Who's The Boss?

Summary

Podcast Summary: Change Church Podcast – "Who's The Boss?"

Host: Dr. Dharius Daniels
Date: February 23, 2026

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Main Theme and Purpose

In this powerful sermon, Pastor Dharius Daniels concludes the "Name Dropping" series by answering the question: "Who's the boss?" – exploring what it means to truly surrender authority to God in every area of life. Centering his message on Genesis 14 and the revelation of God as "El Elyon" (God Most High), Pastor Daniels challenges listeners to confront the grip of fear, understand spiritual authority, break patterns of unhealthy attachment, and recognize God's sovereignty as the "final say" in all things.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Connecting Ancient Text to Everyday Life

• Pastor Daniels affirms his teaching style: always bridging ancient biblical truth to practical, daily application.

  “We build a bridge... between the ancient text and everyday life. How does this apply to my life?... For us, it’s about life change.” (02:20)

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2. The Prevalence and Power of Fear

• The phrase "fear not" appears more than 100 times in the King James Bible – showing God's awareness of our ongoing battle with fear.

  “God, in his wisdom, meets recurring problems with recurring reminders.” (05:30)

• Fear is not just an emotion to have; its danger lies in it having you, holding you hostage, and inhibiting your purpose.

• Key Quote:

  “It is one thing for a human to have the emotion of fear. It's another thing for the emotion of fear to hold a human hostage. And God says fear not because... if fear has inundated our heart and our mind, it's trespassing on property that belongs to God.” (06:20)

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3. God’s Calling Requires Courage

• God’s call often places us in situations that provoke fear, putting us beyond our comfort and perceived capabilities.
  Examples:

  • Noah: Skilled in gardening, called to build an ark (08:44)
  • Moses: Uncomfortable speaking, called to address Pharaoh (09:03)
  • David: Facing Goliath with just a slingshot (09:26)

• Memorable Assertion:

  “Your calling will require courage. And the enemy wants to use fear not just to make you scared, but to keep you stuck.” (10:01)

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4. Spirit of Fear vs. Emotion of Fear

• Paul describes fear as a spirit (“God did not give us the spirit of fear…” 2 Timothy 1:7), tying it to spiritual warfare.

  “Fear is an emotion. Why does Paul call it a spirit? Because… there is a difference between the human emotion of fear and the perversion of that emotion orchestrated by the enemy that now has spiritual implications.” (10:36)

• Breakthrough Declaration:

  “We're getting ready to let that spirit know it can no longer occupy God's property. It is trespassing... Get off me and stay off me!” (12:01–13:00)

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5. Overcoming Fear: Not By Willpower, But Revelation

• You cannot conquer fear through sheer determination; what’s needed is a greater revelation of God Himself.

• “I can't fear not with willpower. So how do I fear not? I fear not, not by willpower, but by revelation… Not by changing the way I see my circumstance, but by changing the way I see my God.” (16:35–17:14)

• Citing David:

  “‘Oh, magnify the Lord with me…’ The bigger he gets, the smaller my problem gets.” (17:54–18:35)

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6. Genesis 12–14: Obeying God Means Letting Go of Attachments

• Abraham’s journey illustrates the challenge of leaving behind comfort, community, and even codependent relationships – specifically, taking Lot, his nephew, when he was told to leave all kin (23:10–27:58).

• “It’s possible that God said, ‘you have organized your life around your attachment to them, not your assignment to me…’ Sometimes your place of comfort has become the ceiling to your own growth and development.” (23:19–24:45)

• The Burden of Codependency:

  “Codependency doesn’t just show up in my neediness. It also shows up in my need to be needed… You’re carrying a lot, not because Lot needs you, but because you need Lot to need you.” (27:58–28:18)

• Sometimes, loving people means releasing them, entrusting them to God, not carrying their burdens at your own expense.

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7. Growth Can Create Relationship Tension

• Growth, even mutual, can lead to new tensions and require relationships to be redefined and shifted, not necessarily ended.

• “Some relationships could be saved if they were just shifted. And because you didn’t shift it, now you had to bury it.” (37:42–38:10)

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8. The Blessing is on the Person, Not the Place

• Following the split with Lot, Abraham trusts God will bless him wherever he goes:

  “I’mma let you pick, because wherever I go, if the grass brown, God’s gonna turn it green. Somebody shout, ‘It’s on me.’” (40:13)

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9. Melchizedek and the Revelation of El Elyon (God Most High)

• Melchizedek is presented as both king and priest, a “Christophany” – a pre-incarnate appearance/foreshadowing of Christ.

