WEBVTT

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This morning, we're gonna be in Genesis chapter

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35 talking about revival, renewal, and residuals.

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And if you don't know what the word residuals

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mean, it's a financial term primarily that refers

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to doing work once and then you continue to reap

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the benefits of that work long after the work

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is done. But I wanted to open with a story that

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highlights the problem that we all have. and

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this story is about a scorpion who wanted to

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cross a pond. So he wanted to cross the pond,

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and he couldn't swim, and he thought, well, this

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is a problem. He looked around, and he saw a

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turtle, and he asked the turtle for a ride. Can

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you please give me a ride across the pond? And

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the turtle said, no way, because if you sting

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me, I'll drown, and I don't want to drown. And

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scorpion said, bro, that's not logical. If you

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drown, I drown. And the turtle went, well, that

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kind of makes sense. And so he let the scorpion

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climb up on his back and proceeded across the

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pond. And about halfway across the pond, the

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scorpion stung him. And they immediately began

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to sink. And before, you know, the poison and

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everything set in, the turtle cried out and said,

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why did you do it? And the scorpion said, well,

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it really has nothing to do with logic. It's

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just my nature. Now, that is an illustration

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of our sin nature, right? You know, we find ourselves

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doing things that's illogical, things that harm

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us, things that cause us pain and suffering and

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trauma. And then after the fact, sometimes we'll

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be like, why did I do that? Like, that makes

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no sense. And the reality is it has nothing to

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do with logic. It's our nature. We are sinners

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by nature. And, you know, the Bible tells us

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that we're born in sin. The Bible tells us that

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it is the nature that we have, that we've all

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been poisoned by this. And Jacob, the man who

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we've been studying in Scripture, knew this very

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well because through his life, he had stung just

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about everybody he had come across, his brother,

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his uncle, his own father. As we saw last week

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in Genesis chapter 34, the sting of his own sin

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even affected his daughter as there was great

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trauma and suffering and assault there in Shechem,

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all due to his halfway obedience to the Lord.

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So yeah, Jacob is the scorpion in that illustration,

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but Genesis 35, I love this chapter because this

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is where the scorpion gets a second chance. This

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is where the scorpion gets a do -over. And, you

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know, last week when we looked at Genesis 34,

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I had mentioned that it was a godless chapter,

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that the name of God, the word God, any moniker

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that would refer to him. None of that appeared

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in Genesis 34 at all. It was completely devoid

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of God. It was a chapter that was just full of

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lies and lust and rape and murder, and it's just

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a very terrible chapter. Well, if that's what

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Genesis 34 is, Genesis 35 is the antithesis of

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that. This is a chapter that is full of God.

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In fact, the name, the word God, appears 11 times

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in the text itself, which is 29 verses long.

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Other ways of referring to God's name, like Bethel,

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which means house of God, appears an additional

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11 times in this chapter. And what Genesis 35

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really is, is the first big revival in Scripture.

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The first big revival that we see. It's a personal

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revival, which is really the beginning of any

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revival. And it's a personal revival that began

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in one man's heart and then spread out to affect

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his entire family. Now the word revive in the

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dictionary, it simply means to bring something

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back to life. And this is exactly what happens

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to Jacob in this chapter with his spiritual life.

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Charles Finney once said, revival is simply a

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new beginning of obedience to God. You see, we've

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heard revival talked about a lot over the years.

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And a couple years ago, there was revival in

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Ashbury and different places and this great move

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of God. You know, revival's great, but we have

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to understand revival, it's not emotion. It's

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not an event. It's not when the worship goes

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on for hours. It's not when the prayer meeting

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lasts all afternoon. That isn't revival. Revival

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is obedience. Fresh, humble, grateful obedience

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to God. That is what revival is. When revival

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happens in the heart of a person, it's seen as

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that person begins to radically commit to obeying

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God in ways they hadn't been previously. And

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happily, Genesis 35 records Jacob's revival,

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his turnaround, his renewed obedience to God,

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but it also records the sad residuals of his

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sinful half -obedience. And it's a very important

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chapter to understand because as we're here today,

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not only to worship and to study the word, we're

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also here to celebrate baptism with some people

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who are taking this step. That salvation and

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taking that step to get baptized and making this

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fresh or new or first time commitment to obey

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the Lord doesn't mean that the consequences of

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past sins go away completely. Now, the eternal

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consequences dealt with by God, amen, but sometimes

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things are going to still happen. Those residuals

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are still going to come in, but it doesn't mean

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that God has abandoned us or that God's promises

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aren't true or that he's not with us anymore.

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But here in Genesis 35, it's this point in Jacob's

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life where God finally becomes the center of

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Jacob's entire life, and it's a wonderful, wonderful

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thing to see. But first, we're going to worship

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God and praise his name because he's worth it,

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right? Do you guys praise the Lord? Are you thankful

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to God for your salvation? That's a youth pastor.

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So yeah, like God's work in our lives is amazing.

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He's changed everything. He's changed our eternity.

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And some of you, he's changing not only your

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life, but the family around you. through the

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work that he's done in you, and it's an amazing

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thing. And so we're so excited to worship God

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today, to hear his word, and to celebrate baptism.

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So let's pray together, okay? Father God, we

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love you so much, and we're so grateful for who

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you are. Lord, you are the most amazing, just

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almighty, infinite, perfect, loving God. You're

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the creator of all things, Lord. You are the

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doer of the impossible. And God, you are the

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faithful keeper of your promises. And so, Lord,

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today as we are gathered together, we want to

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glorify you. We want to lift your name on high.

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God is your people, Lord. Those of us that know

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you here in this room and watching online, Lord,

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Lord, we want to just sing loud and praise with

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everything we have because you are worth it.

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You are worthy. You're deserving of all praise.

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God, not only because you died for us, And then

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when we put our faith in you, you forgave us

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and welcomed us into your family, adopted us

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as your children. But then, God, you continue

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a process of sanctification and blessing in our

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lives, Lord. That you provide everything we need

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when we fall into difficult situations. When

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we stumble and fall, your promises hold true

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that, God, you have forgiven us. That we could

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get up and move on and do better. That, God,

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your Holy Spirit dwells within us to empower

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us to be the people that you've created us to

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be. And so, God, we're so grateful. So, Lord,

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be blessed today. We honor you in this time.

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We honor you in our worship. And, Lord, we ask

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that you would speak to us through your word

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today. And, God, for those getting baptized today,

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Lord, bless them. Lord, bless them so abundantly,

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Lord, with your presence. because you are here

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with them. You are the God who has saved them,

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and Lord, as they make this public proclamation

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today to this entire congregation of the decision

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they've made to trust you and put their faith

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in you, that, Lord, they would know that they

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have a whole body of people to support and help

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and hold them accountable, Lord. And God, if

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there's anybody here in this room today that

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didn't sign up to get baptized, but Lord, you're

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stirring their heart even in this moment and

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in this prayer, Lord. I pray, God, that when

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that time comes, they would come forward and

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they would get baptized. But Lord, just be glorified.

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We love you. We thank you for everything. It's

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in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. All right, we are

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in Genesis 35 this morning. And as I open, we're

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going to be talking about revival and renewal

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and residuals. You know, revival often throughout

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history, if you study revivals, you look at biblical

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revivals, you'll see that they often follow periods

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of great wickedness. There's a period of despair,

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of evil, of trauma, of pain, or whatever. And

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then revival often comes right after that. And

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Genesis 35 opens that way. It comes right on

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the heel of what happened in Genesis 34. This

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chapter 35 opens up with God's call to Jacob.

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right after terrible, terrible moral failure.

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If you remember, just as a recap, you know, Jacob

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was called by God out of Paddan Aram, where he

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had lived for 20 years serving his wicked and

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deceitful uncle Laban. God had finally said,

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it's time to come back to the promised land.

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And so Jacob left, and different scriptures point

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to the reality that God had intended Jacob to

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come back to Bethel. Bethel was the place Jacob

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met God on the way out. to Paddan Aram. It was

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a place where God reinforced the truth with Jacob

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that I'm with you wherever you go. Like, you

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can't outrun me. I've made promises to you, and

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I am the God who keeps promises, and so I'm always

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working on your behalf. And so after 20 years

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of sojourning up in Padana Ram, God said, I want

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you to come back to that place, that place where

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we met, that place where I revealed myself to

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you, that place where I reiterated those promises.

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And so, unfortunately, what Jacob decided to

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do was stop 20 miles short of Bethel in a place

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called Shechem. And he settled there. Now, it

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was in the promised land. And so there was, you

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know, likely a justification in his mind where

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I'm like, well, yeah, I'm in the promised land.

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So, you know, close enough. And so he settles

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in Shechem. And that just led to very disastrous,

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traumatic, painful experiences by his family.

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The biggest, I think, is his daughter being sexually

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assaulted. But then coming right on the heels

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of that was his sons then using the sign of the

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covenant as a way to deceive all the men of Shechem

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and go in and just commit genocide, just slaughter

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all the guys there. And then they stole everything

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that this town had and just a radical, radical

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misrepresentation of God and hurt and harm and

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trauma in the family. And this was all a result

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of Jacob's hypocrisy. That Jacob as the father,

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as the husband, as the patriarch of this family,

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who is the one that God had been speaking to

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and he was supposed to be the example. Well,

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he was a hypocrite because as he might have been

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telling his family, God is our God and we follow

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him. Jacob stopping in Shechem was not fully

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following God. And so his hypocrisy just resulted

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in this terrible trauma in his own life, in the

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life of his family. And we read chapters like

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that, and one of the questions that comes up

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is, why did God allow that to happen? Victims

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of sexual assault that are believers often wrestle

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with that question. Why would God allow that

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to happen? When we hear about things happening,

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terrible things happening, we hear about trafficking

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around the world, whether it's sexual trafficking

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of children or organ harvesting and these just

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horrible, terrible things, we go, why? Would

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God allow that to happen? And, you know, it would

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take much longer than the time we have here today

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to fully explore what ultimately will not be

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a completely satisfying answer to us. But in

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this case, why did Genesis 34 happen? Why did

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God allow it to happen? I can say this definitively.

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It was because that was exactly what would bring

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Jacob to the point of being utterly ready to

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listen to God's voice. Now, that doesn't fully

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explain all the details, but God will often allow

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things to happen in our life for our spiritual

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benefit. And sometimes those things are trauma

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and tragedy, that he's trying to get our attention.

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He's trying to get us out of sin. He's trying

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to bring us back to him. And that's exactly what

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happens with Jacob here. In Genesis 35, verse

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1, if you'll read with me, God said to Jacob,

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get up. Go to Bethel and settle there. Build

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an altar there to the God who appeared to you

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when you fled from your brother Esau. So trauma,

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terrible crimes, lies, rape, murder, all this

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stuff in Genesis 34, God had allowed so much,

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but he was done with that. He was done with the

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land. It was time for him to intervene, if you

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will. It was time for him to come to his child

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and to give him that nudge that he needed to

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give him. It was time to direct his kid directly.

