Missing the Point of Grace
Genesis 34:1 – 35:15
December 14, 2014

You know by now that Moses is on a journey with the book of Genesis.
We have called it “The Gospel According to Moses”

He has shown us the dangers of sin
He has shown us the realities of judgment
He has shown us the truths of salvation

We have seen God save Abraham
We have seen God save Isaac
We have seen God save Jacob

And as we have witnessed God’s working in theses men
We are constantly called back to the one obvious reality that
Salvation is by God’s grace.

We began the life of Abraham back in Genesis 12.
This morning we will dive into chapter 35.
(That’s 24 chapters)

And it is not an exaggeration to say that
GRACE HAS BEEN DRIPPING OUT OF THOSE CHAPTERS.

Whether it was God’s election of certain men
Or God’s protection of those men
Or God’s sanctification of those men
Or God’s promises to those men
It is grace – grace – grace from the word go.

And indeed as many of you have grown up in church and heard the stories and sang the songs, you’ve been exposed to grace your whole life.

• Often have we talked about the grace of God to forgive our sin through the atonement of Christ.

• Often have we talked about the grace of God to foreknow and choose and predestine and call and justify and sanctify and eventually glorify us.

• Often have we sang the song, “Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found, was blind but now I see.”

We understand what Paul said in:
Romans 5:20 “…where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,”

We are living testimonies to God’s grace.
The danger (and you probably know it from the title of the sermon)
Is that any one of us should miss the point of grace.

And I don’t mind telling you that there are many ways to do that.

You could be like those Paul wrote to in Romans 6 who would ask:
Romans 6:1 “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?”
Grace is not given in response to sin.
God lavishes grace on us, you don’t have to sin more to get more.
Trying to get more grace by sinning more is to miss the point of grace.

Or
Romans 6:15 “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be!”

Obviously grace is not a license to sin.
Anyone who thinks that now that they are under grace they can do whatever they want has obviously missed the point of grace.

And those are just a couple of ways that people miss the point of grace.

This morning I want to show you how Jacob was missing the point.
And the way Jacob was missing it is tragically
A very common problem even among believers today.

No, Jacob wasn’t purposely sinning to get more grace…
No, Jacob wasn’t purposely sinning because grace meant it was ok…
Jacob was missing the point of grace by disregarding it.

He was ignoring what God’s grace had sought to accomplish in his life.

Now we’ve been on the journey with Jacob
And we’ve seen what God’s grace has been doing for him.

• God’s grace set him apart (chose him)
• God’s grace sanctified him (God working to make him holy)
• God’s grace taught him to trust God
• God’s grace even weakened him to make him strong

• Jacob went from the 2nd born to the chosen son
• Jacob went from self-reliant to a man dependent on God
• Jacob went from a strong man to a weak man
• Jacob went from a scheming and planning man to a patient one

God orchestrated major changes in Jacob’s life
All as an act of grace on his behalf.

And Jacob is now reaching a point in his life
Where he is starting to disregard all of it.

It is apathy
It is complacency
It is backsliddenness

And sadly most all of us are guilty of this.

We see God’s work of grace in our lives to make us more like Him,
To purify us, to mold us and shape us.

And then, after the lesson, we forget the work of grace and we actually begin to slowly revert back to the person we used to be.

That is to completely disregard the work of grace in your life.

And this morning I want to show you how that was happening to Jacob,
And how God dealt with it.

And as God commonly does, He take an event in Jacob’s life
And uses it to work on Jacob.

Two main points.
#1 THE EVENT
Genesis 34:1-31

What we have here is a story about a tragic event in Jacob’s life.

You need to understand that chapter 34 is a story that serves as a catalyst
To explain to you the events of chapter 35.

In chapter 35 we see Jacob come back to God.
Chapter 34 is the event God used to make that happen.

To get started, let me remind you of where we ended up last week.

Jacob finally met Esau and realized that
God really had been working and fighting on his behalf.

Jacob and Esau reunited and it was good.
Jacob then re-entered the land of Canaan and declared that God was his God.

Genesis 33:18-20 “Now Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Paddan-aram, and camped before the city. He bought the piece of land where he had pitched his tent from the hand of the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for one hundred pieces of money. Then he erected there an altar and called it El-Elohe-Israel.”

I told you last week that what Jacob did there was a good thing,
And I certainly hold to that this morning.

The problem is that by the time we get to chapter 34
Jacob seems to have regressed.
When Jacob came to that pagan city, he was living in his own land,
Purchased with his own money, and apparently got comfortable.

• By the time we get to chapter 34 we find “Dinah” is now a young woman
of marrying age. (Even in Bible times this would have been around 14 or
older)

• Since Dinah was the last child born of Leah, she could not have been
more than 1 or 2 years old in Ch. 33 and now she is marrying age.

The point is that Jacob must have dwelled here for at least 10-12 years.

And several things point to the fact that not only had he grown comfortable, but also that harmony was really all he wanted now.

“Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the daughters of the land.”

I certainly wouldn’t be as harsh as some of the commentators I read
Who ascribed sin to Dinah for doing this,

But at the very least you must acknowledge that Jacob and his family
Were comfortable around their new pagan neighbors.
They were beginning to blend very well.

So Dinah goes out and tragedy strikes.
(READ VERSES 2-7)

Apparently while Dinah was out, Shechem came and spoke smooth words to her, lured her in, and then raped her.

While it was horribly sinful, it was not purely malicious.
Other times in Scripture when a woman is raped,
She is then hated and rejected by her attacker.

(Remember when David’s son Amnon raped his sister Tamar)
2 Samuel 13:15 “Then Amnon hated her with a very great hatred; for the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, “Get up, go away!”

This incident with Shechem wasn’t like that.
• He actually loved Dinah and wanted to marry her.
• He even went through “seemingly” proper channels by asking his father to
arrange it with her father.

This doesn’t lessen the sin of what he did,
It is just to show you that it really had more to do with
Cultural pagan influence than it did determined immorality.

You really get the idea that in his mind he did nothing wrong.
The problem is that it was sinful and it infuriated Dinah’s brothers.

(7) “Now the sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard it; and the men were grieved, and they were very angry because he had done a disgraceful thing in Israel by lying with Jacob’s daughter, for such a thing ought not to be done.”

Well then Hamor comes to try and arrange the marriage
Between Shechem and Dinah.

(READ 8-18)

So Hamor comes and they ask for a bride price to be named,
But Jacob’s sons answer pretty shrewdly.

They appeal to their religion and say that they can’t form a marriage covenant with uncircumcised people and if such a thing is to be done then Hamor’s people must be circumcised.

And Hamor and Shechem agree that this is reasonable.

At this point I would point out again Jacob’s new found apathy.
By his silence (and by the fact that he wasn’t scheming like his boys) we can only deduce that Jacob was ok with making a covenant with these Pagans.

If you’ll remember, this would have been a first.
• Abraham adamantly refused to have his son Isaac marry a Canaanite
• Esau’s Canaanite wives brought grief to Isaac
• Jacob was sent to Padan Aram so that he wouldn’t marry a Canaanite

And yet Jacob here seems to be cool with it.
Blending in with the Canaanites doesn’t seem to be an issue with Jacob.

So Hamor and Shechem go back to their people and present the proposal.
(READ 19-24)

So it is presented as an opportunity to gain wealth.
Many have then stated that
It was a scam on the part of Hamor from the beginning.

I’m not sure I necessarily think that is the case.
I just think they are trying to convince a town of men to be circumcised and simply asking them to do it on Shechem’s behalf wasn’t going to be enough.

They mention the financial implications and the whole town of men agree.

And that is when the trap is sprung
(READ 25-31)

Simeon and Levi (Dana’s full brothers) attack the city
While the men are in pain and slaughter all the men.

If you think this is nobility, or some kind of Divine justice,
One would do good to ask you why more than Shechem were killed.

Did they really have to kill a whole town on behalf of one man’s sin?

But even if you still find honor in that I’d have to ask you:
Then what constituted the stealing of their wives and children and possessions?

Was that just a work of nobility and honor too?

No, the reality is that what Simeon and Levi did was not noble,
Nor was it religious zeal.

These men committed cold blooded murder and then robbery,
Even under the banner of a covenant of friendship.

It was wrong.

BUT THE SHOCKER IS FOUND IN JACOB’S RESPONSE.
Genesis 34:30 “Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me by making me odious among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites; and my men being few in number, they will gather together against me and attack me and I will be destroyed, I and my household.”

• Dinah was raped and Jacob was silent
• Simeon and Levi committed sins against God, which Jacob didn’t mention

However Jacob’s once concern was that now they had brought trouble on him “by making me odious among the inhabitants of the land”

In other words, “You’ve made me stink to them”
“you’ve killed my reputation”

JACOB WAS UPSET THAT HE’D NO LONGER BE ABLE
TO LIVE IN HARMONY IN THE LAND.

Really?
After all that is occurred here, your biggest concern is that people aren’t going to like you now?

Your daughter was just raped…
Your sons just committed murder and theft…
And your fear is what it might do to your reputation and how it might affect your ability to live in peace and harmony?

Can you see that Jacob has reached a point of apathy in his life?
He’s willing to overlook a lot so long as he can live in peace and harmony.

WHERE DID THIS COME FROM?
Did God really choose him and send him to Padan Aran and break him of his self-reliance just so Jacob could move back to Canaan and blend in with the pagans?
NOT AT ALL!
He was completely disregarding
All that God had done in him the past 20 years.

Now listen, before we throw stones at Jacob, are we not prone to do the same?
Typically when we get saved we are filled with a holy fire and a zeal for God that is blatantly evident to those around us.
We hate sin
We hate deception and error

But over time we get comfortable.

And we begin to value a life of peace and harmony
Even more than we do a life of faithfulness to God.

We’ll actually let our convictions slide
If we just don’t have to fight with someone about it.

It’s almost like we think that God’s grace was for the purpose of
Making our lives easier or better or more prosperous.

BUT THAT ISN’T WHY GRACE CAME

Do you remember the purpose of grace?
Titus 2:11-14 “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.”

