1
00:00:14,059 --> 00:00:17,359
 Welcome to the Lansdale Life Church podcast.

2
00:00:18,399 --> 00:00:24,100
 If you're seeking a closer relationship with Jesus Christ, this podcast is for you.

3
00:00:24,719 --> 00:00:27,019
 Thank you for joining us today.

4
00:00:34,859 --> 00:00:38,179
 All right, so you guys ready to open up the word?

5
00:00:39,920 --> 00:00:43,460
 We're going to be looking at Hebrews chapter seven, just a few verses,

6
00:00:44,600 --> 00:00:52,000
 and then we're going to have communion. So it's going to be a great morning, continue to be so.

7
00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:59,159
 And today, as we look at that title, I know I must have used it at least two or three previous times.

8
00:01:00,100 --> 00:01:09,760
 It's just so simple and to the point, but blessed by the best. We're singing songs about

9
00:01:09,760 --> 00:01:19,500
 being blessed as well. And I believe that, well, let's pray. I believe that we should pray.

10
00:01:19,500 --> 00:01:24,799
 Father God, we ask you Lord, to use your word, to do a mighty work in each one of our hearts.

11
00:01:25,599 --> 00:01:30,579
 And to Lord, we want to be transformed by the renewing of our minds so we can prove the good,

12
00:01:30,599 --> 00:01:37,299
 acceptable and perfect will of you. And so we thank you Lord, speak to us through your word

13
00:01:37,299 --> 00:01:44,799
 in Jesus name. Amen. So blessed by the best, we truly are, you know, we're all blessed. And many

14
00:01:44,799 --> 00:01:53,340
 times, I think sometimes we, unless we realize we're blessed, okay, we could become people who

15
00:01:53,340 --> 00:01:58,920
 aren't a blessing to others. In other words, if you ever notice, if you feel like you're owed

16
00:01:58,920 --> 00:02:13,860
 and you're a victim and God's holding out on you, where you just don't get your right

17
00:02:13,860 --> 00:02:21,479
 miserly, you can become stingy, okay, with your time, with your love towards others,

18
00:02:21,719 --> 00:02:25,759
 because you're owed so much, you don't want to give anything to anybody else. You know,

19
00:02:26,020 --> 00:02:29,900
 if you've ever even been there, I think I've been there at least a couple of times where I just

20
00:02:29,900 --> 00:02:38,080
 felt like I was wronged so I can't extend grace to someone else. And yet if we realize how blessed

21
00:02:38,080 --> 00:02:46,020
 we are, I think it would just free up our generosity towards others in all of the capacities we can be

22
00:02:46,020 --> 00:02:54,960
 generous. And also, it doesn't keep us like shackled with insecurity, with victimhood, with

23
00:02:54,960 --> 00:03:02,900
 fear. There's so many things that when we feel that we aren't blessed, we hold back from others,

24
00:03:02,900 --> 00:03:09,759
 we hold back our lives from God. Did you ever notice? And so today's message really speaks to this

25
00:03:09,759 --> 00:03:15,659
 because we're going to see a time that Abraham was blessed and we don't even know if he even knew

26
00:03:15,659 --> 00:03:20,659
 who this guy Melchizedek was. So I'm going to tell you the brief story and then we'll dive in.

27
00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:29,639
 So if you can recall, Abraham was sent to Canaan by God and he brought with him others as well

28
00:03:29,639 --> 00:03:37,620
 as his nephew Lot. And over time, they both became extremely wealthy. I mean so wealthy that

29
00:03:37,620 --> 00:03:43,719
 the land couldn't support both of their herds. The herdsmen were getting in arguments and so forth

30
00:03:43,719 --> 00:03:52,479
 and there started to become a division between Lot's camp and Abraham's camp. And so finally,

31
00:03:52,800 --> 00:03:58,500
 Abraham wisely said, look, we're family, we can't have this division. We need to just

32
00:03:58,500 --> 00:04:05,020
 give ourselves some space apart. Why don't you choose the land you want and I'll choose the other.

33
00:04:05,159 --> 00:04:10,879
 I mean, that's how generous Abraham was because he realized he was blessed. He said, you choose the

34
00:04:10,879 --> 00:04:17,980
 land for yourself. And so Lot looked upon the valley of what's known as the Dead Sea now.

35
00:04:18,500 --> 00:04:22,600
 And as he looked down, it was lush. It was a land that looked like the Garden of Eden.

36
00:04:23,180 --> 00:04:27,579
 You know, it was just lush with greenery and everything. Now you go there today and you

37
00:04:27,579 --> 00:04:34,420
 like, it was what? Because it's actually the lowest part on earth below sea level.

38
00:04:34,879 --> 00:04:43,180
 And it continues to cave in. It's amazing. It's a salty, dry, dead zone just between Israel and

39
00:04:43,180 --> 00:04:49,160
 Jordan. And it's like, it's just, there's nothing that grows there. And it's just barren. It's

40
00:04:49,160 --> 00:04:53,879
 beautiful. It's surreal. If you've ever been there, it's so cool. Should have had a picture

41
00:04:53,879 --> 00:04:59,000
 to show you, but, but still there's nothing living there, right? Well, back then it was lush.

42
00:04:59,279 --> 00:05:05,160
 It was a, it was just a forest and it was fields and, and Lot's like, I want to go there.

43
00:05:05,639 --> 00:05:12,279
 So he went there and then over time Lot got drawn more and more into Sodom and Gomorrah.

44
00:05:12,480 --> 00:05:16,180
 You've heard that word. Even if you never read the Bible, you know what Sodom and Gomorrah is.