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And so, you know, the devil, we all know. If

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you don't know, I think you're lying. The devil's

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really good at tempting us to sin, isn't he?

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Really good. He knows exactly what buttons to

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push, what situations to create. And then after

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he tempts us to sin and we give in, he's really

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good at then coming right up after and condemning

00:14:06.950 --> 00:14:09.250
us after we do. You terrible Christian. You don't

00:14:09.250 --> 00:14:12.350
love God. How did you do that? And the result

00:14:12.350 --> 00:14:15.909
of that in many people's lives, and really I

00:14:15.909 --> 00:14:17.409
think we've all dealt with it one way or another,

00:14:17.509 --> 00:14:21.629
is we get tempted. We halfway obey God. We don't

00:14:21.629 --> 00:14:24.940
do the right thing. Bad things happen as a result

00:14:24.940 --> 00:14:26.799
of those things. We get condemned, and then we

00:14:26.799 --> 00:14:28.379
say, you know what? I have to skip church now.

00:14:28.519 --> 00:14:31.779
I can't go to church. I can't face God. I can't

00:14:31.779 --> 00:14:33.720
go to my community group this week. I can't face

00:14:33.720 --> 00:14:36.179
my brothers and sisters, you know? I can't even

00:14:36.179 --> 00:14:38.519
crack open my Bible. I just feel so convicted

00:14:38.519 --> 00:14:40.899
by that. And, you know, and it's like I just,

00:14:41.019 --> 00:14:44.299
I'm such a terrible and wicked and, you know,

00:14:44.299 --> 00:14:47.419
bad Christian, and I want to share a secret with

00:14:47.419 --> 00:14:51.639
all of you, okay? You are a wicked, terrible

00:14:51.639 --> 00:14:56.570
sinner. We all are. That's the truth. We are

00:14:56.570 --> 00:15:00.850
all wicked, terrible sinners. So when you stumble

00:15:00.850 --> 00:15:05.090
and fall, come hang out with the rest of us terrible,

00:15:05.129 --> 00:15:08.669
wicked sinners because we need each other. It's

00:15:08.669 --> 00:15:11.070
a part of the process that God has instituted.

00:15:11.110 --> 00:15:13.710
You see, wallowing in the aftermath of sin and

00:15:13.710 --> 00:15:18.429
the gross swamp of our consequences of our passive

00:15:18.429 --> 00:15:21.409
half -obedience doesn't do anything good for

00:15:21.409 --> 00:15:24.389
us. It doesn't do anything good for us. It doesn't

00:15:24.389 --> 00:15:26.730
help us. It doesn't help our souls. And so God

00:15:26.730 --> 00:15:29.769
here, right after Genesis 34, says, Jacob, get

00:15:29.769 --> 00:15:33.889
up and get to Bethel. Now Bethel, we know, means

00:15:33.889 --> 00:15:37.389
house of God. So what is God saying to Jacob?

00:15:39.309 --> 00:15:43.570
Get back to the house of God and settle there.

00:15:44.789 --> 00:15:48.190
Don't settle 20 miles away. Don't settle almost

00:15:48.190 --> 00:15:51.690
there. Get back to the house of God and settle

00:15:51.690 --> 00:15:54.809
there. Now, we know, and I've said it many times,

00:15:54.870 --> 00:15:59.009
that it's not this building that is the house

00:15:59.009 --> 00:16:02.970
of God, right? This building is where the house

00:16:02.970 --> 00:16:08.470
of God meets. We are the house of God. And so

00:16:08.470 --> 00:16:10.529
when he's telling Jacob to get back to the house

00:16:10.529 --> 00:16:14.049
of God, he's saying get back to where the presence

00:16:14.049 --> 00:16:19.200
of God is. And God's presence doesn't only reside

00:16:19.200 --> 00:16:22.159
in this building. He resides where we gather,

00:16:22.340 --> 00:16:25.980
where two or more of us are together. There is

00:16:25.980 --> 00:16:29.720
God. And so what he's telling Jacob in the aftermath

00:16:29.720 --> 00:16:32.639
of this sin is you need to get up and get back

00:16:32.639 --> 00:16:35.360
in fellowship. You need to get up and go back

00:16:35.360 --> 00:16:36.940
to church. You need to get up and go back to

00:16:36.940 --> 00:16:38.759
your community group. You need to get up and

00:16:38.759 --> 00:16:41.360
go back to those people who are just as broken

00:16:41.360 --> 00:16:44.240
and wicked as you are and confess that there

00:16:44.240 --> 00:16:47.559
may be healing. Get prayer. Get the support that

00:16:47.559 --> 00:16:52.460
I've created in my body. And so he says, build

00:16:52.460 --> 00:16:55.519
your altar there. So you remember when Jacob

00:16:55.519 --> 00:16:59.039
got to Shechem, it says he built an altar. Well,

00:16:59.179 --> 00:17:00.940
I know, God, I didn't do everything you called

00:17:00.940 --> 00:17:05.980
me to do, but look, I'm worshiping you. And I'm

00:17:05.980 --> 00:17:08.559
going to put some of you just on the spot right

00:17:08.559 --> 00:17:10.880
now. There are some of you in this room right

00:17:10.880 --> 00:17:16.079
now who are here in church. who just sang worship

00:17:16.079 --> 00:17:19.880
to the Lord, and God's going, yeah, I told you

00:17:19.880 --> 00:17:21.680
to stop doing that thing or don't do that thing,

00:17:21.759 --> 00:17:23.599
and you're going, yeah, but God, I came to church

00:17:23.599 --> 00:17:28.980
and worshiped you. Now, worship is good. We need

00:17:28.980 --> 00:17:32.000
to do that. Being together with God's people

00:17:32.000 --> 00:17:33.599
is good. I'm not saying don't come to church,

00:17:33.680 --> 00:17:38.799
but this doesn't replace your duty to obey God.

00:17:40.859 --> 00:17:44.190
And so he say, look. Go to Bethel and build the

00:17:44.190 --> 00:17:47.990
altar. Go to Bethel and worship me. Get your

00:17:47.990 --> 00:17:52.890
focus back on me. Stop justifying. Look at all

00:17:52.890 --> 00:17:55.809
the stuff that happens when you're disobedient.

00:17:55.809 --> 00:18:00.710
Go back to the place where my presence is. Now,

00:18:00.789 --> 00:18:02.670
that's not to say God's not with you when you're

00:18:02.670 --> 00:18:04.849
alone, but the idea is the fellowship, the prayer,

00:18:04.930 --> 00:18:08.109
the support, the place that God has told you

00:18:08.109 --> 00:18:13.930
to be. And stay there. The idea is don't dwell

00:18:13.930 --> 00:18:17.109
on the bad. Don't dwell on the bad. Forget the

00:18:17.109 --> 00:18:21.289
bad. You messed up. Yes, we confess it. We acknowledge

00:18:21.289 --> 00:18:25.609
it. But then we move past it. You see, this idea

00:18:25.609 --> 00:18:29.609
of forgiveness is so huge. God tells us in his

00:18:29.609 --> 00:18:32.390
word that when we confess, we say, God, I did

00:18:32.390 --> 00:18:34.930
this, and I'm so sorry. Please forgive me. It

00:18:34.930 --> 00:18:36.990
says the memory of the sin is as far from his

00:18:36.990 --> 00:18:38.750
mind as the east is from the west. Do you know

00:18:38.750 --> 00:18:45.289
how far that is? It's forever far, right? It's

00:18:45.289 --> 00:18:51.289
forever far. And God says, so come back. Come

00:18:51.289 --> 00:18:53.089
back to my presence. Let's fellowship. Let's

00:18:53.089 --> 00:18:55.730
walk. Let's move. Let's keep going. And oh, but

00:18:55.730 --> 00:18:58.089
this terrible thing and these consequences happen

00:18:58.089 --> 00:19:00.990
and the result of me disobeying and I just, I

00:19:00.990 --> 00:19:03.390
can't open the Bible. He's like, what are you

00:19:03.390 --> 00:19:06.849
doing? You know how you're going to overcome

00:19:06.849 --> 00:19:08.410
this thing? Get back in my presence. You know

00:19:08.410 --> 00:19:10.509
how you're going to have the strength to resist

00:19:10.509 --> 00:19:15.289
the temptation? Get back in my presence. And

00:19:15.289 --> 00:19:18.250
auxiliaryly, if that's a real word, get back

00:19:18.250 --> 00:19:21.309
in fellowship. Get back in prayer. Get back in

00:19:21.309 --> 00:19:24.630
support. You know, the Bible tells us something

00:19:24.630 --> 00:19:27.769
that I think is very key. In Philippians 4a,

00:19:27.849 --> 00:19:30.569
Paul writes this. Finally, brothers and sisters.

00:19:31.349 --> 00:19:33.829
Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever

00:19:33.829 --> 00:19:37.069
is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,

00:19:37.250 --> 00:19:40.750
whatever is commendable. If there's any moral

00:19:40.750 --> 00:19:42.730
excellence and if there's anything praiseworthy,

00:19:42.890 --> 00:19:52.109
dwell on these things. Jacob, don't stay in Shechem.

00:19:52.950 --> 00:19:57.019
Don't dwell on the bad. Move on. I want you to

00:19:57.019 --> 00:19:58.619
get to the presence of God. I want you to get

00:19:58.619 --> 00:20:00.440
to the house of God. I want you to build an altar

00:20:00.440 --> 00:20:02.119
there. I want you to worship there. And I want

00:20:02.119 --> 00:20:04.460
you to think of the honorable things, the just

00:20:04.460 --> 00:20:06.839
things, the lovely, the pure, the commendable

00:20:06.839 --> 00:20:09.880
things, whatever is of moral excellence. If there's

00:20:09.880 --> 00:20:12.700
anything praiseworthy, it's him. Go praise him.

00:20:14.640 --> 00:20:19.400
Saturate yourself with him. That is how we recover.

00:20:19.960 --> 00:20:26.589
That is how we heal. That is how we grow. It's

00:20:26.589 --> 00:20:29.509
like Peter, right? Remember Peter stepped out

00:20:29.509 --> 00:20:33.049
of the boat. The second he stopped focusing on

00:20:33.049 --> 00:20:36.890
the Lord, he sank. Stop looking at the storm.