  “He’s a king who had bread and wine, who was also a priest. I know another king who had bread and wine – caught the Last Supper – who’s also a priest…” (45:31–46:15)

• El Elyon means “God Most High,” revealing God’s sovereignty and ultimate authority.

  “El Elyon lets you know he’s sovereign… I have the last say and I got the final word. I rule and I overrule… Your situation may be facts, but El Elyon brings truth, and facts don’t change the truth, but truth changes facts.” (47:13–48:20)

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10. Memorable Matlock Analogy: God as Final Judge

• Story about watching "Matlock" as a child:
  The judge’s word was final, overruling objections or evidence.

  “I know another judge. He’s not just in the courtroom. He’s in every room, and he’s got the final say… I don’t know what it looks like, but my judge is saying, ‘overruled.’” (53:26–53:59)

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Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• On Fear as Trespasser:

  “If fear has inundated our heart and our mind, it is trespassing on property that belongs to God.” (06:20)

• On God’s Call and Courage:

  "Your calling will put you in predicaments that you feel ill-equipped and unprepared for." (08:31)

• Break the Spirit of Fear:

  “Get off me and stay off me… I’m too anointed to be stagnant. Get off me. I’m too gifted to stay stuck.” (12:01–13:00)

• Shifting Relationships:

  “Some relationships could be saved if they were just shifted… May God send you people in your life that can handle your herds.” (37:42, 39:16)

• On El Elyon:

  “He has the final say. I have the last say and I got the final word. I rule and I overrule.” (47:13–47:20)

• Matlock Analogy:

  “The judge would determine what evidence would be allowed in… And when opposing lawyers would try to undermine Matlock's agenda, they would say, ‘Objection!’ And the judge would say, ‘Overruled!’… I know another judge… he’s got the final say.” (52:50–53:59)

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Important Segment Timestamps

• [05:30] – Frequency and significance of “fear not” in Scripture.
• [08:44] – Biblical examples of being called beyond comfort.
• [10:36] – Discussion of “spirit of fear” as spiritual warfare.
• [16:35] – Overcoming fear through revelation, not willpower.
• [23:19] – Abraham’s call: context, community, and codependency.
• [27:58] – The emotional/spiritual burden of carrying Lot.
• [37:42] – Shifting relationships instead of burying them.
• [40:13] – “It’s on me”: The blessing is on the person.
• [45:31] – Melchizedek and Christ as King & Priest; introduction of El Elyon.
• [47:13] – El Elyon as God Most High, final authority.
• [52:50] – The Matlock judge analogy: God "overrules."
• [54:47] – Prayer and worship response: “You have the final say.”

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Final Reflections

The episode calls listeners to real, practical faith—trusting God above fear, letting go of unhealthy dependencies, and shifting relationships with wisdom. Pastor Daniels’ refrain is clear:

“Have I assigned authority to this [situation] that belongs to El Elyon? Because he has the final say.” (48:10)

He closes with a prayer and worship, emphasizing that whatever the current fact of a circumstance, El Elyon, God Most High, can overrule and has the last word.

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Useful for Those Who Haven’t Listened:
This summary captures the core teaching, key applications, most inspiring moments, and memorable language of Pastor Daniels, providing a thorough understanding of the message’s power and relevance for everyday faith.

Transcript

[A]

