.
God promised to make Abram
a great nation.
And now here,
we see Abram has 318 trained men
that are born in His own house.
That's incredible, isn't it?
He is multiplying
before our very eyes.
Of course,
we know these aren't
His own offspring.
These are just members
of His camp.
But we see His camp
is enlarging.
There's a threat here.
The land is occupied
by enemy kings.
They're waging war
against each other.
But here is Abram
literally going to war.
Now here he is,
again,
peeling back the influence
of the enemy
in the land
and gaining territory
for the kingdom of God.
God promised
to multiply His offspring
and give Him the land.
And so it's like
He's invincible.
He doesn't even hesitate
to go in
and to go to war
and join the battle.
And again,
as we look forwards
and filter this through
God's promises
for us in Christ,
we see here
just a small picture
of our mission
as a church
and the confidence
that we ought to have
in light of the promises
of God.
God's people,
both then and now,
are in a battle
with the powers
of sin and darkness.
On this side of the cross
where we are,
we aren't taking up arms
and we aren't
bearing physical weapons
and going to war
with physical nations,
but church,
you realize we are still
very much in a battle,
don't you?
We're called to take up
the whole armor of God
and stand against
the schemes of the devil.
For we do not wrestle
against flesh and blood,
but against the rulers,
against the authorities,
against the cosmic powers
over this present darkness,
against the spiritual forces
of evil
in the heavenly places.
We are still at war.
We're called
as God's people
to go and to conquer
the enemies of God,
to go and gain ground
from the enemy.
And how do we do that?
Not with sword and spear,
but by taking the good news
of the gospel
to the ends of the earth.
That's the battle command
of Christ,
our King, isn't it?
Go and make disciples
of all nations,
baptizing them
in the name of the Father
and the Son
and the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to obey
all I've commanded you.
That's our mission.
And what's the promise?
He says,
all authority in heaven
and on earth
has been given to me.
And surely I am with you
until the end of the age.
Church,
God has promised us
victory in Christ.
As we go about
obeying His command,
in fact,
He has already conquered
every enemy
at the cross of Christ.
The snake has been crushed
at the cross of Christ.
He is a defeated enemy.
He prowls around
like a roaring lion,
yes,
but He is a wounded enemy.
He is a lion on a leash.
And one day,
He will finally be destroyed
at the return of Christ.
In the meantime,
as we wage war
against the forces of darkness,
remember that we wage war
against a defeated enemy.
We worship a risen King,
one who's triumphed
over sin and death
and the devil,
one who has come
to set the captives free.
We fight in a battle
already won in Christ.
So we see God has promised
His people victory
in battle.
That's one promise.
Here in verses 17 through 24,
we see another.
Second,
another promise of God
for His people.
Second,
we see God
has promised His people
blessing by faith.
God has promised His people
blessing
by faith.
Look there to verse 17.
And we see
immediately after this victory
in battle,
what happens?
Abram faces a temptation
here at the end of the passage.
Isn't that how it always goes?
The enemy is not dumb.
He's clever, isn't he?
He knows that the best time
to tempt someone
is not really when they're
geared up and full of adrenaline
and ready to go to war.
He waits,
he bides his time
until that battle is over
and you're tired,
you're ready to celebrate
and you've won
and your guard is down.
That's when the temptation comes.
That's exactly what's happening
here with Abram.
Look there at verse 17.
It says,
these two kings
come out to meet Abram
in the king's valley.
And what I want you to see
is that
these two kings
represent
two
very different
paths of blessing
for Abram
and for us.
The first king
to come out
is the king
of Sodom.
Now what in the world
is he doing here?
You remember
what we already know
about Sodom.
These people,
we were told,
are great sinners
against the Lord.
What does this king
want with Abram?
We'll come back to him.
But the second king
is this mysterious figure
named Melchizedek,
king of Salem.
Who in the world
is that?
And we don't really
know much about him,
do we?
Again,
he comes out unannounced.
He comes out
to bless Abram.
This guy,
Melchizedek,
comes,
he sets the table,
he plays host,
he brings out
bread and wine
and he blesses Abram
in the name
of the Lord.
He says,
blessed be Abram
by God most high,
possessor of heaven
and earth.
And blessed be
God most high
who has delivered
your enemies
into your hand.