Grace did not come to make your life easier.
Grace came to draw you closer to God.
Grace came to set you apart for God.

The problem is that we are all prone to forget that
And just gravitate towards worldly comfort and harmony.

That is to miss the point of why grace ever came to you.
That’s Jacob.
• He has grown apathetic
• He has grown complacent
• He has backslidden

He is just a point in his life where he just doesn’t want any enemies.
He just wants to live in peace and harmony in the land.

Now please don’t misunderstand me.
There is nothing wrong with wanting to live in harmony with those around you.

Matthew 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”

Romans 12:18 “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.”

Even tonight as we study the book of James you will see that Godly wisdom “is sown in peace by those who make peace.”

I’m not saying you should be some type of contentious person
Who just likes to pick fights and stir up trouble.

However, it is important that you remember that
Scripture promises that if you are going to live for Jesus,
There are some people you just won’t be able to be at peace with.

Matthew 10:34-36 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. “For I came to SET A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW; and A MAN’S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS HOUSEHOLD.”

Matthew 10:22 “You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.”

The reality is that there are some who only live in harmony
Because they have decided to put their light under a bushel
And bury their Bible in the sand.

And that is a disgrace!
That is a picture of a person who has come to value
Harmony more than holiness.

And that was Jacob.

#2 THE EFFECT
Genesis 35:1-15

As God commonly does,
Here we find Him capitalizing on an unfortunate situation.

Nothing about what happened in chapter 34 was good,
But God can take that bad scenario and use it for good.

Right now Jacob is afraid and God will use that to bring Jacob back.

God takes that opportunity to speak to Jacob.
(35:1) “Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and live there, and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.”

It is so important that you catch what happens here.
Jacob is afraid and so God comes to Jacob.

What does God say?
“Go up to Bethel”
“live there”
“make an altar there to God”

And then God reminds him of how this worked when he was afraid before.

“go up to Bethel and live there, and make an altar to God”

DID GOD SAY ANYTHING ELSE TO HIM? (no)
Where there any other directives? (no)

Well that’s strange, because look what Jacob does.

(2-3) “So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods which are among you, and purify yourselves and change your garments; and let us arise and go up to Bethel, and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.”

Now Jacob does end up saying, “let us arise and to up to Bethel, and I will make an altar there to God,” but that isn’t the first thing he says.

WHAT DOES HE SAY FIRST?
“Put away the foreign gods”
“purify yourselves”

Obviously these were those idols that Rachel stole from Laban.
And they’ve had them this whole time.
And Jacob hasn’t cared enough to get rid of them.

WHY?
Because he’s comfortable and he isn’t in great need of God,
And he doesn’t want to take the risk of offending anyone.

• He doesn’t want to offend Rachel (who brought them)
• He doesn’t want to offend the Canaanites (who would spot him a fanatic)

SO WHY GET RID OF THEM NOW?
Because now Jacob doesn’t want to offend God.

(He’s been worried about offending the world, now he’s worried about offending God.)
DO YOU SEE HOW THIS IS WORKING?

For 10 years Jacob has been living in complacency
And he hasn’t cared that those idols might be offending God.

Love for those idols has probably been what has kept Jacob from Bethel.

(It’s like Jesus told Nicodemus)
John 3:19-21 “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. “For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. “But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”

Jacob has been in apathy about his idolatry.
But now he needs God and he knows he can’t go to Bethel with them.

And friends, many of us live here far too much of the time!
• We grow to love our sin
• We grow to love being in harmony with the world around us
• And we lose our zeal for the things of God

AND THIS SHOULD NOT BE.
Grace came to set us apart
Grace came to make us different

When we go back to looking like the world,
We have missed the point for why grace came in the first place.

So God has Jacob’s attention, he puts away his idols and off he goes.

AND GOD WAS STILL FAITHFUL!
(5-7) “As they journeyed, there was a great terror upon the cities which were around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. So Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him. He built an altar there, and called the place El-bethel, because there God had revealed Himself to him when he fled from his brother.”

Jacob makes it safely to Bethel.
He feared other cities, but in fact God made them fear him.

And Jacob gets to Bethel, builds the altar and then waits.

In fact he waits long enough that “Rebekah’s nurse” dies and Jacob buries her.

But Jacob is waiting at Bethel on God.
ISN’T IT GOOD TO SEE JACOB BACK WHERE HE IS SUPPOSED TO BE?
So Jacob has finally cleansed himself and is now seeking God.

AND GOD SHOWS UP!

(READ 9-15)

And God “appeared to Jacob again”
And God “blessed him.”

And I love what God has to say.

(10-12) “God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; You shall no longer be called Jacob, But Israel shall be your name.” Thus He called him Israel. God also said to him, “I am God Almighty; Be fruitful and multiply; A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, And kings shall come forth from you. “The land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give it to you, And I will give the land to your descendants after you.”

Did you catch what God did there?
One more time, He reminded Jacob of his name.

This wasn’t new information,
It was just information Jacob had seemed to have forgotten.

• You are not Jacob – YOU ARE ISRAEL!
• You are not God – I AM GOD ALMIGHTY!
• You don’t worry about staying in the land – I’M GIVING IT TO YOU!

God was reminding Jacob of all that He had been doing.
And that is good, because Jacob had clearly forgotten it.

Was Jacob taking advantage of grace? No
Was Jacob trying to use sin to get more grace? No
But Jacob had clearly forgotten all that grace had done in his life.

Grace had called him and set him apart – Jacob was content to blend back in
Grace had called him to be holy for God – Jacob was letting idols remain
Grace had called him to fully trust God – Jacob was making decisions on fear
Grace had called him to let God fight his battles – Jacob was doing it on his own

And that is what I mean when I talk to you
About missing the point of grace.

I fully realize that you aren’t out there
Purposely sinning to try and get more grace.

I fully realize that you aren’t under the delusion
That you can now do whatever you want.

But backsliding away from where grace has taken you
Is still to disregard it.

Let me read it again:
Titus 2:11-14 “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.”

• Grace came to save you
• Grace came to cause you to deny ungodliness and worldly desires
• Grace came to cause you to live sensible, righteously and godly
• Grace came to cause you to look for the appearing of Christ
• Grace came to redeem us from every lawless deed
• Grace came to purify us for Christ
• Grace came to make us zealous for good deeds

And so if that is not you, then you are missing the point of grace.

God didn’t lavish His grace on you
To make you more comfortable in the world.
God gave you grace to make you His and His alone.

He reminded Jacob of that here
By reminding him that he was no longer Jacob, but Israel.

I would remind you that you also have been given a new nature
And you are no longer the old man either.

I want to close with you turning to:
EPHESIANS 4:17 – 5:21

That is precisely what I’m talking about.
Grace has made you new, don’t disregard what it has done for you!

The Inevitable Solution for Sin
Genesis 6:1-22
January 4, 2014

Well this morning I think it’s safe to say that
The whole thing is about to come to a head.

You probably don’t need much of introduction to Genesis 6.
Most of you already knew that it was the beginning of the story of
What is commonly called “Noah’s Ark”.

And when I mention “Noah’s Ark” you probably first have a mental image
Of a big boat and animals streaming to it with blue skies
And probably even a rainbow.

Everyone loves the story of Noah’s ark.
I would even venture to say that no other Bible story
Is more widely used to decorate nurseries than this one.

And this is a little humorous since no story in human history
Ever depicted the wrath of God and the judgment of sinners
Like this one.

• This story is not just about an ark that Noah built.
• This story is not just about all the animals entering 2 by 2.

This story depicts the obvious end for sinners.
This story is one of death.
This story is one of a global judgment.

We talk about judgment in the Bible and we mention events like:
• Sodom and Gomorrah
• Babylon burning Jerusalem

But those are nothing compared to what occurs in Genesis 6 & 7.
God is about to wipe all humanity.
God is about to kill everyone.
Death is about to occur in the largest scale we have ever seen.

And really we should have seen this coming.
Ever since Genesis 3:6 when Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden tree
This is where we were headed.

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death…”

James 1:15 “Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.”

Ever since sin entered the world,
Judgment has been the only possible way the story could end.
There is no way a holy God was going to just let humanity continue to defy His commands and wreck His creation.

Sooner or later it had to come to this.
Sooner or later death had to occur.
And that is what we see here beginning in Genesis chapter 6.

Make no mistake, this is not just some “Children’s Story”.
What we are studying here is the first clear indication
Of what God thinks of sin.

Up until this point, God has been striving against sin.
• God has been warning
• God has been calling
• God has been pleading with sinners

But in Genesis 6 God says, “Enough”

And no story in the Bible should drive into your heart the reality that another judgment is coming like this one does.

In fact even in the New Testament when mockers arose to deny the actuality of a coming judgment, Peter referenced this story.

2 Peter 3:3-10 “Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.” For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.”

You should not think it is beyond the nature of God to wipe out all humanity.
You should not harbor such thoughts as “A loving God wouldn’t send anyone to hell.”
Listen friends, He already did.

He already wiped out all humanity once, and He will do it again.

Sin only leads to one inevitable result and that is judgment.
It is seen clearly here in Genesis 6.

So this morning we begin this study commonly referred to as “Noah’s Ark”
And I want to begin by showing you God’s solution for sin.
Now think about it for a moment.
Through our study (and even in our society)
We have already come to realize that sin is an epidemic.

• We recognize that sin is the cause for enmity, pain, and toil in this life.
• We recognize that sin spreads like it did with Cain’s line.
• We recognize that sin brings death.

Mostly we realize that something must be done about it.
How do we get rid of sin?

Now Seth taught us what we should do.
Seth taught us to call on the name of the Lord.

But what is God’s solution for sin?
The answer is total eradication.

Now I know that sounds harsh
I know that flies in the face of a tolerant culture
But let’s look at Genesis 6.

Three things:
#1 GOD’S MOTIVE FOR JUDGMENT
Genesis 6:1-7

Now we know where we are in the story.
We have sin on the move.
And it is moving fast.

We’ve already seen deception, disobedience, murder, worldliness, polygamy, and tolerance.
By now I’m sure the list has grown extensively.

