#5 “Journey of
Faith” Series
"COMMUNION STAGE!"
TEXT: Gen.
14:17-24
INTRO: A young
child once was heard screaming and crying out of control, he had shoved his hand
into a very expensive Chinese vase in another room and could not retract his
hand ... it was stuck! In pain he
continued pulling, and crying ... as the parents and adult guests ran into the
room to find the child almost out of control, they tried everything they could
think of ... soap, lard, hand cream lotion ... all the while the child continued
to cry out in agony. Finally,
frustrated and exhausted by all the efforts and the child’s unceasing screaming,
the owner of the very expensive vase agreed to allow it to be shattered to end
the ordeal! All else had failed,
and so as carefully as possible so as not to injure the child the vase was
shattered. As the pieces fell to
the floor the child's hand came into view!
It was clenched tightly into a fist! No wonder it couldn't come out! When the now calm child opened his hand,
to their amazement he was clenching a single penny ... the boy had spotted it in
the bottom of the vase and wished to have it, since he would not let go of it, a
very expensive vase had to be destroyed for a single penny, and the ignorance of
a child's sense of value!!!
Yet, how many are like that boy ...
they have clutched at this world and in agony they cry ... yet they won't let
go, only to find in eternity that they were holding on to things that have
almost no value ... and only their shattered lives will reveal that. What we grasp the most needs to be
considered for its real value!
PROP.
SENT: This text reveals to us the fact
that there are two great powers in the universe that we will choose to submit to
and embrace ... be sure you know the true value of what you embrace lest you
find that there is no value at all in the end, only the eternal has lasting
value!
I. KINGS OF SHAVEH! Gen.
14:17
A. Salutations! 14:17
1. As Abram returns from defeating the
enemy he finds himself in a great valley, known as the “valley of
kings!”
2. Abram is going to find himself
being confronted by two very different kings.
3. It was necessary to go through this
area returning as it were from the battle field!
a. We all will pass through the "
b. We too will be faced in our
lifetime by two very different kings:
(1. The KING OF KINGS ... our Lord Jesus
Christ!
(2. The KING OF CHAOS ... the great deceiver himself,
Satan!
4. It is interesting that they both came out to
see him at about the same time, and in the same
place!
a. This will be true for us
too.
b. But you can’t successfully choose
both!
ILLUS: Paul
Harvey tells the story of the uncertain soldier in our Civil War who, figuring
to play it safe, dressed himself in a blue coat and gray pants and tiptoed out
onto the field of battle. He got
shot from both directions! – Source Unknown
5. Both would greet him ... and
both would make an offer to him!
6. The choice of which king Abram
would accept and submit to would affect the rest of his life ... this was an
important moment!
B. Symbols!
1. The symbol was obvious between
these two kings:
2. The first king to come was the
king of
a. "Bera"
as a name is the imperfect tense of the verb meaning "EVIL."
b. It's all in the name ... This was
the “KING OF
EVIL!”
c. While greeted by smiles and
warmness ... this king's offer will seam quite generous ... but if accepted by
Abram would not only cost the lives of many people ... it would have forced
Abram to be in a submissive relationship to this king
forever!
d. The relationship this king offered
was real ... but would prove worthless within a short period of
time.
ILLUS: The world
is full of cactus, but we don't have to sit on it. -- Will Foley, Christian Reader, Vol. 33, no.
4.
e. The offer of the king of
3. Ironically … the king of
4. These are the same symbols of
reality facing everyone today ... and the choice really is
ours!
5. A king could not be avoided ...
Abram would have to choose, he was duty bound when greeted by a
king!
II. KING OF SODOM! Gen. 14:17,
21-24
A. Shrewd!
14:21
1. This king of "Chaos" knew that unless the offer proved
tempting he could not get what he really wanted ... the souls of the
people!
a. This king of
b. He didn't value the "THINGS" as
much as the people ... without people to serve him the things would have been
useless ... so he offers what would seem to be sensible to a man who lived in
the desert ... and didn't have the means anyways to take care of all the people
now entrusted to him!
2. He appeals to Abram's fleshly side
... "Why don't
you keep all the stuff and give me all the
people!"
a. The request seems appealing ... it
would allow Abram to be wealthy beyond his wildest imaginations! He wouldn't have to worry ever again
about possessions or having enough!
b. But the exchange would mean that he
would give up all the people who had just been set free by
him!
c. *NOTE: The word translated "people" here is literally "SOULS."
d. Had this transaction been accepted
by Abram there was also a cultural aspect to it ... accepting the offer would
automatically mean that from that day forth Abram would have accepted the king
of Sodom's position as being superior to his ... in other words it would have made Abram a man in submission
to the king of Sodom in the present and all future events or
incidents!
3. There was much to think about in
this offer:
a. Did Abram wish to become a
permanent subject to this king?
b. Did Abram want to satisfy his
physical needs at the expense of his will and freedom?
c. Did Abram really want to be
permanently connected and subservient to this king
of chaos ... or king of
evil!
d. Just because the offer was big
didn’t mean it was great!