45
00:05:16,480 --> 00:05:23,160
 It was a very sinful city and area and they were sinning against God, the word says. So in

46
00:05:23,160 --> 00:05:29,279
 the Lord knew who they were. And yet Lot found his himself making a life there. And as you see,

47
00:05:29,379 --> 00:05:36,259
 his life gets more and more drawn into the town and he became part of the culture of Sodom

48
00:05:36,259 --> 00:05:41,439
 and Gomorrah. And so over time, Sodom and Gomorrah at the time, they were allies with

49
00:05:41,439 --> 00:05:47,980
 three other Kings. So those five Kings and they, you, and they were required to pay tribute

50
00:05:47,980 --> 00:05:54,939
 to this man named Keterlomer, Keterliomer, which was another King. And they were paying tribute

51
00:05:54,939 --> 00:06:00,339
 because they were afraid of him. And finally, after 12 years, okay, they finally rebelled and

52
00:06:00,339 --> 00:06:04,279
 said, we're not going to pay him anything else. That's it. There's five of us. There's four of

53
00:06:04,279 --> 00:06:12,439
 them, no more, right? And so with that Keterliomer came down and attacked them and he took all their

54
00:06:12,439 --> 00:06:19,939
 stuff and many of their people away. Okay. So meanwhile, Abraham is back at the trees of Terribith

55
00:06:19,939 --> 00:06:26,800
 hanging out in his land, which isn't, which isn't filled with sin and he's there. And someone

56
00:06:26,800 --> 00:06:31,879
 comes to him and says, you know, the land was attacked. And by the way, your nephew was taken.

57
00:06:32,600 --> 00:06:39,279
 So with that, Abraham mustered up a lot of courage and he took 318 of his trained men,

58
00:06:39,279 --> 00:06:45,199
 these soldiers that were trained for battle. And they went down and they chased after these

59
00:06:45,199 --> 00:06:51,480
 four Kings and they, and they won the battle. It doesn't say about how much happened,

60
00:06:51,480 --> 00:06:58,019
 but they slaughtered many people of these four Kings armies. And with that, he rescued

61
00:06:58,560 --> 00:07:04,880
 Lot and his wife and also all of their stuff. And he brought it all back. And this is where we're

62
00:07:05,180 --> 00:07:10,899
 picking up right here, because as lot with 318 men, and maybe there was a few others of

63
00:07:10,899 --> 00:07:17,660
 some of his allies, but there wasn't many. And he just defeated four Kings who were wreaking havoc

64
00:07:17,660 --> 00:07:23,279
 over all these other areas over the Amorites and those five Kings. I mean, they were powerful.

65
00:07:23,759 --> 00:07:30,220
 And here with just a little army, Abraham destroys them and returns all the stuff. He probably took

66
00:07:30,220 --> 00:07:36,939
 extra plunder, right? And so here he is coming back from this battle. And as he's approaching

67
00:07:36,939 --> 00:07:44,759
 Sodom and Gomorrah, the King of Sodom is coming out to meet him, okay? Now, in the meantime,

68
00:07:45,180 --> 00:07:51,779
 this guy just drops in on the scene named Melchizedek, okay? And he comes in and it says

69
00:07:51,779 --> 00:07:58,560
 that he's a priest and a king. And he shows up and this is just before Adam comes upon

70
00:07:59,280 --> 00:08:05,860
 the King of Sodom. Adam, I said, Abraham. And suddenly Melchizedek comes and we're gonna read

71
00:08:05,860 --> 00:08:13,560
 in Genesis chapter 14, then Melchizedek, King of Salem brought out bread and wine. Yeah,

72
00:08:13,600 --> 00:08:19,279
 if you could keep that one, bread and wine. He was the priest of God, Mosiah. And he blessed him.

73
00:08:19,779 --> 00:08:25,959
 He blessed him, meaning he blessed Abraham and said, blessed be Abram, which his name was then,

74
00:08:25,959 --> 00:08:32,940
 of God, Mosiah, possessor of heaven and earth, and blessed be God, Mosiah, who has delivered

75
00:08:32,940 --> 00:08:41,240
 your enemies into your hand. And he, meaning Abraham, gave him, meaning Melchizedek, a tithe

76
00:08:41,240 --> 00:08:48,460
 of all, a tenth of all. So Melchizedek blessed him and Abraham was so overwhelmed with gratitude

77
00:08:48,460 --> 00:08:52,759
 that he gave him a tenth. You know what the interesting part of that right there,

78
00:08:52,759 --> 00:08:59,919
 those couple of verses, this is the first time you actually see bread and wine together, okay?

79
00:09:00,379 --> 00:09:05,000
 It's the first communion, in a sense. And we're about to learn how Melchizedek really is a picture

80
00:09:05,000 --> 00:09:13,840
 of Christ, maybe even a pre-incarnate, you know, a Christophany of Christ. But here is the first,

81
00:09:14,039 --> 00:09:20,919
 in a sense, communion, pre-Jesus Christ. But it's also the first tithe, the first tenth.

82
00:09:20,919 --> 00:09:28,720
 And this became a thing throughout Israel's history, is the tenth, the tithe. But notice that first,

83
00:09:30,240 --> 00:09:37,159
 Melchizedek blesses Abraham. That's when suddenly something was released in Abraham

84
00:09:37,159 --> 00:09:46,379
 to give him a tenth, to let go, right? And also, he was reminded that you didn't just win that

85
00:09:46,379 --> 00:09:53,659
 battle, God won it for you. You know, I think sometimes in life, we just think it's me,

86
00:09:54,019 --> 00:09:57,639
 you know, I'm so good at my job, that's why I keep getting promoted. That's why I keep on

87
00:09:57,639 --> 00:10:03,039
 getting raises. That's why everyone just loves me, because it's me, right? When we don't realize,

88
00:10:03,120 --> 00:10:09,899
 no, that's God's favor, you know? We're praying for God's favor on Ezra, not for him to have

89
00:10:09,899 --> 00:10:16,279
 to work for favor, but to God to pour his favor and grace upon him, that everywhere he goes,

90
00:10:16,279 --> 00:10:22,039
 the doors just swing open, okay? And everywhere he goes, the laying gives him the ground beneath

91
00:10:22,039 --> 00:10:27,059
 the soles of his feet. That's what we want. We don't want to have to be good, we want to be

92
00:10:27,959 --> 00:10:33,460
 graced by God, right? And so he told him and he warned him, you didn't win that battle,

93
00:10:33,620 --> 00:10:40,919
 the Lord won your battle, right? So it's interesting, because as he leaves Melchizedek

94
00:10:41,479 --> 00:10:46,200
 and he comes to King of Sodom, we're going to see the next couple of verses.