But even more than a list of sins, when God looked upon the earth
What He saw was sinners who were completely preoccupied with sin and who had no desire for repentance.

Notice what is occurring here.
(1-2) “Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose.”

Now this is a tough story, and one that has been subject to various interpretations over the years.

But if you’ll give me a moment I’ll explain to you what was happening.

Some have commented on this (Calvin, Henry)
• And said that “the sons of God” were Seth’s line
• And they were sinning because they married “the daughters of men”
• Whom they determine to be Cain’s line.

And the sin is seen that the only reason they married them
Was because they “were beautiful;”

Their application is that God’s people should not intermingle with the children of the world just because they are physically attractive.

But that is not what is going on here.
No adultery is mentioned here, and even though it is shouldn’t be your only criteria, I’m pretty sure it’s not a sin to marry a woman whom you find attractive.
(How many of you men were drawn to your wife because you thought she was ugly?)

Furthermore “sons of God” is not a term of humans.
“sons of men” is a term for humans.

What we have occurring here is a very heinous crime
And one that would greatly motivate God’s judgment.

The New Testament actually gives us a clearer picture of the event.
1 Peter 3:18-20 “For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water.”

Peter mentions that in the days of Noah there were spirits sent to prison.

These spirits were still there during the death of Christ,
For Christ made proclamation to them when He died.

And you must understand these were not humans, or else the world used would have been the word for “souls”. These were spirits.

What did these spirits do in the days of Noah; why were they in prison?

2 Peter 2:4-5 “For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;”

Peter simply says they sinned.
And for their sin they were cast into hell
And committed to pits of darkness and were reserved for judgment.

But even more specific than that, what did they do?
Jude 5-7 “Now I desire to remind you, though you know all things once for all, that the Lord, after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, subsequently destroyed those who did not believe. And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day, just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.”

Now Jude is following the same course of thought as Peter
And he is writing about how God is faithful to judge sin.

He first mentions the apostates of Israel.
Men who should have been God’s,
But who defected and because they defected were destroyed.

Then he mentions angels “who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode” and because of this God is keeping them in eternal bonds for judgment.

Well what does he mean they “abandoned their proper abode”?

Notice he compares them to Sodom and Gomorrah saying, “just as Sodom and Gomorrah…indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh”

Well you know the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah, they were proponents of homosexuality, which God called going after “strange flesh”,

That is seeking a relationship outside of what God intended.

Well, that is what these angels did.
They sought a relationship outside of their natural abode, outside of what God intended, and because of that God put them in prison.

Now back to Genesis.
(1-2) “Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose.”

Here are those angels, the “sons of God”.
And here is where they went after strange flesh.
Here is where they abandoned their proper abode.

They were marrying the “daughters of men”
(Certainly possessing a human was required for this)

But you have here the first record of demon possession
And heavy demonic influence on the earth.

And as these demon possessed men, and married women
They were producing offspring who were corrupt and violent.
A comparison of their brutality is seen in verse 4.
(4) “The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.”

“Nephilim” was a Hebrew word that meant “the fallen ones” and became the name representing “those with great power who crush people”

To help you understand it better;
When the spies were sent out by Moses to survey the land
They saw men who appeared to be giants and were terrified of them.

Numbers 13:31-33 “But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are too strong for us.” So they gave out to the sons of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone, in spying it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants; and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great size. “There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”

Those in Numbers are not descendants of these in Genesis 6,
Since they all drowned, but the imagery is seen.

The offspring of these demon possessed men and these women
Were extremely violent and cruel and powerful people.

I suppose the only good illustration of what they were like
Would be seen in the demon possessed of the New Testament.

Mark 5:1-5 “They came to the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gerasenes. When He got out of the boat, immediately a man from the tombs with an unclean spirit met Him, and he had his dwelling among the tombs. And no one was able to bind him anymore, even with a chain; because he had often been bound with shackles and chains, and the chains had been torn apart by him and the shackles broken in pieces, and no one was strong enough to subdue him. Constantly, night and day, he was screaming among the tombs and in the mountains, and gashing himself with stones.”

Matthew 8:28 “When He came to the other side into the country of the Gadarenes, two men who were demon-possessed met Him as they were coming out of the tombs. They were so extremely violent that no one could pass by that way.”

That is what we are dealing with here.

It is no longer just humanity indulging in sin.
But it is humanity yielding themselves up to spiritual beings
And the consequence is extreme sin and power and violence.

(11-12) “Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence. God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth.”
This violent sinful influence was permeating the globe
And succeeding in corrupting the whole earth.

That is what is occurring on the world.
Sin is spiraling out of control.

And you will notice God’s response to this:
(3) “Then the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”

Up until now man was living 8 and 9 hundred years.
Methuselah lived to 969.

Even the wicked lived that long, and God said, “My Spirit shall not strive with [them] forever, because [they] also [are] flesh”

The picture is of God routinely confronting, routinely convicting,
Routinely correcting sinners and to no avail.

Man was “flesh”
Indicating that they DESIRED the flesh,
That they WANTED the flesh,
And that they FOLLOWED the flesh.

And despite God’s warnings and God’s corrections man wasn’t listening.

And that is especially seen in verse 5:
(5) “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”

Now there is a statement on sin.
“the wickedness of man was great”

“every intent”
“of the thoughts of his heart”
“only evil”
“continually”

The point here is that humanity wanted sin.
And that is all they wanted.
• They didn’t want to hear from God
• They weren’t interested in God’s correction
• All they could think about was how to keep sinning

The fact that they were dabbling in the world of demonic beings
Reveals that they were willing to travel to any length to expand their sin.
That is all they could think about.

And this is the tragic predicament of sinners
They aren’t interested in God.
Ephesians 2:1-3 “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.”

There was a spirit working in them that only wanted the lust of the flesh
And the desire of the mind.

You would think after the fall and all the hardship that came as a result of it, that men would run from sin and seek God.

And yet just the opposite is happening.
Man is running from God and seeking sin.

From God’s view point it is a struggle just to get man to listen
And it is a struggle God has grown weary of.

And that reality led to God’s decision to destroy the earth.
(6-7) “The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. The LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.”

God is actually seen here as one who is grieving.
He regrets even creating man.

To know what He created back in Genesis 1
And to see what it has become by Genesis 6 literally grieves God.

And His decision is to “blot out man…from the face of the land”

They are vile, they are wretched, and they defile everything.
They are a heinous cancer and the earth has to be purged of them.

And God was “sorry” that He made them.

Now listen to me, this is important.

SO FAR WE HAVE SEEN that sin separates and sin kills and sin brings a curse.
We know that if we choose sin it will not have the desired effect on our lives.

Choosing sin is never the right choice.

BUT DO YOU WANT TO KNOW THAT MAIN PROBLEM WITH SIN?
• It grieves God.
• It offends God.
• It angers God.
• It motivates God to judgment.
That is the problem with sin.

If all it was was some set of temporal consequences
Then you could certainly choose whether or not
The pleasure was worth the consequence.

You could say, “Well, I know it will bring about a negative effect, but the present joy I am feeling is worth it.”

You could actually take that view if that were all it was.

But it isn’t.
The main problem with sin is that offends the One who created you
And motivates Him to judgment.
That is why sin is so dangerous – God judges it!

That alone should you give you pause about sinning.
You know those sins that you can do in secret that no one knows about, and they don’t hurt anyone but you…

Wrong, God knows about them
And He is offended and He is grieved.

At the very least we should read the story about the flood
And take a whole new perspective on the dangers of grieving God.

Isaiah 63:7-10 “I shall make mention of the lovingkindnesses of the LORD, the praises of the LORD, According to all that the LORD has granted us, And the great goodness toward the house of Israel, Which He has granted them according to His compassion And according to the abundance of His lovingkindnesses. For He said, “Surely, they are My people, Sons who will not deal falsely.” So He became their Savior. In all their affliction He was afflicted, And the angel of His presence saved them; In His love and in His mercy He redeemed them, And He lifted them and carried them all the days of old. But they rebelled And grieved His Holy Spirit; Therefore He turned Himself to become their enemy, He fought against them.”

Ephesians 4:25-32 “Therefore, laying aside falsehood, SPEAK TRUTH EACH ONE of you WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, for we are members of one another. BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity. He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need. Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”

In light of the flood
Passages like that take on a whole new meaning don’t they?

God was here grieved with sinners and so He decided to judge the world.

Man was preoccupied with nothing but sin
And God determined to blot them out.

God’s Motive for Judgment
#2 GOD’S MERCY IN JUDGMENT
Genesis 6:8-13

Now there is a breath of fresh air.
“But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord”

Of all of humanity, there was one whom God didn’t want to destroy.

Well I suppose we should ask why?
(9) “These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God.”

Who does that sound like?
Enoch who also walked with God.

Do you think Moses is making a point here?
• One man walked with God and escaped death.
• Another man walked with God escaped judgment.

And notice God’s mercy to this man.
(13) “Then God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of them; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth.”

God didn’t have to tell Noah that.
God didn’t have to fill him in on what was coming.

But God was merciful to Noah.
God was allowing Noah to see the coming judgment and to see a way through it.

• How important is it to walk with God?
• How important is it seek to please Him?
• How important is it listen to His commands?
• How important is it to learn from His rebuke?

You know the answer.
God was merciful to Noah and to his household
Simply because Noah chose to do His will.

And even in the midst of judgment we find mercy.

God’s Motive for Judgment God’s Mercy in Judgment
#3 GOD’S MEANS OF SALVATION
Genesis 6:14-22

Here we find that Noah was to build an ark.
And if you are a ship builder and want to do the math on the ark
To see if it will work, go ahead.

But the main point is this:
(17-18) “Behold, I, even I am bringing the flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life, from under heaven; everything that is on the earth shall perish. “But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall enter the ark — you and your sons and your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.”

Noah was to build an ark because God was sparing Noah.

Incidentally God was also sparing Noah’s family on his account.
Never underestimate the influence of one Godly individual in a household.

• Lot saved his daughters…
• Cornelius saved his family…
• Rahab saved her family…
• Noah did as well…

Because Noah stood against his culture and did not crave sin,
God spared Noah with an ark and even made a covenant with him.

