Faith You Can See – Part 2
James 2:14-26 (19-26)
November 16, 2014

Well last time we met we started looking at
This very penetrating passage in the book of James.

James is concerned about one thing primarily, and that is that you
“BE REAL”

It is important to him that those who claim to follow Jesus actually live like Jesus.
• He wants them to count their trials as joy
• He wants them to walk in wisdom
• He wants them to endure through temptation
• He wants them to hear the word of God and do it
• He wants them to serve the least
• He wants them to not show favoritism

And obviously those are all attributes of Christ.
And from James’ perspective, those aren’t just things Jesus taught,
That is exactly how James saw Jesus live His entire life.

And now that James has come to the faith
He expects other Christians to walk like Christ.

AND IN THIS PASSAGE JAMES IS TALKING ABOUT YOUR FAITH.

And the main point to this passage is that
If you have faith, it ought to be evident.

Your faith ought to be verifiable.
James wanted nothing of this concept of a “private faith” or a “private relationship”

• James understood that true light is not hid under a bushel
• James understood that true salt was meant to be tasted
• James understood that as Christians our faith should be evident to all.

And if it isn’t, then maybe you don’t have genuine faith.

And we even talked about a little last week that
THERE IS SUCH A THING AS FAITH THAT DOES NOT SAVE.

• We saw in John 2 those “believers” whom Jesus would not entrust Himself to.
• We saw in John 8 those “believers” who turned out to be children of the devil.
• We saw in John 12 those “believers” who would not publicly confess Him.

In all of those passage we saw people who claimed to “believe” in Jesus,
But their works clearly evidenced that whatever they had, it wasn’t faith.
And this has always been a real “hot-button” issue with me,
Especially since I lived 11 years of my life just like that.

At 8 years old I asked Jesus into my heart.
• Did I believe He was real? Yes
• Did I believe He died on the cross? Yes
• Would I tell you I believed in Him? Yes

But I wasn’t saved until I was 19.
(even though countless people would tell me I was)

HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN YOUR SALVATION OCCURRED?

That is easy
The presence of the Holy Spirit, and the evidence of a changed life.

We have done people a real disservice in Baptist circles in that all we really every ask people is “do you believe in Jesus?”

And when they say “Yes” we say, “Then you are saved.”

Will it surprise you if I tell you that claiming to believe in Jesus
Is NOT sufficient proof of salvation?

I mean, James is going to prove that here in just a second:
(19) “You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.”

Believing that Jesus lived, died, rose, and ascended
Only goes so far as to put you in the company of the demons.

Claiming to believe is NOT the Biblical evidence of a saved life.

The presence of the Holy Spirit is.
Romans 8:14 “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.”

2 Corinthians 13:5 “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you — unless indeed you fail the test?”

The presence of the Holy Spirit is the validation of
Whether or not your faith is saving faith.

Ephesians 1:13-14 “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation — having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”

Genuine saving faith results in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

And here is the important part.
The Holy Spirit will change your life!

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”

My point to all that is this.
• Simple belief in Jesus is not what we are looking for.
• We are looking for a life transformed by the indwelling Holy Spirit.

That is how we know a person is saved, not by their claims.

Now we started this concept last week as we looked at the first point of James.
#1 EFFORTLESS COMPASSION REVEALS DEAD FAITH
James 2:14-18

Here was a person who “says he has faith but he has no works”
And James wants to know “Can that faith save him?”

In other words, do you really suppose a faith that doesn’t evidence itself in a changed life is a faith strong enough to save your soul?

You shouldn’t

And then James gave an example of this type of faith.
(15-16) “If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?”

James gives a hypothetical situation where you have a genuine believer
Who is totally void of daily essentials for living.

This isn’t a discontent brother, this is a poor brother.
And he needs enough to get by today.

But instead of giving him what is necessary, you say, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,”

Instead of helping him, you chose to speak a blessing over him.

Now if you want the full effect of James’ point, reverse the roles.