95
00:10:47,899 --> 00:10:53,460
 Now the King of Sodom said to Abram, give me the persons and take the goods for yourself.

96
00:10:54,320 --> 00:11:00,820
 But Abram said to the King of Sodom, I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High,

97
00:11:01,240 --> 00:11:07,840
 the possessor of heaven and earth, that I will take nothing from a thread to a sandal strap,

98
00:11:07,840 --> 00:11:15,039
 and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, I have made Abram rich.

99
00:11:15,799 --> 00:11:21,779
 So you see this? Melchizedek had to tell Abram, you didn't win those battles.

100
00:11:22,799 --> 00:11:30,620
 That isn't your stuff. I'm the one who provided all that. And with that, Abraham was able to be

101
00:11:30,620 --> 00:11:35,940
 released from the seduction, the evil ways of King of Sodom, because who knows what

102
00:11:35,940 --> 00:11:41,019
 might've happened, you never know. He might've gone to King of Sodom and King of Sodom said,

103
00:11:41,519 --> 00:11:47,240
 man, you're warriors, I'm giving you a position, something a lot always wanted,

104
00:11:47,600 --> 00:11:54,620
 but I'm giving you, you don't know, he could have been so celebrated and become like a king

105
00:11:54,620 --> 00:12:02,299
 within a kingdom, right? But the Lord intervened to protect Abraham, thinking that it was him

106
00:12:02,299 --> 00:12:07,980
 who did it, him who won. And I think that's a reminder to all of us when we get so filled

107
00:12:07,980 --> 00:12:12,919
 with ourselves and our own accomplishments and the things that we've done, we have to realize,

108
00:12:12,980 --> 00:12:18,480
 no, no, it's the Lord who's done it in my life. It's the Lord who has blessed me with it.

109
00:12:18,700 --> 00:12:22,559
 Because if I have that attitude, I can let go of it just as easy, right?

110
00:12:22,899 --> 00:12:27,120
 I can give it to others. I can give it back to the Lord. I can let go,

111
00:12:27,120 --> 00:12:33,139
 because possessions don't possess me, right? And it's also interesting how Sodom,

112
00:12:33,320 --> 00:12:40,220
 it's almost like Satan himself, give me the people, you take the stuff, you know?

113
00:12:40,720 --> 00:12:46,340
 I mean, the devil is still wreaking havoc on humanity. Like you can have so much stuff if

114
00:12:46,340 --> 00:12:52,860
 you just release your children to me, you know? So many parents have their priorities off track

115
00:12:53,419 --> 00:13:01,200
 on getting wealthy or on other things, having no offense against two incomes or anything else,

116
00:13:01,240 --> 00:13:07,419
 but it becomes a rat race of having more and more and more at the expense of those living

117
00:13:07,419 --> 00:13:13,120
 in your household. It's just something to consider. So we have to realize that, hey,

118
00:13:13,940 --> 00:13:21,919
 the Lord wants us to be aware of the enemy's tactics. And so now Abraham was fully aware,

119
00:13:21,919 --> 00:13:27,679
 no, no, no, no, no. You aren't giving me anything. The Lord gives me everything that I need,

120
00:13:27,679 --> 00:13:31,840
 according to his riches and glory, right? So let's dive into Hebrews

121
00:13:34,319 --> 00:13:39,919
 chapter seven. And we'll just read right through those 10 verses.

122
00:13:45,120 --> 00:13:51,019
 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the most high God,

123
00:13:51,820 --> 00:13:59,200
 who met Abram returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him to whom also Abraham gave

124
00:13:59,200 --> 00:14:06,080
 a 10th part of all, first being translated king of righteousness, and then also king of Salem,

125
00:14:06,080 --> 00:14:13,779
 this is Melchizedek, being king of peace, without father, without mother, without genealogy,

126
00:14:14,500 --> 00:14:21,120
 having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the son of God,

127
00:14:21,740 --> 00:14:27,139
 remains a priest continually. You know, we should just stop there for a second.

128
00:14:27,559 --> 00:14:32,160
 So, you know, some believe that this is a Christophany. Did you ever hear what that is?

129
00:14:32,379 --> 00:14:39,720
 It's like a pre-incarnate Christ. And the Lord did show up to people in that way that it would

130
00:14:39,720 --> 00:14:45,019
 be difficult not to say, yeah, that was pre-incarnate Christ. One is Hagar, when he met with Hagar,

131
00:14:45,679 --> 00:14:51,200
 who was running from Sarai because she was mistreating her because she was pregnant with

132
00:14:51,200 --> 00:14:58,299
 Ishmael. And she was by the well and the Lord actually met her and spoke this angel of the

133
00:14:58,460 --> 00:15:06,899
 Lord spoke not on behalf of God, but as God, and said things to her and promises that encourage

134
00:15:06,899 --> 00:15:16,980
 her to go back to her master and endure for several more years, right? And another time was

135
00:15:16,980 --> 00:15:25,600
 Jacob. Remember when he was on his way back to Canaan from living with his four wives and 12

136
00:15:25,600 --> 00:15:33,220
 children and 12 sons and one daughter actually, and he was leaving Laban and he was about to meet

137
00:15:33,220 --> 00:15:39,179
 Esau and remember he wrestled with God and God renamed him right there, Israel, right?

138
00:15:39,620 --> 00:15:45,379
 And he even said, well, I just wrestled with God and didn't prevail, survived. Okay.

