War of Faith

With me in your Bibles to Genesis chapter 14 and 15 this morning.

Genesis 14 · chapter mention

Also, if you're here and do not have a worship guide, raise your hand.

We want to make sure everybody's got one.

The outlines are on the back.

And what?

To war by faith.

Also, John Denson was just in here a while ago, standing over there to remind me.

If some of you are uh are interested in helping us uh with security, uh please see John or Adrian.

Adrian's on our council and kind of that's one of the ministries he oversees as one of our men on our council because we got uh again we you know when you start covering soccer fields and all the things that we're gonna be doing, and it's gonna be exciting around here next year as buildings being built.

Uh Susan's will be uh heading up our logistics uh team uh on how we'll be moving people around.

And Benji uh and all of us have been will be talking all about all that.

But it's gonna be exciting.

And don't worry about it.

You say, well about what don't worry about the watts.

Just pray because we'll figure out the watts.

One thing I've learned when God starts something, hey, if we'll just be sensitive and follow him, amen, and it works out.

It does work out because God knows what we need before we know.

And all we have to do is just walk with him and be spirit-filled and not be divisive and bad attitudes and just be spirit-filled and fruit of the spirit, love, joy, peace, long suffering, temperance.

And he'll work everything out.

In fact, 1 Corinthians 6.17, he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.

Amen.

So it's exciting.

I love challenges.

You know, life would be boring if you didn't have challenges.

God told me the other day, he says, I don't want any challenges.

I said, Why?

He says, Well, it's I have too many problems, and then I have troubles, and I said, Well, what do you want?

A boring life?

And you know what he said?

Yes.

I didn't know how to answer that.

So I said, Well, if you want to be boring, just be boring, I guess.

But amen.

Hey, so, and I made a promise to my wife 38 wonderful years ago coming up, that one thing, I didn't have any money, didn't have the good looks, but life would not be boring with me.

And how and I hang on, and she will testify, it has been fun.

It has been fun.

Boy, have we been I was thinking about that the other day.

Man, it's just you know you just don't know what was gonna be tomorrow.

Just get up and charge.

Yeah, but what are you charging?

I don't know.

She tells me I charge.

That ain't so ain't so.

Oh, let me ask you, how long?

By the way, oh, one other, I'm trying to get all my people to tell me we need, we need some trunks.

We need about five more trunks at least, right?

Or nine.

All right.

If you don't, just bring your trunk, we'll fill it up with candy.

If you can't get the candy, we'll get the candy.

But I need some more trunks.

We got about nine or ten, we need about 15 to 20 trunks.

So please, if you can bring your car or truck, uh, and don't worry about the games.

Somebody say, I don't know how to do this.

You don't have to worry about all that.

We handle all that.

We got plenty of games, but we do need some more trucks, trunks, and so please help us.

And uh what else we need, Rick's?

Need a little bit more candy.

And inflatables.

Okay, we need help.

We need all hands on deck.

This is the largest outreach.

No peanuts, parking, and parking.

No can't, no candy with peanuts, because people are allergic with peanuts.

So uh bring the peanuts to me, I'll take care of the peanuts.

But anyway, so we need your help, folks.

This is that you want to be involved with us.

And then Friend Day, listen to this.

We are giving away two unbelievable life application Bibles for those that bring the most friends.

So, two nice.

It's one of my favorites, I and I've collect Bibles for 20 plus years.

It's probably the most practical study Bible on the market because it doesn't deal with the theological principle, it deals with the everyday living principles in the footnotes.

You'll love it.

I read it every day.

It's the I love my life application Bible.

So, and I was thinking about you, Donald.

You get your family here.

I know you're gonna win a Bible now.

So you go get them all, your wife's here today.

Y'all go get all your family and friends and and bring them on.

So uh it's gonna be fun.

Hopefully it'll be standing room only, but uh, anyway.

Right after you got saved, how long was it before you were attacked by Satan?

Five minutes?

Huh?

Maybe?

If you're lucky, ten.

I can remember when I first got saved, about really 15 or 20 minutes after that, or maybe even sooner, I got to thinking, am I really saved?

What did I really do?

You mean I prayed this prayer and it's gonna change my life?

All these kinds of things, you know, Satan had done, oh, a prayer.

You just prayed a prayer and you just think your life's gonna be changed all again, and you're gonna live life happily ever after.

Not.

I mean, Satan, that's the way he attacked me right after I got saved.