Experience to New York City myself and summer change worship. We're going to be there. So if you got, if you're watching online, you're in the New York vicinity. We'd love to have you join us. If you're in the room and you know people in that area, let them know March 18, 7:30pm they can go to lifechange.org and register. I'm incredibly excited about this. We want you praying over it. Going to be at the Palladium in Times Square and and Jesus is going to meet us in the building and so we're looking forward to an incredible time there. Well, I've been in this series called name dropping and I teach in series. That means I take a book of the Bible, characters in the Bible or theme for from the Bible and we spend time exploring what the Bible has to say about it. And here's my calling. Change church. So it's life change. You're not deep if you can't do it. And so we, we build a bridge and we will always do it as long as I'm teaching between the ancient text and everyday life. How does this apply to my life? It is not just me communicating information for the purpose of memorization because many Christians can quote what they can't live. And so, so for us it's about life change. What are the implications of the gospel in terms of how they show up in the way that you handle marriage and parenting and stress and relationships and transition and how you steward power, how you manage ambition, how you approach entrepreneurship, how you approach the day to day affairs of your life. And so we're concluding this series today on name dropping by looking at a verse of scripture found in Genesis 14 beginning at verse number 18. It's kind of been quiet at the first two services today. I'm assuming, I'm assuming because it's cold outside. But, but let's go together to Genesis 14, verse 18. It says, Then Melchizedek King of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High. And he blessed Abram, saying, blessed be Abram, by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, and praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hands. God Most High delivered your enemies into your hands. The Most High God delivered your enemies into your hands. Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything. I want to talk from this subject. Family who's the boss? Who's the boss? Family As I leap into this lesson today, I want to inform some and remind others of a phrase that is frequently found in Scripture that I think is extremely important, yet often overlooked. The frequency of this phrase, phrase and all of its iterations and variations is one that I believe bears and demands our attention and our exploration. This phrase is found in the New Testament, excuse me, in the King James translation of scripture. Over 100 times. This phrase or variations of this phrase is seen in the King James Bible over 100 times. If God says something over 100 times, it's important for us to pay attention, engage in exploration, and engage in examination of what he meant when he said something over 100 times in one way or another over 100 times in the King James version of the Bible, you will hear or you will read these two words, fear not. Over 100 times. In the King James rendering of scripture, you will see words like fear not, don't be afraid, or why are you afraid? And the question begs to be asked and answered. Why would God say something over 100 times? When God repeats himself consistently, he's not trying to be redundant. He's being responsive. He's not repeating himself because he forgot what he said and he needs to say it again so that he can remember. He's repeating himself because we forget what he said and we need to be reminded so that we can remember. God, in his wisdom, meets reoccurring problems with reoccurring reminders. He knows that you and I are going to be regularly visited by, tempted to succumb to an emotion called fear. And so he meets that regularity with regularity of his own, telling you that when fear turn into your neighborhood, when fear turns into your driveway, when fear gets out of the car, walks up to your door and rings the doorbell, don't you answer, fear not. He addresses this emotion more than any other emotion in scripture because God is aware of the danger, not just having fear. God is aware of the danger of fear having us. Did you hear what I just said? It is one thing for a human to have the emotion of fear. It's another thing for the emotion of fear to hold a human hostage. And God says fear not because he is communicating to us that if fear has inundated our heart and our mind, it is trespassing on property that belongs to God. Come on out of here today. Now. Yeah, He. He. He understands that fear has implications for us that are beyond impacting us emotionally. Fear impacts us practically. Fear does more than disturb my peace. Fear can disrupt my purpose. And when something starts disrupting my purpose, God gives unique attention to anything that inhibits my ability to carry out his assignment. Because your calling will require clarity. Somebody say yes. Your calling will require commitment. Somebody say yes. But there's something else. Your calling will require that fear threatens.

[B]

Your calling will require.

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I'm sorry. Courage.

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Hallelujah.

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Did you hear what I just said? Because God's calling for your life will pull you into places and predicaments and spaces and areas and arenas of responsibility that will provoke fear.

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Fear of failure, fear of attack, fear of inadequacy. And I got witnesses in Scripture that I can call to the courtroom before

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this congregation, congregation that'll testify that God's

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calling will put you in predicaments that you feel ill equipped and unprepared for.

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God's calling will take a man like Noah who is proficient in gardening and

[B]

tell a man who's proficient in tilling

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soil, I want you to build an

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ark that will withstand the rent, the wind and the rain and flood waters for 40 days. God's calling will take a man like

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Moses who is comfortable being in the background, who is not comfortable speaking and

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say, I'm calling you to the forefront. And I want you to use your

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area of inadequacy as an asset to Israel.

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Because the same voice that you are uncomfortable projecting is the same voice I want you to use and stand in

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front of Pharaoh and tell him, let my people go. I wish I had a Baptist church right along here.

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Your calling will put you in a situation like David, where you are confronting a military savant who's been trained in

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military warfare since birth.

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He is 9ft tall, got a sword, a shield and a spear. And you will face him with a slingshot and a rock because the God.

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I wish I had somebody, the Lord

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of Hosts, will help you take a stone and a slingshot and knock that giant down.

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Your calling will require courage. And the enemy wants to use fear not just to make you scared, but to keep you stuck. But I came for you today. You got the right sermon today. You in the right church today. You in the right service today.

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Because my Bible tells me God did not give us.

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Come on in here.

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The spirit of fear. But power, love, and the sound mind, He did not give us. Stay with me. The spirit of fear. Now, fear is an emotion. Why does Paul call it a spirit? Because there is a difference between the human emotion of fear and the perversion of that emotion that is orchestrated by the enemy that now has spiritual implications.

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He says, are y' all okay? He tells him. He says, keep the scripture in context.

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Stir up the gift of God.

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Is that what he says?

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That was given to you by the

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laying on of hands of the presbytery.

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For God did not give us the spirit of fear, but power,

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love and a sound mind. Because when you coddle the emotion, it

[B]

moves from the emotional to the spiritual.