139
00:15:45,820 --> 00:15:53,039
 And so the Lord gave him a new name there. That was God. And, you know, Jesus is the image of

140
00:15:53,039 --> 00:15:59,179
 the invisible God. So it would not be God, the father coming down in flesh form or even in

141
00:15:59,179 --> 00:16:06,419
 angelic form. It would be Jesus Christ, the word of God. And then Joshua, when he was just before

142
00:16:06,419 --> 00:16:12,039
 they fought with Jericho and this man came forward and Joshua said, are you with us or

143
00:16:12,039 --> 00:16:17,839
 against us? And he said, neither I'm the commander of the Lord's army. Are you with me? He didn't

144
00:16:17,899 --> 00:16:22,879
 say this, but it's in other words, I don't serve you. You serve me, right? And so that was another

145
00:16:22,879 --> 00:16:29,100
 example. And then Gideon, when he was threshing wheat in the wine press and the Lord came to him

146
00:16:29,100 --> 00:16:35,919
 and said, you mighty man of valor. And Gideon spoke to him as if he was speaking to God.

147
00:16:36,299 --> 00:16:42,919
 And so you see these different aspects. There's all the theographies, which are where God speaks

148
00:16:42,919 --> 00:16:49,980
 to people from heaven and so forth. But these are the times and you usually see that it would be

149
00:16:49,980 --> 00:16:57,519
 Christ because first of all, this person or image or character claims divinity, divine authority.

150
00:16:58,039 --> 00:17:03,759
 The next thing is they allow worship. In other words, Joshua fell down on his face before the

151
00:17:03,759 --> 00:17:07,960
 commander and worshiped him. Now, if that was a normal angel, he would have said, no, no, no,

152
00:17:07,980 --> 00:17:12,299
 get up, get up, get up. You know, you don't bow before me. I'm just a messenger, right?

153
00:17:12,299 --> 00:17:19,720
 But he did accept worship. And then again, finally speaks as God as opposed to on behalf of God.

154
00:17:20,119 --> 00:17:26,160
 You know, so anyway, so this Melchizedek, no beginning and no end. And you know, it's weird.

155
00:17:26,460 --> 00:17:30,220
 Someday we're going to get up there and say, so, so was that you Jesus or wasn't it, you know,

156
00:17:30,500 --> 00:17:35,680
 or was it just a type? Well, we don't know, but no beginning, no end. Now, there's many

157
00:17:35,680 --> 00:17:41,400
 who did not many. There's two that did not have an end. Remember Enoch walked with God and then

158
00:17:41,400 --> 00:17:47,259
 he was no more cause God took him and Elijah was taken up in the chariot of fire. Okay.

159
00:17:47,779 --> 00:17:53,740
 Some say those are the two witnesses that show up in revelation 11 someday breathing out fire.

160
00:17:53,740 --> 00:17:58,339
 That must, that would be cool to watch. But anyway, against all the bad people, right?

161
00:17:58,440 --> 00:18:04,440
 They're like fire breathing dragons, but only two men. But anyway, so these are,

162
00:18:04,700 --> 00:18:09,400
 they didn't have an end, but they had a beginning. They have parents, but Melchizedek

163
00:18:09,400 --> 00:18:12,680
 had neither. So we'll talk more about him in the coming weeks,

164
00:18:13,059 --> 00:18:20,880
 because Jesus is a high priest in the order of, of Melchizedek. And so let's read on.

165
00:18:21,380 --> 00:18:27,259
 We'll finish up verse four. Now consider how great this man was to whom even the

166
00:18:27,259 --> 00:18:33,619
 patriarch Abraham gave a 10th of his spoils. And indeed, those who are of the sons of Levi,

167
00:18:33,619 --> 00:18:40,319
 who received the priesthood have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the

168
00:18:40,319 --> 00:18:46,140
 law. That is from their brethren, though they have come from the loins of Abraham,

169
00:18:46,680 --> 00:18:54,799
 but he whose genealogy is not derived from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him

170
00:18:54,799 --> 00:19:01,680
 who had the promises. Now, verse seven, now beyond all contradiction, the lesser is blessed by the

171
00:19:01,680 --> 00:19:07,980
 better. So when we say we bless you, Lord, we're merely saying we acknowledge that you have blessed

172
00:19:07,980 --> 00:19:14,740
 us. And we want to express our thankfulness and our blessing because we are so blessed,

173
00:19:14,960 --> 00:19:19,019
 but we can't give anything to God that he hasn't already given to us, right?

174
00:19:20,000 --> 00:19:26,320
 And verse eight here, mortal men receive tithes, but there he receives them of whom it is

175
00:19:26,440 --> 00:19:34,440
 a witness that he lives. Even Levi who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak,

176
00:19:34,720 --> 00:19:42,839
 for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him. And actually, this

177
00:19:45,080 --> 00:19:51,859
 history really of tithing continued again to the Levites. All the Israelites would pay a 10th

178
00:19:51,859 --> 00:19:56,920
 to the Levites, but then the Levites would actually turn around and give a 10th of what

179
00:19:56,920 --> 00:20:02,859
 was given to them to the Lord as well. So it's just passing it on. Now, we are according to

180
00:20:02,859 --> 00:20:11,559
 grace. So do we have to live according to the 10% rule? No, we have to live according to the

181
00:20:11,559 --> 00:20:19,799
 100% rule. That hurts, doesn't it? Right, Jim? You love that. Your bank account must be empty.

182
00:20:20,819 --> 00:20:26,119
 You ever notice the less we have, yeah, they should be given at all. Uh-oh, I got some.

183
00:20:27,359 --> 00:20:31,500
 But we could be, again, sometimes the more we have, the less we're willing to,

184
00:20:31,619 --> 00:20:37,779
 here, Lord, take it. You can have it. Well, you can have some all, Lord. We don't necessarily want

185
00:20:37,779 --> 00:20:43,380
 to give it all, right? But sometimes we realize that we're under grace. That means we can just

186
00:20:43,380 --> 00:20:49,759
 give more and more of everything. It's not just money in those little blue boxes.