That is to say God made an alliance with Noah.
God made and agreement with Noah.

Noah sought God while everyone else sought sin and it paid off for him.

Now here is what I want you to understand.
The means for Noah’s salvation was an ark.

• Enoch walked with God and God saved him from judgment.
• Noah walked with God and God saved him through it.

And I want you to know that this type of salvation is the salvation
God has preserved for those today who seek Him.

TURN TO: 1 Peter 3:18-22

What Peter is saying there is that Jesus is your ark through the judgment.
He died on the cross for sin
He entered death and burst out the other side.

Now we are saved “through the resurrection of Jesus Christ”

We don’t skip death
We go through it in Christ Jesus.

See friends there is a judgment coming.
First was the flood, next comes the fire.

It is a certainty, for the sin that grieved God then still grieves Him today.
And He will judge sinners.

(just read Revelation some time)

But salvation through the judgment is possible in Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 2:4-5, 9-10 “For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly… then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority.”

God knows how to judge the wicked
And God knows how to save the righteous.

One last thing
(22) “Thus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did.”
That’s good advice.
Obey the Lord.

• Noah’s command was to build the ark, and he did.
• Our command is to repent of sin and submit to Christ.

Romans 10:9-10 “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”

Today
• I invite you to believe God as Noah did – there is a judgment.
• I invite you to obey God as Noah did and enter your ark.

Our ark is Jesus Christ.
We enter, by repenting of sin, trusting in His saving work,
And submitting to Him as Lord.

The Truth About The Tongue
James 3:1-12
December 7, 2014

I know it has been a couple of weeks since we were last in James,
But tonight we pick back up in this extremely direct book of the Bible.

Adrian Rogers called James “The Proverbs of the New Testament”
I think that is certainly because of the practical and direct wisdom
That comes to us in this powerful book.

But James also reminds me of the book of Proverbs
In the way that James can seem to jump from point to point
Without really any warning.

This book can almost read a little ADD

James just finished chapter 2 talking about faith and works and how important it is that your faith be verifiable.

And then in chapter 3, without any warning, James jumps into this passage about teachers and the tongue.

And next chapter he will do it again as he addresses loving the world.

If you aren’t careful James can kind of jump out from under you.

I think this style is absolutely fitting.
It reads to me like a man full of passion who must right and address
The problems he sees around him.

“And I’ll tell you another thing…”

It is a “soap box” type letter in which he is sort of clearing the air
Of all the things that bother him.

And in the text tonight his main concern
Is the interest so many have in becoming teachers.

“Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren…”

James saw a definite interest in those around him
To become teachers in God’s church.

And we certainly wouldn’t say that
Someone desiring to teach the word of God is a bad thing.

In fact, teaching God’s word is a good thing!

Jesus said in the Great Commission:
Matthew 28:19-20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Paul told Timothy:
1 Timothy 4:13-14 “Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching. Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery.”

Paul reminds there that teaching is a spiritual gift,
And one that God intends for those who have it to exercise it.

In fact, it would be sinful not to.
Timothy had to teach.

1 Timothy 6:2 “Those who have believers as their masters must not be disrespectful to them because they are brethren, but must serve them all the more, because those who partake of the benefit are believers and beloved. Teach and preach these principles.”

2 Timothy 2:2 “The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”

Paul told Titus:
Titus 2:3 “Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good,”

Paul even said of himself:
1 Corinthians 9:16 “For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel.”

So we’re not saying that teaching God’s word is a bad thing.
It isn’t.

For one, that is God’s ordained means of bringing the lost to salvation.

Romans 10:14 “How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?”

So obviously teaching is a good thing.

James ISN’T saying that people shouldn’t teach.

James’ concern is the number of people
Who run into a teaching position without first realizing
The struggle, the responsibility, and the dangers involved.

One thing that has been true throughout Scripture
Is that there have always been men and women who pursued teaching positions who were neither called, gifted, prepared, or sincere.

In the O.T. we have prophets who were not true messengers of God,
But that didn’t stop them from running to the office:

Jeremiah 23:21-22 “I did not send these prophets, But they ran. I did not speak to them, But they prophesied. “But if they had stood in My council, Then they would have announced My words to My people, And would have turned them back from their evil way And from the evil of their deeds.”

They were prophets who pursued the office of prophet,
Who sought out the role of teacher, and who claimed to speak for God.

The problem was that
• God didn’t send them
• They didn’t speak God’s message
• And they ended up doing more harm than good.

Which is what God said a few verses later.

Jeremiah 23:32 “Behold, I am against those who have prophesied false dreams,” declares the LORD, “and related them and led My people astray by their falsehoods and reckless boasting; yet I did not send them or command them, nor do they furnish this people the slightest benefit,” declares the LORD.”

They were teachers who jumped into the office,
But did not realize the danger they put others in
And the danger they put themselves in by doing so.

And sadly this even continued into the New Testament.

Remember the Pharisees?
Matthew 23:1-2 “Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses;”

When Paul wrote to Timothy, he wrote about them:
1 Timothy 1:3-7 “As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith. But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. For some men, straying from these things, have turned aside to fruitless discussion, wanting to be teachers of the Law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions.”

They were people who desperately wanted to be in the teacher role.
They pursued it, they went after it,
And they did so because they liked the honor that went with it.

Even in Corinth Paul wrote:
1 Corinthians 14:26 “What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.”

Getting to stand up and teach was a sought after role.

And we can certainly even see the reality today.
• We live in a day where anyone who wants to start a church an just find an old building, put up a sign, call themselves a preacher, and start a church.

• They can get a website, a blogspot, a facebook page, and just like that become a self-proclaimed preacher of the word.

It is just that easy and it is just that prevalent.
There are preachers everywhere.

And this reality is one that obviously bothered James
For in our text he addresses this eager crowd of would be teachers.

And his entire goal is to remind these prospective preachers
Of what they are stepping in to.

There are two main points tonight.
#1 A SHOCKING WARNING
James 3:1-2

As I told you already, teaching God’s word is in fact a good thing.

When Joshua spotted a group of men prophesying
He told Moses and wanted Moses to stop them.

Moses responded:
Numbers 11:28-29 “But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the LORD’S people were prophets, that the LORD would put His Spirit upon them!”

It is a good thing for people to proclaim the word of God – everywhere.

So it seems a little shocking that James would say here:
“Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren”

That seems a little strange that James would look at a congregation
And tell them to curve their enthusiasm.

But James isn’t trying to stop people from teaching God’s word,
James is trying to make sure those who do teach God’s word
Understand the seriousness of the responsibility.

“knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.”

The simple fact is that those who stand to speak for God
Had better be extra careful that that is exactly what they do.

Woe to the man who becomes like the prophets in Jeremiah’s day
Whom the Lord said, “I am against you…” and “you do not furnish this people the slightest benefit.”

But the reality is that speaking for God is a serious business
And those who do it, will stand “a stricter judgment”

And this is clearly seen in Scripture.

Galatians 1:6-9 “I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!”

Or remember these guys?
1 Timothy 1:18-20 “This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight, keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith. Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan, so that they will be taught not to blaspheme.”

That is why Paul told Timothy:
2 Timothy 2:15-18 “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, men who have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and they upset the faith of some.”

Being wrong and inaccurate or corrupt
About the things of God was not ok.

Nor is it ok to replace the truths of God
With “relevant” and “trendy” topics of the hour.

1 Timothy 6:20-21 “O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called “knowledge” – which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith. Grace be with you.”

And you get the point.
Those who stand to speak for God and then fail to do it faithfully or accurately will in fact be judged more severely.

And James wants this group of enthusiastic future preachers
To understand that.

He also wants them to understand
THAT SPEAKING FOR GOD IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT.

(2) “For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well.”

Do you catch James’ point?

He is warning you about being a teacher
Lest you say something wrong and bring judgment on yourself,

And then he reminds you that controlling the tongue
IS NOT an easy thing to do.

In fact, there is nothing in your body
That is harder to control than the tongue.

So much so that James says that
If you can find a man who can control his tongue,
You’ll find “a perfect man” who has no problem
Controlling any other part of his body.

THE POINT IS THAT THE TONGUE IS NOT EASY TO CONTROL.

So those who are standing to teach are risking a more severe judgment
While using a more dangerous tool.

It’s like using a chainsaw to trim your fingernails.

It’s dangerous and the consequences could be pretty severe.

He’s not saying people shouldn’t teach,
He just wants those who do
To understand the struggle they are up against.

They are called to use their tongue for the glory of God,
And that is easier said than done.

So A Shocking Warning
#2 A SOBERING REALITY
James 3:3-12

After that warning James begins to reveal exactly what he is talking about.
He sets out to show you what he means about the tongue.

And it is important that every believer (not just those who would teach)
Understand these truths about the tongue.

I can safely say, there is not a more dangerous part to your body
Than that part that sets behind your teeth.
Some men have been trained in martial arts and said that
Their hands are lethal weapons.

Well the truth about the tongue is that it is a lethal weapon
And it didn’t even have to be trained.

And for all those teachers who think all you have to do is just stand up,
Open your mouth, and the words of God will fly,
James writes to remind you just exactly what your tongue is all about.

James gives 4 sobering illustrations about the tongue.
1) THE TONGUE IS A POWERFUL RUDDER (3-5)

“Now if we put the bits into the horses’ mouths so that they will obey us, we direct their entire body as well. Look at the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot desires. So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire!”

James actually gives three analogies there.
• He speaks of a bit that controls a horse
• He speaks of a rudder that controls a ship
• He speaks of a spark that burns a forest

These three things all have two things in common:
Small size
Massive results

It is really quite amazing that you can take a bit, that only weighs a couple of ounces and use it to control a horse that weighs ½ a ton.

It is amazing that you can take a tiny rudder and use it to steer a massive ocean freighter.

It is amazing that you can take a little spark and watch it turn into a massive forest fire.

And to that James says (5) “So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things.”