And he didn't let up.

You've got to realize this morning.

In fact, I want you to turn with me, hold your place, and turn over to Ephesians chapter 6.

Ephesians 6 · chapter mention

And I want to read a few verses to you to set the groundwork.

In Ephesians 6, verse 10, he says, Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.

Ephesians 6:10

Verse 11 put on the whole armor of God that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

That means the tricks.

That means the traps.

That means the schemes that Satan has for you.

Do you know he's setting traps for me and you?

You've got to be kidding me, preacher.

No, I'm not.

That's what the word there means.

He says that you may be able to stand against the tricks and the traps of the devil.

Now look at verse 12.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers.

Powers, look at the word powers.

That's satanic powers.

That's not earthly powers.

Ladies and gentlemen, we are warring against a satanic power that sets traps and schemes and to trip us up, to cause us to fall, to cause us to lose our testimony, to cause us not to be an effective witness.

He wants to take us out.

And once you get saved, he knows he can't take you to hell, but he'll do the next best thing he can, the only thing he can.

He'll try to destroy your testimony.

And then he goes on and says, Because these powers against the rulers of the darkness of this world against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Wherefore, take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand.

Stand, therefore, having your lorns gird about with truth and having on the breastplate of righteousness.

Wow.

In verse 16, he says, above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.

We're in a battle.

And the only way that you and I can defeat Satan is through taking up the shield of faith.

And that shield of faith is how we war against Satan.

Now there's three things that we war against.

Three things.

And by the way, the other verse, 1 Peter 5.8, there, literally says in your outline, be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about seeking whom he may devour.

So we're in a battle.

Say this with me, church.

We're in a battle.

We're in a battle.

And we're in a battle against Satan, the devil.

And by the way, the devil is not one of these Halloween costumes you're going to see in a few days with the red-pitched fork and the red horns and the long tail.

That's not how he works.

He's the angel of light.

He's the accuser of the brethren, the scriptures tells us.

So you've got to be aware.

And the only way you and I can defeat him is by taking up the shield of faith.

But notice the three things that we war against.

Number one, the world.

The world's system, the world's cultures, the world's philosophies, the world's mindset, the world's environment.

And you know what it says?

We saw this last week.

The world says, I've got to see it to believe it.

In other words, you've got to prove it to me.

It's got to be factual.

The world says in Isaiah 5.20, listen to what the world says.

I used to read this 20 plus years ago and say, I really don't understand that because I don't see it.

Well, today I've literally lived through and have literally seen Isaiah 5.20 literally being lived out right now.

And here's what it says.

Isaiah says, Woe unto the day when evil is good.

And good is evil.

We're there, folks.

We're living right there now.

That is a prophetic prophecy that you and I are living in today.

That's why it's more important now that you understand how to war by faith.

We are literally in a real battle.

Evil's trying to overcome good right now.

From the, hey, hey, from the highest form of government down.

It's unbelievable.

So we've got to be ready.

We've got to be ready.

Lot was a friend of the world, if you remember.

Abraham was a friend of God.

The world says I've got to see it to believe it.

Faith says I've got to believe it to see it.

Number two, we war against the flesh.

Romans 7, you got to put that down.

And Romans 7 is one of the most powerful books.

In fact, when I read Romans 7, it reminded me of my golf days.

Look at Ival smiling.

David's a pretty good golfer.

I was not a good golfer.

I was reminded of Romans 7 when I played golf.

That which I want to do, I don't do.

And that which I don't want to do, I do.

So we see the flesh says I can do it.

The carnality says I'm self-sufficient.

Oh, I've got a great ego.

I'm, hey, I'm tough.

I'm independent.

But faith says, no, we're not sufficient in ourselves.

Without God, we can do nothing.

We're not sufficient in ourselves, but our sufficiencies in God.

2 Corinthians 3.5.

So that's the difference.

And then thirdly, not only do we war against the world, the flesh, and now the devil, number three, or Satan.

2 Corinthians 11.14, he's the angel of light.

That means it looks so much true that you believe it is.

That's how deceptive he is.

And then Revelation 12, 10 says he's the accuser of the believer, the brother.

Have you ever realized how Satan answers our arguments?

He has an answer for every argument we have.

He refutes our logic.

No, that can't be right.

That's not factual.

You can't believe that.

You don't see that.

How can you believe something you don't see or understand?