187
00:20:50,240 --> 00:20:53,579
 Oh, by the way, it was funny. I was talking to someone the other day, and they said,

188
00:20:54,079 --> 00:20:59,539
 you know, so listen, I want to start tithing. How do you tithe? Like, where do you give it,

189
00:20:59,579 --> 00:21:04,339
 right? And I'm like, well, now we do a very poor job, I'll just say, in this church,

190
00:21:05,359 --> 00:21:11,420
 promoting tithing. And it's kind of a thing, because Calvary chapels aren't about asking for

191
00:21:11,420 --> 00:21:15,920
 money. I don't know if you ever noticed that. You know, because we believe it's the Lord who

192
00:21:15,920 --> 00:21:22,099
 brings the increase, the Lord provides. When you start guilting people, manipulating them for money,

193
00:21:22,739 --> 00:21:27,519
 it's not how the Lord works, you know? He really doesn't want to, like, squeeze you.

194
00:21:27,759 --> 00:21:34,559
 In fact, I don't know about you, but I've been at, in situations, conferences, this and that.

195
00:21:34,940 --> 00:21:39,119
 And I'm sitting there, and all of a sudden I go, oh no, here we go, the plug. And they come up,

196
00:21:39,119 --> 00:21:45,720
 and it's like a sermonette before the sermon. And they start off like, no, no, I paid a lot of money

197
00:21:45,720 --> 00:21:50,059
 to be here. I'm not going to give it. I mean, I paid to be here. No, I'm not going to, like,

198
00:21:50,240 --> 00:21:56,460
 you know, I give it my church. You know, I'm good. I'm good. By the 30th minute, I'm like,

199
00:21:56,660 --> 00:22:01,700
 writing out a check, getting out a checkbook, or I'm getting my credit card, because they just

200
00:22:01,700 --> 00:22:06,680
 wear you down. Okay? And I don't know about you, or that's your experience, but like,

201
00:22:06,680 --> 00:22:12,720
 you know, that's not what we want to do here at Calvary Chapel, that's for sure, because we believe

202
00:22:12,720 --> 00:22:19,420
 that the Lord provides. So Calvary Chapel, and especially us, we're very poor at telling people

203
00:22:19,420 --> 00:22:23,279
 even how to give. And we're not going to tell you right now either. You'll have to figure out where

204
00:22:23,279 --> 00:22:28,279
 those blue boxes are, or how to pay on PayPal and so forth, because this is not what this

205
00:22:28,279 --> 00:22:34,140
 message is about. It's really about having a soul that's ready to just release. You know,

206
00:22:34,140 --> 00:22:39,299
 in fact, the word says, store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth does not eat,

207
00:22:39,480 --> 00:22:44,920
 rust does not decay, right? And thieves don't break in and steal. You know, that's the kind

208
00:22:44,920 --> 00:22:51,880
 of treasures you want, residual treasure that goes on and on and on. And you can't buy that kind of

209
00:22:51,880 --> 00:22:57,519
 joy with anything anyway, right? In fact, Jesus said to his disciples, anything you give up,

210
00:22:57,740 --> 00:23:02,819
 okay, I will repay you a hundredfold, okay? And you know what he means, you know, maybe he will

211
00:23:02,819 --> 00:23:07,759
 give you more in this earth, but what he means is more treasure in heaven that you could ever have

212
00:23:07,759 --> 00:23:13,680
 purchased down here on earth, because you can't, right? So that's the idea. And so,

213
00:23:14,579 --> 00:23:22,920
 so here's this Melchizedek, and you know, he's a priest, and he's a king. Now,

214
00:23:23,359 --> 00:23:28,299
 that was not permitted by God. So Melchizedek is definitely a picture of Christ,

215
00:23:28,299 --> 00:23:34,660
 because as we've been learning, who's our high priest, right? Jesus Christ, who's the King of

216
00:23:34,660 --> 00:23:43,000
 Kings and Lord of Lords? He is King and he is the priest, right? Those pictures of Aaron and all the

217
00:23:43,000 --> 00:23:48,799
 Levites, they're all picture of Christ, and so was the King. But in a human, they cannot be brought

218
00:23:48,799 --> 00:23:56,259
 together, because there's dangers is in having religious authority, as well as governance

219
00:23:56,259 --> 00:24:03,680
 authority, because eventually a king can become prideful, and all of them to one degree did,

220
00:24:03,759 --> 00:24:09,480
 all of them, you know, you know, to some level, maybe you could make an exception to Josiah and

221
00:24:09,480 --> 00:24:18,220
 a couple others, but most of them caved into the weight of pride, ego, rulership, power,

222
00:24:18,519 --> 00:24:24,599
 you know? So this was not permitted by God, because of those things, right? And yet,

223
00:24:24,599 --> 00:24:30,039
 in fact, there was one King Josiah, we don't have any slides or anything for it, but King Josiah

224
00:24:30,039 --> 00:24:37,740
 was a very good king, and the Lord gave him so much victory over their enemies, and he was just like

225
00:24:38,360 --> 00:24:45,119
 so grateful in the early beginning, just like Solomon was. But over time, Josiah became more

226
00:24:45,119 --> 00:24:51,920
 and more about, look what I've done, look at this, look at my kingdom, right? And he became

227
00:24:51,920 --> 00:24:59,440
 so overwhelmed by his own arrogance that he went into the temple one time to actually offer up

228
00:24:59,920 --> 00:25:05,700
 sacrifices to the Lord as the priests would, thinking that, look, if I could be king, I can

229
00:25:05,700 --> 00:25:11,220
 do whatever I want, I can also be a priest, right? And so there he was about to offer sacrifices,

230
00:25:11,579 --> 00:25:18,019
 and all the priests poured into the temple to stop him for his own good, and they're like,

231
00:25:18,019 --> 00:25:24,500
 no, no, no, King, do not do this awful thing. And as he was about to do this, he got so mad at them,

232
00:25:24,539 --> 00:25:32,480
 and he started to swear at them, and as he pointed to them, and told them to stop and to cast them

233
00:25:32,480 --> 00:25:38,359
 out of the temple, leprosy just started breaking out on his forehead. You can read this in

234
00:25:38,980 --> 00:25:44,779
 Second Chronicles, and eventually he died of leprosy, he just stayed a leper the rest of his

235
00:25:44,779 --> 00:25:51,039
 life. And so this is how strongly the Lord says, no, no, you can't be king, and you can't be a priest,

236
00:25:51,500 --> 00:25:58,400
 and yet Melchizedek was. But you know what's so cool is we are called in Revelation,

237
00:25:59,059 --> 00:26:06,759
 kings and priests. In fact, Revelation 1, 6, and 5, 10, and he has made us kings and priests

238
00:26:06,759 --> 00:26:13,740
 to his God and father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever, amen. The Lord

239
00:26:13,740 --> 00:26:19,700
 can do that with us, and in a sense, now are you gonna be a ruler over some nation? No,

240
00:26:19,779 --> 00:26:25,500
 but you have dominion in this world. Do you realize that? In the spiritual realm,

241
00:26:25,660 --> 00:26:33,200
 and thereby very often in the material realm, you have Lordship and kingship over the spiritual

242
00:26:33,200 --> 00:26:37,819
 demonic realm, because greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world.