And in response,
we see Abram,
he pays a tithe.
He gives him 10%.
He gives him
a tenth of everything.
He pays tithes
to this mysterious king.
Who is this guy,
Melchizedek?
Melchizedek.
It really is
very strange.
We don't know
much about him.
He shows up unannounced.
We have no
genealogical record
of his birth.
His origins
are a mystery.
And then after this moment
in the book of Genesis,
he's gone.
He never shows up again.
Well,
what do we
know about him?
Well,
we know his name
for one thing.
Melchizedek
means king
of righteousness.
Melchizedek
is two Hebrew words.
King of righteousness.
And right away,
we're meant to see
a contrast here
with the king of Sodom.
Again,
king of Sodom,
he's king of a city
of wicked people.
We might call him
king of wickedness.
But in contrast,
here comes Melchizedek,
whoever he is,
king of righteousness.
You see the contrast.
Not only that,
but we also know
he's king of Salem,
which means,
again,
by translation,
he is king of peace.
He's king
of the ancient city
of Jerusalem.
Long before
the days of David,
Sodom was right here
in the middle
of this war.
He's a man of rebellion,
a man of violence.
But this king of Salem,
he wasn't even a part
of the battle.
He's a king
of peace.
But he's not just king,
is he?
Verse 18
tells us he is a priest
as well.
But not just any priest.
It says he is a priest
of God Most High.
That's very unusual.
Isn't it interesting
that this mysterious king
seems to know God
and to worship God alone?
This mysterious king,
he recognizes God Most High
as creator of all things,
heaven and earth.
He recognizes God alone
as the source
of Abram's blessing.
He recognizes God alone
as the one who
granted Abram victory
in the battle.
And he knows
that any blessing
that's going to come
to Abram
has to come from God
and God alone.
Who is this guy?
Now all of these factors
combined have led
some to say
this must be
the pre-incarnate Christ.
This must be Jesus.
The Son of God.
And while I get it,
I'm not sure
that I can go
quite that far.
But what we can say
with confidence
is that at the very least
this Melchizedek
is a shadow
to which Christ
is the substance.
He is a pointer
pointing us forward
to the true king
of righteousness,
Christ.
He is pointing us forward
towards the true king
of peace,
Christ.
He is pointing us forward
to the one
who is true prophet
and priest
and king.
The one who is
truly eternal God
without beginning
or end.
Christ who is
the source
of all blessing
for God's people.
He is the one
who is a priest
forever
after the order
of Melchizedek.
Well this mystery
is interrupted
for a moment
here in verse 21
again by the king
of Sodom.
I said this was
a temptation
for Abram
and here it is.
The king of Sodom
speaks up
and he says
you give me
the people
but you take
all the goods
for yourself.
Give me
the people
and I
will bless
you
with the spoils
of war.
Again notice
the contrast.
Not a blessing
in the name
of God most high
like Melchizedek.
Rather
a blessing
that would come
from king
of Sodom.
You can imagine
the temptation
can't you?
Abram has just
worked hard
and he has just
gone to war
against multiple
kings
and their armies
and surely he has
to be thinking
on one level
I've earned
this blessing.
Right?
I deserve
this blessing.
I want
this blessing.
Look how Abram
responds.
He responds
definitively
and clearly
I will not
take anything
from you
king of Sodom.
I have lifted
my hand
to the Lord
God most high
possessor of heaven
and earth
that I would not
take a thread
or a sandal strap
or anything
that is yours.
Why?
Lest you should say
I have made
Abram
rich.
You see it?
Why does Abram
respond like this?
Abram's response
teaches us
an incredibly
important lesson.
I want you to
listen to me here.
Here it is.
God alone
must get
the glory
for Abram's
blessing.
God alone
must get
all glory
for Abram's
victory in war.
In the years
to come
when Abram's
offspring are
multiplied
and years to
come when
God gives
him the land
and years to
come when
God has
blessed him
greatly
the king
of Sodom
won't be able
to take
any of the
credit for it.
Sodom will
not get
any glory
for Abram's
blessing.
That glory
belongs
rightfully
to God
and God
alone.
Abram
trusts by
faith that
God will
bless him
in God's
time,
in God's
way,
and so no
one else
will get
the credit
but God
alone.
church,
do you
seek the
blessing of
the Lord
like Abram
by faith
in his
promises
or
are you
ever tempted
to chase
blessing in
ways that
might rob
God of
his glory?