And then he twists the scriptures and he beats us over the head with them.

He confuses our feelings.

He's the author of confusion.

He tempts our humanness.

He tempts us in all the areas that we're weak.

But here's one thing he can't do.

He doesn't know what to do with real truth.

He doesn't know what to do with faith.

He can't handle it.

That's why when he tempted Jesus on the mount of temptation, Jesus said, Get thee behind me, Satan, for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shall thou serve.

So the devil.

Look at 1 John 5.4.

This is very important.

It's up there.

It's on your outline.

1 John 5.4 says this This is the victory that overcometh the world.

Remember, our battles with the world, the world's system, its cultures, its philosophy, its mindset, the flesh, for they that are in the flesh, Romans 8.8, cannot please God.

And then the devil, Satan himself.

And notice what he says: the only way we can overcome Satan, the flesh.

The only way we can overcome the world is found in right here, 1 John 5.4.

We overcome the world by a listen, listen to what he says.

This is the victory that overcometh the world, even.

Now watch, this is important.

Even what kind of faith?

Our faith.

And this is a victory that has overcome the world.

What does it say?

Say it with me.

Our faith.

Did he say my faith?

Did he say your faith?

What did he say?

In other words, we need to under church.

That's why we have a church party.

What is a corporate?

What's the community?

You know why I need your faith?

You know why you need my faith?

We need each other's faith.

Because we're against, hey, we're not facing human powers.

We're facing supernatural powers.

And we need spirit-filled Christians coming together cooperatively to build each other up, to support each other, and to attack Satan with everything we've got together.

Is that not good?

And Mark 2, remember, I love this picture.

I love this story.

I love the preaching.

I'm not going to preach it, I promise.

Well, I might.

But hey, hey, Mark 2, remember?

The four friends brought their friend to Jesus.

And they, hey, they had to go up on the roof, cut a hole in the roof, and man, they're lowering him down to Jesus.

Can you imagine just all that?

I'm not going to get, don't go there.

But hey, hey, he the hearing comes down.

Jesus looks up and he makes this profound statement.

He says, because of your faith, talking to the four guys.

Rise and be healed.

Not the guy's faith.

Now I'm sure he was part of it.

But he's telling those four guys that it worked so hard to get bring the friend to Jesus because of your faith.

Ladies and gentlemen, you come to church, you join a great church, you love church, you get involved in church, you get involved with people's lives because we are together.

It is our faith.

Our faith.

Don't ever forget it.

Why do you think I love you?

Why do you think we love you and we hug you?

We're together, folks.

When you hurt, I hurt.

When you laugh, I laugh.

When you rejoice, we rejoice.

We're in this together.

There are no social classes, there are no colors, there are no prejudices in a foxhole.

Hello.

And ladies and gentlemen, our church is our foxhole.

You don't talk about your, hey, you're in a foxhole and bullets are coming at you every which way and bombs going off.

Hey, y'all not worried about anything but how to help each other stay alive.

Is that not true?

For you military people, somebody say amen.

Our faith.

Now with that said, good.

That's the introduction.

And not got to preaching yet.

Alright, here we go.

Now with that said, Abraham, because of his faith, faces three things in these two chapters.

Three areas we battle in the area of warring faith.

Area number one, chapter 14, verses 11 and 12, is victory over people.

Now, if you look at chapter 14 and go from verses 1 through 10, because I'm gonna pick up at verse 11, because there's a lot of names in there of kings and different things that I could impress you and pronounce all of them.

But I'm not that impressive.

Because I could not in I could probably mispronounce.

I I even got my pronouncer and started trying to, and I said, forget this.

We're just gonna jump down to leaven.

And we're gonna call all those names, we're gonna call them big kings, little kings, and big nations, big little nations, and names, Jim, Jerry, and Joe, and whatever.

I'm gonna be like D.

L.

Moody.

D.

L.

Moody used to be reading a passage of scripture, and when he'd come to some names that he couldn't pronounce, he'd just stop and make some comments and then pick up on the other side.

So I'm gonna be like DL Moody.

That's right.

So what we've got is we've got really two sets of kings.

We've got nine really kings.

You got five against four.

Five bad ones, four good ones.

And the four kings end up winning.

And the reason they end up winning is because if you went to Ezekiel chapter 16, verses 49 through 50, you'd see why the five kings are defeated by the four kings.

Ezekiel 16:49–50

And that is because they were soft, they were prideful, they were idle, they didn't meet their people's needs.

