The Defeat of Five Kings

And indefinite future of continuing to work on your job, or if you're one of those individuals who for whatever reason, has been spared from all that, and I feel like you're able to rise above it, regardless of the effects and the impacts on our lives. The big difference for all of us and all of this is one of perspective and er two types of perspectives. One type of perspective is the individual who has a what I call the one kingdom perspective, and that one kingdom perspective is basically this, and you can be a lost person or a safe person to have a one kingdom perspective. The lost person has a one kingdom perspective that basically says, everything is the here and the now, and I am utterly dependent upon my government, utterly dependent upon my leaders or or whatever. And even the safe person can have that perspective. But the safe person's one kingdom perspective is tweaked a little bit, and the safe person's one kingdom perspective basically doesn't say, well, I'm utterly dependent on you know, this world and my leaders, and I look to them and them alone. The safe person with the one kingdom perspective tweaks it by saying, or I'm dependent on my leaders and this system, but I'm going to ask God to give me the kind of leaders upon which I prefer to be dependent. It's still a one kingdom perspective, which we're still trying to make this our one kingdom, but we just want God to be the one who makes it and shapes it into what we want it to be. Then there are those with a two kingdom perspective, and that two kingdom perspective that comes to us, and it's full Lord to understand really from the reformers, is this I belong to the Kingdom of God. I just happen to live in the Kingdom of Man. Jesus is still King of kings and Lord of lords. He still rules and he still reigns. Regardless of what happens in the Kingdom of Man. And if things go the way I liked them in the Kingdom of Man, Praise the Lord. Thank you for a respite from the struggle. If things don't go the way that I like them in the Kingdom of Man, Praise the Lord. Thank you for reminding me that this is not my home. Amen, Somebody, this is not our home. This is not as good as it gets. Well, what does that have to do with Genesis fourteen. I'm so glad you asked. Genesis chapter fourteen is really the tale of two pilgrims, one Lot trying to find a nation and one Abram trying to become one. And it's all about perspective. And we see that here in Genesis chapter fourteen. As we look at the tale of these two pilgrims, look with me, beginning at this first verse. Here, look at the first movement. In this first movement, we get a picture of the culture in which these individuals lived in the days of a'm Rafel, king of Shinar. And I know, you know, we have a lot of I believe we have what nine ten pregnant women in the church now. We usually hover around that ten or so range just all the time. Sometimes we go up a little, sometimes down a little. But right now I believe we kept somewhere around it's one around nine or ten pregnant women in church. And I know for those of you who are pregnant, you're you're always in the market for new biblical names, and boy, we got some here today. So in the days of Amraphel King of Shinar, and Arioch King of Elasser, and cater cater Laomar, King of Elam, and Title King of Goyem. These kings made war with Bera, King of Sodom, and Bershah King of Gomorrah, Shinab King of Adma, Shimberg King of Zeboyem, and the King of Bela that is Zoar. So if you're looking for names, those are just some really nice names in there. And all these joined forces in the valley of Shidim that is the Salt Sea, or really the dead sea there in the Holy Land. Twelve years they had served cater Laomar. Twelve years they had served Kardalaramar. But in the thirteenth year they rebelled. So you have these kings who are serving the big king for twelve years. And after twelve years they got together and they said, you know what, we just don't need to pay tribute to him anymore. I think of all of us got together and said that we weren't paying tribute to him anymore, that he'd probably get off our backs. So in the thirteenth year of their rebel, In the fourteenth year, Karl Lamar and the kings who were with him came and defeated their Repheme in Ashtaroth, Carnium, the Zuzim and Ham, the Imim in Shavli Kuria, thim Rather and the whole rights in their hill country of Sayer as far as el Paran on the border of the wilderness. Then they turned back and came to end Mishpot that is Kidish, and defeated all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who were dwelling in Hazizan Tamar. So twelve years they have to pay tribute to this king. Because there were some kings who were greater, some kings who were lesser, some kings who had more of a population, some kings who had less of a population, some kings who had more armed men, some kings who had fewer armed men, some kings who had advanced weaponry, some kings who didn't have advanced weaponry. And if you got to be the big king, other individuals paid tribute to you so that you didn't march on them. These four kings got together and said we're going to band together, and we're going to agree all of us, we're not gonna pay tribute. We're going to rebel. They did that in the twelfth year. Year later, the great King comes with more kings with him and whips them all. You don't want to give me my tribute, I will come and take my tribute. So that's the lay of the land. That's