I know a
pastor friend
who served
as an
associate
pastor in
a church
where there
was just
some unrest
amongst the
members.
There's a
contingency of
people that
didn't really
approve of
the lead
pastor and
the associate
got a phone
call one day
from a member
pitching this
idea that
they ought to
do two
separate services.
This is a
great idea.
The lead
pastor can
continue on
and do his
thing in one
service but the
associate,
well you can
go lead the
other and
oh by the
way he would
be well
compensated.
Just think
about that.
It was a
not so
subtle attempt
to divide
the church
and undermine
the pastor
but the
temptation
underneath it
is well hey
here's an
opportunity to
lead and
to preach
and here's an
opportunity to
gain some
extra income
a pay raise
hey take
these blessings.
We face
temptations like
this all the
time don't
we?
Opportunities
to chase
blessing
chase
pleasure
chase
happiness
chase
money
but we
have to
ask at
what
cost?
You want
a promotion
and you
could get
it by
throwing your
co-worker
under the
bus
and you
want a
little pay
raise
and you
could get
it by
letting your
integrity
slip
you want
the blessing
of money
and you
could get
it
just by
a little
white lie
here and
there at
work
you
want the
blessing
of
sex
and you
could get
it by
hopping
on an
app
looking
for a
hookup
or
find
some
pornography
on the
internet
may we
be
faithful
like
Abram
to say
I will
not
chase
blessing
in
any
way
that
will
rob
God
of the
glory
that
he
alone
is
due
church
we
have to
by
God's
grace
reframe
our
view
of
the
world
so
that
we
no
longer
have
us
in
the
center
and
this
obsession
that
the
world
has
with
blessing
at all
costs
blessing
that I
deserve
blessing
that I
worked
hard
for
blessing
that I
want
blessing
that I
need
and
instead
put
God
and
his
glory
at the
center
where
he
rightly
belongs
God's
glory
not
your
blessing
is
ultimate
in
every
decision
in
every
situation
in
every
opportunity
in
every
moment
the
driving
motivator
of
all
things
shouldn't
be
how
can
I
get
what
I
want
but
rather
how
can
God's
glory
be
magnified
and
from
time
to
time
with
great
discernment
and
wisdom
church
that
might
mean
rejecting
an offer
that seems
good
for the
sole
reason
that it
might
rob
God
of the
glory
that
he's
due
takes
great
faith
to
trust
God
to
bless
in
his
time
in
his
way
but
that's
exactly
what
he's
promised
us
in
Christ
do
you
realize
church
God
has
promised
you
eternal
blessing
in
Christ
Jesus
eternal
joy
eternal
life
blessing
that far
outweighs
any
blessing
you could
get in
this
world
one of
my
favorite
passages
in
the
Bible
is
Ephesians
chapter
one
we read
it
this
morning
in
grow
class
Paul
tells
us
in
Ephesians
chapter
one
blessed
be
the
God
and
father
of
our
Lord
Jesus
Christ
who
has
blessed
us
in
Christ
with
every
spiritual
blessing
in
the
heavenly
places
even
as
he
chose
us
in
him
from
before
the
foundation
of
the
world
that
we
should
be
holy
and
blameless
before
him
in
love
he
predestined
us
for
adoption
to
himself
as
sons
through
Jesus
Christ
according
to the
purpose
of
his
will
to
the
praise
of
his
glorious
grace
with
which
he
has
blessed
us
in
the
beloved
in
him
we
have
redemption
through
his
blood
the
forgiveness
of
our
trespasses
according
to
the
riches
of
his
grace
which
he
has
lavished
upon
us
in
all
wisdom
and
insight
making
known
to
us
the
mystery
of
his
will
according
to
his
purpose
which
he
set
forth
in
Christ
as
a
plan
for
the
fullness
of
time
to
unite
all
things
in
him
things
in
heaven
and
things
on
earth
in
him
we
have
obtained
an
inheritance
having
been
predestined
according
to the
purpose
of
him
who
works
all
things
according
to
the
counsel
of
his
will
so
that
we
who
!