They didn't care about their people.

They were committed to abomination unto God.

They hated God.

So the four kings from the east beat the other five kings.

And out of those five kings, there's two from Sodom and Gomorrah.

Lot, we see.

So let's pick it up.

Verse 11.

And we see, and they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their possessions and went their way.

And they took Lot, Abraham's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom.

Underline it, who dwelt in Sodom and his goods and departed.

Wow.

Wow.

Lot was in a place that he ought not have been.

Lot was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

But here's the key.

What got Lot to the wrong place at the wrong time?

Well, if you go back in chapter 13 that we preached about last week, there's a progression that gets you and me, hey, to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

And if we follow that same progression, that same process, we can end up at the wrong place at the wrong time.

And here it is.

Watch this.

This is not in your notes.

God gave me this later.

I thought this is good.

All right, watch this.

Watch this.

If you go back to Genesis 13, 10, we see Lot began to look at Sodom.

You don't have to turn there.

I'll tell you.

Hey, hey.

He began to look at Sodom.

He began to look at the temptation.

Hello.

The moment your eyes are gazed on something you ought not to look at, something you ought not to do, you have to immediately cast it down, turn away and run.

Just like Joseph.

He ran out of his cloak.

Alright?

But then notice the second thing he did.

He looked at Sodom, and in verse 11, he moved toward Sodom in Genesis 13.

He started, oh, oh, that looks good.

I think I'll get a little closer and get a better look.

I wished I could control my phone.

I can't.

Well, I can, but sometimes I don't know how.

My wife the other day came by and saw I was, I forgot what I was typing in, but this unbelievable picture popped up on my phone.

And I literally said, suicide.

And I gave her my phone.

I said, what is this?

And get it off.

And you know what she said?

What are you doing?

I said, I ain't doing it.

I'm giving it to you.

I'm in a side.

But how many times we stop and we just start looking.

We get a little closer.

Let me see what else is there.

And then next thing you know, he's living in Sodom.

And Gomorrah.

I mean, he's he has he has just completely, wholeheartedly now, gone off into Sodom and sin.

Now listen to me.

You cannot do that and get away with it.

Look what happens now.

What happens?

The kings come in, they, hey, they take every, they take the two kings from Sodom, and they take everybody and everything they own.

They take them captive, and now he's a slave.

Be not deceived, God is not mocked, whatsoever man soweth, that shall he reap.

You can be sure your sins will find you out.

So here he is.

He's in a mess.

He's done with.

And then guess what?

There's a servant that gets away and takes off and runs and tells Uncle Lot.

I mean Uncle Abraham.

So Abraham decides he's gonna go rescue him.

Now I don't know about you, but I got to thinking.

First of all, why would Abraham go rescue Lot?

I wrote this to me.

Here's what I would have probably done.

I would have said, Lot, you're in Sodom and Gomorrah.

Lot, I wrote this, you've been disobedient.

Lot, I told you not to do that.

I brought you out of Ur, of Chaldea.

I brought you out of Egypt.

I helped you get your flock started.

Hey, I made you a wealthy man.

I gave you the best lands, the plains of Jordan.

Now, hey, he's gotten into sin.

You've gotten into sin.

Hey, you're not where you ought to belong.

You've not been keeping up with your altars.

You've not been coming to our altar when we have altars together as family.

And it just serves you right.

Have you ever thought that about somebody?

You made your bed?

My daddy told me that when I got married.

You know what he said?

Son, you don't marry off, you hey, you don't marry on, you marry off.

You make your bed, you lay in it.

And he meant it.

Never gave me a dime.

Not a dime.

Not a dime.

Not a dime.

No, the inheritance was bills.

I had a guy call me and try to get me to pay my daddy's bills.

That's what I inherited.

Is that not true?

What do you mean?

But why did he do what why did I meant when you go back and you read about Lot and you go over to Genesis 19, he was a horrible mess.

Ended up having incest with his daughters.

Why would you do that?

Why would you go rescue somebody like that?

You know why?

He rescued him.

Because Abraham remembered what God had done for him.

He remembered what God had done for him when he was in a mess.

God brought him out of Egypt.

God brought him back out and brought him in.

Remember the message?

And then brought him on.

Remember?

Write this down somewhere.

Here's what God taught me what Christian love here is through this situation.

It is the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed.

His compassions fail not.