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But we're getting ready to break that

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off you at 124 today. Did you hear what I just said? I said, in the authority that has been given to us in Jesus name, we're getting ready to let that spirit know it can no longer occupy God's property. It is trespassing. I need somebody that's honest enough to admit you've been wrestling with some hesitation and some timidity and some apprehension to tell that spirit, get off me. Get off me. I'm too cold to be this stuff. Get off me. I'm too anointed to be stagnant. Get off me. I'm too gifted to say stuff. Get off me. I got stuff to do, people to help, things to build. Get off me.

[A]

Me.

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Get off me. Get off me. Get off me. Get off me. Get off me. Get off me. Get off me. Get off me. Get off me. Get off me and stay off me. I'm tired of you getting off me and getting back on me. Get off me and stay off me.

[A]

He doesn't just use fear. Give me a second. To keep us scared. He uses fear to keep us stuck. He's not just trying to disturb our peace. He's trying to disrupt our purpose. So when God gives you divine instruction, you got to engage in negotiation with your fear to see if your fear will give you permission to obey God. Fear not. It's one thing to hear what God says, it's another thing to know how to execute it. But because Yahweh is Jireh, he not only proclaims what we should do, he makes provision so that we're able to do it. Oh, that's a good God there. I say that's a good God. He will not only tell you what to do, he'll help you do it. Now for these next seven seconds, I need my Pentecostal members now.

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Cause the Holy Ghost is called the helper. Come on here. So the Bible tells you what to do, but the Holy Ghost will help you do it. Do I have a witness here that he's a helper? Can you look back over your life and see where the Holy Ghost has been helping? Jireh

[A]

makes provision. So, Pastor, how do I. Fear not. Which is which. Which is not. Which is not which is not saying don't have fear. It's saying, don't let fear have you. How do I do that? Okay. You can't do that with willpower, boy. Oh, I need to do a sermon on willpower, don't I? Yep. I need to do a sermon on willpower. And I need to go to Galatians and show you where Paul talks about the law being our schoolmaster or babysitter to get us to Christ. Yes, indeed. And use that as a teaching tool to teach you about willpower. How the law exposes your spiritual inadequacy that God gives the law to show. To show you you can't do this without me.

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Did you hear what I. You not only need my principles, you need my power. You can. You can't do this without me.

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So I can't fear. Not with willpower. So how do I fear not? I fear not. Not by willpower, but by revelation. It means that I fear not. Not by changing the way I see my circumstance. I fear not by changing the way I see my God. Did you. That was a Pentecostal. I don't know what that was. Did you hear? Yes, indeed.

[B]

I got a little Old School Sunday on me already here

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because.

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Come on, come on, let's be honest.

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Some things you looking at might not change. So I may not be able to change the way I see it,

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but

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if I can change the way I see him, the bigger he gets, The smaller it gets.

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Is this not what David said when he said, oh, magnify the Lord with me. Now, if you ever use a magnifying

[A]

glass, you know

[B]

that a magnifying glass doesn't make the thing bigger, but it changes your perception of the thing. David said, oh, magnify the Lord with me. And the bigger he gets, the smaller my problem gets. The bigger he gets, the smaller my sin situation gets. The bigger he gets, the smaller my circumstance.

[A]

Get somebody.

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Take about 13 seconds. Make them big. I'm not just making noise, I'm making them big.

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So the way I fear not is not just by trying to see it differently. And I'm not minimizing the purpose. I'm not minimizing the power of reframing, but I am arguing that there will be some situations you find yourself sitting in where human reframing seems practically impossible. Look at it positively. I'm sick. What do you mean? So when I can't see it differently, I've got to see him differently. And here is where Genesis 14 helps us. Because when we are in seasons and situations and circumstances where we are tempted and provoked with fear. We need a revelation of God that is revealed to us in Genesis 14. There's another name we need to know. I said there's another name that needs

[B]

to be dropped in your spirit.

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Yes. You know Jehovah, you know Jireh, you know Nisi, you know Rapha, you know

[B]

Rohi, you know Makadish. But there's another name here in Genesis

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14 that helps us fear not. It seems it's seen right here in the text. I got 11 minutes. Y' all got time. Here it is. Here it is. Here it is. Here it is. Here it is. In order to understand what's happening here in Genesis 14, we're going to get there. We need to be anchored in what happened in Genesis 12. Because without understanding Genesis 12, Genesis 14 doesn't make the kind of sense that it could and should make. In Genesis 12, we see a man named Abram receiving divine instruction captured in verse one. He says, abram, I need you to go from your country. That's your context. Go from your people. That's your community and your father's household. That's your kin. To a land. I'm going to show you. I don't have time to deal with all of this, but this. This instruction that God gives to Abraham is a picture and a pattern of the way he may give instruction to you. And I watch what he says. It is specific and it is ambiguous at the same time. It is direct and it's dubious at the same time. He says, abram, yes, sir? I need you to leave. What? Your country. Okay? That's your context, your people. Okay? That's your community and your father's household. Okay? That's my kin. Where am I going? I'm going to show you. It is specific and ambiguous at the same time, and that is reflective of the way God may speak. He gives you enough to get started, but not enough so you won't stop listening.