00:20:36.990 --> 00:20:38.930
Stop looking at the bad. Stop looking at all

00:20:38.930 --> 00:20:43.990
that stuff. Look at me. Focus on me. Think of

00:20:43.990 --> 00:20:46.049
who I am. Think of my promises. Think of what

00:20:46.049 --> 00:20:47.950
I've done. Think of what I can do and what I'm

00:20:47.950 --> 00:20:51.990
going to do. Now, Jacob, although he was very

00:20:51.990 --> 00:20:56.829
stubborn, he was still God's child. And so, as

00:20:56.829 --> 00:21:00.910
his heavenly father, after allowing Jacob to

00:21:00.910 --> 00:21:03.910
suffer the consequences of his own disobedience,

00:21:03.990 --> 00:21:09.650
which I believe a lot of Genesis 34 was, God

00:21:09.650 --> 00:21:12.210
now is stepping in, taking the initiative, breaking

00:21:12.210 --> 00:21:14.029
the silence, and telling him to get up and go

00:21:14.029 --> 00:21:17.289
to be where he's supposed to be. See, 2 Timothy

00:21:17.289 --> 00:21:20.829
2 .13 says, if we are faithless, he remains faithful.

00:21:21.730 --> 00:21:28.109
Why? For he cannot deny himself. I am so glad

00:21:28.109 --> 00:21:35.849
that God keeps his promises. I am so glad that

00:21:35.849 --> 00:21:39.529
the fulfillment of God's promises hinges on the

00:21:39.529 --> 00:21:42.609
fact that God made the promises and God cannot

00:21:42.609 --> 00:21:51.130
lie. I'm so grateful for that. And so he says,

00:21:51.170 --> 00:21:54.930
go. You know, parents, those of you that are

00:21:54.930 --> 00:21:56.210
parents or have been parents, you know, when

00:21:56.210 --> 00:21:57.690
your kids mess up, they don't stop being your

00:21:57.690 --> 00:22:01.730
kids, right? You're like, well, you're not my

00:22:01.730 --> 00:22:04.529
kid anymore. My child wouldn't do that. Get out.

00:22:07.849 --> 00:22:09.529
Can you imagine saying that to a baby? It poops

00:22:09.529 --> 00:22:15.549
on itself. It's like you pooped on yourself.

00:22:15.630 --> 00:22:19.950
I'll clean it up. Let's keep going. I'm not going

00:22:19.950 --> 00:22:27.319
to further that illustration. But when we mess

00:22:27.319 --> 00:22:29.900
up, God doesn't stop loving us. God doesn't stop

00:22:29.900 --> 00:22:32.099
guiding us. God doesn't stop teaching us and

00:22:32.099 --> 00:22:36.319
training us. Yeah, we will experience consequences,

00:22:36.460 --> 00:22:39.759
temporal consequences of our sins, and we're

00:22:39.759 --> 00:22:42.720
going to talk about that in a moment. But God

00:22:42.720 --> 00:22:48.819
is so good. And so personal revival begins in

00:22:48.819 --> 00:22:51.500
Jacob. Look at verse 2. So Jacob said to his

00:22:51.500 --> 00:22:54.529
family and all who were with him, Get rid of

00:22:54.529 --> 00:22:56.750
the foreign gods that are among you. Purify yourselves

00:22:56.750 --> 00:23:00.029
and change your clothes. We must get up and go

00:23:00.029 --> 00:23:04.730
to Bethel. If you're a highlighter or an underliner,

00:23:04.930 --> 00:23:12.450
a circler, whatever, note the word must. We must

00:23:12.450 --> 00:23:17.089
get up and go to Bethel. I will build an altar

00:23:17.089 --> 00:23:18.930
there to the God who answered me in the day of

00:23:18.930 --> 00:23:21.650
my distress. He has been with me everywhere I've

00:23:21.650 --> 00:23:24.859
gone. Then they gave Jacob all their foreign

00:23:24.859 --> 00:23:27.079
gods and their earrings, and Jacob hid them under

00:23:27.079 --> 00:23:31.740
the oak near Shechem. Finally, we see something

00:23:31.740 --> 00:23:34.240
in Jacob we've never seen before. Immediate full

00:23:34.240 --> 00:23:39.079
obedience. Just no hesitation, no passivity.

00:23:39.660 --> 00:23:42.559
Jacob's experience has changed his life. And

00:23:42.559 --> 00:23:46.259
again, one of the reasons I believe God allows

00:23:46.259 --> 00:23:48.660
terrible, horrible things to happen in our life

00:23:48.660 --> 00:23:53.119
is so that we are changed by them. And God knows

00:23:53.119 --> 00:23:55.740
the change we need, and he knows the change that

00:23:55.740 --> 00:23:58.900
that experience is going to wrought, and it changed

00:23:58.900 --> 00:24:03.000
Jacob. For what seems like the first time in

00:24:03.000 --> 00:24:06.200
decades, Jacob is finally taking leadership of

00:24:06.200 --> 00:24:10.160
his family. Finally. And he says, get rid of

00:24:10.160 --> 00:24:12.380
the foreign gods. Why? Because they had plenty.

00:24:13.539 --> 00:24:16.500
You guys remember when they fled Uncle Laban's

00:24:16.500 --> 00:24:20.009
house, it says Rachel took the family gods? And

00:24:20.009 --> 00:24:22.130
Uncle Laban's like, you stole my gods. And Jacob

00:24:22.130 --> 00:24:25.190
was like, whoever has them now shall die. He

00:24:25.190 --> 00:24:27.230
didn't know that his wife had taken them. It

00:24:27.230 --> 00:24:29.670
says she hid them in the saddlebag and sat on

00:24:29.670 --> 00:24:32.069
the saddlebag. You know what it doesn't tell

00:24:32.069 --> 00:24:34.829
us after that? That she ever got rid of them.

00:24:36.650 --> 00:24:39.789
So it's very likely she still had them. And very

00:24:39.789 --> 00:24:44.539
likely he knew. The others in his family, I believe

00:24:44.539 --> 00:24:47.119
their time in Shechem, it was a pagan Canaanite

00:24:47.119 --> 00:24:50.059
place. They had gathered other little trinkets

00:24:50.059 --> 00:24:51.579
and items there. And it's kind of weird because

00:24:51.579 --> 00:24:54.380
he goes, get rid of your foreign gods and your

00:24:54.380 --> 00:24:59.359
earrings. Jacob really doesn't like jewelry,

00:24:59.519 --> 00:25:02.420
does he? Like rings are okay, but earrings, got

00:25:02.420 --> 00:25:05.440
to go, right? The idea is that the earrings that

00:25:05.440 --> 00:25:07.240
they would wear in this place, they were trinkets.

00:25:07.240 --> 00:25:11.240
They were like pagan worshiping. talismans, those

00:25:11.240 --> 00:25:12.960
types of things. So he's like, get rid of all

00:25:12.960 --> 00:25:16.279
that nonsense. Now the kids may have kept their

00:25:16.279 --> 00:25:18.859
foreign gods because their mother did, right?

00:25:18.900 --> 00:25:21.380
She never got rid of hers. And like I said, I

00:25:21.380 --> 00:25:23.839
believe Jacob probably knew this, but he was

00:25:23.839 --> 00:25:25.720
so passive, right? He had done nothing about

00:25:25.720 --> 00:25:29.599
it until now. And if you want personal revival

00:25:29.599 --> 00:25:34.160
in your life, it demands that you stop tolerating

00:25:34.160 --> 00:25:39.519
what God forbids. Stop. Stop tolerating. Stop

00:25:39.519 --> 00:25:42.279
justifying. Stop finding a way to say, you know,

00:25:42.299 --> 00:25:44.920
I know God says that's wrong, but I'm kind of

00:25:44.920 --> 00:25:49.640
okay with it. Or just stop. And you will find

00:25:49.640 --> 00:25:53.059
personal revival begin in your heart. He says,

00:25:53.079 --> 00:25:55.980
purify yourselves and change your clothes. The

00:25:55.980 --> 00:25:59.660
idea of purify, it means to be ritually cleansed,

00:25:59.660 --> 00:26:02.480
right? When the priests would go into the temple,

00:26:02.519 --> 00:26:04.980
they'd have to wash and they had all these. basins

00:26:04.980 --> 00:26:07.420
to ritually cleanse themselves. And the idea

00:26:07.420 --> 00:26:10.240
was, is before you came before God, you wanted

00:26:10.240 --> 00:26:14.319
to wash off all the filth of sin and compromise.

00:26:14.700 --> 00:26:16.779
And so he's saying, you know, guys, let's stop.

00:26:17.640 --> 00:26:20.319
Let's stop at the compromise and change your

00:26:20.319 --> 00:26:22.299
clothes. You know, changing clothes in scripture

00:26:22.299 --> 00:26:25.140
or clothing in scripture often symbolizes your

00:26:25.140 --> 00:26:27.400
character. And so when we see these times where

00:26:27.400 --> 00:26:30.500
there's like this great God moment, we're back

00:26:30.500 --> 00:26:33.539
to the Lord. Change your clothes. He's not saying,

00:26:33.599 --> 00:26:35.180
like, go put on your nice clothes. We're going

00:26:35.180 --> 00:26:36.920
to church now. That's not what he's talking about.

00:26:37.019 --> 00:26:41.740
The idea is you are becoming a different person.

00:26:43.500 --> 00:26:45.940
Shed the old person. Put on the new person, right?

00:26:46.480 --> 00:26:48.500
We've had Bible studies about that. The Bible

00:26:48.500 --> 00:26:50.660
talks about us being clothed with the pure white

00:26:50.660 --> 00:26:53.200
robes of righteousness. That's the idea, that

00:26:53.200 --> 00:26:54.960
you're a different person. You're a new heart.

00:26:55.039 --> 00:26:57.299
You're like, I'm not going to be the person I

00:26:57.299 --> 00:27:02.140
was before. So I'm so blessed that this study

00:27:02.140 --> 00:27:04.539
landed on the day we're doing baptism, right?

00:27:05.319 --> 00:27:07.700
Because that's what this represents. You know,

00:27:07.720 --> 00:27:10.559
I'm going into the grave. The old person has

00:27:10.559 --> 00:27:12.619
been crucified with Christ. I come up, I'm brand

00:27:12.619 --> 00:27:15.180
new. I'm a new person. I'm proclaiming that.

00:27:15.240 --> 00:27:17.099
It's not that this saves you. You're proclaiming

00:27:17.099 --> 00:27:19.940
that God has done that in your life. So then

00:27:19.940 --> 00:27:24.819
he says, we must, we have to go to Bethel. Now

00:27:24.819 --> 00:27:27.890
dads, you have to understand. how huge of an

00:27:27.890 --> 00:27:30.130
impact you have on your children in the family.

00:27:30.529 --> 00:27:33.109
Now this isn't to diminish the impact of moms,

00:27:33.230 --> 00:27:37.109
so moms, this isn't saying that you have no impact.