That is to say it has a powerful resume
It has accomplished a lot

The tongue may be small, but it can accomplish quite a lot.
• The tongue has been responsible for wars and treaties
• The tongue has been responsible for weddings and divorces
• The tongue has been responsible for salvations and blasphemies
• The tongue has been responsible for hope and despair
The tongue can give a person all the confidence they need,
And the tongue can completely beat a person down.

It is a small part of the body, but it can literally steer a life.
It is a powerful rudder

And anyone who is thinking of teaching God’s word,
Should understand that.
It is no insignificant thing you are doing
To stand and speak into people’s lives.

And with many preachers perhaps the greatest fear
Is not that people won’t listen to you, but that they will.

When false prophets or glory seeking preachers
Or even those who just haven’t studied to show themselves approved
Stand and misrepresent God’s truth,
THEY CAN STEER A LIFE RIGHT DOWN THE WRONG PATH.

That is why right after Jesus gave the analogy
Of the wide and narrow gate, He immediately said:

Matthew 7:15-16 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.”

See it’s those false prophets
Who are telling the people on the wide road that everything is ok.

What a tragedy that people are listening to them.
Their tongues are powerful rudders that are literally guiding lives.

And while this is especially true for teachers of God’s word,
It is also true for all people.

Your tongue is a powerful rudder.
Which is perhaps why Scripture speaks so much about it.

Ephesians 4:29 “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.”

Ephesians 5:3-4 “But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.”

Colossians 4:6 “Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.”

The tongue is a powerful rudder,
You had better understand that before you sign up to use it.

2) THE TONGUE IS A WORLD OF INIQUITY (6)
“And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell.”

Well that is rather harsh.

While the first point can be taken either positive or negative,
There is no doubt in this verse what James thinks of the tongue.

James would definitely be of the opinion
That the tongue has caused far more harm than good.

It is like a fire that spreads and devours and destroys
In fact James called it “the very world of iniquity”

That it is to see everything wicked and sinful is tied up in it.

It “defiles the entire body”
A person can be beautiful on the outside, but they way they talk completely ruin it all.

It “sets on fire the course of our life”
The tongue can literally destroy your life and ruin your dreams.

It “is set on fire by hell”
In other words James reveals that the tongue is a messenger from the pit of hell that will defile your body and destroy your life.

James would tell you that the tongue is a great tool of Satan in this world.

Satan (the father of lies) has had tremendous success
Using people’s tongues.
False doctrine, slander, gossip, lying, bullying, flattery, exaggeration…

Satan loves the tongue and has often used it.

And so James would be saying here.
Before you sign up to use your tongue for the glory of God, maybe you’d do well just to make sure you aren’t using for the purposes of Satan.

A Powerful Rudder, A World of Iniquity
3) THE TONGUE IS A RESTLESS EVIL (7-8)
“For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race. But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison.”

When you think of that statement James makes,
It is actually pretty remarkable.

I’ve been watching NatGeo Wild all week because it has been “Big Cat Week”

I like to watch those lions and tigers
In the midst of their hunts and other endeavors.
(It is literally amazing what these big cats can do)

I think it’s safe to say that you wouldn’t want to meet one in the wild,
They are absolutely ferocious.

And yet lions have been tamed
You can go to a circus and watch people get them to do all sorts of things.

And yet James says, “But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison.”

You can’t tame the tongue?
WHY?

“it is a restless evil”
And
“it is full of deadly poison”

That is to say that it is relentless and never gives up,
And all it has is poison.

Sooner or later, with enough work, you can get a lion to submit to you
And actually find “good” things in that lion.

BUT NOT THE TONGUE
It is absolutely “restless”, it will not give in, and even if it did, you wouldn’t find anything in it but poison after you subdued it.

Romans 3:13 “THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE, WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING,” “THE POISON OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS”;

What you learn about the tongue, is that it won’t ever give in.

Psalms 39:1-3 “I said, “I will guard my ways That I may not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth as with a muzzle While the wicked are in my presence.” I was mute and silent, I refrained even from good, And my sorrow grew worse. My heart was hot within me, While I was musing the fire burned; Then I spoke with my tongue:”

You can try and try and try and fight and fight and fight,
But the tongue will outlast you.

And James wants to make sure you understand that
Before you decide to just jump into a teaching ministry.
You are about to try and use your tongue for the glory of God.
Do you realize it would actually be easier
To train a lion to take up the offering?

You need to understand what you are up against.

A Powerful Rudder, A World of Iniquity, A Restless Evil
4) A LYING FOUNTAIN (9-12)
“With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce fresh.”

And here is probably the worst aspect of the tongue yet.
• It is a trickster
• It is a liar
• It is a hypocrite

It can actually allow you to think that it is being used for the glory of God,
When in reality it is being used to malign Him.

HOW?
“With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God”

You went to church and used your mouth to sing “How Great Thou Art”
And then went to eat lunch and talked about how bad “so and so” was.

And your tongue allowed you to think that you were noble,
When in reality you were a two faced hypocrite.

James says:
“My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce fresh.”

And this is about as sobering as it gets.

Matthew 12:30-37 “He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters. “Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. “Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come. “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. “You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. “The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil. “But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. “For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

See “the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart”

And so if poison is coming out of your mouth,
Then guess what is in your heart.

And here is perhaps the greatest danger of the tongue of all.

Because people can say some good things with their mouth,
They can actually begin to believe they are real
Regardless of the negative things that come out as well.

And this is what James is pointing out.
You are lining up to be a teacher
And you don’t even realize what you’re signing up for.

You are attempting to use the most powerful, dangerous, strong-willed, and deceptive tool on your body for the glory of God.

And the result of using it will be a stricter judgment.

He’s not saying people shouldn’t teach,
But he is saying you’d better learn to get a handle on your tongue.

HOW?
Well, if the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart, I guess the only way to get a sanctified tongue is to get a what? (a sanctified heart)

You have to surrender your heart to Christ
That He can change it and thus change your speech.

And so you can see how even in this James is challenging our faith.

You say you’re a believer
You even say you want to be a teacher
But have you listened to what is coming out of your mouth?

If you’re going to claim to follow Jesus then not only do you need to endure like Jesus endured and love like Jesus loved and work like Jesus worked…you also need to talk like Jesus talked.

But don’t sign up to teach until
The Lord has control of your heart and control of your tongue.

If you do, it will on intensify your judgment
And most likely secure someone else’s.

 

The God of Israel
Genesis 33:1-20
December 7, 2014

As you know we are currently studying in the middle of the life of Jacob.
Moses has been systematically laying out for us the gospel
Through the book of Genesis.

• We’ve seen sin in Adam
• We’ve seen judgment in Noah
• And we’re seeing salvation in Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

And without a doubt as we have studied the life of Jacob
We are seeing God’s grace.

God has chosen Jacob
God has promised to make a nation out of Jacob
And God is not about to let that promise fail

God has been willing to do whatever it takes
To make sure Jacob becomes the man God said he would become.

THAT IS GRACE
(And it is grace that is greater than all our sin)

And as we saw last week, God’s work on Jacob has even been severe.

Not only has God educated Jacob through 20 years of service to Laban,
But last Sunday we saw God finally break Jacob for good.

If you’ll remember Jacob had one final hurdle to jump.
• He was coming back to Canaan, but he had to meet Esau.

Esau was the reason Jacob left to begin with. (Esau wanted to kill him)
And so returning to Canaan meant facing that threat.

• And when Jacob sent word to Esau that he was back, Esau instantly set on course to come and meet Jacob and was bringing with him 400 men.

• This news terrified Jacob (even though he had already seen that the armies of heaven were encamped about him).

• Jacob (as was his nature) took matters into his own hands and arranged a plan for appeasing Esau.

5 waves of presents spread out to slowly calm Esau down.

And even though Jacob had made serious strides under Laban,
When push came to shove Jacob still had a touch of self-reliance.

AND GOD HAD ENOUGH OF IT.
So God wrestled with Jacob to get him to let go of his self-reliance,
But Jacob would not and so God resorted to a more severe strategy.

God touched Jacob’s hip and crippled him.
GOD BROKE JACOB

And once Jacob was broken he finally realized his need for God.
• Jacob went from wrestling with God to clinging to Him.
• Jacob went from a man who likes to fight his own battles, to a man who needs God to fight them for him.

In short, Jacob became Israel
Jacob = “One who takes by the heel” or “supplants” (I fight)
Israel = “God fights”

Jacob had to be crippled BEFORE he was willing to let God fight for him.
Jacob had to be broken BEFORE he would let God work for him.
Jacob had to become weak BEFORE he could actually become strong.

THIS IS NOT A STRANGE OCCURANCE
God has no problem breaking those vessels He intends to use.

He has to remove all human strength.
WHY?

Because what looks like strength to you is really weakness.
Your ability does not compare to God’s ability in the least.

And so any area where you are content to trust in your own ability
Is actually an area of extreme spiritual weakness.

The solution is for God to take you to a place where you no longer
View that strength as a strength, but as a weakness.

And when you are filled with weakness,
Then you are ready to turn the battle over to God.

That is what God did for Jacob.
God crippled Jacob that He might make Jacob strong.

AND THAT IS WHERE WE CURRENTLY ARE IN THE STORY.

You are about to witness Jacob approach his greatest battle to date.
While it is true that he had his fair share of struggles with Laban,
This battle with Esau is the biggest of his life.

As we start chapter 33,
Esau is on his way to meet Jacob and he is bringing with him 400 men.
Jacob doesn’t know why Esau is coming, but he assumes the worst.

In Jacob’s prayer he said:
Genesis 32:11 “Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, that he will come and attack me and the mothers with the children.”

Jacob assumed that Esau was coming to kill everyone.

And so now, here is Jacob – a weak man; a crippled man –
Waiting for Esau to arrive, about to fight the battle of his life.

THESE ARE NOT THE CIRCUMSTANCES JACOB WOULD HAVE CHOSEN
• I’m sure Jacob would have liked his caravan to be well rested…
• I’m sure Jacob would have liked to be in top physical form…
• I’m sure Jacob would have liked for Esau to be alone…

This battle is not setting up well for Jacob,
He is weak and in that condition he must fight the battle.

What I want you to see is that through Jacob’s weakness
God was able to secure Jacob’s greatest victory.