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Did you hear what I just. You got it.

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He says, he.

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In other words, he says, right now

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you got enough instruction to know to leave.

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And I need you to faithfully obey what I've said so far. And as you faithfully obey what I said so far, I'm gonna give you more instruction on the way where I'm

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gone, I'm gonna show you. And a lot of times we waiting to obey because we say we waiting on clarity, when what you really waiting on is comfort.

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Lord, I need to be clear.

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No, you need to be comfortable. You want to be comfortable because I

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gave you enough information. I gave you another.

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I told you, leave context. Community and kin. That's better. You got enough to a lamb? I'm gonna show you. Now. When Genesis 12:1 is often interpreted, an assumption is made in our exegesis. Somebody say exegesis? All that means is drawing out of meaning of Scripture. Does that make sense? It's one thing to say Abraham sacrificed Isaac. Well, if you're not Abraham, if you don't have an Isaac, what that mean for you? Does that make sense? So I need to draw. I need to draw meaning out of that story in his life to my life to draw out meaning. You with me? All right. So when this story is often interpreted, people make assumptions that God tells Abraham to leave because there's something wrong with where he at. Leave your country, leave your community, leave your kin, because there's something wrong with where you're at. Leave them because they corrupt. That's often the assumption. And I don't know the reason God told Abram to leave. He didn't tell us the reason, but I think it's exegetically irresponsible to just assume that the reason he was supposed to leave was because they were corrupt. Because the Bible didn't tell us the reason he was supposed to leave. The Bible just makes it clear he's told to leave because quite possibly this next stage of his evolution and advancement is going to require distance from old influences. So maybe the issue wasn't their corruption. Maybe the issue was his codependency. Did you hear what I just said? Yeah. And codependency can be described. Described as excessive emotional or functional reliance on another person or environment to the point where their presence becomes a substitute for your own development. It's when. It's when God. It's possible that God said, hey, you have organized your life around your attachment to them, not your assignment to me. And there's some moves you're gonna have to make that are. That are going to. That are going to have to be driven by your assignment. And we don't have time to be negotiating with your attachments. Are you here? I said, are you here? He says. He says sometimes. Sometimes your place of comfort has become the ceiling to your own growth and development. So he says, I need you to leave. Country. Context. People. Community. Father's household. Ken. So Abraham kind of obeys, verse five. Says he took his wife Sarai, and his nephew Lot, and all the possessions they accumulated and the people they acquired, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there. Y' all missed it. Okay. Verse one says, leave country people and father's household. Verse five says he takes Sarai and. And Lot, his nephew. Y' all missed it. Verse 1 says, Leave country people and kin. Verse 5 says he took

[B]

his nephew Lot. Now, I don't know why he took Lot.

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Maybe he was a parental figure in Lot's life. I'm not going to make an assumption because.

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But it could be his codependency showing up.

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Because codependency doesn't just show up in my neediness. Codependency also shows up in my need to be needed. And some of us have not addressed our need to be needed.

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So you carrying a lot.

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A lot of pressure, a lot of stress, a lot of weight, a lot of frustration.

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You're carrying a lot because you carry a lot. Not because a lot needs you, but because you need Lot to need you. Not because Lot needs you to feel better. You need Lot to need you so that you can feel better because you need to be needed. You got to slow down.

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That's heavy. So you've assumed responsibility that you're not responsible for. And then you get frustrated with the

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Lot you picked up that did not ask to come. You invited him to come. And now you got resentment toward what you took responsibility for that you were never assigned to.

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And many of us are carrying a lot because you carrying a lot. Because you haven't discerned that every need isn't your responsibility. You know what I learned at 46 years old? Oh, I'm up, ain't I? That's UNC right there. That's unk age. Here it is. I've learned. I've learned the difference between God. Watch this. Wanting to meet a need and God having to meet the need through me. The assumption that he's always got to meet it through me is an indication that I don't believe he is broad or big enough to do it another way. Which means it's possible now, from a spiritual perspective, to love Lot and still leave it. I lost the whole church right there. But I mean, everything I just said. When you realize Lot is God's

[B]

hallelujah, that Lot belongs to God and Lot. Lot doesn't belong to you. When God does not assign you to a lot, you don't give up on Lot. You give a lot up to God and say God's gonna do it another way. Somebody say, God got it.