were
the
first
to
hope
the
gospel
of
your
salvation
and
believed
in
him
you
were
sealed
with
the
promised
Holy
Spirit
who is
the
guarantee
of our
inheritance
until we
acquire
possession
of it
to the
praise
of
his
glory
do you
hear
that
refrain
God
has
promised
us
great
blessing
in
Christ
received
by faith
in him
and all
of it
from
beginning
to end
is
for
the
praise
of
his
glorious
grace
for
the
magnification
of
the
glory
of
God
your
blessing
is
not
about
you
ultimately
God
blesses
you
to
the
praise
of
his
glorious
grace
so
we
ought
to
chase
blessing
in
a
way
that
magnifies
the
glory
of
his
grace
not
in
a
way
that
has
us
at
the
center
all
of
us
in
many
ways
are
tempted
to
rob
God
of
glory
he's
due
here
we
see
in
this
moment
Abram
he
succeeds
he
passes
the
test
but
unfortunately
where
Abram
here
succeeds
in the
temptation
unfortunately
church
if we're
honest
we would
admit
that we
all
often
fail
we
fail
to
forgive
as
God
has
forgiven
us
in
Christ
we
fail
to
go
to
war
against
the
forces
of
sin
and
evil
we
fail
to
go
and
make
disciples
we
fail
to
go
gain
ground
for
the
kingdom
of
God
we
fail
to
seek
God's
blessing
in
God's
way
by
faith
in
Christ
alone
which
is
why
I
am
so
thankful
that
we
have
such
a
great
high
priest
who
covers
all
my
sin
here
again
Abram
points
us
forwards
to
Jesus
who
immediately
after
his
baptism
after
this
great
moment
of
victory
this
high
point
in
the
beginning
of
the
public
ministry
of
Christ
immediately
afterwards
what
happens
immediately
afterwards
he is
driven
out
in
the
wilderness
to
be
tempted
by
Satan
and
do
you
see
a
similarity
do
you
remember
Satan's
temptation
I
will
give
you
all
of
this
if
you
would
only
bow
down
and
worship
me
give
me
the
glory
Jesus
and
I
will
give
you
the
blessing
let
me
put
my
stamp
on
your
greatness
let
me
put
my
stamp
on
your
blessing
give
me
the
credit
honor
me
and
what
does
Christ
do
praise
God
like
Abram
here
Christ
Jesus
does
not
bow
down
he
refuses
to
receive
even
the
slightest
blessing
from
the
enemy
he
entrusts
himself
to
the
Lord
and
his
promise
of
blessing
not
just
for
a
moment
but
for
all
of
eternity
for
a
life
of
perfect
faith
and
obedience
he
gave
God
all
the
glory
when
we
face
temptation
and
opportunities
come
to
chase
blessing
at the
expense
of
God's
glory
church
look
to
Jesus
the
author
of
Hebrews
tells
us
he
is
able
to
help
those
who
are
being
tempted
for
we
do
not
have
a
high
priest
who
is
unable
to
sympathize
with
our
weakness
but
one
who
in
every
respect
has
been
tempted
as
we
are
yet
without
sin
let
us
then
with
confidence
draw
near
to
the
throne
of
grace
that
we
may
receive
mercy
and
find
grace
to
help
in
time
of
need
church
the
good
news
is
Christ
Jesus
is
our
great
high
priest
after
the
order
of
Melchizedek
he
is
king
of
heaven
he
is
king
of
peace
he
is
king
of
righteousness
he
is
our
king
victorious
in
battle
he
is
our
king
who
has
conquered
every
enemy
and
has
pursued
us
and
rescued
us
by
his
own
blood
he
is
eternal
God
and
he
stands
to
bless
us
by
faith
in
him
father
we
praise
you
for
this
undeserved
unmerited
blessing
in
Christ
Lord
and
we
confess
the
many
ways
that
we
are
tempted
to
chase
blessing
apart
from
you
but
Lord
we
pray
by
your
grace
would
you
lead
us
to
trust
in
all
the
promises
of
God
this
promise
of
eternal
blessing
found
in
Christ
alone
if
there
is
any
here
who
don't
know
you
by
faith
!
would
you
give
them
the
gift
of
faith
this
morning
now
and
Lord
we
pray
that
as
we
look
to
you
by
faith
Father
would
you
renew
our
confidence
in
all
your
promises
we
pray
this
in
Jesus
name
Amen