Let yourself be the starving naked brother and you go to someone for help and they say, “Go and may God bless you”

SO WHAT DID THEY DO FOR YOU?
(nothing)

Then comes James’ point:
“EVEN SO faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.”
If your faith isn’t verifiable by works, then it is nothing.
It is as useless as a blessing to a starving man.

Furthermore it is easy to punch a hole in your faith.
• Because anyone can come up to you and say, “So you have faith? SHOW ME”
• Now you can answer, “No, my faith is a private affair.”
• And they will answer, “I will show you my faith by my works.”

So James’ first point is clear.
There is a verbal faith that has no power at all.

It is just about as powerful as effortless compassion.
It is a DEAD faith.
And we covered that last Sunday night.

Tonight we want to move on to James’ next point.
#2 EMPTY CONFESSION REVEALS USELESS FAITH
James 2:19-20

James is still speaking of that faith with no works.
He is talking about that man who “says he has faith but he has no works.”

And James really squares in on the religious here.

He is referring to people who make an outward claim “that God is one”

Where did he get that statement?
Deuteronomy 6:4-5 “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”

Israel was steeped in a world of polytheism.
All of their neighbors believed in numerous gods

Even in Egypt (where they had just left)
There were various gods for almost everything.

And God told Israel – There is one God, Me! And you should give Me all your love.

So a good Jew quickly learned that “God is one”
Or that there is only one God.

James’ problem was not their lack of belief in Deuteronomy 6:4,
It was in their LACK OF adherence to Deuteronomy 6:5
In which they were to love God with all their heart, soul, and mind.

That was the problem.
And it is a real problem even today.

People all over our culture, people all over our churches who say,
“I believe in God”

James says “You do well;”

Of course the problem is this:
“the demons also believe”

I’ll tell you something about Satan and his demons.
They are monotheistic.

• They believe in the one true God.
• They know God is real.
• Satan is more sure of the nature and work of Christ than anyone.

If you tell a demon there is only one God, they will agree.

But where a condemned demon goes even farther than most who claim to believe in God today, at least they “shudder”

At least they fear God.

Matthew 8:29-31 “And they cried out, saying, “What business do we have with each other, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?” Now there was a herd of many swine feeding at a distance from them. The demons began to entreat Him, saying, “If You are going to cast us out, send us into the herd of swine.”

Mark 5:7 “and shouting with a loud voice, he said, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God, do not torment me!”

Those demons believed in Jesus, they believed in the judgment,
They knew there was only one God – they even swore by Him.

And James’ concern is that most of the “believers” he sees
Don’t even do that.

(20) “But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?”

And boy does James hit the nail on the head!

What he reveals is precisely the problem
People are unwilling to “recognize”
That faith without works cannot save.

People so badly want to pronounce their friends and family “saved” simply because they claim to believe.
But their friend of family member
• Exhibits no love of Christ,
• No faithfulness to His church,
• No commitment to His word,
• No desire to share His truth,
• No concern for His commands.
• No evidence of His Spirit
• No hunger for His righteousness

But they hold relentlessly to the fact that one time in VBS as a child
They claimed to believe and was even baptized.

They are unwilling to even consider the possibility
That their faith may not be genuine.

And James says that is “foolish”

That is to make a mockery out of faith
That is to disregard the requirements of God
That is to dispense false assurance by the bucket loads

And attitude like that won’t glorify God or save the lost – it is foolish!

Instead you ought to recognize what Scripture teaches,
And that is that genuine saving faith is accompanied by works.

1 John 2:3-6 “By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.”

John 15:5-8 “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.”

Deuteronomy talked of loving God, well that is evidenced by works too.

John 14:15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”

John 15:10 “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.”

1 John 5:1-3 “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.”

2 John 6 “And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it.”
And the fact of the matter is, that God doesn’t just expect some sort of intellectual sentimental faith from you, He expects works.

Ephesians 2:8-10 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

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.”

And if you don’t have those works, I don’t see any way in the world
You can actually believe your faith is real.