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If God can take care of you

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and you know, you a lot, certainly come. Let me go to this side. He been taking care of you, and you know You a lot. What makes you think he can't take care a lot?

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I need my honest saints to say I'm a lot. I know I'm a lot.

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I'm committed on Monday, uncommitted on Tuesday, Happy on Wednesday, Mad at Saturday. Yes, Lord on Friday. What you doing?

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I'm a lot. I'm almost done.

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Y' all good.

[A]

And carrying a lot doesn't always feel like a lot immediately. Carrying a lot doesn't always feel like a lot immediately. God. Because he, he, he picks up lot. He takes Lot with him in chapter 12. But challenges don't show up till chapter 13. And we feel good about caring a lot in chapter 12. Cuz you've only been carrying it a chapter. Then you get into chapter 13 and it's like this a lot. I thought I was okay with this, but this is, this is a lot. Boy, if I had time, I just, I just knocked on it.

[B]

Oh no, they got a lot of work to do.

[A]

Here it is. But I'm just gonna come back to this at some point. I, I literally. I just saw this. I've been teaching this all this. My third time teaching this. I just saw this. Tario. I just saw this. I just saw this. Leaving locked doesn't just mean I gotta deal with what's happening with me emotionally. It means I also got to be able to handle what's happening with Lot emotionally. And sometimes we don't leave a lot because we've taken responsibility for Lot's emotions. When grown and mature people and spiritually stabilized people and emotionally and relationally intelligent people know how to let Lot sit in feelings. Because that's part of adulting. My feelings hurt. That doesn't mean you wronged. It could mean you're unhealthy. It doesn't mean you've been mishandled. It could mean you've been triggered. And sometimes you got to say, you, you'll settle down and I'll be here when you do. Once you see that this thing was the right thing, I'll be here when you do. So this is what happened in chapter 13. I'm almost done. He takes Lot with him. And the Bible says they leave when they leave between chapter 12 and chapter 13. Agriculturally, they both accumulate more than they had initially. And so chapter 13 exposes us to this reality. Abram had flocks, herds and tents. Lot had flocks, herds and tents. But the land could not support them while they stayed together. For their possessions were so great that they were not able to stay together. Now this reveals to us. Somebody say real life. So at this church, we always want to take the Bible and apply it to real life. Cuz you're not deep if you can quote it. You deep if you can do it. If I can take the.

[B]

What are the implications of the gospel

[A]

for my everyday life here? This teaches us something. Very often when relationships have tension points, it's because one person grew and another didn't. That's not the text. They got a tension point now because they both grew. What do you do when growth now creates the tension? What do you do when winning changes things? Okay, okay, okay, okay. Texas. Their possessions were so great, they were not able to stay together. There was not enough land. The winning in one area produced or exposed the lack in another. Are y' all here? So they grew agriculturally and therefore land that could hold them. Hold them. Because their responsibilities now require more land. And so when you. Okay, y' all not see. Okay, let me see if I can make it clear. Let me make it clear. Before they had the herds and the cattle. Let's just use the example of land. Let's just use it as a metaphor. They had more time. Let's just use that as a metaphor. Right? More time. Because sometimes more herds mean less time. You don't call me like you used to. More herds.

[B]

It's quiet.

[A]

It's quiet.

[B]

More herds,

[A]

more herds. Less energy. More my response. Responsibility increased. So the attention that I got to give the things has increased and the energy that I have. Watch this. But more herds don't mean less love. And it takes spiritually mature and emotionally and relationally intelligent people to do what Abram did in the text, to acknowledge what we. Not where we were in chapter 12. So in order to save the relationship, we got to shift it. Because some relationships could be saved if they were just shifted. And because you didn't shift it, now you had to bury it. We were so happy just a few minutes ago. And it's. You didn't shift it. Now you got to bury it. And may God send you people in your life that can handle your herds. Hallelujah. I see what God. God is doing with you. I see what God is doing through you. I see what God is doing for you. I see how your responsibility is shifted.

[B]

I see how you're stretched thin.

[A]

Here's what. Here's what Abraham. Abraham said. Listen, I love you too much for us to quarrel. There needs to be no quarreling between me and you or between your herders and mine. We too close for that. The whole lane is before you part company, you go to the left, I go to the right. You go to the right, I go to the left. I love this. This is so wise. So Abraham says, all right, you go one direction, I'm gonna go the other. I'm gonna let you pick. I'm not gonna bother that. Because when your income is tied to agriculture, the quality of the land impacts the state of your business. But Abraham must believe that the blessing is not on the pasture. The blessing is on the person. So Lot, I'm let you pick, because wherever I go, if the grass brown,

[B]

God's gonna turn it green. Somebody shout, it's on me.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

The blessing of the Lord is not things. And the blessing of. Of the Lord is not on things. The blessing of the Lord is on me.