243
00:26:37,819 --> 00:26:44,619
 Where you go, the enemy cannot have you. You have a repellent spirit around you,

244
00:26:45,019 --> 00:26:52,019
 and he protects you, and he empowers you to go and do all the things he wants you to go and do.

245
00:26:52,599 --> 00:26:58,039
 He empowers you to do it. So in that sense, we have kingship in this world,

246
00:26:58,140 --> 00:27:04,759
 but we're merely tetrarchs. We're only mini-kings of the king. We're only stewarding his kingdom.

247
00:27:05,740 --> 00:27:12,579
 That's all we're doing. He is the emperor. We are the mini-kings stewarding his empire, right? That's

248
00:27:12,579 --> 00:27:20,180
 our role, but we're also priests in that we intercede on behalf of God to others. So we're

249
00:27:20,180 --> 00:27:25,720
 that intercessor. We're mediators on behalf of the Lord. He, again, is the high priest,

250
00:27:26,140 --> 00:27:31,880
 the chief mediator. Does that make sense? And so as the worship team comes forward,

251
00:27:31,880 --> 00:27:38,640
 we're going to have communion together. And, you know, as I was thinking about this, how

252
00:27:39,500 --> 00:27:50,759
 Abraham had a had a generous heart towards God, right? Because he was reminded how blessed he was,

253
00:27:51,759 --> 00:27:59,480
 right? If you know how blessed you are, you're so much more generous to others because there's

254
00:27:59,539 --> 00:28:05,779
 plenty more where that came from, you know? You know, that's what the Lord does when he

255
00:28:06,940 --> 00:28:12,579
 blesses you. You always have more than enough. And I have experienced that. I've experienced that.

256
00:28:12,720 --> 00:28:21,200
 I've gone through drought times, times where it was getting a bit scary financially. And I realize,

257
00:28:21,319 --> 00:28:25,859
 you know, I can make do, I can get through this. Like you always think you need more than you

258
00:28:25,859 --> 00:28:31,180
 than you have. Or you always think you need what you do have. And then you realize when you go

259
00:28:31,180 --> 00:28:37,500
 through times of less, lesser, you know, just like Paul said, you know, I've been, I've abounded

260
00:28:37,500 --> 00:28:41,660
 and I've been abated. In other words, I've had a lot and I've had a little, I can do all things

261
00:28:41,660 --> 00:28:47,039
 through Christ who strengthens me, right? When you realize how I blessed, you really are,

262
00:28:47,119 --> 00:28:55,180
 it's so much easier to be releasing. And so the Lord spoke to Israel through Malachi one time,

263
00:28:55,859 --> 00:29:03,019
 and as he spoke to them, you know, the Israelites realized that they were

264
00:29:04,119 --> 00:29:10,759
 they were not, they weren't sensing God's blessing in their lives. They're noticing that

265
00:29:11,579 --> 00:29:18,820
 they're in turmoil, they're in conflict with one another. And the things that could take for

266
00:29:18,980 --> 00:29:25,839
 granted before from God all of a sudden seem in jeopardy. And this is also, of course,

267
00:29:26,180 --> 00:29:33,579
 when other nations are always ominously approaching their border. And so they were pretty fearful.

268
00:29:34,579 --> 00:29:40,900
 And so the Lord spoke to them through Malachi. And we read Malachi three, eight and nine.

269
00:29:41,660 --> 00:29:46,299
 And these aren't usually the verses that we read when it's time to tithe.

270
00:29:46,860 --> 00:29:53,779
 Okay. And he says, will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed me.

271
00:29:54,859 --> 00:30:03,059
 But you say, in what way have I robbed you? And the Lord says to Malachi, in tithes and offerings.

272
00:30:03,880 --> 00:30:09,220
 Oh no, can you keep that one verse before that, Tammy? You are cursed with a curse,

273
00:30:09,860 --> 00:30:16,480
 for you have robbed me, even this whole nation. So this is our serious rebuke.

274
00:30:17,579 --> 00:30:21,519
 Now, again, this is not a rebuke to anyone here like you haven't been giving to the church,

275
00:30:22,119 --> 00:30:28,160
 but really do an accounting of your life and your lifestyle. Because I promise you,

276
00:30:28,619 --> 00:30:35,500
 if some things are preoccupying your finances that are not necessary for the kingdom of God,

277
00:30:35,500 --> 00:30:41,059
 it's time to just release them. You know, there's so many things that like,

278
00:30:41,140 --> 00:30:50,579
 when you release things that are possessing you, in a sense, how more restful you can be

279
00:30:50,579 --> 00:30:55,839
 in what the Lord is providing, you'll find that you don't have to buy many things

280
00:30:55,839 --> 00:31:02,160
 because the Lord's given them to you. I'll never forget we were in youth pastors, you know,

281
00:31:02,160 --> 00:31:09,019
 and we had youth group always at our house and was tons of kids. And it was through a tough

282
00:31:09,019 --> 00:31:15,559
 time financially for us. And I started saying, you know, we should buy a pool table for the

283
00:31:15,559 --> 00:31:20,680
 kids down there, you know, and I was looking on Facebook marketplace and this and that,