4 points
#1 JACOB’S REUNION
Genesis 33:1-3

Wow, there it is…
“Then Jacob lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, Esau was coming, and four hundred men with him.”

I really want you to insert yourself into the story here and
Imagine what this must have felt like to Jacob.

• This is David standing before the giant…
• This is Daniel being lowered into the den of lions…
• This is Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego approaching the furnace…

This is where the rubber meets the road.
And Jacob assumes the absolute worst.

In fact, look at what he does:
(1b-2) “So he divided the children among Leah and Rachel and the two maids. He put the maids and their children in front, and Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph last.”

Well, I guess there’s no need to approach dad and ask who his favorite is…

Jacob is putting them in order
To try and spare the lives of his favored as long as possible.
And it is important you realize that this is NOT A BATTLE FORMATION,
This ISN’T even an ESCAPE FORMATION.

Remember he previous tried that by dividing the companies into two
So at least half of them could escape.

That isn’t even what we see here.
• Jacob isn’t planning on fighting
• Jacob isn’t planning on running
• Jacob is planning on dying

This is the battle plan of a crippled man

And then look at Jacob’s only action.
(3) “But he himself passed on ahead of them and bowed down to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.”

No threats – No maneuvers – No plans – No tricks
He is fighting like a weak, crippled man.

He actually reminds me of another crippled man in Scripture.
2 Samuel 9:1-8 “Then David said, “Is there yet anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David; and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” And he said, “I am your servant.” The king said, “Is there not yet anyone of the house of Saul to whom I may show the kindness of God?” And Ziba said to the king, ” There is still a son of Jonathan who is crippled in both feet.” So the king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “Behold, he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel in Lo-debar.” Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar. Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and prostrated himself. And David said, “Mephibosheth.” And he said, “Here is your servant!” David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show kindness to you for the sake of your father Jonathan, and will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul; and you shall eat at my table regularly.” Again he prostrated himself and said, “What is your servant, that you should regard a dead dog like me?”

It was common for a king to wipe out the lineage of a previous king to keep from any sort of act of revenge, and so Mephibosheth was rightly nervous.

He was too weak to fight and too feeble to run
So all he could do was throw himself at the mercy of David.

You may not like it, but Mephibosheth is a picture of you and me.
Just like Jacob is a picture of you and me.

Weak, cripples, unable to fight, unable to run – totally dependent on God.

That is where Jacob is.
Facing the biggest battle of his life and totally unable to win it on his own.

And might I just say – GOD LOVES THAT JACOB IS THERE!
Jacob’s Reunion
#2 JACOB’S RELIEF
Genesis 33:4-11

I can only imagine that as Jacob would tell this story to people later
He would say something like, “Knock me over with a feather!”

This is one of the most shocking
And uncharacteristic meetings in all of Scripture.

No one (especially Jacob) expected this.
(4) “Then Esau ran to meet him and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept.”

I don’t know if it sparks your memory,
But Esau’s response here causes me to remember the story of the Prodigal son and how the father willingly accepted the wayward son.

This is absolutely shocking!
Esau hated Jacob
Esau wanted to kill Jacob

But here Esau is rejoicing over Jacob
Like a parent whose child just safely returned from war.

Then Esau completely extinguishes all of Jacob’s fears.
(5-9) “He lifted his eyes and saw the women and the children, and said, “Who are these with you?” So he said, “The children whom God has graciously given your servant.” Then the maids came near with their children, and they bowed down. Leah likewise came near with her children, and they bowed down; and afterward Joseph came near with Rachel, and they bowed down. And he said, “What do you mean by all this company which I have met?” And he said, “To find favor in the sight of my lord.” But Esau said, “I have plenty, my brother; let what you have be your own.”

20 years ago when Jacob fled, Esau was a greedy man
Who was upset because Jacob had cheated him out of possessions.

Now Jacob is offering more to Esau
And apparently he is content with what he has.

Who saw that coming?
Jacob certainly didn’t!

In fact, notice what Jacob says:
(10-11) “Jacob said, “No, please, if now I have found favor in your sight, then take my present from my hand, for I see your face as one sees the face of God, and you have received me favorably. “Please take my gift which has been brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me and because I have plenty.” Thus he urged him and he took it.”

I really like when Jacob says, “I see your face as one sees the face of God, and you have received me favorably.”

That doesn’t mean that Jacob is worshiping or anything like that.

The insight come from the previous chapter.
After Jacob wrestled with God, do you remember what he said?

Genesis 32:30 “So Jacob named the place Peniel, for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved.”

Jacob knew that seeing the face of God was a terrifying thing.
Jacob knew that seeing the face of God meant certain death.

And that is what he is referring to with Esau.
“I thought seeing you was certain death and yet you have received me favorably.”

In short, you aren’t the only one who is shocked that Esau is so kind, Jacob is just as taken back by it.

WHAT ARE WE TO MAKE OF THIS?

• Well, do you remember the vision God gave to Jacob as he was fleeing from Esau headed to Haran?

Genesis 28:11-12 “He came to a certain place and spent the night there, because the sun had set; and he took one of the stones of the place and put it under his head, and lay down in that place. He had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.”

• Do you remember what we said that vision meant?
It meant that God was working on the earth on Jacob’s behalf.

I GUESS HE WAS WORKING IN MORE WAYS
THAN JACOB WAS AWARE OF.

And that is one of the most amazing realities about God.
• We come to Him with our requests…
• We ask Him to intervene in our situations…
• We look for evidence that He is working…

And the reality is that God is working in ways
That we never even consider.

We’ve spent 20 years looking at all the intricate ways in which God was working on Jacob.

• We saw God crush his pride
• We saw the 20 years of labor
• We saw God come through as Jacob fled
• We witnessed God cripple Jacob to ultimately make him strong

And even in these verses it is obvious
That God had done an amazing work on Jacob.

Jacob used to be greedy – ambitiously going after everything he wanted.
Here he is generous – giving Esau what Esau doesn’t even want.

Jacob used to be arrogant
Here he is giving God’s grace credit for all that he has

Jacob used to be fickle, now he is faithful

Jacob used to be proud, now he is perceptive.

God was working on Jacob
And we saw God doing that for the past 20 years.

What we didn’t realize is that while God was working on Jacob in Haran, He was apparently also working on Esau back in Canaan.

We had no clue (and we often don’t)

And at this moment, we are so glad God broke Jacob
Can you imagine the train wreck if Jacob, in his own strength,
Would have attempted to handle this battle?

Can’t you see him lining up to fight Esau?
And then Esau deciding to fight back?

It is just amazing that over the past 20 years
God had been at work on Jacob and on Esau
To bring about a truly remarkable reunion.

May we again remember that no dilemma is too big for God.
(Even relationships that seem absolutely irreconcilable are not too big for God)

God really was fighting for Jacob.

Jacob’s Reunion, Jacob’s Relief
#3 JACOB’S RELEASE
Genesis 33:12-17

Some have really balked at this part of the story.
It really looks like Jacob lied to Esau and tricked him again.
Saying, “I’ll follow you to Seir” and then going completely the opposite way.

But that is really sort of missing the point.
• Moses doesn’t say that Jacob never went to Seir
• Moses doesn’t make a big deal about Jacob being a deceiver

The real point to these 6 verses is merely to show you that
The change in Esau was absolutely sincere.

Admit it…
• When you read these verses and you hear Esau say “come with me”
• And then Jacob says, “No, you go ahead”

• Then Esau says, “Well, let me leave some men with you to guide you.”
• And Jacob again says, “No, I’m good”

Aren’t you just a little concerned
That Esau is about to “blow up” and say something like, “You haven’t changed a bit have you Jacob, I’ll tell you one thing, you’re coming with me, and you’re coming right now!”

Can’t you just sort of feel an awkward tension
That maybe Esau isn’t as gracious as he has seemed?

And yet, this passage proves that he is.
• Esau is a genuinely changed man.
• There is no bitterness in him
• This is no trick

Esau is purely offering out of the goodness of his heart. He holds no ill will toward Jacob and is not offended to let Jacob go on about his way.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
God really did win the battle for Jacob, and God’s victory is permanent.
This was no mirage
This was no false hope

When God fights the battle, God wins the battle,
And His victories are permanent and sure.

And this is yet another reason why we want God to fight our battles for us.

Often times we fight in our own strength, and our supposed victories come unraveled and sometimes even blow up in our face.

But when God does it, it lasts.

It is so much better that God fought for Jacob
Instead of leaving Jacob to fight for himself.

It was permanent.
Jacob’s Reunion, Jacob’s Relief, Jacob’s Release
#4 JACOB’S RETURN
Genesis 33:18-20

To fully appreciate this verse
I really need to remind you of the scene 20 years earlier.

TURN TO: GENESIS 28:10-22

Do you remember that?
20 years ago, God made Jacob a promise.
• I’ll be with you
• I’ll bless you with descendants
• I’ll bring you back to this land

That promise was 20 years old (we don’t like to wait 20 minutes)

I can only imagine the number of times that
Jacob must have questioned if God really would come through like that.

And then we read:
(18) “Now Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padan-aram, and camped before the city.”

That’s just one verse to you and me,
But that must have been quite a moment of confirmation for Jacob.

GOD DID WHAT HE SAID HE WOULD DO
• God never left him
• God did give him children
• And God had brought him home

I’m always mindful of the promise God made to Moses
When He was calling him to go and confront Pharaoh.

Exodus 3:11-12 “But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?” And He said, “Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain.”

You’ve read this before, and you know that what God gave Moses was not a sign.

A sign would have been, “Do you want me to prove I’ll be with you? Watch that mountain, I’ll turn it purple!”

What God told Moses was after you go in, after you talk to Pharaoh, after he lets you go, after I bring you back here…

When you get here, then you’ll fully realize
That I was with you the whole time and you will worship Me.

That is called confirmation.
And can’t you imagine what a sweet moment of worship that Moses had on that mountain when he returned with the children of Israel?