[A]

All right, I'm wrapping up. Carlton, here it is. No, sir. Carlton, let me know. We got to get out of here. All right, all right, here it is. Here it is. Lot. Lot. Lot goes to this a place, sets up a tent near this place called Sodom. The problem is Sodom gets attacked by a coalition of kings. So they're not attacking only Sodom. They're attacking a number of different areas. And Sodom happens to be the place where Lot is, and it gets attacked. So now when they attack the area, lots in, they take all the people there captive. So now Lot is held captive, and Abraham gets word. I don't have time to bother this too much, but Abraham, but. But Lot is held captive because of how he positioned himself. I want you to see the gospel. So he put himself in a position to be captured, And so he's got himself in something he can't get out of. And here comes Abraham to say, you got yourself in it, but I love you enough to get you out. He takes 318 trained men to go against a coalition of kings. Now, I don't know how many were in that. Those king's armies, but it's more than 318. Because God doesn't need a lot to do a lot. He'll do it with 318. Wait a minute. I said he'll do it with 3, 8. 318. Listen to me. Trained. This is where second way get confused. Second way gets an anointing. And they feel entitled cuz they've confused oil with sk. So they are anointed and unprepared, and they're anointed and preaching, but they haven't studied and they're anointed and they haven't learned the discipline of not just reading

[B]

A text, but reading a room.

[A]

You shouldn't say that that way.

[B]

You should come on, talk to.

[A]

Yeah. Third way realizes that my oil needs to be delivered through skill. And when you oily and skillful, you become a spiritual weapon of mass destruction. Some people have skill, but they don't have oil.

[B]

And some people have oil, but they don't have skill. But when the oil and the skill get together, then Goliath start falling down. When the oil.

[A]

318 trained men, which means he did not have to train them for the battle. They were already trained before the battle. Because preparation is a prophetic act. If you believe God's going to do all you say sense he's going to do in your life. The evidence of that belief is the willingness to prepare.

[B]

I need somebody to say to your soul, get ready.

[A]

Yeah, I'm gonna say that again. Somebody say, get ready. Yeah. You don't know what door God's about to open. Get ready.

[B]

You don't know what responsibility is about to come your way. Get ready. You don't know what chapter 13 has. Has in store for you.

[A]

Get ready. I'm done. So he goes, Abraham goes. And the Bible says he, he reclaims lot, reclaims all the other people. And as he's coming back, he runs into two kings. He runs into the king of Sodom, and he runs into a king called Melchizedek. Now, the Bible says in Genesis, chapter 14, verse 21, the king of Sodom said to Abram, give me the people and keep the goods for yourself. But Abram said to the king of Sodom with a raised hand, I have

[B]

sworn it off to the Lord God,

[A]