00:27:37.430 --> 00:27:41.549
But studies do suggest that when both parents

00:27:41.549 --> 00:27:46.470
go to church regularly, 72 % of their children

00:27:46.470 --> 00:27:50.809
will go. I don't know how you get at 72 % of

00:27:50.809 --> 00:27:53.190
a kid, but you know, in the big bucket of people,

00:27:53.309 --> 00:27:56.869
right? Now, when neither parent goes to church,

00:27:56.990 --> 00:28:00.029
only 6 % of the children will end up going as

00:28:00.029 --> 00:28:02.349
adults, which that kind of makes sense, right?

00:28:03.029 --> 00:28:08.549
Oops. But listen to this. When there's a mom

00:28:08.549 --> 00:28:11.490
and dad and only mom goes to church but dad doesn't,

00:28:11.490 --> 00:28:15.730
only 15 % of the children will go to church as

00:28:15.730 --> 00:28:20.829
adults. But when there's a mom and dad and only

00:28:20.829 --> 00:28:25.720
dad goes to church regularly, 55 % of the children

00:28:25.720 --> 00:28:29.500
will go to church as adults. Guys, do you see

00:28:29.500 --> 00:28:35.740
the impact? Fathers, do you see the impact? Your

00:28:35.740 --> 00:28:39.519
kids are watching you. Now Jacob's family seems

00:28:39.519 --> 00:28:41.799
to have responded immediately and they got rid

00:28:41.799 --> 00:28:44.019
of the idols and it says they buried it under

00:28:44.019 --> 00:28:46.119
the tree. And that's just, again, another powerful

00:28:46.119 --> 00:28:49.460
picture of burying the past, leaving it behind,

00:28:49.599 --> 00:28:52.039
going under the water. The old life is gone.

00:28:52.750 --> 00:28:58.009
That's not who I am anymore. And again, I just,

00:28:58.130 --> 00:29:00.210
you know, parents, you have to understand the

00:29:00.210 --> 00:29:02.250
sacred right and responsibility that you have,

00:29:02.430 --> 00:29:04.990
you know, and I keep bringing this up because

00:29:04.990 --> 00:29:07.869
there's so much of this in context of Jacob as

00:29:07.869 --> 00:29:10.569
the father and the husband in the family here.

00:29:12.049 --> 00:29:15.369
Parents, you have the sacred responsibility and

00:29:15.369 --> 00:29:18.589
the right to declare in your children's lives,

00:29:18.690 --> 00:29:25.730
this is right, this is wrong. Children spend

00:29:25.730 --> 00:29:28.730
83 % of their time under their parents' influence.

00:29:29.930 --> 00:29:36.369
83%. The rest is school and church and youth

00:29:36.369 --> 00:29:40.210
group and whatever. But 83 % of the time, they're

00:29:40.210 --> 00:29:42.710
directly under your influence, parents. It's

00:29:42.710 --> 00:29:44.650
not enough to take them to church once or twice

00:29:44.650 --> 00:29:48.670
a week for a few hours. And then the other 167

00:29:48.670 --> 00:29:50.529
hours a week when they're under your influence.

00:29:51.789 --> 00:29:54.390
You contradict what they learn in those two hours

00:29:54.390 --> 00:29:59.569
of church a week. It doesn't work. You go to

00:29:59.569 --> 00:30:01.190
church, then you go home and you're cussing all

00:30:01.190 --> 00:30:02.890
the time. Then your kid cusses. You're like,

00:30:02.930 --> 00:30:07.869
where did you learn that? Come on. Really? You

00:30:07.869 --> 00:30:10.230
know, dads, you are the spiritual leader of the

00:30:10.230 --> 00:30:15.309
home. Your influence often has the most dramatic

00:30:15.309 --> 00:30:21.190
effect on your entire family. So don't be passive.

00:30:22.670 --> 00:30:26.210
You got to be active. Jacob's family got right

00:30:26.210 --> 00:30:31.250
with God after Jacob did. You notice that? That's

00:30:31.250 --> 00:30:34.569
a beautiful truth. So dads, fathers, if you're

00:30:34.569 --> 00:30:37.809
being less than godly in your speech at home

00:30:37.809 --> 00:30:42.849
or your behavior, husbands, if you're not the

00:30:42.849 --> 00:30:45.049
one that's supporting and respecting your wife

00:30:45.049 --> 00:30:47.849
in front of your children, You are teaching your

00:30:47.849 --> 00:30:50.269
children to not support and respect them as their

00:30:50.269 --> 00:30:58.869
mother. That's the reality. And so dads, if you're

00:30:58.869 --> 00:31:02.809
in this place where you're just kind of being

00:31:02.809 --> 00:31:04.730
passive and you're not standing up and you're

00:31:04.730 --> 00:31:06.289
not proclaiming what's right and you're not...

00:31:07.630 --> 00:31:09.789
standing and saying, get rid of the idols and

00:31:09.789 --> 00:31:13.130
purify yourself and change your clothing. Let's

00:31:13.130 --> 00:31:16.509
get to Bethel. Well, then you are in sin as a

00:31:16.509 --> 00:31:24.829
father. So how do you fix it? Do better. Do better.

00:31:26.269 --> 00:31:28.589
Say, God, I want to do better. Help me. And do

00:31:28.589 --> 00:31:33.049
it. Proverbs 22 .6, it's a verse we all know.

00:31:33.130 --> 00:31:36.000
It says, start out a youth on his way. Even when

00:31:36.000 --> 00:31:40.559
he grows old, he will not depart from it. Most

00:31:40.559 --> 00:31:42.720
of us might be familiar with the New King James

00:31:42.720 --> 00:31:44.920
Version, train up a child in the way they should

00:31:44.920 --> 00:31:50.119
go, right? That phrase, train up or start out

00:31:50.119 --> 00:31:53.559
a youth, it's hanak in the Hebrew, and it means

00:31:53.559 --> 00:31:59.359
to create a taste for. The idea is... You don't

00:31:59.359 --> 00:32:01.859
just tell them what is right and wrong. You need

00:32:01.859 --> 00:32:04.400
to do that, but you then need to live it in a

00:32:04.400 --> 00:32:07.400
way that they develop a taste for righteousness,

00:32:07.680 --> 00:32:15.480
that they develop a taste for living godly. So

00:32:15.480 --> 00:32:19.640
dad's personal revival, it starts with your active

00:32:19.640 --> 00:32:22.000
and full obedience to God. That's where you have

00:32:22.000 --> 00:32:25.859
a personal revival. Revival in your family starts

00:32:25.859 --> 00:32:31.980
with you. So lead. And you can. God has already

00:32:31.980 --> 00:32:33.640
equipped you to do it. He's given you the power.

00:32:33.700 --> 00:32:35.920
You just need to yield to his spirit and follow

00:32:35.920 --> 00:32:39.640
his word. Now, here in Jacob's life, Jacob's

00:32:39.640 --> 00:32:41.460
finally took in the lead. He's doing the right

00:32:41.460 --> 00:32:43.759
thing. He's getting his family straightened out

00:32:43.759 --> 00:32:45.579
spiritually. Look what happens when he's obedient.

00:32:45.680 --> 00:32:48.319
Verse 5. When they set out, a terror came from

00:32:48.319 --> 00:32:51.460
God over the cities around them, and they did

00:32:51.460 --> 00:32:54.259
not pursue Jacob's sons. So Jacob and all who

00:32:54.259 --> 00:32:56.980
were with him came to Luz, that is Bethel, in

00:32:56.980 --> 00:32:59.339
the land of Canaan. Jacob built an altar there,

00:32:59.420 --> 00:33:01.440
called the place El Bethel, because it was there

00:33:01.440 --> 00:33:03.700
that God had revealed himself to him when he

00:33:03.700 --> 00:33:08.500
was fleeing from his brother. God has a way of

00:33:08.500 --> 00:33:14.579
protecting the obedient. After the genocide by

00:33:14.579 --> 00:33:17.200
his sons, Jacob rightly feared retribution. Remember,

00:33:17.359 --> 00:33:20.819
he was mad at his sons. You made me stink. Or

00:33:20.819 --> 00:33:25.279
in the King James, stinketh. It's really there.

00:33:26.920 --> 00:33:29.220
You made me stink to the people. We are few in

00:33:29.220 --> 00:33:30.599
number. They are larger. They're going to come

00:33:30.599 --> 00:33:34.440
after us. But for some reason, this larger group

00:33:34.440 --> 00:33:38.599
of people were terrorized. Now, I imagine the

00:33:38.599 --> 00:33:41.519
fact that the sons slaughtered everybody in Shechem

00:33:41.519 --> 00:33:47.000
had something to do with that. But still, God

00:33:47.000 --> 00:33:48.880
put this terror in these people so they didn't

00:33:48.880 --> 00:33:51.960
come after them. God's grace covered Jacob and

00:33:51.960 --> 00:33:54.200
his family. And I believe when a man's ways please

00:33:54.200 --> 00:33:56.880
the Lord. He's going to find that even his enemies

00:33:56.880 --> 00:33:58.980
are at peace with him. And it's supernatural.

00:33:59.759 --> 00:34:02.119
Now still, I believe Jacob was looking over his

00:34:02.119 --> 00:34:04.740
shoulder the whole time on the way to Bethel.

00:34:04.920 --> 00:34:07.220
But the Canaanites never pursued. And so he gets

00:34:07.220 --> 00:34:09.099
there. He builds the altars God told him to.

00:34:09.199 --> 00:34:11.179
And then it says he called the place El Bethel.

00:34:11.880 --> 00:34:15.360
You see, the first time Jacob was here, he was

00:34:15.360 --> 00:34:19.980
impressed with the place. And he named it Bethel,

00:34:20.000 --> 00:34:23.309
house of God. Wow, there's a ladder here. The

00:34:23.309 --> 00:34:27.329
angels are going up and down. This place, this

00:34:27.329 --> 00:34:31.369
is pretty cool. But this time when he comes back,

00:34:31.409 --> 00:34:35.929
he's impressed with the God of the place. And

00:34:35.929 --> 00:34:38.730
that's a major distinction. El Bethel means God

00:34:38.730 --> 00:34:44.170
of the house of God. You see, when God told him,

00:34:44.190 --> 00:34:47.369
go back to the place where my presence was with

00:34:47.369 --> 00:34:50.260
you. That was the thing Jacob needed to key in

00:34:50.260 --> 00:34:51.860
on. That was the thing that Jacob needed to be

00:34:51.860 --> 00:34:55.199
connected to. You see, it's not the place that

00:34:55.199 --> 00:34:57.579
God wants us to be connected to. It's not the

00:34:57.579 --> 00:35:01.699
building. It's not the pews. It's not even the

00:35:01.699 --> 00:35:05.039
preacher. One of the things that God really ministered

00:35:05.039 --> 00:35:07.039
to me when I was in Africa, and I think I shared

00:35:07.039 --> 00:35:10.539
the story about this. Or did I? I can't remember.