JUST LIKE JACOB’S WORSHIP

In 20 years Jacob had been through quite a bit.
• Running from Esau
• Working for Laban
• Enduring the elements
• Running from Laban
• Facing Esau

It had been quite a journey,
But when Jacob led his family back into Canaan
All he had to do was see that God had done everything He promised.

AND THE WORSHIP WAS SWEET!

(20) “Then he erected there an altar and called it El-Elohe-Israel.”

That means, “God, the God of Israel”

Do you remember Jacob’s promise to what God told him 20 years ago in that vision?

Genesis 28:20-22 “Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will keep me on this journey that I take, and will give me food to eat and garments to wear, and I return to my father’s house in safety, then the LORD will be my God. “This stone, which I have set up as a pillar, will be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.”

Jacob fulfilled that vow here.
God’s loyalty to Jacob demanded Jacob’s loyalty in return.

At this point you must have been able to see that God is for you.
God has been loyal to you.

Jacob could.
• 20 years later, God had not failed Jacob.
• God had been with him
• God had provided for him
• God had blessed him
• God had brought him home

God had been loyal to Jacob, just as God has been loyal to you.

The question is, are you loyal to God?
God would call you His child.
But would you call Him your God?

And certainly I don’t mean just some sentimental statement.
• For Jacob this meant that he would worship no other
• For Jacob this meant that he would serve no other
• For Jacob this mean that no other would come before Him

He would obey
He would trust
He would worship this one God

He would love this one God
With all his heart and with all his soul and with all his mind.

God had been loyal to Jacob and now Jacob would be loyal to God.

The question for each of us this morning is
Would you and I be willing to make that same commitment?

Would I build an altar in my heart and say: “GOD IS THE GOD OF RORY”?

Psalms 95:1-7 “O come, let us sing for joy to the LORD, Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the LORD is a great God And a great King above all gods, In whose hand are the depths of the earth, The peaks of the mountains are His also. The sea is His, for it was He who made it, And His hands formed the dry land. Come, let us worship and bow down, Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand.”

We’ve spent several weeks outlining time and time again
How faithful God is.

We’ve seen over and over and over how gracious He is
We’ve looked and looked and looked at His unfailing loyalty to His people.

He did it for Abraham
He did it for Isaac
He did it for Jacob

And the reality is that He’s done it for
Every one of His elect throughout the ages.

But the goal of the passage
Is not to simply get you to accept that God is faithful.

The goal of the text is to get you to respond to God
With that same faithfulness, loyalty, and commitment.

Jacob camped in front of a pagan city, no doubt full of idols,
And declared that he would worship none of them.

God would be Israel’s God
What a statement!

I wonder if you would make that same declaration?
• No more hiding in the shadows
• No more timidity
• No more self-preservation
• No more political correctness
• No more fear of offending the world
• No more concern of what others might think

I wonder if you would be willing to step out and say, “I don’t know about anyone else, but as for me, I’m going to be faithful to God!”

That is what Jacob just did, and that is what God deserves.

Genesis 33:20 “Then he erected there an altar and called it El-Elohe-Israel.”

The Limp Felt Round the World
Genesis 32:1-32
November 30, 2014

Well this morning we come upon
Another one of those familiar stories in the Bible.
Jacob wrestling with God.

And quite frankly, I don’t know why this story surprises us.
Certainly by now we know that Jacob is precisely that type of strong-willed individual that hardly ever just submits the first time.

• Jacob is self-reliant
• Jacob is head strong
• Jacob generally only consents after there is no other option

And just in my saying that
Jacob just became many of your favorite Old Testament saint
Because you just realized how well you identify with him.

Jacob never seemed to come without a fight.

And this morning we finally see the event
That has been necessary since the day Jacob was born.

WHAT DAY WAS IT?
They day God finally broke Jacob.

Brokenness is not necessarily a term that we like to think about much in our Christian walk, but it is certainly a necessary one.

Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

If you aren’t spiritually broken and bankrupt,
you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

You also have to hate what you were.

Matthew 5:5 “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.”

The word meek there means “strength under control”, it means submissive.

The person who never becomes broken over their own condition and submissive to God is a person who will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

• If you’ve never come to the end of your self…
• If you’ve never realized your own failure…
• If you’ve never seen that you are hopeless and helpless…
• If you’ve never reached that sort of spiritual depression and bankruptcy…
• THEN YOU’VE NEVER COME TO CHRIST.

Because we meet Christ at the end of our self.
And now I think you know where we are with Jacob.
God has been calling him, molding him, teaching him.

This morning God is about to break Jacob
And begin the transformation process in Jacob’s life.

It is a glorious picture!
And it all centers around Jacob meeting Esau.

If you’ll remember, Esau was the reason Jacob left in the first place.
Well, now it’s time to meet again and God will use this event to finally turn Jacob into a man who relies on God and not himself.

There are 5 main points to help us give some structure to the chapter.
#1 A SPIRITUAL CERTAINTY
Genesis 32:1-2

This is such an important revelation that comes to Jacob from God.
It is not different than either of the other two revelations Jacob received.

When Jacob was fleeing to Haran God showed him the vision of the ladder from heaven that Jacob might know that God was working for him regardless of what he was about to face.

When Jacob was about to flee from Laban God showed him in a vision how all the male goats had become speckled and striped and mottled and reminded Jacob that He would be with him as he fled.

And now as Jacob prepares for another scary incident
Here is God once again to remind Jacob at the outset
That He has it all under control.

(1-2) “Now as Jacob went on his way, the angels of God met him. Jacob said when he saw them, “This is God’s camp.” So he named that place Mahanaim.”

Just like the vision of the ladder from heaven,
Jacob is here granted the right to see
What is otherwise invisible to the human realm.

God allowed Jacob to see “the angels of God” camped about him.
Some render it “This is God’s company” as if to say, “God’s army”

Jacob was about to face Esau
Certainly Jacob was filled with anxiety over this encounter,
And yet God is assuring Jacob before they ever meet
That regardless of what may come to him,
God is present to protect him.

Chris Tomlin sings:
“You hear me when I call, You are my morning song. Though darkness fills the night, it cannot hide the light. Whom shall I fear? You crush the enemy underneath my feet. You are my sword and shield though troubles linger still. Whom shall I fear? I know who goes before me, I know who stands behind. The God of angel armies is always by my side. The One who reigns forever, He is a friend of mine. The God of angel armies is always by my side.”

The Psalmist said:
Psalms 34:7 “The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, And rescues them.”

Perhaps you remember the story of Elisha and his servant.
The king of Aram was enraged at Elisha for always disclosing his position and plans.

When the king of Aram decided to capture Elisha,
He had his troops surround him at Dothan.
When Elisha’s servant went outside and saw the surrounding armies he was frightened.

2 Kings 6:15-17 “Now when the attendant of the man of God had risen early and gone out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was circling the city. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed and said, “O LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” And the LORD opened the servant’s eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”

This concept of God’s angels camped around the righteous
Is a true spiritual reality.

Those who talk about having a “Guardian Angel” are selling God short.
Those who fear the Lord have a “Guardian Army”.

So Jacob actually sees the army of God that is camped about him.
• He actually sees just how much God is for Him.
• He actually sees his protection.

God wants Jacob to know that regardless of what is on the other side of the river, God is with him.

A Spiritual Reality
#2 A SUPPOSED CRISIS
Genesis 32:3-8

On one hand we have what is certain and concrete and absolute.
We know that God and His army are with Jacob.

Now we move to what Jacob did not know, and what was not certain

(3-5) “Then Jacob sent messengers before him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom. He also commanded them saying, “Thus you shall say to my lord Esau: ‘Thus says your servant Jacob, “I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed until now; I have oxen and donkeys and flocks and male and female servants; and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find favor in your sight.”‘”

Now I don’t mind telling you that
I don’t really have a problem with Jacob’s approach here.

The writer of Proverbs said:
Proverbs 15:1 “A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.”

Proverbs 15:18 “A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, But the slow to anger calms a dispute.”

In the New Testament, Paul said:
Romans 12:18 “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.”

That being said, it doesn’t bother me that Jacob presented himself to Esau calling him “my lord” and calling himself “your servant”

It also doesn’t bother me that Jacob spoke of the wealth he had acquired
As if to set Esau at ease since Jacob was insinuating that
He was not coming to take what Esau had.

Everything about what Jacob does here is to calm a potential fight.
And that is fine with me.
In fact I think it is probably wise.

But it is the word Jacob receives back that causes him to panic.

(6) “The messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother Esau, and furthermore he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.”

And what is Jacob’s assumption?
Esau is coming to kill me just as he promised before I left.

(7-8) Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; and he divided the people who were with him, and the flocks and the herds and the camels, into two companies; for he said, “If Esau comes to the one company and attacks it, then the company which is left will escape.”

Now I’m not saying I wouldn’t be afraid in such circumstances,
The truth is, I would probably be afraid as well.

However, that fear is absolutely uncalled for – WHY?
Because God is camping about Jacob.

Jacob only assumes that Esau is coming to fight,
But Jacob should know that God is there to fight.
But none the less, Jacob is in a scary spot
And I think God has certainly allowed that.

A Spiritual Certainty A Supposed Crisis
#3 A SUBSEQUENT CRY
Genesis 32:9-12

Here is Jacob’s prayer and it is a wonderful prayer.

We’ve talked about prayer on Wednesday nights
And how God loves that “Prayer of Faith”.
Well, here is an excellent example!

Now if you recognize the bookends of this prayer you will notice that Jacob both begins and ends with the promise God made to him.

(9) “Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O LORD, who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your relatives, and I will prosper you,’”

(12) “For You said, ‘I will surely prosper you and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which is too great to be numbered.'”

The main thrust behind Jacob’s appeal to God is that
God is the One who said Jacob should return
And that He would be safe in doing so.

And Jacob is reminding God of those promises.

And not only is Jacob reminding God of those promises,
But Jacob lets God know that he would really like for God to keep them.

(11) “Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, that he will come and attack me and the mothers with the children.”

Jacob feared the absolute worst from Esau.
To attack “the mother’s with the children”
Was a cruelty that goes beyond a grudge.

And so Jacob is crying out to God, that God not let that happen.

And here is my favorite part.
It is WHY Jacob is crying out to God.