the background, if you will. That's the culture in which these men lived. And oftentimes we don't pay attention to the culture in which they lived, the background in which they lived, and it's hard for us to comprehend or understand the decisions that they make. Now look here, beginning at verse eight, this next paragraph brings in the first pilgrim Lot. Then the King of Sodom, the King of Gomorrah, the King of Adma, and the King of Zeboeim, and the King of Bilah, that is Zoar went out and they joined battle in the valley of sit In with kater Loimar, King of Elam, title King of goyam Amraphel, King of Shinar, and Arioch King of Elasar. Four kings against five. Now the valley of Sadim was full of bittermin pits with these tar pits, and as the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled They don't even tell you how the battle went, hey man. They went out to fight. Last sentence, they were going out to fight five of them against four next line. As they fled, some fell into these bitamin pits, 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. Then verse twelve, here's what's interesting. You're not going to pay tribute anymore, So what are we going to do? The big king says, you're not going to pay tribute anymore. I will come and I will take the tribute that you owe me. So at the end of verse eleven, they come down and they take all their provisions and their possessions and they go away. Because it's all thereafter, right, just provisions and possessions from those who are paying tribute. Now look with me, if you were to verse twelve. They also took Lot, the son of Abram's brother, who was dwelling in Sodom, and his possessions and went their way. They have a fight with four kings, these four kings who are not going to pay tribute anymore, or five kings rather, who are not going to pay tribute anymore. They come down, they defeat these kings and they take their tribute. But while they are taking their tribute, they also take Lot, who when last we encountered him, has pitched his tent near Sodom. Now he just went on ahead and lived in Sodom. These kings who are in rebellion, they take the tribute that they owe. Lot is different. They come and they take Lot away. They don't take the other kings away. They want those kings to stay where they are and continue to pay tribute. But they take Lot away and all of Lot's possessions. And so here we see the fate of Pilgrim number one. Pilgrim number one is not like Pilgrim number two. Pilgrim number two. Abram is basically looking to become a nation, because that's what God told him, I'm going to make you a great nation. Lot is looking to belong to a nation. And usually we jump all over Lot. We just jump on him with both feet. And it's all about Sodom and Gomorrah, and it's all about their sin, and it's all about him sort of being seduced by their sin and getting there because of the sin. In those nations. Let me tell you we need to be careful about that. And here's why we know that there is wickedness in Sodom and Gomorrah. But here's what we also know that in this time and in this culture in which he lives, there are kings who are demanding tribute from people. Either you pay them tribute as a king who is independent yourself, or you belong to a kingdom who's paying them tribute, or you're in trouble. Lots there in Sodom under the protection of the king of Sodom. Could it be that he was seduced by the sin there in Sodom? And I believe absolutely that Lot was ultimately seduced by the sin there in Sodom. But I don't think that automatically means that Lot went from pitching his tent near Sodom to living in Sodom because of the sin that was in the city that had drawn him in. There's nothing in the text that says that. In fact, when you look at the text in its context, what makes more sense is not that somehow he was seduced by the sin of Sodom, but that he was seduced by the protection of Sodom. He's there under the protection of this king of Sodom, but all of a sudden, he's also related to another individual who's not under the protection of this king and not in the protection of any other's king. We'll see that in a moment. So he's taken away almost as though he's a hostage, almost as though he's a hostage. Now, let's look at Abram's situation draw some contrast between the two. Look at verse thirteen. Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew who was living by the oaks of memory, the Amirit, the brother of Eskull and of Aner. Here's what's interesting. He came and told Abram the Hebrew. All of these other individuals are identified, and they are identified by the nations over which they are kings, or these individuals are identified by the people group to which they belong. These guys come and tell Abram the Hebrew, how many of those are there? Just him? Just him? He didn't have a son. This name is a Hebrew word derived from the name of his people. But he's already identified as an individual, as a separate individual. He's already identified, really almost as another king. He's Abram the Hebrew. You've got all of these other people groups around. He doesn't belong to any of these other people groups around. He stands alone and he's Abram the Hebrew. He's the only Hebrew, and he stands alone. So the first distinction between these two pilgrims is there's one pilgrim who's looking for a nation. There's another pilgrim who's looking to be a nation. That's the distinction between these two. So you have a lot who's looking for protection from