284
00:31:20,759 --> 00:31:25,039
 and I'll never forget Jesse said, dad, like, aren't you tight with money? I'm like, yeah,

285
00:31:25,119 --> 00:31:30,640
 he was, well, why are you going to buy a pool table? And I'm like, nothing like being

286
00:31:30,640 --> 00:31:39,539
 rebuked by your son, right? And I said, you're right. That's pretty stupid, right? And so next

287
00:31:39,539 --> 00:31:43,180
 time in youth group, we're in the small groups and the kids are like, so when you get in the

288
00:31:43,180 --> 00:31:50,599
 pool table? And I'm like, well, let's pray for a free pool table. Okay, because it's not in

289
00:31:50,599 --> 00:31:55,599
 the budget right now. So we did pray. And wouldn't you know, it was within a week,

290
00:31:56,000 --> 00:32:01,259
 within a week, and you're like, you're kidding me. A realtor called me and said, do you know anyone

291
00:32:01,259 --> 00:32:08,700
 that would hold on to a pool table? Like, are you kidding me? Like, yes, right here, right?

292
00:32:09,440 --> 00:32:13,799
 And we went down and we got it was down in South Philly. It wasn't easy to get it was in this

293
00:32:13,799 --> 00:32:19,460
 basement of a row house. And, but it was brand new. They were moving, they just had to get rid

294
00:32:19,460 --> 00:32:23,720
 of it, you know? And so cost a couple hundred to move, you know, if you don't want to break

295
00:32:23,720 --> 00:32:29,480
 the pool table, if you know anything, but, but it was brand spanking new. It was beautiful.

296
00:32:29,880 --> 00:32:36,539
 The ones I was looking at were two, three times as much. They were used also much more beat up.

297
00:32:36,900 --> 00:32:40,240
 And I'd still have to spend a couple hundred bucks to get that moved. If it's going to be

298
00:32:40,240 --> 00:32:45,039
 right when it gets where it's going, right? So the Lord just, but he's done that so

299
00:32:45,559 --> 00:32:49,039
 many, I would bore you with the rest of the morning. How many times

300
00:32:49,039 --> 00:32:53,720
 when I just gave it up to the Lord, I don't need that. Suddenly there it is like, well,

301
00:32:53,859 --> 00:32:59,140
 like free, you know, that's what happens. You know, even this building, we just,

302
00:32:59,480 --> 00:33:04,119
 we're searching for buildings all over the place. All right, here's what we're going to do.

303
00:33:04,460 --> 00:33:11,940
 We're going to, we're going to find a house that we could do ministry. Okay.

304
00:33:12,380 --> 00:33:16,519
 Probably to spend four or 500,000 for that thing in this town, right? This was about

305
00:33:16,519 --> 00:33:21,519
 eight years ago, seven years ago, six years ago, somewhere in there when we were really

306
00:33:21,519 --> 00:33:27,460
 talking seriously, but we'll keep renting the catering hall or wherever Christopher dock.

307
00:33:28,440 --> 00:33:34,119
 And, you know, because at least we have a big venue, but we can't afford like a church, right?

308
00:33:34,460 --> 00:33:39,900
 And we don't want to go into debt, you know? And so as we're praying and praying and praying and

309
00:33:39,900 --> 00:33:46,220
 praying, suddenly we get a phone call. Like, you know, yeah, this church is closing down.

310
00:33:46,519 --> 00:33:52,299
 You know, we purchased this whole, I call it a compound for the price of a house.

311
00:33:53,539 --> 00:34:00,400
 The whole thing well under, well, under 500 grand and we've rehab it. No debt debt free.

312
00:34:00,920 --> 00:34:06,180
 You know, praise the Lord, right? Because once you just say, Lord, I'm not going to go into debt.

313
00:34:06,319 --> 00:34:11,260
 I'm not going to, we're not going to like burden ourselves just to have what we think we deserve.

314
00:34:11,260 --> 00:34:17,300
 Lord, we're giving that to you. You're going to find it for us. We're just releasing that

315
00:34:17,300 --> 00:34:24,420
 that what we think is a need and a desire. And he will provide it for us. He will do it.

316
00:34:24,860 --> 00:34:30,780
 And we're evident to this. But you know, one, one warning is a lot of times we can say,

317
00:34:30,880 --> 00:34:34,639
 because I've heard this, somebody says, well, yeah, I was going to give it to the church.

318
00:34:34,900 --> 00:34:39,800
 But somebody told me, oh, they don't even have a debt on the building. They don't need it.

319
00:34:40,480 --> 00:34:46,719
 Well, how did we get this building for cash? It's, it's, you know, we have to give. We all,

320
00:34:46,840 --> 00:34:54,039
 I tithe more than mine, you know, would be required, you know, because that's how we bought it.

321
00:34:54,239 --> 00:35:00,500
 Like, so if we're going to continue to go where God's bringing us to, we need to just still be

322
00:35:00,500 --> 00:35:07,559
 generous to the Lord. Then we can make clear minded decisions and not have to be encumbered

323
00:35:07,559 --> 00:35:14,179
 by the world's debt system, you know? And so this is something that the Lord just has shown me

324
00:35:14,179 --> 00:35:20,619
 personally, us congregationally. We don't have to stress the things in this world. He already owns

325
00:35:20,619 --> 00:35:26,440
 it. He owns a cattle on a thousand hills, right? Thousand hills with cattle on it, one of them,

326
00:35:26,559 --> 00:35:31,480
 right? But, and then he makes this promise. Thank you, Tammy, you're way ahead of me.

327
00:35:31,480 --> 00:35:37,480
 By the way, let's give Tammy a little round of applause. First day doing PowerPoint.