In fact it would be “foolish” to assume it is.
James says the faith that you have is “useless”

Effortless Compassion reveals Dead Faith
Empty Confession reveals Useless Faith
#3 EVIDENT CONVICTIONS REVEAL PERFECT FAITH
James 2:21-26

Now here comes the fun part of the text.
(In fact these verses nearly kept the book of James out of the New Testament)

On the surface it can seem very contradicting
To other passages of Scripture.

For example:
(21) “Was not Abraham our father justified by works..?

Romans 4:1-5 “What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.” Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness,”

Paul said Abraham was justified by faith,
And James just said he was justified by works.

(24) “You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.”

Romans 3:28 “For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.”

And if we wanted to go farther we could talk about how both Abraham and Rahab are listed in Hebrews 11 in that “Faith Hall of Fame”

About those people the writer of Hebrews said:
Hebrews 11:1-2 “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval.”

The writer of Hebrews said they gained approval by their faith.
And yet James here says it is by works.

You have to admit it appears to be quite a contradiction.

But it isn’t.
In fact I would go so far as to tell you that Paul, James, and the writer of Hebrews would all stand in perfect agreement with one another.

TURN TO: HEBREWS 11

Now you know the writer takes you through
Example after example of people with faith.

Let me ask you a question as we look over this group of people.
HOW DO YOU KNOW THEY HAD FAITH?

Abel (4) – “Abel OFFERED to God a better sacrifice”
Enoch (5) – “he OBTAINED the witness…”
Noah (7) – “PREPARED an ark”
Abraham (8) – “OBEYED by going out”
Abraham (9) – “LIVED as an alien”
Sarah (10) – “CONCEIVED”
Abraham (17) – “OFFERED up Isaac”
Isaac (20) – “BLESSED Jacob and Esau”
Jacob (21) – “BLESSED each one of the sons of Joseph & WORSHIPED”
Joseph (22) – “GAVE ORDERS concerning his bones”
Moses’ Parents (23) – “HID Moses”
Moses (24) – “REFUSED to be called the son of…”
Israelites (29) – “the PASSED through the Red Sea”
Rahab (31) – “she had WELCOMED the spies”

And the writer goes on and on.
DO YOU CATCH THE POINT?

The writer of Hebrews certainly believed that it was by faith
That the saints of old gained approval before God.

But he was under no misconception that their faith
Was some sort of empty, useless, dead, intellectual claim.

Their faith had weight, it was verifiable, you could see it.
And Paul would have been right on board with this.

I read it to you earlier, but Paul said:
2 Corinthians 13:5 “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you — unless indeed you fail the test?”

Well what do you think you were supposed to test?
What do you think you were supposed to look at?

All of these men believed in verifiable faith.

SO HOW DO YOU SETTLE THE APPARENT CONTRADICTION?

Here it is:

Both of those men would wholeheartedly agree
That you are justified before God by faith.

What James wants you to know is that you don’t have works,
Then you don’t have the type of faith that justifies.

When James talks about being justified by works, he is not talking about how to be saved, but rather, how to tell if your faith is real.

And that is what he is about to show you.

He gives two examples.
(21-24) “Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS,” and he was called the friend of God. You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.”

James first brings up that famous event in Abraham’s life.
He brings up the event where Abraham offered up Isaac on the altar.

James says that when Abraham did that, “the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.”

In other words, what Abraham did on Mt. Moriah
Proves that Abraham really did believe.

Now we’ve been in Genesis for a while now,
But turn back with me and let me remind you of the time frame here.

TURN TO: GENESIS 15
(Read 15:2-6)

That is the day when Abraham was saved. We know that because that is the day that God gave him righteousness.

Now, God can see the heart and so He knew Abraham’s faith was real.

But if God hadn’t said so, based on that passage, how would you know that Abraham really believed God?

You wouldn’t.
In fact, if God hadn’t said so, you’d be really concerned about Abraham
Based on what is coming next.