individuals who are sinful individuals. So he's casting his lot pardon the pund with sinful individuals. The first two kings listed by the way their names are derev of, the Hebrew word for wicked. That's where he's gone. That's where he's looking for assistance. That's where he's looking for shelter because he's not thinking independently. He's not thinking about being a nation. But don't blame him. He's not the one to whom God has come and said I will make of you a great nation. That's not his promise. He's just looking for a place to belong. He's looking for a place to fit in. Abram's not looking for a place to belong He's not looking for a place to fit in. Abram belongs to another kingdom. In fact, Abram belongs to a kingdom that he can't even see, that he can't even discern, that he can't even understand. Abram belongs to a kingdom that is yet to come. Does that sound familiar. There is a kingdom that is yet to come, and there is one who is yet to come who will establish this kingdom that is yet to come. So, by faith, Abram believes that he belongs to a kingdom that is yet to come. But he also believes he belongs to a kingdom that is yet to come, that is greater than any kingdom on the face of the earth. Do you believe that? Do you believe that you belong to a kingdom that yet to come? Or do you think American is all you are? Do you believe that your future is actually tied up in what happens in the US of Ay fifty states plus Puerto Rico? Is that really what you think? That that's what you're tied up in. Do you believe that you're belonging to a kingdom that is yet to come? What kind of pilgrim are you? Are you a pilgrim who gets down in the dumps when this kingdom doesn't look like your kingdom. Newsflash, it ain't your kingdom. I would have said it's not, but that's not strong enough. It ain't. This is not your home. Don't be surprised when it doesn't look like it. It's like you're going over your in law's house and sticking your lip out because of their painting. Is not the color you like. It's their house. You don't like it, Go to your own house. Abram sees himself as belonging to a kingdom, a kingdom that he's never seen, a kingdom that is yet to come. And secondly, secondly, and his wife is not enticed. Abram sees himself as belonging to a kingdom that is greater than any kingdom on the face of the earth. And if you belong to the Kingdom of God, it doesn't matter what time period you live in. You belong to a kingdom that's yet to come, and you belong to a kingdom that is greater than any kingdom on the face of the earth. Do you believe that? See, it's harder for us to believe that than it is for anybody else in the world. We had the privilege that very few people in the history of mankind have ever had. We belong to the worlds not just greatest superpower. Right now, we belong to the world's only superpower. Hear me, hear me when I say that again. Right now, we belong to the world's only superpower. And there are some of you in here, and you've earned a few more gray hairs. And you can remember, if you've earned a few more gray hairs when you had to go when you were in school, you had these bomb shelter drills. You remember that. I see some head shaking here. You remember that we're all scared that the Russians were going to drop the big one, and so kids had to learn how to go get under their desk or go to a safe place in the school just in case anybody ever bombed us. The Cuban missile crisis, you remember, the Cuban missile crisis wasn't around during that time, but I heard about the Cuban missile crisis. And everybody's so afraid that the world's other great superpower was somehow going to attack and we'd be in great trouble. Let me take you back even further. Let me take you back to World War Two. In World War Two, the world's great superpower was Germany. We tend to forget that we were not the superpower. Germany was the superpower. Many of us cannot comprehend that. Many of us all we know is this world with the United States of America has always been the only superpower. Most of the world has no idea what that feels like to be able to sit here and say, the only way that our folk can be defeated is if a whole bunch of other folks join together against us. Nobody can take us one on one. By the way, that's not true on paper, it's true, but there's been a whole lot of people in the history of world, like Rome, who felt just like that, and all of a sudden, here they come. But what if you lived in a world or in a part of the world where you weren't a citizen in the world's only superpower. Here's what's interesting. It will be a lot easier for you to depend on God. I want you to know that our privilege and our prosperity make it more difficult for us that had the kind of faith and the kind of perspective toward God that we ought to. And one of the reasons that we are so dependent on this government of ours. One of the reasons, there's a lot of reasons, but one of the reasons that we're so dependent on this government of ours is because we've been coaxed into that dependence and away from our dependence upon God. That's the difference between Lot and Abram. Lots been coaxed into dependence. But Abram believes that he's part of a nation that is yet to come, and that the nation that he's part of is greater than any nation the world has ever seen. And so because of that he acts differently than acts. Look at what happens here verse fourteen. When Abram heard that his kinsmen had been taken