When God uses underdogs! Part II
How to stay humble after Victory
Gen 14:15-24
15.He divided his forces against them by night, and he and his servants attacked them and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus.
16. So he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the people.
Here we have the conclusion of the war between the Five Kings of Sodom and Chedorlaomer that we’ve discussed last week.
Surely this was a big Victory!
Abraham is the Hero, but strangely enough there is no word on his emotions.
Notice verse 16:
So he brought back all the goods
· This must have been huge bait; this goods here
was taken from the cities.
· This is how warfare worked even in those days.
· This was for Abraham to claim now.
and also brought back his brother Lot and
his goods, as well as the women and the eople.
· So he brought Lot back and also the other
people.
· Think for a moment the relieve on their behalf.
· They benefited from Lot, for if it weren’t for
him they would have being lost.
I want you to focus on the next few verses:
You will find that in v17 we read about the king of Sodom, then it seems as if verses 18-20 were add in.
The introduction of Melchizedek was placed right in the middle of the arrival and conversation wit Abraham.
There is a distinct reason for this!
Let’s read the passage now:
17. And the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley), after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him.
18. Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High.
19. And he blessed him and said: "Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth;
20. And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand." And he gave him a tithe of all.
21. Now the king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the persons, and take the goods for yourself."
Let me read it again now leaving out the part of Melchizedek.
17. And the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley), after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him.
21. Now the king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the persons, and take the goods for yourself."
You might say that there is nothing wrong with that.
Why is the part of Melchizedek. So important and what effect do that have on our lives today.
We find the answer by examining his conversation with Abram.
18. Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High.
19. And he blessed him and said: "Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth;
20. And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand." And he gave him a tithe of all.
Bible scholars believe that he was the first priest of Jerusalem. Salem is the last part of Jerusalem.
He was the priest of God most High. I don’t want to go to far in explaining who Melchizedek was. For the purpose of this sermon I’d like to focus on what he said.
I. Firstly he said : "Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and
earth;
Notice! He declares here that Abram belongs to God.
I believe he’s just reminding Abram to whom he belongs and who has got the power!
And to whom everything belongs.
Application: My friend that is the same today.
· Everything you own belongs to God
· I recently heard of a man who said that he would never die. He thought
· his life belonged to him, Wel he died!
Here is Abram with all the spoils of war, but it doesn’t belong to him.
II Secondly: And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into
your hand."
Notice! Now he declares to whom the victory belongs.
It was impossible to be the victor on paper.
Just before Abram takes the credit, he is reminded who brought the victory.
It was God!
Application: Ed Cole says the following:
§ Use the Gold but don’t touch the Glory
§ How we can learn by that.
§ I sometimes hear people telling other how good they were.
§ Everything is: I did this and I did that, never saying through the power of God or to His credit.
Abrams reaction was to give tithes to Melchizedek
So, why was this short conversation so important?
I believe it protected Abram for what was to come.
Look at verse 21.
Now the king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the persons, and take the goods for yourself."
Now that only seems fair for the king to say this.
But Abram saw through his plan.
Remember Bera , king of Sodom means “son of evil” Sodom means “burning”
By taking the goods will mean an alliance with this city.
Listen to Abram’s answer:
22. But Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth,
23. that I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, ’I have made Abram rich’--
24. except only what the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with me: Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion."
The lesson:
My friends Abram shows us an important message here
To keep your testimony.
The boxer Evander Holyfield once said:
“It’s easier to become a champ than to stay a champ”.
People give their hearts to the Lord and sit back and relax, thinking the Devil will leave them alone. We’ll I’ve got news for you.
He sometimes waits for the victory, then just after that when you start to relax, then he attacks again.He just needs to make you a little bit more important, like doing something other couldn’t do, then if you’re not careful will have you where he wants you. Pride is the devils weapon.
We need to keep our testimonies clean.
Chuck Mistler testifies
A few years ago, we flew back to California late one Sunday night from a seminar in Washington State. Tired and hungry, we still had to face another one-hour drive home from the airport.
Trying to check out of the airport parking lot, we found at least 30 cars in the line ahead of us, moving very slowly. After sitting in the line for over 25 minutes, 10 or 15 cars from the very back of the line pulled out and went around the long line of waiting cars and tried to butt their way into the front of the line from the side aisles of the parking lot.
One big magenta truck jammed its way in front of us. We rolled down the window and politely said, "Please, you need to wait in line just like the rest of us." The man just laughed at us and jammed his big truck in front of us all the more. His kids were in the back of his truck and they, too, were laughing as he manoeuvred his way in front of us.
To our complete disbelief, the man then stopped the whole line of cars behind him and let the 10 cars that had followed him, get into the line in front of him, adding another 10- to -15 minute wait for the rest of us. We were appalled that someone would be that self-centred and that rude. However, as we got closer to the lights and the checkout booth, we saw plastered clearly on the back of the big magenta truck, a Christian Ichthus (fish) symbol. We regret now that we didn’t get out of our car and say to the driver of the magenta truck, "Is this how a Christian acts?"
1 John 3:18 says it all, "Let us not love in word, neither in tongue [or stickers], but in deed and in truth."
God didn’t make any compromises why should we.
This I know: That if you stay loyal ti Him that He will bless you
Gen 15:1 After these things God made an covenant