328
00:35:37,980 --> 00:35:44,480
 He did an amazing job. Thank you. But anyway, nice distraction. But, but he promises this,

329
00:35:44,639 --> 00:35:49,980
 you know, when we start to stress it, stress it, and the Lord just says, will you just stop,

330
00:35:50,599 --> 00:35:58,000
 stop. And he says, bring all the tithes into the storehouse that there may be food in my house

331
00:35:58,000 --> 00:36:05,539
 and try me now on this, says the Lord of hosts. If I will not open for you the windows of heaven

332
00:36:05,539 --> 00:36:13,659
 and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be enough room to receive it. Don't

333
00:36:13,659 --> 00:36:19,539
 you want a bank account like that? Don't you want a life of relationships? We're not just talking

334
00:36:19,539 --> 00:36:27,679
 about money. Don't you want joy like that? Don't you want health like that? And the Lord is saying,

335
00:36:27,679 --> 00:36:36,420
 look, just give what is meant to be mine, which is our entire lives. And I will give you my life

336
00:36:37,119 --> 00:36:45,559
 in you. Amen. So we're gonna have communion now. And if there's anyone here who has never received

337
00:36:45,559 --> 00:36:53,019
 the Lord, it just, it's time. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your heart like you did

338
00:36:53,019 --> 00:36:59,440
 in all of the days up to this point of rebellion, but surrender your life to the Lord. It's time

339
00:36:59,980 --> 00:37:05,860
 to surrender to the Lord. And you can do that. You can experience these abundant blessings that

340
00:37:05,860 --> 00:37:12,480
 he gives you. And all you have to do is say, Lord, I want to be part of your kingdom. I want

341
00:37:12,480 --> 00:37:21,139
 to belong to you. I want to surrender my life to you. Today, I give you my life to receive yours.

342
00:37:22,400 --> 00:37:27,280
 Today, I recognize you as the son of God who died on the cross for my sins

343
00:37:27,940 --> 00:37:34,940
 so that my sins could be forgiven. And Lord, I realize that you shed your blood

344
00:37:34,940 --> 00:37:40,039
 and without the shedding of blood, there's no remission of sins. Thank you, Lord, God.

345
00:37:40,440 --> 00:37:47,800
 Today, take my life so I can have yours. Fill me with your Holy Spirit and forgive me of

346
00:37:47,800 --> 00:37:55,380
 all my sins, past, present, and future. In Jesus' name, amen. If you've prayed something like that,

347
00:37:56,420 --> 00:38:03,780
 the word says that you are saved, Romans 10, 9, and 10. And so let's have communion together.

348
00:38:04,840 --> 00:38:10,579
 Father God, we thank you that your body was nailed to the cross as our sins.

349
00:38:11,460 --> 00:38:18,480
 You became our sin on the cross, Lord God. And as we eat this bread, you are the manna from on high,

350
00:38:18,500 --> 00:38:24,619
 Lord God. You provide our nourishment. You are our life. And as we eat this bread,

351
00:38:24,719 --> 00:38:32,619
 we remember that you willingly died on the cross for each one of us, knowing each one of us by

352
00:38:32,619 --> 00:38:39,760
 name before the foundations of the world. We thank you for that in Jesus' name. Amen. Let's eat.

353
00:38:45,940 --> 00:38:53,860
 And Lord, as we remember, Abraham meeting Melchizedek for the first time,

354
00:38:54,619 --> 00:38:58,179
 the first communion representing even what we're doing here today.

355
00:38:59,219 --> 00:39:06,639
 Lord, we thank you that we have victory only because of you. We haven't won any battles on our own.

356
00:39:06,639 --> 00:39:13,239
 You've won them all, Lord. And it's because of your precious blood that our sins are forgiven.

357
00:39:14,320 --> 00:39:24,159
 So we can move forward and face any opposition in front of us, knowing that you have blessed us.

358
00:39:24,880 --> 00:39:28,679
 We thank you for the shed blood in Jesus' name. Amen.

359
00:39:33,380 --> 00:39:42,280
 And let's all stand. And as I was thinking, I think a great thing to end this morning would be

360
00:39:43,460 --> 00:39:48,000
 the blessing of Aaron. I met a young man. He's not here. I don't see him here today. And

361
00:39:48,519 --> 00:39:53,280
 I was hoping he would be, but I was sharing Jesus at the first Friday with him.

362
00:39:53,840 --> 00:40:00,119
 And I blessed him with the blessing of Aaron. And he's like, wow, that's so cool. I'm like, yeah,

363
00:40:00,500 --> 00:40:06,239
 that's your name. His name's Aaron. And I said, someone in your family knew the Lord when they

364
00:40:06,239 --> 00:40:12,380
 named you. And he said, yeah, my grandmom and mom did. And I'm like, how about you? So,

365
00:40:13,219 --> 00:40:19,460
 you know, we'll see. We'll see. I mean, he said he did, but hopefully we'll see him in here

366
00:40:19,460 --> 00:40:26,159
 someday with the blessing of Aaron. So let's lift up our hands and receive from the Lord.

367
00:40:28,000 --> 00:40:35,519
 May the Lord bless you and keep you. May he shine his face upon you and be gracious to you.

368
00:40:36,320 --> 00:40:40,639
 And may he lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

369
00:40:41,320 --> 00:40:47,019
 Father God, we thank you that those are the promises. Your face shines down upon us.

370
00:40:47,019 --> 00:40:51,739
 And you're a proud father, looking at your children, reaching up right now to you, Lord.

371
00:40:52,599 --> 00:40:57,860
 And we ask you to just pick us up and give us a big hug, Lord God. And we thank you, Lord,

372
00:40:57,880 --> 00:41:04,179
 that we have nothing to worry about, Lord, because you are a good, good father, a perfect father,

373
00:41:04,980 --> 00:41:07,719
 a father, a giver of every good and perfect gift.

374
00:41:08,900 --> 00:41:14,780
 Lord, we thank you for all of your blessings in Jesus name. Amen. Let's give the Lord a round

375
00:41:14,780 --> 00:41:30,860
 of applause. Thanks for joining us at Lansdale Life Church as we praise God and discuss His word.

376
00:41:31,539 --> 00:41:37,000
 Don't forget to join us for worship live Sunday mornings at 10 a.m. Eastern on YouTube.

377
00:41:37,000 --> 00:41:40,099
 Be blessed and have a great day!