• Chapter 16 he goes in to Hagar
• Chapter 17 he laughs when God tells him Sarah will conceive
• Chapter 20 he passes off Sarah again
• Chapter 21 he tries to keep Ishmael even though Sarah knows he has to leave

I mean let’s face it, if God hadn’t said he was justified, we would see nothing in his life that gave us any indication that it was true.

But then we come to CHAPTER 22, and God gives that command to sacrifice Isaac, which Abraham does.

And look down to verses 10-12

Did Abraham save himself when he offered up Isaac?
No, Abraham proved that he was saved.

In that act of obedience “the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.”

And to that James says, (24) “You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.”

That is to say, WORKS ARE ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY
AS A VALIDATION OF YOUR FAITH.

If you don’t have works, then you don’t have faith.

And that is where we place things like baptism, or evangelism, or assembling with God’s people, or reading your Bible, or prayer.

None of those things can save you regardless of how often you do them.
But, if you don’t do those things, can you really claim to have faith?

I’ll never tell a person that they need to get baptized so they can be saved,
But a person who claims to be saved that won’t get baptized, is confused.
Do you see?

Well, let’s look at the next example:
James is making that same point again, “In the same way…”

(25-26) “In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.”

Take Rahab for an example.
She “received the messengers”

Did that save her before God? No
(It did save her from destruction)

But Rahab’s actions were because of her faith.

Let me show you:
Joshua 2:8-13 “Now before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof, and said to the men, “I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you. “For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. “When we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. “Now therefore, please swear to me by the LORD, since I have dealt kindly with you, that you also will deal kindly with my father’s household, and give me a pledge of truth, and spare my father and my mother and my brothers and my sisters, with all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.”

She believed, she trembled, and her action proves that.
Her faith was proved real.

And the reality is that James could bring up every single person
In the faith hall of fame and ask the exact same question.

• Was not Able justified by works when he offered up a better sacrifice than
Cain?
• Was not Enoch justified by works when he lived righteous in a pagan land?
• Was not Noah justified by works when he built the ark?

Do you see?

Through their works “faith was perfected”

And then comes the conclusion:

(26) “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.”
And what an analogy.

DO YOU KNOW WHAT WE CALL A “BODY WITHOUT THE SPIRIT”?
A corpse.

And with that you understand his point.
“What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?

It is a question geared at the mass of people who claim to be Christians,
Who claim to believe in God,
But whose lives have no verifiable evidence of that claim.

And the question is,
Are you prepared to ride that type of faith into eternity?

Tonight let me simply encourage in this manner.
• Don’t say you trust Christ – trust Him
• Don’t say you believe God – believe Him

Do what He says, follow His leading, give Him control

Don’t proclaim your faith, practice it!

Otherwise you are nothing more than a dead body
Covered in makeup
That “sure looks good”
But has no actual life in it whatsoever.

Twisted Sisters & The Transcendent God
Genesis 29:30-30:24
November 16, 2014

Well, if you’re a person who likes all the intrigue and drama of a messed up life then I trust you are enjoying the life of Jacob.

Jerry Springer had nothing on the patriarchal families in Genesis.

• Abraham passing off Sarah as his sister (twice)
• And then Isaac doing the same
• Sarah giving her maid to her husband (and two sisters here following suit)
• One brother dressing up like the other to deceive his blind father
• A dad dressing up a daughter to marry off instead of the other

Here we have two sisters, married to the same man, scratching, clawing, manipulating, and bribing just to see which one can get him into their bed.

Just when you think you’ve heard it all.

And if that’s not enough, factor in the reality that during the 7 year span when all this occurred Jacob was between 84 and 91 years old.

If the only purpose was to reveal to you the lineage of Israel,
Moses simply would have said,
“And Jacob had twelve sons who became the twelve tribes of Israel.”

But just like all the stories of Genesis, Moses has a point to make,
And this story makes it to a “T”.