most High, creator of heaven and earth, that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal. So that you will never be able to say, I made Abram rich. That's his response to Sodom. But his response to Melchizedek is this. Verse 16. He recovered all the goods and brought back his relative lot and his possessions together with the women and the other people. And after Abram returned from defeating the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him. Then Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine. He was a priest of God. Most High, Melchizedek, King of Salem, brought out bread and wine. He was a priest of God. So he's a king who had bread and wine, who was also a priest. He's a king who had bread and wine, who was also a priest. I know another king Who. Who had bread and wine, caught the Last supper, who's also a priest. As a matter of fact, he is from the tribe of Judah, not the tribe of Levi. So how is he a priest? He's not a part of the Levitical order. But the Bible says he's a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. Who is Melchizedek? Well, the writer of Hebrews tells us he was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings, and he blessed him and Abram gave him a tenth of all. First, the name Melchizedek means king of righteousness. King of Salem means king of peace. He is without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning or end of life, resembling the Son of God. He remains a priest how long? Forever he ever liveth to make intercession for us. Melchizedek is what's called a christophany. It is a pre incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity, showing up in human history in one form before he shows up in the New Testament as Mary's baby. It's a type A foreshadowing of Jesus. Now, when the text says he gave him a tenth of all, it makes sense. The word tenth means tithe. Now it makes sense. He's giving it to Jesus. Are y' all here? He's giving it. He's giving it to Jesus. But I want you to see a couple of words here. Tario, here it is. Let's play softly. I'm done. Here it is. It says here Melchizedek was. Excuse me. Bless Abraham, saying, blessed be Abraham. Not by me, but by God most high. Verse 20 says, and praise be to God Most High, because the Most High is who delivered your enemies into your hands. This is another name that's dropped. God Most High or Most High? God is El Elyon. It is a name. Jireh lets you know he's a provider. Rafa lets you know he's a healer. Are you feeling? Are you hear me? Elroy lets you know he sees Rohi lets you know he's a shepherd that leads. El Elyon lets you know he's sovereign. I have the last say and I got the final word. I rule and I overrule. Everything may have a say, but I got the last one. Some things may have some power. I got all of it. So when you are in a situation that is provoking fear and timidity and apprehension, you need a revelation of El Elyon, because El Elyon has the last Say, you see, your situation may be facts, but El Elyon brings truth. And facts don't change the truth, but truth changes facts. What's truth? Daniels? John 17:17. Sanctify them by thy word. Thy word is truth. And John 8, ye shall know the truth, and the truth will set you free. Here's my question. I want you to reflect on whatever area you've got some angst, some fear, and some anxiousness. And I want you to introspectively and objectively look into the recesses of your soul and ask yourself, have I assigned the final say to this season or this situation? Look at me, parents. I want you to look at the state of your children and ask yourself, have I made their current state their final state? I want you to look at the state of your resources and ask yourself, have I made this current state the final state? I want you to look at the state of your soul. Have I made this current state my final state? Have I assigned authority to this? That belongs to El Elyon because he has the final say. I'm done. I'm done. I grew up in an era. In an era and in an area where it was one TV in the house. Family share one tv. And it wasn't a fancy tv. You didn't turn it like this. You turned it like this. So you didn't have a remote. So if you were a child in that house, you were the remote. That meant whatever the parents were watching, you had to watch. Is this show my mama used to watch called Matlock. This attorney in a small town named Benjamin Matlock, who would wear seersucker suits and solve complex cases. And although all the attention was given to Matlock, what you would see is that Matlock's outcomes were not just determined by his skill or his effort, that his success wasn't just based on the actions of the lawyer. It was based on the decision of a judge. The judge would determine what's allowable and what's not. The judge would determine what evidence would be allowed in and what it was. The judge would determine what the jury got to hear and what the jury didn't get to hear. The judge is the one that gave jury instruction. And when opposing lawyers. I'm trying not to run. Would try to undermine Matlock's agenda, they would say something like, objection.

[B]

And the judge. The judge would say, overruled. I know what you're trying to do, but it's overruled. I know what it looks like, but it's overruled. I know another judge. He's not just in the courtroom. He's in every room, and he. He's got the final say. I don't know what it looks like, but my judge is saying overrules.

[A]

Tell him.

[B]

You have the final say. One more time, everybody. You have the final. You have the final say.

[A]

So with that sickness, that relational problem, that business issue, that soul issue, God most high, El Elyon has the final shape.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And if it is inconsistent, if something is happening that's inconsistent with his intention, he'll overrule it because he has the final say. If you're here today and you've never received, come into relationship, surrendered your life to the leadership of Jesus, I'm not asking if you've been in church. I'm asking, have you surrendered your. Your life to his leadership? If you've never done that and you don't know what it means? I want to explain what salvation means to you. You've heard me use this word gospel. I want to explain that to you. Or if you're here and you say, pastor, I'm saved, but I'm not planted in a church locally or globally, and I since change churches in. If you're. If you're surrendering your life to Jesus, I want you to text the word saved. If you're planning yourself in this house, I want you to text the word join. I'm going say to a video to your phone explaining to you your next steps. And last but not least, we gather. We conclude our gatherings each week not with manipulation, but out of principle, with a time of giving. Because there are those of us who are like Abraham, who say, the only reason I won is because of you. Y' all missed it. The tenth Abraham gave, he realizes, I wouldn't have any of it if it wasn't for you. And so there are many of us who, like Abraham, we look at our life and we say, everything I got is because God gave it to me, or he gave me what I needed to get it. So I return to you through this tithe, this tenth. And so as we give today, we give with that in mind to a God even over my resources who's got the final say. All right, I'm gonna get a benediction. You have.

[B]

It shows word.

[A]

Receive this benediction. Now, don't just. It's not second wave. Receive this. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May he cause his face of favor to shine upon you. May he be gracious to you. May he protect you. May he provide for you. And above all else, may he grant you peace now unto him that is able to keep you from falling to present you faultless before the presence of his. Glory to the only wise God. Unto him be glory, honor, majesty, dominion

[B]

and power, both now and forever.

[A]

In Jesus name, Amen.

[B]

Sa.

[A]

Say

[B]

you have the final. You have the final. You have the final. You have the final. You have the final say. It's been overruled today. It's been overruled today. You have the final over everybody part. You have the final. We trust you. We trust you,

[A]

Sa.