ILLUS: It doesn't
depend on size, or a cow would catch a rabbit. – Pennsylvania
German proverb -- James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale
House Publishers, Inc, 1988) p. 34.
4. The offer didn't seem bad for
Abram’s physical needs ... it promised constant provisions for as long as he
lived ... but only that long, it would mean nothing after he
died!
5. The real issues become clear: Did he really want to be under contract
to a king that was a loser? The
king seemed impressive, the offer was impressive and generous materially, but
this king was really a coward and a loser.
B. Shunned!
14:22
1. How about you? Satan offers some pretty impressive stuff
for those who will surrender their soul to him ... but just remember who he
really is! He has already lost the
battle of control, only those who ignore God's offer of salvation are still
under contract to this coward and loser! He fled from the resurrection of
Jesus.
2. Abram decided to be careful not to
accept anything from this king of "EVIL" lest he become stuck to him now or
later!
a. Abram in raising his hand and
making an oath used the strongest expression in that culture to make a clear
statement and permanently state that he was shunning the offer of the king of Sodom, this was done
publicly!
b. He wanted nothing to do with this
king ... he didn't want anything that belonged to him.
c. In other words Abram was saying, “I won't be
indebted to you in anyway, now or ever ... take your trash and get out of
here!”
d. It is interesting that he even
clarifies that not even "A SINGLE SHOESTRING THAT BELONGED TO THIS KING WOULD HE
KEEP!"
(1. How many Christians who have
shunned this king still are willing to accept the smaller trinkets of sin
thinking that it won't hurt them or matter!
(2. Any deal with this king would
require Abram to acknowledge his recognition of this king's authority over
him!
e. The price tag for Abram’s decision
could live on for generations!
ILLUS: Max Jukes
lived in
Jonathan Edwards lived in the same
state, at the same time as Jukes. He loved the Lord and saw that his children
were in church every Sunday, as he served the Lord to the best of his ability.
He has had 929 descendants, and of these 430 were ministers; 86 became
university professors; 13 became university presidents; 75 authored good books;
7 were elected to the
3. The culture of the time indicated
that the acceptance of any offer of a king once accepted placed you in the
position of recognizing that king's authority over you as long as you
lived!
C. Security?
14:23-24
1. Abram says he won't accept one
thing from this king ... only what rightly should come to his men as basic
necessities while engaged in battle.
2. Those who had fought had earned the
right of the basic necessities ... Abram claims those basic rights for his men
to meet their needs ... and from the pocket of this loser since they had rescued
him at the peril of their own lives!
3. While we must not accept anything
from Satan, God has secured for us from this loser our rights to the basic needs
for our physical life even while on this side of
eternity!
4. Christ has taken away Satan's power
over all things, and has promised to meet our basic needs at Satan's expense ...
for while Satan still acts like he owns the planet and to those who bow down
before him they are in debt to him, we know that Christ has conquered him, and
that ALL good things now come from our Father above!
5. Our security doesn't come from the
stuff of this world ... it comes from our communion with
God!
6. What is your trust in? Is it the stuff of this world? If so, your happiness will rise and fall
with the amount of money you make or the things you have or don’t
have!
a. Abram needed to be careful what he
was listening to here.
b. Be careful of all the background
noise!
ILLUS: A man went
inside a telephone booth and dialed the number of a friend. When the connection
was made, the friend kept saying, "I can't hear you; speak louder; I can't hear
you." All he could hear was the
roar of traffic in the background. "Shut the door so I can hear," he said to
the caller. In order to hear God's
voice speaking to you, you've got to shut the door to the outside world so that
its enticements won't distract you. Doing this could change your whole life.
Then when you go back into the
crowd, you'll not only be able to listen to what the world has to say, but
you'll have something to say to the world that you've personally heard from
God. – Source Unknown
7. Our happiness should be founded in
the communion we have with God, so like Paul, “When if plenty
or loss, rich or poor, we are content within our
spirit!”
III. KING OF
A. Simplicity! 14:18
1. It almost seems silly ... look at
the difference between the two offers of these two
kings!
a. King
of
b. King
of
2. This is just about how many
unbelievers feel towards Christians ... “How silly these
Christians are to preach happiness in the light of some simple belief in Jesus
Christ!” To them we are
wasting so much time and so much energy on faith and missing out on getting
ahead in this world!
3. The simple message that Jesus
offers us His communion, His fellowship, His presence … to them is like being
offered "bread and wine" in place of the wealth of
4. This king of
a. While the king of
b. There is a price to pay for being a
Christian ... we look silly in the eyes of the world ... but some day all those
material things they have now will be gone and what will they be left
with?
c. On the other hand, while we don't
always get the goodies of this world NOW ... look at what we receive
later!
d. Seen from this perspective, who
really gets the best deal?
ILLUS: You are
familiar, no doubt, with one of the most famous paintings ever done by any
artist: The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci, that classic portrayal of Christ
and the twelve apostles at the table.
Many students of art history believe that the painting, when first
created, was somewhat different from the version which we now see. There was initially, it is believed, an
exquisite lace border on the tablecloth.