captive, he led forth his trained men and born in his household three hundred and eighteen of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan stop. Right there, there are two things that are absolutely amazing. There. Again, Abram's living like he's going to be a nation. Lots living like he's trying to find one to belong to. So because Abram's living like he's going to be a nation. He's got three hundred and eighteen men who are trained in his household, trained for what to fight like, you're defending a nation, three hundred and eighteen of them that are traded in his household. And what does he do? As we say here in Texas, they posse up. What's interesting is this Abram and Lot split and they go in two different directions. That you remember why because both of them were so in the theological term that I taught you last week, filthy, stank, nasty, rich. Okay, they had so many flocks and herds and servants and so much wealth that the land could not contain them both. That's why they split. So Basically, Lot just a chapter ago, had as much resource as Abram has here and now. But in this very short time that he's become dependent on another nation, he no longer has resources to protect himself or anyone else. That's what dependents will do for you. That's what not recognize that you're a pilgrim will do for you. You began to look to others and not to look to God, and all of a sudden, when there is a need, you're looking horizontally instead of vertically Abram's looking vertically. We'll see evidence of this later on, but let me just show you right here. There's evidence that he's looking vertally vertically and not horizontally. Abram's not looking horizontally because remember, there are four kings who just whipped five kings, y'all remember that, So we don't just have four kings. We got four kings, including Keter Lamar, who's the big king, who brought other kings with him, defeated all of these people on his march down south. Then Sodom and Gomora get together three other kings and they go against four kings, as five kings against four. These four kings, one of them being the big King, defeat the five kings, and Abram takes three hundred and eighteen men and says, let's go get them. He's not looking horizontally. Folks. I asked Terry Cold this morning. I said, Terry, how many chairs in here this morning? Said I don't know about three twenty. And he didn't know why I was asking him. He's trying to figure out. Don't worry about it. That's just perfect. Three hundred and twenty chairs in this room. A lot had three hundred and eighteen trained warriors in his home, one for every chair in this room save two. And that's who he took to go get his kinsman locked from four kings who had just whipped five. He was not trusting in horses and chariots. He was trusting in the most High God. Look at the next part of this, By the way, I want you to see that there's es Coal and Aner as well. And here's a point that's important for us. Abram is independent, but he has allies. Abram is independent, but he has allies. Here's what we don't see. We don't see this picture of a two kingdom mindset that basically says, well, now I just belong to this kingdom over here. I don't want to have anything to do with the other kingdom or anyone in the other kingdom. No, he's independent, but he has allies. He has allies. We're independent, but we have allies. We don't just isolate ourselves from the world. We have allies. We're independent individuals who are trusting in God and in God alone, but we recognize that we live in another kingdom. We have allies, and those allies that we have are gifts to us from God. Amen. And that's what Abram has. He has allies who are gifts to him from God, and these allies don't even belong to his kingdom. Let me tell you something. Do you know that our God has frequently used lost people in order to help his people? I know sometimes believers, you know, you get this sort of attitude out there, you know, and we want you know, our plumber and our dentist and our down there. You know, everybody's got to be a believer, have the exact same theology that we have, or they can't be are this or are that or whatever? You know, our mechanic, our everything. We want everybody to be a believe, everybody to be part of our kingdom. If you're not part of our kingdom, then you can't change my law because I'm a Christian and I only want my all changed by Christians. Really, boy, we were really going to fulfill the great commission like that, aren't We can't say a man, you ought to say, ouch, God can use people who don't even belong to our kingdom to be a blessing to us. In fact, if you're honest, God has used people who don't belong to our kingdom to be a blessing to you, anybody ever, anybody have been robbed before. I've been robbed, been robbed a number of times. I told you I grew up in south central Los Angeles. I robbed. That was yeah. We didn't ask people if they've been robbed. We asked them, when's the last time they've been robbed? Here's what I know. Somebody kicks in your door and a policeman comes who doesn't know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. You're not going to go outside and say, excuse me, can you go get me a saved officer please? No, you're going to say thank you Lord for this individual who's your minister to me, even though he doesn't even belong to our kingdom. See how ridiculous that of the mindset can be. There are individuals who don't belong to our kingdom who do things