I’ve told you that presently Jacob is in “Laban’s University”
As we saw last week, he entered Haran as a fully self-reliant man.

Jacob was the type of individual
Who had grown accustomed to always landing on his feet.

• When he wanted a birthright, he made a plan and achieved it
• When he wanted a blessing, he made a plan and achieved it
• When he wanted a bride, he made a plan and achieved it (nearly)

God sent this self-reliant man into Haran to teach him that
Depending on his wits would get him nowhere.
For in Haran Jacob met Laban and literally met his match.

As I told you, Jacob entered Haran self-reliant,
But he’ll come out of Haran fully dependent on God.

In fact in chapter 32 Jacob will have Laban (who he cheated) behind him and Esau (who he cheated) in front of him and Jacob is going to grab ahold of God and refuse to let go until God blesses him.

In short, Jacob goes into Laban’s university dependent on self
And he comes out dependent on God.

And as we said last week, this is a work of grace in his life.
God is using this 20 years with Laban
To mold him into the father of a nation.

Now, with that being said we turn our attention to this peculiar story.
These two sisters are about to duke it out for Jacob and through this event God is about to teach Jacob two very important truths.

GOD IS TRANSCENDENT GOD IS TRUSTWORTHY

When you read this story, you have to notice that
The narrative flows through Rachel.
It is more about her struggles even than Leah’s success.

We have one futile attempt after another by Rachel,
And yet success just falls in Leah’s lap.

There is a divine reason for this.

Genesis 29:30-31 “So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and indeed he loved Rachel more than Leah, and he served with Laban for another seven years. Now the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, and He opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.”

Now I certainly don’t want to minimize the compassion of God here.

But honestly if you are reading this passage
As though God was making up for Leah’s marital troubles
By making her fertile then you are missing the point.

If granting children was merely an issue of God’s compassion then infertility would not exist, and to assume that the only reason Leah conceived is because God felt sorry for her does a severe injustice to women around the world who can’t have children.

There is a different reason why God opened Leah’s womb.
He did it because she “was unloved”

Again, not compassion, but rather because
She was the bride that Jacob wasn’t trying to conceive with.

This was all about Jacob, this was about God accomplishing His promise
In a way that Jacob would know it was God and not him who had done it.

Now what was God’s promise?
Genesis 28:14 “Your descendants will also be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed.”

God had promised Jacob that he would make his descendants
“like the dust of the earth”

But it was important that Jacob know
That God was the one who did it, and not him.

And God’s means of teaching Jacob this lesson
Was to cause children to come through the wife he wasn’t trying with.

Of the two sisters, which one do you think Jacob tried to have kids with?
• Of course it was Rachel!
• Jacob “loved Rachel more than Leah”
• In fact Moses says that “Leah was unloved”

Jacob wasn’t trying with her – that’s why God specifically chose her.
Jacob had to know this was God’s doing and not his.

You’ll see in a moment that Jacob will get the message loud and clear.

I want to show you Rachel’s failed attempts at child-birth,
And these are testimony to the absolute inability of man
To secure the promises of God.

#1 SEDUCTION
Genesis 29:30-35

Now really this is effort by Rachel is really just heavily implied,
But it is not specifically stated.

What we know is that Jacob “loved Rachel more than Leah”

And thanks to the text last week we even know why.
Genesis 29:17 “And Leah’s eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful of form and face.”

Jacob was captivated by Rachel very early, and while we certainly think that by now he loved other things about her, we’d be foolish to forget that she won his heart quickly.

She was always his choice
In fact he worked a total of 14 years just for the right to marry her

And it is obvious that when it came time to start having children
That Rachel was undoubtedly able to keep Jacob in her corner.

That is what Moses is talking about that “Leah was unloved”

And this is specifically why God blessed Leah.
God was purposely working in a manner in which Jacob was not.

And God’s plan is working perfectly.
Rachel may have Jacob’s heart, but Leah has his sons.

REUBEN, “Because the Lord has seen my affliction; surely now my husband will love me.”