00:35:10.659 --> 00:35:12.699
Anyways, there was this one pastor we met and

00:35:12.699 --> 00:35:14.559
the pastor was really excited and he goes, hey,

00:35:14.559 --> 00:35:16.239
can I show you guys what God did? And he took

00:35:16.239 --> 00:35:19.860
us over and he showed us this really basic brick

00:35:19.860 --> 00:35:22.940
rectangular structure with no doors, no roof,

00:35:22.940 --> 00:35:26.000
and no windows. And he looks at the group and

00:35:26.000 --> 00:35:31.659
he goes, look what God gave me. And he's overwhelmed.

00:35:33.619 --> 00:35:37.920
And we're like, but it doesn't have a roof. And

00:35:37.920 --> 00:35:43.300
he's like, That's coming. And I'm being told

00:35:43.300 --> 00:35:46.760
this story and I'm sitting here going, man, here

00:35:46.760 --> 00:35:54.340
I am in America going, our carpet's old. We got

00:35:54.340 --> 00:36:01.400
a roof. It only leaks sometimes. He's got no

00:36:01.400 --> 00:36:04.619
roof. And he's overwhelmed. He's floored with

00:36:04.619 --> 00:36:08.070
the graciousness of God. And it was just a reflection

00:36:08.070 --> 00:36:12.170
of, wow, you know, to be thankful for what we

00:36:12.170 --> 00:36:15.730
have. You know, and so, yeah, our carpet's old.

00:36:16.849 --> 00:36:19.889
And if you don't like it, you know, write a check.

00:36:19.929 --> 00:36:25.449
No, you know. But this is God's house, right?

00:36:26.280 --> 00:36:27.920
And some people, though, will go to a church

00:36:27.920 --> 00:36:29.500
and they'll be very impressed with the place.

00:36:29.539 --> 00:36:31.699
Wow, look at the building and the structure and

00:36:31.699 --> 00:36:34.000
the paint and oh, and the lighting and the production

00:36:34.000 --> 00:36:36.659
and this is so amazing. Wow, wow, wow. And it's

00:36:36.659 --> 00:36:42.619
like, that's fine and well, but is the presence

00:36:42.619 --> 00:36:46.360
of God in that place? Because that's what we

00:36:46.360 --> 00:36:48.780
need to be connected to and attached to. It's

00:36:48.780 --> 00:36:51.760
the presence of God. It's not the house of God.

00:36:51.820 --> 00:36:56.340
It's the God of the house. And so here at Hosanna,

00:36:56.480 --> 00:36:59.360
yeah, the goal is that we know the truth and

00:36:59.360 --> 00:37:00.880
live the truth and share the truth, that you

00:37:00.880 --> 00:37:03.139
guys know God, you know who he is, and he is

00:37:03.139 --> 00:37:07.000
Jesus Christ, and he died for you. And if the

00:37:07.000 --> 00:37:10.199
carpet looks old and God is glorified, then praise

00:37:10.199 --> 00:37:15.059
God that this is a place where his presence is

00:37:15.059 --> 00:37:21.820
lifted up and nothing else. And that doesn't

00:37:21.820 --> 00:37:24.889
mean you don't take care of things, right? But

00:37:24.889 --> 00:37:26.389
it's having things in the right priority, and

00:37:26.389 --> 00:37:30.829
this is where Jacob finally was, El Bethel. So

00:37:30.829 --> 00:37:32.570
God's about to renew his covenant with Jacob.

00:37:32.829 --> 00:37:35.030
He's about to reaffirm Jacob's new name. But

00:37:35.030 --> 00:37:37.389
before that happened, okay, you're here. You

00:37:37.389 --> 00:37:39.550
listened to me. You obeyed. We're here at the

00:37:39.550 --> 00:37:42.230
place. My presence is here. I'm about to reiterate

00:37:42.230 --> 00:37:45.630
the promises, but I need something. I need you

00:37:45.630 --> 00:37:47.570
to experience one more thing, Jacob, so you understand

00:37:47.570 --> 00:37:50.340
what's taking place. Verse 8. Deborah, the one

00:37:50.340 --> 00:37:52.280
who had nursed and raised Rebecca, died and was

00:37:52.280 --> 00:37:55.199
buried under the oak south of Bethel. So Jacob

00:37:55.199 --> 00:37:59.480
named it Alanbekuth. Deborah was the one who

00:37:59.480 --> 00:38:03.139
nursed and raised Rebecca. Now it's very possible

00:38:03.139 --> 00:38:05.380
that when he spent the time up in Paddan Aram,

00:38:05.539 --> 00:38:09.320
Deborah was there as part of the family, and

00:38:09.320 --> 00:38:11.539
then she's come back with Jacob. But either way,

00:38:11.619 --> 00:38:14.199
what happens is Jacob's last living connection

00:38:14.199 --> 00:38:19.170
to his mother passes away. that this was God

00:38:19.170 --> 00:38:23.769
beginning the transition to a new generation.

00:38:25.130 --> 00:38:27.150
Everything in Jacob's life that was connected

00:38:27.150 --> 00:38:31.329
now to the previous generation, his mother and

00:38:31.329 --> 00:38:33.929
his mother sending him away, all of that is now

00:38:33.929 --> 00:38:38.289
finished. Now, alon bakuth, it means oak of weeping,

00:38:38.349 --> 00:38:41.130
so we do see the sadness that Jacob had, but

00:38:41.130 --> 00:38:43.949
the death of Deborah here, just told in one sentence

00:38:43.949 --> 00:38:46.190
here, was to remind Jacob and all the people

00:38:46.190 --> 00:38:50.940
that, That that era has ended. And starting here

00:38:50.940 --> 00:38:53.719
at Bethel, a new era is beginning. And so verse

00:38:53.719 --> 00:38:56.420
nine, God appeared to Jacob again after he returned

00:38:56.420 --> 00:38:59.199
from Paddan Aram and he blessed him. God said

00:38:59.199 --> 00:39:01.360
to him, your name is Jacob. You will no longer

00:39:01.360 --> 00:39:03.400
be named Jacob, but your name will be Israel.

00:39:03.619 --> 00:39:06.500
So he named him Israel. God also said to him,

00:39:06.559 --> 00:39:09.199
I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply.

00:39:09.719 --> 00:39:12.260
A nation, indeed an assembly of nations will

00:39:12.260 --> 00:39:14.260
come from you and kings will descend from you.

00:39:14.699 --> 00:39:17.139
I will give to you the land that I gave to Abraham

00:39:17.139 --> 00:39:20.260
and Isaac, and I will give the land to your future

00:39:20.260 --> 00:39:23.300
descendants. Then God withdrew from him at the

00:39:23.300 --> 00:39:25.940
place where he had spoken to him. Jacob set up

00:39:25.940 --> 00:39:27.900
a marker at the place where he had spoken to

00:39:27.900 --> 00:39:30.960
him, a stone marker, and he poured a drink offering

00:39:30.960 --> 00:39:34.099
on it and poured oil on it. Jacob named the place

00:39:34.099 --> 00:39:38.349
where God had spoken with him Bethel. And so

00:39:38.349 --> 00:39:40.750
the entire covenant is restated. There's no new

00:39:40.750 --> 00:39:43.210
information here, right? This is all stuff that

00:39:43.210 --> 00:39:45.969
Jacob had already known. It's just a confirmation

00:39:45.969 --> 00:39:48.869
of the old truths. But sometimes that's exactly

00:39:48.869 --> 00:39:53.150
what we need. It's not a fresh revelation. It's

00:39:53.150 --> 00:39:56.309
not a new experience or a new truth. It's simply

00:39:56.309 --> 00:40:01.989
a reminder of what God has already said. What

00:40:01.989 --> 00:40:08.130
has already been promised. That's huge. We mess

00:40:08.130 --> 00:40:11.150
up, we stumble, we halfway obey, we experience

00:40:11.150 --> 00:40:14.769
just the tragedies of that. God allows it to

00:40:14.769 --> 00:40:17.170
happen. We finally are ready to hear God's voice.

00:40:17.230 --> 00:40:19.610
He speaks, listen to me, get back. Okay, I'm

00:40:19.610 --> 00:40:25.869
coming. We get there. And oftentimes when we're

00:40:25.869 --> 00:40:27.869
in these spiritual slumps and stuff, we think,

00:40:27.869 --> 00:40:29.949
oh, I need to get to a retreat. That'll fire

00:40:29.949 --> 00:40:31.889
me up. I need to go to camp. That'll fire me

00:40:31.889 --> 00:40:34.369
up. I need this or that. Maybe I need a new Bible,

00:40:34.469 --> 00:40:36.250
different translation. That'll fix everything.

00:40:39.239 --> 00:40:43.079
Guess what's in the new translation? The same

00:40:43.079 --> 00:40:48.159
promises that were in the last one. Guess who

00:40:48.159 --> 00:40:50.039
you meet up at that mountaintop? The same God

00:40:50.039 --> 00:40:54.460
who's down here with you. Sometimes we just need

00:40:54.460 --> 00:40:57.599
to be reminded of the promises that God has made

00:40:57.599 --> 00:41:02.699
to us. And so God confirms the name change. I

00:41:02.699 --> 00:41:04.559
think in that he's just reminding Jacob, look,

00:41:04.800 --> 00:41:07.559
your stumbles in Shechem haven't erased my promises.

00:41:08.539 --> 00:41:11.480
Your mistakes have not caused me to want. I'm

00:41:11.480 --> 00:41:14.940
not far from you. I haven't left you. I'm still

00:41:14.940 --> 00:41:18.719
here. 30 years ago, bro, I told you that you

00:41:18.719 --> 00:41:20.619
can't go anywhere that I will not be working

00:41:20.619 --> 00:41:23.139
on your behalf. And now that you're finally back

00:41:23.139 --> 00:41:25.400
in Bethel, guess what I'm telling you? There's

00:41:25.400 --> 00:41:27.239
nowhere you can go where I will not be working

00:41:27.239 --> 00:41:32.659
on your behalf. Maybe you understand it differently

00:41:32.659 --> 00:41:36.119
now. Maybe it applies differently now, but it's

00:41:36.119 --> 00:41:38.099
just this reminder. You know, Ephesians 1 .3

00:41:38.099 --> 00:41:40.280
says, blessed is the God and Father of our Lord

00:41:40.280 --> 00:41:44.280
Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual

00:41:44.280 --> 00:41:48.820
blessing in the heavens in Christ. Leave that

00:41:48.820 --> 00:41:52.380
on the screen. You notice the verb tense? Has.