to bless you every day that you don't even know about. You don't even think about. So Abram's independent, but he has allies. He has allies. Here's what's interesting. Lots dependent and he didn't have any allies here. He is down in sodom. He's completely immersed himself in sodom. He thinks he's protected because he belongs to a kingdom with a king with fighting men, and he ends up all by himself, taken away with everything he owns Abram's independent, but he has allies that ought to be our attitude, not to become completely immersed and dependent upon this world, this kingdom in which we live, which will leave us high and dry, but to be independent and accept those allies whom God gives us. Look at what happens next verse fifteen. And he divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants and defeated them and pursued them to Hobi, north of Damascus. Then he brought back all the possessions and also brought back his kinsman Lot with his possessions, and the women and the people hold on. He goes to get lot, but he also goes and get back gets back the stuff that was taken from Sodomon Gomora. So not only do we see that God can use people who belong to this other kingdom to be a blessing to us, but God can and will, from time to time use us to be a blessing to people who don't belong to his kingdom. In fact, that's the way they ought to think about us. I don't know those people. I don't understand those people. Matter of fact, truth be told, I really don't like those Christians, but I just can't help but respect the fact. From time to time they blessed me. Almost wish they wouldn't. It would help me not like them. Look at verse seventeen. Now the mysterious Melchizedic shows up, and we get a greater insight into Abram's attitudes and actions. After his return from the defeat of cater Laomar and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the valley of Shiva. This is the king's valley, and Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine. He was a 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. Here's what you need to understand. Abram had victory because God delivered his enemies into his hand. By the way, we'll see this later on, won't we We'll see this later on. When there's another victory that is won by an individual who has an army, God says, your army's too big. Fin them out. He remember that, who am I talking about? Kids? Kids? All right? God fends out Gideon's army, so that what everybody will know that the victory was from the Lord. Abram goes out with three hundred and eighteen men, so that everybody will know that the victory is from the Lord. Here's what I also want you to see. Abram went out and the king of Sodom didn't go with him. Why the victory is from the Lord. So what is the king of Sodom? See? The King of Sodom sees you go out in your flesh and you've got five kings against there four you get whipped up one side and down the other, all your stuff taken away. Lot goes out with three hundred and eighteen men, defeats all them, gets his kinsmen back, and oh, by the way, brings the stuff that you couldn't protect with your five kings all to the glory of God. Here's another thing we see. Abram is not as alone as he seemed. Abram is not as alone as he seemed. If you're reading Genesis from the beginning of to the point where we are. Now. Yeah, all of a sudden, by the time we get here, there are a couple of things that you think. The first thing that you think is this, Abram's all by himself and he's the only one that God has. Newsflash, not everybody from the Ark is dead. Well. We often forget that Shim, for example, lived six hundred years. He was ninety eight when he went on the Ark, which means he lives another five hundred and two years after the flood. Abram is not alone as you think he is. Also, the descendants of Shim and Hem and Jafith, they're there. They've heard about the things of God. Abram is not as alone as you think he is. And just when you think that it's just him and no one else, all of a sudden, here's Melchizedek. And our first question is where's he come from? The Bible doesn't even tell you. We don't know where Melchizedek came from. Here's what we do know. He's a priest of the Most High God. God's always got a remnant, folks, He's always got a remnant. He's the priest of the Most High God, and he praises the Most High God and properly announces that it was God himself who brought this victory for Abram. Abram's not as alone as you think. And we're not as alone as you think. Oftentimes we have a tendency to think that Elijah syndrome. It's just us. Everybody else has bowed the knee to bail. Will help you if that's what you think. We're not as alone as you think. And that's good news. Amen. But let's get us what happens the next part of this. And Abram gave him a tenth of everything. Abram paid a tithe to Melchizedek. He gave him a tenth of everything. Huh, I thought tithing was part of the law. Well, you thought wrong. There was tie before there was a law. Abram understood this long before the law. And he paid a tithe. He paid a tithe to Melchizedek. Why why pay a tithe to Melchizedek. You got all these other kings out there. You come back to King of Sodom is there? Do you pay a tithe to the King of Sodom? No, you don't pay a tithe to the King of Salem. Melchizedek wasn't a part of the fight. Why are you paying a tithe to Melchizedek who wasn't even a part of the fight. Because he's a priest of the most taigh God. That's why Abram's giving