They are new every morning.

Great is their faithfulness.

Can I get an amen?

Lamentations 3, 22 and 23.

Here's what Christian love is.

Here's my definition.

God taught me through this passage.

Christian love is when I treat you like God treats me.

Now that's Christian love.

And that's exactly the definition of John 13, 34 and 35.

A new commandment I give unto you that ye love one another as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

And by this shall all men know that you're my disciples by your love.

It is the Lord's mercy.

Abraham said, I've got to treat Lot right because, hey, this is how God treated me.

He says, I gotta be patient with Lot because God was patient with me.

I got to be forgiving to Lot because God was forgiving to me.

Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.

Wow.

I gotta give Lot a second chance because God gave me a second chance.

And a third chance and a fourth chance.

Can I get an amen?

Galatians 6, 1 and 2.

You got to see this.

What did Paul tell the church?

Galatia.

Is this not awesome?

Oh, what's this?

Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, that means, hey, let me tell you what that word means in the context of this message.

That means the person who understands real God's real Christ-like love is treating people like Christ treats us.

And with that said, the spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness, considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted, you also be in that situation.

And then verse 2 bear ye one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.

That's what it means.

Love like Christ loves.

Treat people like Christ treated us.

Can I get an amen?

Is that not good, church?

Don't you wish we could say, we do that?

Instead of being judgmental, unforgiving, bitter?

This is good.

This is worth you filling in your little blanks.

Four levels of living.

Are you ready?

Level number one.

I can return good for evil.

You got a choice.

You can return good for evil.

And by the way, that is exactly what God does.

That's God's, hey, that's God like.

I'm gonna give you a verse that I don't like sometimes.

And I promise you, you probably don't like it sometimes either.

You know what it says in Matthew 5.44?

Love your enemies.

Hello.

Love your enemies.

Do good to them that hate you.

Well, actually, it says, love your enemies.

Bless them that curse you.

Bless them that curse you.

Did you hear me?

Bless them.

In other words, they're cursing you and you're doing something good for them.

When's the last time you've done that?

I don't want to bless them.

I want to take them out.

That's a bad attitude, isn't it?

Bless them that curse you.

Now do good to them that hate you.

And then it even gets more deep.

And pray for them.

Yeah, I'll pray.

Kill them, God.

Take them out.

Don't look at me like I'm crazy.

David prayed that too.

It was wrong praying, but he prayed it.

Kill my enemies, Lord.

So love them.

Bless them?

Do good to them.

And pray for them.

Whoa! But that's why Abraham had to go rescue Lot.

He had to.

He had no choice.

There's a second way.

And the second way is I can return good for good.

You know what Jesus told the Pharisees about that?

In Matthew 7?

He said, even sinners do that.

What, hey, it's easy for me to do good to Darren because Darren's doing good to me.

But what if Darren's just ripping me up and going around telling all kinds of stuff on me?

And then I don't do my best.

I go out of my way to do good to Darren.

Now that's what the Lord would do.

But can you do that?

Yeah, there's no way you can do that if you're not walking with the Lord's spirit filled.

And it's still hard.

Hello.

Right, Deedra?

We talked about some of that in your meeting.

What do you want to do with them?

There's a third thing.

And by the way, that's what he said.

Jesus said that about the Pharisees.

Then, number three, I can return evil for evil.

One is God like, I can return good for good.

That's man-like.

Now, I can return evil for evil.

That's animal-like.

Romans 12, 17 says, recompense to no man, evil for evil, provide things honest in the sight of all men, live peaceably with all men.

Hey, that's what animals do.

You bite them, they bite you back.

Amen.

And then number four, I can return evil for good.

I can return evil for good.

That's devil-like.

That's satanic.

He says, I'm going to be the accuser of the brethren.

I've come to kill, steal, and destroy.

Or we can do what God did, return good for evil.

As he is, so are we in the world.

Number two, not only did Abraham have victory over people, but verses 17 through 24 in chapter 14, he had victory over things.

Abraham comes back after battle.

Now he goes back, he goes and he battles, gets Lot back.

They go and have the battle.

He takes 300 men with him.

They battle.

He wins the battle.

So he comes back.

And now I want you to write something down because this is so true.

Your biggest battle with Satan is going to be your biggest victory for God.

He just won the biggest victory.

Now he's got the biggest battle.

You know what happens?

I'll tell you in a minute.

But let me give you another example.