00:41:53.599 --> 00:41:59.019
He has blessed us. That is past. He has blessed

00:41:59.019 --> 00:42:01.539
us already with every spiritual blessing in the

00:42:01.539 --> 00:42:08.380
heavens in Christ. Do you believe that? Ask yourself

00:42:08.380 --> 00:42:11.539
that question next time you halfway obey and

00:42:11.539 --> 00:42:16.179
God allows the consequences to happen. And then

00:42:16.179 --> 00:42:19.320
ask yourself, do I believe that? He has already

00:42:19.320 --> 00:42:22.860
blessed me with every spiritual blessing in the

00:42:22.860 --> 00:42:25.559
heavens in Christ. There was a rich guy once

00:42:25.559 --> 00:42:27.780
named William Randolph Hearst. A lot of you have

00:42:27.780 --> 00:42:30.820
heard of him. There's a story of him spending

00:42:30.820 --> 00:42:36.320
an absolute fortune to find this particular painting,

00:42:36.639 --> 00:42:40.179
only to find out that he already owned it and

00:42:40.179 --> 00:42:45.719
it was in his gallery. Don't get caught up in

00:42:45.719 --> 00:42:49.079
chasing the new milestone, the new experience,

00:42:49.219 --> 00:42:52.019
the new truth, the new revelation, and forget.

00:42:53.099 --> 00:42:56.079
What God has already told you. And forget the

00:42:56.079 --> 00:42:57.860
promises that you already have, what you already

00:42:57.860 --> 00:43:01.099
possess in the riches of the grace in Christ.

00:43:02.579 --> 00:43:05.059
So then God uses here, just really for the first

00:43:05.059 --> 00:43:07.840
time, this beautiful phrase. He says, I am God

00:43:07.840 --> 00:43:10.650
Almighty. In the Hebrew, that's El Shaddai. I

00:43:10.650 --> 00:43:12.889
am El Shaddai, and he uses this to refer to himself.

00:43:13.210 --> 00:43:16.510
That name El Shaddai, it's referring to his power

00:43:16.510 --> 00:43:18.329
and his sovereignty. It's just that reminder

00:43:18.329 --> 00:43:21.789
again that I am almighty God. I am the one who

00:43:21.789 --> 00:43:24.010
makes things happen according to my power and

00:43:24.010 --> 00:43:26.989
my might. I am the one who fulfills every promise.

00:43:27.369 --> 00:43:33.750
It's not you, Jacob. And so Jacob's reminders

00:43:33.750 --> 00:43:37.170
and his reaffirmation, his renewal, his personal

00:43:37.170 --> 00:43:42.000
revival, great. But that didn't mean that there

00:43:42.000 --> 00:43:43.719
would be no more pain in his life. And this is

00:43:43.719 --> 00:43:45.280
an important thing to understand, especially

00:43:45.280 --> 00:43:47.980
for those of you getting baptized today. You've

00:43:47.980 --> 00:43:49.960
put your faith in Christ. Today you're going

00:43:49.960 --> 00:43:52.880
to get baptized and proclaim to the church. But

00:43:52.880 --> 00:43:54.239
that doesn't mean you're never going to have

00:43:54.239 --> 00:43:57.860
problems again. And Jacob was about to experience

00:43:57.860 --> 00:44:00.920
the most painful one of his life, verse 16. They

00:44:00.920 --> 00:44:03.519
set out from Bethel. When they were still some

00:44:03.519 --> 00:44:06.400
distance from Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth

00:44:06.400 --> 00:44:08.920
and her labor was difficult. During her difficult

00:44:08.920 --> 00:44:11.179
labor, the midwife said to her, don't be afraid

00:44:11.179 --> 00:44:14.380
for you have another son. And with her last breath,

00:44:14.400 --> 00:44:17.619
for she was dying, she named him Ben -Oni, but

00:44:17.619 --> 00:44:20.880
his father named him Benjamin. So Rachel died

00:44:20.880 --> 00:44:23.820
and was buried on the way to Ephrath, that is

00:44:23.820 --> 00:44:26.820
Bethlehem. And Jacob set up a marker on her grave

00:44:26.820 --> 00:44:28.679
and it is the marker at Rachel's grave still

00:44:28.679 --> 00:44:32.900
today. We all remember Rachel was the unchallenged

00:44:32.900 --> 00:44:36.820
love of his life. Rachel was everything that

00:44:36.820 --> 00:44:38.880
he had ever wanted. The moment he saw her, he

00:44:38.880 --> 00:44:41.280
fed head over heels for her. He said, I'll work

00:44:41.280 --> 00:44:43.139
seven years for free to be able to marry her.

00:44:43.300 --> 00:44:45.360
And then Laban switched in the older daughter

00:44:45.360 --> 00:44:47.460
Leah, and he's like, I'll work another seven

00:44:47.460 --> 00:44:51.380
years for her. She was just his everything. He

00:44:51.380 --> 00:44:53.760
loved her so much. She was the favorite in the

00:44:53.760 --> 00:44:56.019
family. That was wrong of him to have favorites,

00:44:56.099 --> 00:44:58.039
but it was her and her children that were favorites

00:44:58.039 --> 00:45:00.780
above all the other kids and the wives that he

00:45:00.780 --> 00:45:04.500
had. And then you imagine they're in the promised

00:45:04.500 --> 00:45:06.280
land, their journey, and they're finally like,

00:45:06.400 --> 00:45:09.960
okay, we're doing what we're called to do. And

00:45:09.960 --> 00:45:11.739
they set out from Bethel because ultimately he

00:45:11.739 --> 00:45:13.519
was going to go down and see his dad. And his

00:45:13.519 --> 00:45:16.610
favorite wife gets pregnant again. Glory to God.

00:45:16.670 --> 00:45:18.929
And in all places, the promised land, right?

00:45:18.989 --> 00:45:21.650
This child is the chosen one. This is everything.

00:45:21.969 --> 00:45:27.590
He had to have been so excited. But then tragedy

00:45:27.590 --> 00:45:31.429
comes. If you remember earlier in life when Rachel

00:45:31.429 --> 00:45:33.210
couldn't bear children, she told her husband,

00:45:33.289 --> 00:45:37.769
give me children or I will die. And now it's

00:45:37.769 --> 00:45:42.670
the very gift of children that kills her. The

00:45:42.670 --> 00:45:45.909
midwife tried to give her comfort. You have a

00:45:45.909 --> 00:45:48.170
son, because that was a big deal in the culture,

00:45:48.329 --> 00:45:51.409
right? But still, Rachel, knowing she was dying,

00:45:51.449 --> 00:45:55.210
she names him Ben -Oni, son of my sorrow. That

00:45:55.210 --> 00:45:58.829
his name would forever signify the sadness of

00:45:58.829 --> 00:46:01.110
the moment, the hurt, the pain of the moment.

00:46:01.409 --> 00:46:04.070
And you have to imagine Jacob being crushed here.

00:46:05.449 --> 00:46:14.650
Absolutely crushed. Rachel's dead, right? But

00:46:14.650 --> 00:46:19.329
I have this child. I mean, later on, on his deathbed,

00:46:19.389 --> 00:46:21.690
he recalls his sorrow for her. I think it affected

00:46:21.690 --> 00:46:24.469
him forever. But here in the moment, after this

00:46:24.469 --> 00:46:26.329
personal revival he's been having, he's different.

00:46:26.469 --> 00:46:28.929
His faith is different. His obedience is different.

00:46:29.010 --> 00:46:31.170
His relationship with God was different. And

00:46:31.170 --> 00:46:33.329
that's what we see in the renaming. That Rachel,

00:46:33.389 --> 00:46:36.050
as she's dying and passing away, she names this

00:46:36.050 --> 00:46:39.510
kid, son of my sorrow. That this child will forever

00:46:39.510 --> 00:46:41.949
be a reminder of the sadness and the sorrow of

00:46:41.949 --> 00:46:45.449
this moment. But it says, He named him Benjamin.

00:46:46.389 --> 00:46:51.929
Benjamin means son of my right hand. The idea

00:46:51.929 --> 00:46:54.630
of the right hand is a place of strength, right?

00:46:54.690 --> 00:46:56.650
Jesus is at the right hand of the Father. It's

00:46:56.650 --> 00:47:00.170
a place of honor and power and recognition. And

00:47:00.170 --> 00:47:03.110
what's happening here is that instead of saying,

00:47:03.170 --> 00:47:05.469
I'm gonna remember the sorrow and wallow in this

00:47:05.469 --> 00:47:09.349
terrible, terrible pain, he says, I'm gonna choose

00:47:09.349 --> 00:47:13.820
to see. God's promises in this. God's strength.

00:47:14.079 --> 00:47:17.820
God's power. Not only to get me through it, but

00:47:17.820 --> 00:47:19.780
to see that even in this moment of sorrow, I

00:47:19.780 --> 00:47:21.780
could see the legacy of God's promise coming

00:47:21.780 --> 00:47:28.420
through. And so, instead of all of this sorrow,

00:47:28.539 --> 00:47:33.179
his faith is now, even in this God, you are God.

00:47:33.920 --> 00:47:37.599
Even in this, I could even see your strength

00:47:37.599 --> 00:47:42.099
through this. Part of maturing in Christ is knowing

00:47:42.099 --> 00:47:45.239
that we grow through trials. That God allows

00:47:45.239 --> 00:47:49.179
the trials for our spiritual growth. And it's

00:47:49.179 --> 00:47:50.980
important because this is after his revival,

00:47:51.079 --> 00:47:54.559
right? Revival. Life is supposed to be great.

00:47:55.340 --> 00:47:58.760
I'm never supposed to have a problem again. For

00:47:58.760 --> 00:48:00.619
those of you getting baptized today, I want to

00:48:00.619 --> 00:48:03.000
celebrate with you and warn you. Things might

00:48:03.000 --> 00:48:05.860
get really difficult after today. Why? Because

00:48:05.860 --> 00:48:09.550
Satan has ticked off. And he wants nothing more

00:48:09.550 --> 00:48:12.769
than to knock you off your spiritual excitement

00:48:12.769 --> 00:48:15.369
and your enthusiasm. He wants to get you depressed.

00:48:15.429 --> 00:48:16.869
He wants you to give up. He wants you to go,

00:48:16.869 --> 00:48:19.590
why did I ever do that? That's what Satan wants

00:48:19.590 --> 00:48:23.969
to get for you. Which is why post -baptism you

00:48:23.969 --> 00:48:26.150
need to stay in the presence of God because you

00:48:26.150 --> 00:48:27.510
need the support and the prayer of the people

00:48:27.510 --> 00:48:33.510
around you. This is what personal revival does.

00:48:33.590 --> 00:48:38.480
It doesn't erase the pain. It renames it. Instead

00:48:38.480 --> 00:48:41.940
of sorrow, he names it strength. And so Rachel

00:48:41.940 --> 00:48:44.539
is buried on the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem.