a tithe to God through the priest. He's not giving a tithe to a king to curry any favor. Also, Melchizedek is the king of Salem. That's kind of a shortened term. He's the king of Jerus Shalem. And by the way, Jerus Shalem. The end of that word from which we get Salem said Hebrew word that all of us know, Shalom. Shalom means peace. Melchizedek is the king of peace. The author of Hebrews refers to the priesthood of Christ being superior to that of Melchizedek. We see in Melchizedek a foreshadowing or a type of Christ who is known as the Prince of Peace. Eventually, Melchisedek's throne will be set upon by another king. That king is David. Jesus is the root of David. When all things are consummated, there is a new Jerusalem and Christ sits on the throne there forever. So what do we see here at the end of Genesis chapter fourteen that it's all about Jesus. Have we said that before? It's all about Jesus. It all comes back to Christ. There's foreshadowing, and there are types and all of these things, and they all come back to Christ. Here's the other thing. 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. Later. I'm sure let ayner, Esco and Memory take their share. In other words, the king of Sodom says, you've done something for me, let me do something for you. Crypt pro quote, Abram says, I lifted my hand before In other words, he made a decision beforehand, and his decision beforehand was what His decision beforehand was to stay independent. Thank you for your gesture. King. My men can eat because they needed to eat. My allies can take whatever they want to take. But you will not make me rich. I serve the Most High God, and I'm not going to put myself in a position where i have to serve you. Never ever, ever, am I going to put myself in a position where I have to serve you. What does this mean? He doesn't have a servant's spirit. No, he just served the king. He just went and got the king's stuff. Abram's not saying I'm not going to serve you. Abram saying I'm not going to be put in a position where I have to serve you. The only one he has to serve is the Most High God. This is rich folks. You talk about a two kingdom perspective. You talk about these two different pilgrims. You talk about us in our day and our time. I'm never gonna put myself in a position where i have to do anything to serve you. Those are you know? Who? Anything about? You know all of this stuff and difficulties of these last days and things that I've written and things that have been picked up from CNN and the LA times and everywhere else, trying to make a huge deal mountain out of an old hill. I had one thing to say, and one thing only during this whole election cycle. Here's the one thing that I had to say that the evangelical community made a huge mistake when it attached itself to a party, because when you attach yourself to a party, then you have to accept whatever they give you, and you have to help your party win instead of holding your party's feet to the fire using the Bible as the only standard. When you attach yourself to a party, you are basically a one kingdom kind of person. You've put all your marbles in this kingdom, the kingdom of the earth, and you've said to the particular party, we belong to you, We're with you, We're back you, no matter what. We can never ever say that. We must be like Abram, who says, I will never put myself in a position where I have to serve you. If God uses you to bless me, praise God. God uses me to bless you, Praise God. God uses you to bring some things about that God in his providence desires to bring about. Praise God. But I will never yoke myself with you and I will never ever be dependent upon you, and I'll never put myself in a position where i cannot speak God's truth to you because I've become you. That's our attitude, by the way, that's different than the attitude that says, oh, no, I'm a Christian, I belong to another kingdom. I can't have anything to say or anything to do with politics. I belonged to do kingdoms for now, one's going to dust, the other one's going to be here forever. But for the time being, I belong to do and I'm independent. But I can have allies, and I have allies so that as the Kingdom of God calls upon me to do whatever the Kingdom of God desire is done within this kingdom, I can do it. And if my allies are with me, praise God. And I have allies so that if the kingdom of this world decides that it wants to try to infringe upon the Kingdom of God, God can even use people in that kingdom to thwart the plans. That's our attitude. We're pilgrims, we're sojourners, and our attitude says this, we belong to a kingdom that we can't even see, we belong to a kingdom that is yet to come, and we also belong to a kingdom that is greater than all of the kingdoms on the earth put together. As a result of that, we're independent. But we have allies. And even those allies are allies that God and his providence brings into our lives, not allies that we go and try to seek out strategically so that we can make things happen. God brings about those alliances. Any victory that we gain is from the hand of the Most High God. Any defeat we suffer from the hand of the Most High God. Why because God rules and reigns in the affairs of men, and you and I must have the attitude that says I will serve you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. However, I will never ever ever put myself in a position where I have to serve you, because the only one I have to serve is God's