Jacob is praying to God based on God’s promises,
Not because Jacob thinks he deserves it.

You have to love verse 10
(10) “I am unworthy of all the lovingkindness and of all the faithfulness which You have shown to Your servant; for with my staff only I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two companies.”

Look God, I know that I absolutely do not deserve the loyalty [HESED]
And faithfulness you have chosen to show me.

I was nothing but a poor man fleeing from his angry brother,
And yet You have taken an interest in me and blessed me.

And not only that, but it wasn’t me who came to You asking for all this prosperity, it was You who came to me saying You were going to give it.

“So God, even though I am unworthy,
I am asking You to please do what You said You would.”
That is what we call a prayer of faith.

It is a prayer that trusts in the nature and promises of God,
And not in our own worth as the reason our prayers should be answered.

And at this point in the game that prayer is really expected.
Jacob is afraid, so he most certainly should pray.

Philippians 4:6-7 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
SO JACOB PRAYED
The problem is that this is not all that Jacob does.

A Spiritual Certainty A Supposed Crisis A Subsequent Cry
#4 THE SAME OLD CONCLUSION
Genesis 32:13-21

As soon as Jacob is finished praying, he immediately springs into action.
He has a plan!
(There is that same old Jacob, always with a plan)

The plan is to appease Esau with gifts,
And to do it gradually so as to calm him down over time.
Jacob has “a present for his brother Esau”

This present would consist of five waves of gifts.

1) “two hundred female goats and twenty male goats”
2) “two hundred ewes and twenty rams”
3) “thirty milking camels and their colts”
4) “forty cows and ten bulls”
5) “twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys”
So Jacob is going to calm him down with gifts.

(20) “For he said, “I will appease him with the present that goes before me. Then afterward I will see his face; perhaps he will accept me.”

BUT REMEMBER, JACOB DOESN’T EVEN KNOW IF ESAU IS ANGRY

Jacob was running ahead again and trying to fix things
By his own ingenuity and ability.

Now look, it is NOT sinful to give a gift to your brother.
There was nothing immoral or wrong with what Jacob did.

It’s NOT even like Jacob specifically did something
That God told him not to do.
So we aren’t even going to charge Jacob with disobedience, or even a lack of faith here.

The problem however is that when push comes to shove,
Jacob still trusts in his own abilities and plans to win the day.

Jacob will = recognize God, pray to God, and even honor God,
But Jacob’s final hope is not God, it is his own ability.

Jacob’s safe zone is his own ingenuity.
Jacob doesn’t like to surrender control.

20 years in Haran and Jacob still wants to fix things himself.
CAN YOU SAY STUBBORN?

CAN YOU IDENTIFY WITH JACOB?

Well, enough is enough, this has to go.
A Spiritual Certainty, A Supposed Crisis, A Subsequent Cry, The Same Old Conclusion
#5 A SEVERE CORRECTION
Genesis 32:22-32

Now this portion of the story begins with
Jacob crossing one of the forks of the Jordan river (“the Jabbok”)

And then Jacob sends his family on a little further until he is left alone.

And here comes the story Jacob is most famous for.
(24-29) “Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he touched the socket of his thigh; so the socket of Jacob’s thigh was dislocated while he wrestled with him. Then he said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” But he said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” So he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” He said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.” Then Jacob asked him and said, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And he blessed him there.”

Now I don’t know how you’ve had that story explained to you in the past,
But I can tell you how it was often explained to me.
“JACOB WRESTLING WITH GOD IN PRAYER”

Jacob was afraid of Esau
Jacob sat down and wrestled with God in prayer until God agreed to protect Him

And the story is likened to Jesus praying in the garden
Or us striving in prayer.

Now striving in prayer and praying fervently and praying with faith
And praying without losing heart are in fact all Biblical realities.

Colossians 4:12 “Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bondslave of Jesus Christ, sends you his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God.”

Romans 15:30 “Now I urge you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me,”

Certainly there is an element of prayer that is work
And I do not wish to minimize that.

But you are going to have a very difficult time applying that concept
To what is happening here with Jacob.
WHY?

Well FIRST of all, it was not Jacob who approached the man, it was the man who approached Jacob.

The Scripture does NOT say “And Jacob wrestled with God…”

It says, “Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak.”

Any notion of Jacob approaching God
And wrestling until God should finally give in is a little faulty.

SECONDLY the passage says that the man “saw that he had not prevailed against” Jacob.

So what are we to assume?

Jacob was wrestling with God for protection from Esau and a blessing,
But God was unwilling to do that until Jacob outwrestled him?
If you’ve read the story of Jacob at all,
You’d know God was NOT resisting the notion of blessing Jacob.
That was precisely God’s plan.

Beyond that, God had already given him a flock,
And was now encamped around him.

To assume that Jacob was trying to force God
To protect and bless him, is to read this passage in a vacuum.

SO WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE?
The wrestling match you see here
Is that of God trying to get Jacob to quit being so self-reliant.

• God is holding Jacob down…
• God is putting his arm behind his back…
• God is pinning back his legs…
• In effect God is saying, “Cry Uncle”…

God is trying to get Jacob to let go of this constant desire
To do it on his own and be so self reliant.

THE PROBLEM?
Jacob won’t give in

And regardless of the battle all night long, Jacob just won’t let go and the man “saw that he had not prevailed against him.”

But God has plans for Jacob and He is not about to
Let Jacob remain self-sufficient and self-reliant.

So when Jacob refuses to consent, what does the man do?
“he touched the socket of his thigh; so the socket of Jacob’s thigh was dislocated while he was wrestling with him.”

This man who was wrestling with Jacob actually crippled Jacob.
Because Jacob trusted in his own strength, God actually made him weak.

AND THIS IS WHERE THE STORY TURNS.
It is obvious that after this happens that Jacob realizes who he is wrestling with,
And although he can no longer out wrestle, Jacob does choose to hold on.

“I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

And please notice the answer.
(27) “So he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.”

Now why would this man ask Jacob that?
Jacob’s name meant, “one who takes by the heel” or “one who supplants”
Jacob’s name revealed him as a man who does it on his own,
A self-reliant man who takes what he wants.
(GOD JUST FORCED JACOB TO LOOK AT HIMSELF)

• The reason you have difficulties…
• The reason you are constantly in a mess…
• The reason you struggle with me…
• The reason I had to cripple you…

IS BECAUSE YOU ALWAYS INSIST ON BEING A JACOB!
You continually hold to your own ability, even over God’s.

But now that you are crippled and in need of my blessing,
You won’t be a Jacob anymore. Now you are going to be “Israel”

“Israel” can either mean “he who strives with God”
Or better in Jacob’s case, “God strives”

Where as Jacob meant “You fight”
Israel means “God fights”

“Your name shall not longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.”

This does not mean that somehow Jacob defeated God.
It means that Jacob finally overcame what was holding him back.

When the fight started, Jacob was a strong man
Who could resist what God wanted in favor of his own strength.

But after God crippled him Jacob was a cripple
Who could only hold on to God wanting God’s help and blessing.

And when Jacob reached that point, God said – “Now you’ve overcome”
NOW YOU GET IT

Jacob then wants to know the man’s name.
“But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?”

He wouldn’t share his name because it wasn’t revealed yet.

Remember when Samson’s dad asked the same question?
Judges 13:18 “But the angel of the LORD said to him, “Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?”

This name is the name above every name.
It is the highest name.
DO YOU KNOW WHO JACOB IS WRESTLING WITH?

It is a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ.
Jesus even said:
Matthew 13:17 “For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”

Jacob was wrestling with Jesus

After that Jacob named that place “Peniel for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved.”

Jacob realized that God could have done far worse than cripple him.
God could have killed him for his stubborn wrestling.

And in the final verse Moses reminds us that this incident was commemorated throughout the ages among the children of Israel as they would not eat the “sinew of the hip which is on the socket of the thigh.”

It was a perpetual reminder.
A REMINDER OF WHAT?

That oftentimes God has to break us
Before we can ever be what God intends for us to be.

Need a New Testament reference?
2 Corinthians 12:7-10 “Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me — to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Paul was learning that he could never be truly strong in his own strength,
It had to be God’s.

1 Corinthians 1:25 “…the weakness of God is stronger than men.”

Think about Paul – no doubt he would rest in his own ability.

Remember what he wrote to the Galatians?
Galatians 1:21-24 “Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. I was still unknown by sight to the churches of Judea which were in Christ; but only, they kept hearing, “He who once persecuted us is now preaching the faith which he once tried to destroy.” And they were glorifying God because of me.”

It was clear that Paul’s reputation of a persecutor turned preacher was quite the tool in his ministry, AND YET GOD TOOK IT AWAY.

WHY? HOW COULD HE?
Because God had a greater strength for Paul beyond that.

And when Paul learned that, he said:
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 “And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”

That is the same thing Jesus is doing to Jacob.
• Jesus wrestled with Jacob
• Jesus broke Jacob
• And the end result was Jacob clinging to Jesus.

Now let me ask you…HAS GOD EVER CRIPPLED YOU?

What God did to Jacob wasn’t unique to Jacob.
Jacob’s limp is a limp many of you have felt.
It is “The Limp felt round the world”

• Your limp may have been financial…
• Your limp may have been emotional…
• Your limp may have been reputational…
• Your limp may have been mental…

And I realize that it can seem cruel for God to take the opportunity to actually inflict pain upon you.

But the honest truth is that if God were not willing to do that,
It is quite possible that you and I would never leave that crutch behind and learn to rely on Him.

What I want you to realize this morning is that
God did not cripple you that he might make you weak.
God did it so that you might be strong by trusting in his strength.

• Can I remind you not to trust in yourself?
• Can I encourage you to quit wrestling with God?
• Can I tell you that God can always push harder?
• Can I promise you that He loves you enough to certainly do it?

Don’t think for a second that Christ would refuse to make you limp if it might save your soul?

HE WILL NOT LET HIS PLAN TO SAVE YOU FAIL
HE BREAKS THOSE WHO COME TO HIM
THAT HE MIGHT REBUILD THEM EVEN BETTER.