00:48:44.539 --> 00:48:46.679
This is the first mention of Bethlehem in Scripture,

00:48:46.920 --> 00:48:49.519
and we know this is a very important place. This

00:48:49.519 --> 00:48:51.980
is where Ruth would glean, where King David would

00:48:51.980 --> 00:48:53.820
be born, and this is where Jesus would enter

00:48:53.820 --> 00:48:56.400
the world. And just that picture that even in

00:48:56.400 --> 00:49:01.159
the midst of tragedy, God is working, and God's

00:49:01.159 --> 00:49:05.869
plan of redemption works through all of it. But

00:49:05.869 --> 00:49:10.730
yeah, sin has consequences. And those consequences

00:49:10.730 --> 00:49:13.389
can continue through grace and through forgiveness

00:49:13.389 --> 00:49:15.909
and through revival. These are just simply the

00:49:15.909 --> 00:49:19.610
residual effects of sin. Know that. Be ready

00:49:19.610 --> 00:49:22.550
for that. You know, Jacob's past life of unfaithfulness

00:49:22.550 --> 00:49:27.650
meant these ongoing effects. And so verse 21,

00:49:27.750 --> 00:49:29.710
it says, Israel set out again and pitched his

00:49:29.710 --> 00:49:32.530
tent beyond the tower of Eder. While Israel was

00:49:32.530 --> 00:49:34.369
living in that region, Reuben went in and slept

00:49:34.369 --> 00:49:36.449
with his father's concubine, Bilhah, and Israel

00:49:36.449 --> 00:49:42.909
heard about it. I thought this was about Jacob's

00:49:42.909 --> 00:49:45.909
revival. Why are all these terrible things happening?

00:49:48.949 --> 00:49:54.909
Again, sin has consequences. Now, Jacob is now

00:49:54.909 --> 00:49:57.510
referred to as Israel. That's his name of sanctification.

00:49:57.630 --> 00:50:00.570
He stops at this place called the Tower of Eder.

00:50:00.590 --> 00:50:02.789
It's near Bethlehem. And this other terrible

00:50:02.789 --> 00:50:04.730
tragedy happens. And it's mentioned almost as

00:50:04.730 --> 00:50:06.389
an aside. That's what's kind of weird to me,

00:50:06.449 --> 00:50:10.869
right? And Jacob and Bethel and yeah. Oh, by

00:50:10.869 --> 00:50:12.730
the way, Reuben slept with Bilhah. And then let's

00:50:12.730 --> 00:50:15.989
go on with the story. And it's just weird. Now,

00:50:16.030 --> 00:50:19.329
Bilhah was Rachel's... servant, her handmaiden.

00:50:19.670 --> 00:50:22.949
She was the wife that Rachel gave to Jacob, whom

00:50:22.949 --> 00:50:25.550
bore Dan and Naphtali to Jacob. But why is this

00:50:25.550 --> 00:50:29.869
mentioned so quickly and so nonchalantly? What

00:50:29.869 --> 00:50:31.789
is the deal with Reuben doing this? Reuben was

00:50:31.789 --> 00:50:33.909
the firstborn. He was the one that was supposed

00:50:33.909 --> 00:50:35.710
to get the leadership of the family. He was the

00:50:35.710 --> 00:50:37.010
one that was supposed to get the double portion

00:50:37.010 --> 00:50:39.670
of inheritance as the firstborn, which that's

00:50:39.670 --> 00:50:43.650
what the birthright is. But Reuben had lived

00:50:43.650 --> 00:50:45.809
his entire life watching Rachel be the favorite

00:50:45.809 --> 00:50:49.139
wife over Leah, his mother. Watching Rachel favored.

00:50:49.300 --> 00:50:51.800
Watching her kids treated better than all the

00:50:51.800 --> 00:50:54.179
other kids. And now that Rachel was dead, Reuben's

00:50:54.179 --> 00:50:56.539
fear was that her maidservant Bilhah would take

00:50:56.539 --> 00:51:00.179
her place. That she would become the favorite.

00:51:00.239 --> 00:51:02.360
And now her kids and Rachel's kids, they would

00:51:02.360 --> 00:51:05.440
all ascend to claim leadership and birthright

00:51:05.440 --> 00:51:07.659
over the family. And so Reuben sleeping with

00:51:07.659 --> 00:51:10.239
Bilhah was a power grab. It was him going in

00:51:10.239 --> 00:51:12.519
to say, I'm going to claim leadership. I'm challenging

00:51:12.519 --> 00:51:14.519
the leadership of my father. And I'm going to

00:51:14.519 --> 00:51:18.440
secure the birthright for myself. Kind of weird,

00:51:18.480 --> 00:51:23.019
but that's how it worked in those days. And so

00:51:23.019 --> 00:51:25.719
he felt that his position of firstborn was threatened

00:51:25.719 --> 00:51:28.539
after Rachel's death, and so he wanted to secure

00:51:28.539 --> 00:51:31.199
his control and his power, and essentially sleeping

00:51:31.199 --> 00:51:34.340
with her made her belong to Reuben. So her and

00:51:34.340 --> 00:51:36.719
Jacob couldn't raise her up and all that. But

00:51:36.719 --> 00:51:41.380
all we're told here is that Jacob heard about

00:51:41.380 --> 00:51:45.239
it, and that's it. Later on, though, in Genesis

00:51:45.239 --> 00:51:48.159
49, when Jacob's dying, he basically lays the

00:51:48.159 --> 00:51:51.199
smackdown on Reuben and says, because you did

00:51:51.199 --> 00:51:53.539
that, you're going to lose everything. Every

00:51:53.539 --> 00:51:55.760
right and privilege you had as a firstborn. He

00:51:55.760 --> 00:52:00.119
says that Joseph's sons, who is Ephraim and Manasseh,

00:52:00.119 --> 00:52:02.579
they get the inheritance. They're the ones getting

00:52:02.579 --> 00:52:05.239
the double portion. So it was Rachel's kids'

00:52:05.420 --> 00:52:08.480
kids that got all of that. And in the leadership

00:52:08.480 --> 00:52:10.559
of the family, the scepter was given to Judah.

00:52:11.280 --> 00:52:13.360
which is where God starts to set up the line

00:52:13.360 --> 00:52:18.000
of the tribe of Judah. So, verse 22, Jacob had

00:52:18.000 --> 00:52:21.860
12 sons. Leah's sons were Reuben, Jacob's firstborn,

00:52:21.980 --> 00:52:26.019
Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. Rachel's

00:52:26.019 --> 00:52:29.019
sons were Joseph and Benjamin. The sons of Rachel's

00:52:29.019 --> 00:52:31.199
slave Bilhah were Dan and Naphtali, and the sons

00:52:31.199 --> 00:52:34.119
of Leah's slave Zilpah were Gad and Asher. These

00:52:34.119 --> 00:52:36.460
are the sons of Jacob who were born to him in

00:52:36.460 --> 00:52:39.880
Paddan Aram. And so it just kind of bookends

00:52:39.880 --> 00:52:42.699
this with this is the start of the new generation.

00:52:42.719 --> 00:52:45.400
This is the genesis of the nation here with these

00:52:45.400 --> 00:52:49.739
12 tribes. And we're seeing that God is still

00:52:49.739 --> 00:52:51.719
going to be working through all of this. And

00:52:51.719 --> 00:52:54.980
then verse 27, Jacob came to his father Isaac

00:52:54.980 --> 00:52:58.460
at Mamre in Kiriath Arba, that is Hebron, where

00:52:58.460 --> 00:53:02.170
Abraham and Isaac stayed. Isaac lived 180 years

00:53:02.170 --> 00:53:04.789
and he took his last breath and died and was

00:53:04.789 --> 00:53:07.030
gathered to his people old and full of days.

00:53:07.190 --> 00:53:11.030
His sons Esau and Jacob buried him. And so this

00:53:11.030 --> 00:53:14.110
whole story of Jacob's revival and his recommitment

00:53:14.110 --> 00:53:16.550
and taking the leadership and then experiencing

00:53:16.550 --> 00:53:18.730
these horrible things but still having faith,

00:53:18.849 --> 00:53:22.250
it just kind of quietly ends with, and Isaac

00:53:22.250 --> 00:53:26.829
dies. Isaac was Jacob's father. He was the son

00:53:26.829 --> 00:53:31.820
of Abraham. And that concludes this second generation

00:53:31.820 --> 00:53:35.079
as now we actively get into what is the third

00:53:35.079 --> 00:53:39.639
generation of the patriarchs. So much death,

00:53:39.960 --> 00:53:44.239
but so much grace, right? And that's what revival

00:53:44.239 --> 00:53:47.760
is. Revival is not an emotional mountaintop experience.

00:53:48.920 --> 00:53:53.760
Revival is the slow and steady recovery of God's

00:53:53.760 --> 00:53:57.610
faithfulness, even in the midst of loss. obedience

00:53:57.610 --> 00:54:01.230
in the midst of tragedy. And so Jacob's treasure,

00:54:01.469 --> 00:54:05.349
it was always at Bethel. He just had to take

00:54:05.349 --> 00:54:09.849
the 30 -year long way around to get to it. What

00:54:09.849 --> 00:54:13.630
about you? Are you on the 30 -year long way around?

00:54:14.409 --> 00:54:19.210
You don't have to be. Are you still living in

00:54:19.210 --> 00:54:24.050
Shechem, a place of half obedience? A place where

00:54:24.050 --> 00:54:25.769
you're like, yeah, I know God and I'm a Christian

00:54:25.769 --> 00:54:28.710
and I know I'm saved. But I'm not really fully

00:54:28.710 --> 00:54:30.690
doing what God has called me to do. I'm not really

00:54:30.690 --> 00:54:32.909
fully committing to the ways of the Lord, whether

00:54:32.909 --> 00:54:35.769
it's individually or in my job or my business

00:54:35.769 --> 00:54:38.690
or in my family as a husband or a father. Are

00:54:38.690 --> 00:54:41.369
you still in this place of just comfortable compromise?

00:54:43.070 --> 00:54:44.909
Maybe you feel that you're like, I'm in this

00:54:44.909 --> 00:54:48.210
spiritual slump. I don't feel the vibrancy of

00:54:48.210 --> 00:54:52.039
my walk with the Lord anymore. Maybe God is saying

00:54:52.039 --> 00:54:54.639
to you this morning, get up and get to Bethel.

00:54:56.619 --> 00:55:00.260
Not the church building, the presence of God.

00:55:01.880 --> 00:55:03.639
Maybe that's what God's saying to you today.

00:55:03.679 --> 00:55:05.480
Put away your idols, purify yourself, change

00:55:05.480 --> 00:55:08.980
your clothing. Or as Jesus said in Revelations,

00:55:09.079 --> 00:55:15.599
return to your first love. When you do, I firmly

00:55:15.599 --> 00:55:17.559
believe you're going to find exactly what Jacob

00:55:17.559 --> 00:55:22.630
found. Not just the house. of God, but the God

00:55:22.630 --> 00:55:27.250
of the house. See, because great revival, it's

00:55:27.250 --> 00:55:31.210
not when the crowd sings louder. It's not when

00:55:31.210 --> 00:55:35.289
we pray longer. It's when one single heart starts

00:55:35.289 --> 00:55:40.750
obeying God completely again. And when you do

00:55:40.750 --> 00:55:42.530
that, the people around you are going to be affected.