Remember Elijah on Mount Carmel?

The largest battle.

He prays down the fire of God and consumes 450 Bell prophets.

They're gone.

The next thing you see, instead of dynamic revival breaking out, you see Elijah under the juniper tree begging God to kill him.

Wow.

Wow.

What about Jesus?

Even Jesus, right after the baptism with John the Baptist.

Oh, we see the heavens open up and God literally says, This is my beloved son in whom I'm well pleased.

And next thing, what?

Wham! Satan takes him up to the Mount of Temptation and tempts him in all three areas.

Just remember, after you have the biggest victory, look out.

The biggest temptation's coming.

Pastor, that's good.

You hear me, church?

And we see it right here.

And now Abraham has to choose between two lifestyles, verses 17 and 18.

Sodom or Salem.

Sodom represents the burning world, the world system.

You live, hey, and what I see that, the word Sodom there means burning, and here's what I believe.

If you and I bow to the world, everything we live for will be burned up.

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.

Hey, don't love the world.

The love of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye of the prior life, all this is of the world and the lust thereof.

And then he goes on, but he says that in verse 18, but then he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.

So we see that, hey, Sodom, the king of Sodom, offered Lot all these worldly things, everything that he had gotten back.

He got back Lot, he got all his possessions, but he got all the king's possessions, all the money back, everything back.

And the king of Sodom then turned and said, Since you did this, Abraham, I'm going to give all the worldly stuff to you.

Isn't it amazing that Satan tries to buy us off?

He tries to buy us off.

He doesn't want us to be a strong Christian.

He doesn't want us to have a strong testimony.

He doesn't want us to stand in the gap.

He doesn't want us to speak out.

That's not politically correct.

You may lose your job, you lose your money, you lose your power, you lose your prestige, you lose, lose, lose, lose.

But if you don't do this, you do it my way, I'll give you all this.

I'll give you all the world offers.

Isn't that amazing?

Isn't that exactly what Satan did to Jesus himself?

Hey, Satan's not hard to figure out if you read the word.

The world or the word.

But he chose Salem.

You know what Salem stood for here?

Machezeldech.

The high priest, God himself, the king of righteousness, offered Abraham bread and wine, peace.

In other words, that's a beautiful, I never had thought about it before.

That's a beautiful picture of the Lord's Supper.

My bread I offer to you, my body.

Hey, my blood I offer for you.

As often as you eat and drink this, hey, these elements, hey, do in remembrance of me.

Don't forget Abraham.

I'm the God of righteousness.

It's me.

Now watch this.

Oh, this is so good.

You know why?

Why did Abraham take Melchizedek's offer?

Verse 18.

He remembered what God Jehovah had done for him.

Can I get an amen?

Look at it.

Right there.

And Machezeldech, the king of Salem, brought forth bread and wine.

And he was the priest of the most high God.

And he blessed him and said, Blessed be Abraham of the Most High God, possessor of heaven and earth.

Number two, here's another reason he chose Machezeldek.

He knows God has promised to bless him.

God's been mindful of us to bless us.

Then, verse 20, he knows God fights his battles.

Look at verse 20.

And blessed be the Most High God, which hath delivered thy enemies into thy hand.

He says he's going to bless me.

He's going to fight my battles.

He's going to fight my enemies.

Verse 21, he knows Satan will give us spoils for our watch this.

And the king of Sodom said unto Hammer, give me these persons and take the goods to thyself.

He already knows.

He knows.

Abraham knows how Satan's going to entice him with worldly success, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.

Just those three things we looked at at the very beginning.

And then, verses 22 through 24, he knows God wants us to be above reproach and live a separated life.

That's what he said.

And Abraham said to the king.

Of Sodom, I have lifted up my hand unto the Lord, verse 22, the Most High, the possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take from thee one thread, even to a Jew lace, and that I will not take anything that is thine, lest thou should say, I have made Abraham rich.

Save only that which young men have eaten.

He says, I'm not again going to give Satan any opportunity to take credit for anything in my life.

Man, somebody say that's good.

I'm not gonna take the world.

The world's not my home.

I'm just a pilgrim passing through.

Wow.

And it brings me to the last thing.

Not only did he have victory over people, he had victory over things.

But chapter 15, he has victory over feelings.

Have you ever been hurt, disappointed, depressed?

I wrote these down.

I've been every one of these.