God. That's our attitude. That's our attitude. So not only do we see this two kingdom perspective, but we'll end with this. When we look at these two pilgrims, we see a two kingdom perspective, and we look into the life of these two pilgrims. But there's another foreshadowing that's happening here. And here's the foreshadowing that's happening here. A Lot goes and gets himself in trouble in the city of Sin. He gets taken away captive. An Abram goes and redeems him. What's that a picture of you and I got ourselves caught in a city of sin. By the way, we were born in that city of sin. We were shaped in that city of sin. We prefer that city of sin. But God and his providence sent his son Jesus Christ to die for us, to ransom us so that you and I might be redeemed, so that you and I might be saved. By the way, there is another foreshadowing. And here's the other foreshadowing. For those of you who think, oh, I don't really like this picture or this idea of the Lord using war or fighting and things of that nature, I really don't like that idea, Well, then you really won't like this idea. Revelation nineteen, beginning in verse eleven, Then I saw heaven open and behold a white horse. The one sitting on it called faithful and true wonder who that is. And in righteousness he judges and makes war. In righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire. On his head are many diadems. He has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood. And the name by which he is called is the Word of God. You're beginning to figure out who this is. The armies of Heaven are rayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. And he will rule him with a rod of iron. He will tread the wine press of the fury, of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of Kings and Lord of lords. Abram rode in and delivered his kinsmen with three hundred and eighteen trained men. Jesus is coming back one day with the armies of Heaven. And he is not coming back as lowly Jesus, meek and mild. He's coming as a warrior king to bring ultimate deliverance to his people. And upon his ultimate deliverance. What does he do. He establishes the New Jerusalem, the heavenly Kingdom, where we dwell with him throughout eternity. All of a sudden we see this picture come full circle of the King of Kings and Lord of lords, who is the Prince of foreshadowed in the person of Melchizedek in Genesis chapter fourteen. Folks, we've said it before, will say it again the whole Bible. It's about Jesus. It's about God's redemptive plan in the person of Jesus Christ. And what that ought to do for us is it ought to give us great comfort. Every time you and I sit here and we begin to fret, Here's what I want to remind you of. Every time you begin to fret, every time you begin to worry, every time you get scared. Ultimately, here's what you need to remind yourself of. I'm probably in a situation where God has delivered before. Amen. Why does God give us this over and over and over again in the Bible? What is He saying to us over and over and over again in the Bible. Just a few chapters ago we saw the arc. What did we see in the ark? The deliverance of God's elect. Now do we see again the deliverance of God's elect? What do we see over and over and over again throughout the Old Testament, the deliverance of God's elect. Then we come to the New Testament and we see the fulfillment, the delivery, the deliverance of God's elect. But when we look at the Book of Revelation, what do we see. There's some code book to try to figure out names and dates and this and that. Now one simple message message in the Book of Revelation, the ultimate deliverance of God's elect. What are you scared of? M hmm, what are you worried about? What are you fearful of? And once you name that thing, here's what I want to ask you. Do you think it's going to be able to stand when Jesus comes with fire in his eyes and a sword on his thigh. I don't think so, because there's no in this world that can stand against that. We belong to another kingdom, a kingdom whose fullness is yet to come. We're merely pilgrims passing through this one. Let's be a blessing while we're here. But let's be independent. Even though we have allies. Let's serve and serve well above and beyond what could even be asked of us. But let's not ever do anything to put ourselves in a position we were forced to render service, because the only one to whom we ultimately owe our service is the King of our ultimate coming kingdom. These are two pilgrims, which one are you. Let's pray, Father, thank you for reminding us today that no matter how bad things may become, no matter how turbulent the economy, no matter the kinds of policies lie in our future, we serve the soon coming King, the King of kings, and the Lord of lords, that we are merely pilgrims in this land looking for a city whose builder and maker is God. I pray for those under the sound of my voice, Father, who are struggling with fears and doubts. I pray that today your truth would calm our fears. I pray for those, perhaps under the sound of my voice, who have not come to know Jesus Christ and the pardon of their sins, who have not come to repentance and faith. God, would you cause your truth to resonate with them today? Made it recognize that this Kingdom will never ever suffice, and that our only hope is the Kingdom of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, our soon coming King, great repentance and faith. We pray in Jesus' name amena as