00:55:43.230 --> 00:55:45.650
If you're a father, your family will be affected.

00:55:47.659 --> 00:55:50.039
Your husband or wife, your spouse will be affected.

00:55:51.699 --> 00:55:53.960
Your business, your coworkers, your employees

00:55:53.960 --> 00:55:56.260
will be affected. Your church will be affected.

00:55:59.099 --> 00:56:03.860
And then the community is affected. And the county

00:56:03.860 --> 00:56:07.820
and the state and the country. But it starts

00:56:07.820 --> 00:56:12.480
with you. So if God is speaking to you this morning,

00:56:12.539 --> 00:56:19.099
listen. Listen, stop playing around. Now, we're

00:56:19.099 --> 00:56:20.860
going to have a baptism here in a moment to close

00:56:20.860 --> 00:56:22.539
out our day, and I just encourage all of you

00:56:22.539 --> 00:56:26.639
to stick around for that because baptism is this

00:56:26.639 --> 00:56:28.519
public profession that there are some people

00:56:28.519 --> 00:56:31.179
here going to make today. I've committed to the

00:56:31.179 --> 00:56:37.369
Lord. He is mine. I am His. My life has been

00:56:37.369 --> 00:56:40.869
changed. And the whole symbolism of the baptism,

00:56:41.030 --> 00:56:44.489
right? You go under the water. That's symbolizing

00:56:44.489 --> 00:56:48.869
that death. You're burying that old life. And

00:56:48.869 --> 00:56:50.610
then you come up out of the water because you

00:56:50.610 --> 00:56:52.769
are a new creation. You've put on new clothes.

00:56:52.929 --> 00:56:55.730
You have been washed clean. And you're proclaiming

00:56:55.730 --> 00:56:58.349
to everybody. That that's what's happened in

00:56:58.349 --> 00:57:00.590
my life. And so everybody, you are the public

00:57:00.590 --> 00:57:02.570
that is being proclaimed to. So I encourage you

00:57:02.570 --> 00:57:05.309
guys to hang out. I know we have a couple that

00:57:05.309 --> 00:57:07.409
have signed up and in a moment I'm going to invite

00:57:07.409 --> 00:57:09.050
you forward. But if you're here in this room

00:57:09.050 --> 00:57:11.110
today and you didn't sign up to get baptized

00:57:11.110 --> 00:57:13.130
and you're like, man, I really need to do this.

00:57:13.170 --> 00:57:15.469
God is calling me to do this. Even if this is

00:57:15.469 --> 00:57:16.710
going to be the moment where you're like, I want

00:57:16.710 --> 00:57:20.570
to commit my life to the Lord and get baptized

00:57:20.570 --> 00:57:23.510
to profess that. This is a perfect time to do

00:57:23.510 --> 00:57:26.199
that. We have clothes you could change into.

00:57:26.340 --> 00:57:29.619
We have towels you can dry off with. So don't

00:57:29.619 --> 00:57:33.239
let that be your excuse. But what's going to

00:57:33.239 --> 00:57:35.300
happen is we'll have the people come forward

00:57:35.300 --> 00:57:38.679
to get changed in the back, and then we'll have

00:57:38.679 --> 00:57:40.940
myself and Pastor Rick come out and get in the

00:57:40.940 --> 00:57:43.179
baptism where we're going to perform the baptisms.

00:57:43.579 --> 00:57:46.139
The worship team will be leading us in worship

00:57:46.139 --> 00:57:48.980
during that whole time. And so please, worship

00:57:48.980 --> 00:57:51.920
God and celebrate with those making this profession

00:57:51.920 --> 00:57:55.260
today. Now here in the front rows, if you're

00:57:55.260 --> 00:57:58.239
in front of the cameras, I'm going to ask that

00:57:58.239 --> 00:58:01.219
you would stay seated if you can because we are

00:58:01.219 --> 00:58:03.599
live streaming this and there are family and

00:58:03.599 --> 00:58:06.679
friends that love to watch and participate and

00:58:06.679 --> 00:58:08.659
so we don't want you to block the cameras. But

00:58:08.659 --> 00:58:13.139
if you want to get up and, you know, with order

00:58:13.139 --> 00:58:16.519
worship exuberantly, feel free to come over here,

00:58:16.579 --> 00:58:19.840
go in the back, do whatever you want, okay? As

00:58:19.840 --> 00:58:22.300
long as it's biblical. And we're going to celebrate

00:58:22.300 --> 00:58:25.840
together this time. And so let's pray. But if

00:58:25.840 --> 00:58:28.780
you're getting baptized today, please come forward

00:58:28.780 --> 00:58:31.000
right now. I know there was a couple that signed

00:58:31.000 --> 00:58:33.860
up and I think they're here today. Are you here

00:58:33.860 --> 00:58:39.900
today? Nobody's getting up. Is that you? You're

00:58:39.900 --> 00:58:44.550
getting baptized. Amen. All right. Go ahead and

00:58:44.550 --> 00:58:46.670
come forward. Just come all the way forward down

00:58:46.670 --> 00:58:49.409
to the back here where you can change. If there's

00:58:49.409 --> 00:58:51.210
anybody in here that I said, you didn't plan

00:58:51.210 --> 00:58:54.170
on this today, but God is speaking to you right

00:58:54.170 --> 00:58:58.969
now. Listen. Get up. Obey the Lord and come and

00:58:58.969 --> 00:59:02.110
get baptized today. Now, if during the baptism

00:59:02.110 --> 00:59:04.469
the Spirit moves on anybody and you're just like,

00:59:04.530 --> 00:59:07.190
you know what? I got to do it now. Just hustle

00:59:07.190 --> 00:59:09.530
on up here and we'll figure it out, okay? But

00:59:09.530 --> 00:59:11.199
with that, let's pray. And then we're going to

00:59:11.199 --> 00:59:13.480
start worshiping the Lord and celebrate with

00:59:13.480 --> 00:59:19.840
our brother. God, we're so grateful to you. God,

00:59:19.920 --> 00:59:22.659
your presence is so amazing. Your presence is

00:59:22.659 --> 00:59:25.260
what changes everything, Lord. It was your presence

00:59:25.260 --> 00:59:29.679
that existed before this universe existed. That

00:59:29.679 --> 00:59:31.800
it is your presence that indwells this entire

00:59:31.800 --> 00:59:36.440
universe. It is your presence that changes us.

00:59:37.079 --> 00:59:39.699
that lives within us, that has changed our entire

00:59:39.699 --> 00:59:43.920
lives, our heart, given us a new nature. And

00:59:43.920 --> 00:59:46.420
so, Lord, we know your presence is here with

00:59:46.420 --> 00:59:51.280
us, and we glorify you. God, we thank you, Lord,

00:59:51.280 --> 00:59:55.159
that in our lives you would bring us to those

00:59:55.159 --> 01:00:01.039
times of renewal and revival. God, I pray for

01:00:01.039 --> 01:00:05.780
those of us that may be questioning That very

01:00:05.780 --> 01:00:08.360
thing, because we're still experiencing the residuals

01:00:08.360 --> 01:00:12.480
of past sin, God. Lord, just remind us. Lord,

01:00:12.500 --> 01:00:14.380
we're never gonna be free from sin and the effects

01:00:14.380 --> 01:00:16.980
of sin in the sense of total, total absence of

01:00:16.980 --> 01:00:20.559
it until we're gone from this earth. So Lord,

01:00:20.679 --> 01:00:22.639
if there's those experiencing residual effects

01:00:22.639 --> 01:00:24.659
of past sin, God, I pray, Lord, that they would

01:00:24.659 --> 01:00:27.119
learn from it, to trust that you're allowing

01:00:27.119 --> 01:00:28.880
it for a reason, that they would grow through

01:00:28.880 --> 01:00:31.679
whatever it is you're trying to teach them. But

01:00:31.679 --> 01:00:33.300
Lord, if there's anybody in here, especially

01:00:33.300 --> 01:00:38.559
dads, moms, parents, that have been not living

01:00:38.559 --> 01:00:41.900
a good example at home, Lord, I pray, God, that

01:00:41.900 --> 01:00:43.800
they would be encouraged by Jacob's story here

01:00:43.800 --> 01:00:46.619
where he finally stood up and did the right thing,

01:00:46.719 --> 01:00:50.619
especially the dads. It's so easy for us to be

01:00:50.619 --> 01:00:52.679
passive, but God, I pray, Lord, that they would

01:00:52.679 --> 01:00:56.539
be righteous, godly, not overbearing and oppressive,

01:00:56.539 --> 01:01:01.630
but loving, standing for righteousness leading

01:01:01.630 --> 01:01:05.510
their family in knowing you. That, God, we would

01:01:05.510 --> 01:01:07.969
all be people who would throw away our idols,

01:01:08.230 --> 01:01:12.769
cast off all the trinkets and talismans of false

01:01:12.769 --> 01:01:17.409
worship. That we would purify ourselves, Lord,

01:01:17.510 --> 01:01:20.489
ceremonially to just let your Holy Spirit fall

01:01:20.489 --> 01:01:25.090
upon us. That we would be people, God, who remember

01:01:25.090 --> 01:01:29.579
that we've changed our clothes. And if there's

01:01:29.579 --> 01:01:31.260
those of us in here that maybe have put back

01:01:31.260 --> 01:01:35.840
on the old clothing, Lord, help us today to cast

01:01:35.840 --> 01:01:39.059
that stuff off and to bury it. Lord, we pray

01:01:39.059 --> 01:01:40.860
for our brother getting baptized today and anybody

01:01:40.860 --> 01:01:42.739
else that may be coming forward, Lord, that this

01:01:42.739 --> 01:01:45.500
day would be the incredible blessing it is intended

01:01:45.500 --> 01:01:48.539
to be. That, God, there would be such a powerful

01:01:48.539 --> 01:01:51.400
sense of your presence in their life individually,

01:01:51.719 --> 01:01:53.619
Lord, and that you would steel them against the

01:01:53.619 --> 01:01:59.469
tribulations that are going to come, Lord. That

01:01:59.469 --> 01:02:03.030
they, like Jacob, would see difficulty through

01:02:03.030 --> 01:02:06.289
a new faith and a new life and a new set of eyes,

01:02:06.369 --> 01:02:09.269
God, to understand that even in sorrow, Lord,

01:02:09.309 --> 01:02:14.309
there is a strength of God. So, Lord, we praise

01:02:14.309 --> 01:02:16.590
you. We thank you. We love you. It's in Jesus'

01:02:16.710 --> 01:02:19.250
name. Amen. God bless you guys.