When, immediately upon completion, da Vinci invited a group of art
students to view his masterpiece, they were immensely impressed by the delicate
design of that lacework. They
studied it intensely and praised it highly. Upon seeing the reaction of these young
men, the artist took up a brush, dipped it, and made a few long strokes across
the canvas, obliterating the lace.
Then, with uncontrollable feeling, he shouted, "Now, you fools, look at
the face of Christ!" – Source
Unknown
5. No wonder Jesus said the little
children belong to the Kingdom of God ... they haven't learned yet that material
things are so important so they are quick to accept the simplicity of accepting
Christ as their Lord ... relationships and fellowship are still their number one
priority ... they need to be in relationship to someone for
comfort!
B. Substantial 14:19
1. While the “bread and
wine” didn't indicate the receiving of great wealth, it met the
need!
a. Abram was tired from battle ... he
needed refreshment, God's High priest was able to meet that need so easily and
completely!
b. Abram needed to fellowship with
someone who could minister to him, something encouraging, after all, this
entire crusade didn't net a single success from evil ... it only returned the
evil conditions to where they were before!
c. The people from Sodom returned
to their evil city and evil ways ... throwing away the freedom Abram had
really opened up for them, they didn't learn a thing about the evil they
practiced before the captivity experience!
d. His nephew
e. The kings Abram had beaten only
returned to their evil ways after licking their
wounds!
f. How quickly some people
return to sin after God has helped them, and how
foolish!
ILLUS: A number
of years ago, a Navy jet fighter plane shot itself down over the deserts of
g. Abram kept nothing from the
crusade, so he didn't really come home with anything from the battle that he
could call his own ... he needed to know HIS efforts had some
meaning!
2. This fellowship with Melchizedek was the
3. He found great joy in the
fellowship and communion of this High Priest of the Most High
God.
a. Finding physical refreshment for
his body.
b. Finding spiritual refreshment for
his soul!
4. He also received something far more
valuable from the king of
a. For Abram this was worth more than
the gold of
b. To have the High Priest of God call
you a blessing and pronounce you blessed by God beats all the stuff of this
world!
5. This was a REALLY SUBSTANTIAL
gift!
a. Now this was a king Abram had no
problem recognizing as superior to himself!
b. The very act of receiving the bread
and wine and later paying a tithe to this king meant that he willingly would
recognize his servanthood to this king for the rest of his
life!
C. Sensible!
14:20
1. It was the custom of antiquity to
grant a king what was recognized in many nations of the day as a "king's
portion" ... or a tithe of one's
possessions!
2. This giving meant that he would
forever after in his lifetime recognize his own role as "servant" to this king
... and so by doing, showed in the giving of his tithe that all his possessions
were available for the king should they be called
upon!
3. Abram did not create this
tithing ... it was a common practice for subjects who came before a
king ... he was willingly contributing the "KING'S PORTION"
as recognition of the superiority of the king's position over that of
himself ... he was the subject, the king was the
authority!
4. For
Abram ... giving a tithe was not just a financial matter ... it was spiritual
dynamic of giving proper recognition and submitting himself to a king with his
portion ... showing his own subjection to that authority for who he is and what
he possesses!
a. It is foolish for people to say you
don’t have to tithe today, giving God a “King’s Portion” is a proper way to
recognize STILL His authority in our lives!
b. If mortal man would do this for
earthly kings, a tithe to the Lord of the universe is still a minimum gift
recognizing His sovereignty over our lives today!
c. Usually people who like to argue
about “tithing” have a much larger issue in their heart to deal with … a tithe
under the “NEW” covenant should be a minimum, for we don’t live under the law
anymore, we can go beyond the law!
ILLUS: Wealth
takes away the sharp edges of our moral sensitivities and allows a comfortable
confusion about sin and virtue. -- Henri Nouwen.
Leadership, Vol. 16, no. 3.
5. Abram turned away all the wealth of
6. The sensible thing to do was to
GIVE, not take, after all he had received something far more valuable than what
he gave ... he had received GOD'S BLESSING AND
FELLOWSHIP!
7. Nothing beats our communion with
God ... which has come through a “HIGH PRIEST AFTER THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK, JESUS
CHRIST!”
8. The issue was clear: Do business
with the KING OF EVIL ... or be blessed BY
THE KING OF PEACE &
RIGHTEOUSNESS!
a. What do you think the sensible
thing to choose is?!
b. What king are you submitting to
right now? If not the one, then it
is the other!
CONCLUSION: "No man can serve two masters" ...
thus said Jesus! We all face two
kings in our lifetime; The King of Kings ...
or the King of Chaos! The choice determines the commitment of
our life and resources. The King of Chaos tries to sell us his "BUY NOW ... PAY LATER" program, while consuming
the souls of his victims! The King of Kings however, asks, "SACRIFICE NOW ... ENJOY FOREVER!" Don’t sell out cheap, take the "KING OF PEACE'S" offer of communion ... forget the
"KING OF EVIL’S"
commodities!