I've been disappointed, I've been hurt, I've been discouraged, I've been depressed, and I've been afraid.

Anybody else like that could say amen with me?

Abraham was.

We see that in verse 12.

He felt that way.

Look at him.

Chapter 15, verse 12.

And when they were going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and lo, a horror of great darkness fell upon him.

Man, he had all these feelings.

You know why?

Let me tell you why.

If you look at verse 1, Abram was afraid for his life.

Look at verse 1.

After these things, the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not Abram, I am the shield and the exceeding great reward.

He was afraid for his life.

Why?

He had just defeated all these kings.

Kind of like Elijah.

I got to thinking he felt just like Elijah did, undoubtedly.

That these kings may regroup and come back after him.

And then look what else he was afraid of.

Not only was he afraid of the kings coming back, but I love the word shield there because it stands for protection and provisions.

But notice the second thing, verses 2 through 6.

He doesn't understand how God's going to fulfill his promise about him being with his heirs, and his descendants are going to be more than he can even count, the stars and the sand.

He doesn't understand that because he hadn't had any children.

And behold, the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir, but he that shall come forth out of thy own bowels shall be thine heir.

And he brought him forth abroad and said, Look now toward heaven and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them, and said unto him, So shall thy seed be.

And he believed in the Lord and he counted it to him for righteousness.

And the word of the Lord came unto him.

239 times that phrase is used in the Bible.

And the word of the Lord came unto him.

First time in the Bible it's ever used is right here.

He trusted in the word of God.

That's important you understand that.

He believed and trusted the word of God.

Except the Lord build the house that labor in vain to build it.

Psalms 27, verse 1.

Psalms 27:1

Faith that conquers fear is faith in the word, not faith in feelings.

Can I get an amen?

God says, I am, is perfectly adequate for man's I am not.

Woo!

Nothing's impossible with my God.

Luke 137.

Your life is only as big as your faith.

Hey, and your faith is only as big as your God.

If we spend time listening to ourselves, and people will get discouraged and fearful.

But if we spend time listening to my God in his word, we will be encouraged and fervent in spirit.

For they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and faint not.

They won't quit, they won't give up.

I put a big poster in Eric's room when he was young, and it was a runner running.

And then had Isaiah 40, 31.

Eric grew up understanding that nothing's impossible with God.

He saw miracle after miracle at Open Door and at Liberty University and at Tennessee Temple.

I close with this.

Verse one.

After these things, the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abraham.

I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward.

Underline two words, I am.

God presents.

God here, number one, here we see God's presence.

He says, I am.

I am the Alpha, the Omega, the beginning, the end, the first, and the last.

Then look at verse 5.

We see God's promise.

And he brought him forth abroad and said, Look now toward heaven and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them.

And he said unto them, So shall thy seed be.

He says, I am.

That's his presence.

Verse 5, God's promise, I will.

I will do what I tell you I'm gonna do.

And then verse 18, we see he performs his performance.

In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given the land for the river of Egypt and to the great river Euphrates.

Here we see I have.

I prom my promise, I will.

And then he goes ahead and he says, My performance, I make a covenant with you.

Now you listen to me.

Back then they would take the sacrificial animals, cut them in two, put them across from each other, and then people would walk through it to make as if they were signing the covenant.

That was their signature, walking through making a covenant with God back in the Old Testament.

But when we get to the New Testament, there was only one sacrificial lamb.

And he died on a cross.

And for each and every one of us that have asked him to come into our hearts and our lives.

The moment you say, Lord Jesus, come into my heart, come into my life, save me, Lord, change me.

I want you.

I want you to change my life.

I want you to be Lord of my life.

For by one spirit are we all baptized into one body.

1 Corinthians 12, 13, by the Holy Spirit of God, He grabs you, boom, He baptizes you, He places you into the body of Christ, and that is a covenant with God Almighty.

So if you're saved this morning, you have made a covenant with God.

And that's why I don't think a lot of people understand what salvation really is.

It's oh, well, I've just prayed a prayer.

I got baptized.

Oh, I'm I'm going to heaven now and go live like I want to.

Not that's not salvation.

That's all that is is a prayer and you getting wet.

True salvation is making a covenant with a real God saying, I buried my old way of living.

And I'm being raised to walk a new life.

A life like Jesus Christ.

Now that's a covenant.

And I'm gonna walk by faith, not by sight.

Amen.

And I'm gonna war by faith.

Not by sight.