SIMEON, “Because the Lord has heard that I am unloved, He has therefore given me this son also.”

LEVI, “Now this time by husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.”

JUDAH, “This time I will praise the Lord.”

Clearly God did an amazing work through Leah (the unloved),
And Leah knew it.

The Firstborn
The Head of the Priestly Tribe
The Head of the Messianic Tribe

So despite Sarah’s ability to win Jacob’s heart,
It did not help her in her attempts to bear Jacob’s sons.
(It is a testimony to the weakness of human effort)

So, Sarah moves on to PLAN B

Seduction
#2 STRENGTH
Genesis 29:35, 30:15

Now by this I mean that Sarah “muscled” her will in here.
She became demonstrative, defiant, strong willed.
She pushed her desire and forced Jacob to adhere to it.

You will notice at the end of verse 35,
Moses says about Leah, “Then she stopped bearing.”

And the initial assumption is that Leah’s time had passed.
• Maybe she became too old
• Maybe she had some other complication

We don’t know, we just easily assume that nature
Has made her no longer able to have children.
But that wasn’t what happened.

Look down to chapter 30, verse 15

This is the bartering that Rachel and Leah do over Reuben’s mandrakes.

Genesis 30:15 “But she said to her, “Is it a small matter for you to take my husband? And would you take my son’s mandrakes also?” So Rachel said, “Therefore he may lie with you tonight in return for your son’s mandrakes.”

And of course if you read on, you’ll find that Leah’s womb was not closed, in fact she gave birth to two more sons and a daughter.

The question then becomes:
Why did Leah stop bearing children back in 29:35?

The answer is because Rachel cut her off from Jacob.

You will see in 30:1 that Rachel “became jealous of her sister”.
Rachel, who had Jacob’s heart, no doubt played the shame card
And kept Jacob away from Leah.

That is why Leah accused Rachel of taking her husband
And why Rachel had to give permission for Jacob to go back to her.

This is Rachel’s second attempt to try and get children for Jacob.
She hoarded Jacob all for herself in hopes
That eventually she would be the mother of his sons.

But of course you notice that this did not work.
She just wasn’t able to conceive.
She could stop Leah, but she couldn’t make herself pregnant.

So, let’s move to PLAN C
Seduction, Strength
#3 SYMPATHY
Genesis 30:1-13

It’s very important that you notice here
The conversation between Rachel and Jacob.

It is something that Jacob is learning.
“Now when Rachel saw that she bore no children, she became jealous of her sister; and she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or else I die.” Then Jacob’s anger burned against Rachel, and he said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?”

You recognize Rachel’s little pathetic fit.
She’s just going to die if she can’t get children.

That little temper tantrum was all part of the request she is about to ask.

She’s about to ask Jacob to go even further into polygamy and take her maid as a wife (a.k.a. Sarah and Hagar), and in order to get Jacob to go along with it she first has to prove to him how desperate she is.

But before we get to the point, we must recognize Jacob’s response.

Jacob recognized that the reason he couldn’t make her conceive
Was because he was not God.

This may just be one little sentence in the entire narrative,
But it is such an important lesson for Jacob to finally learn.

Last week we saw that Jacob was a self-reliant man and we saw that confidence absolutely crushed as Laban got the better of him.

Here we find Jacob learning that despite his efforts and despite his ability, he will always be at the mercy of God.

In short, there is a God and Jacob is not him.

I have no doubts that Jacob would have done everything in his power to give children to Rachel.
• He would live with Rachel
• He would cut off Leah
• He would even go in to Rachel’s maid if that pleased her

But Jacob wasn’t God and he could not make her conceive.

And again can I remind you that this is a very important lesson
That you must learn?

YOU ARE NOT GOD – in fact you aren’t even close!
• You aren’t as wise as Him
• You aren’t as strong as Him
• You aren’t as good as Him
• You aren’t as pretty as Him
• You don’t even smell as good as Him

And you must grasp this so you’ll quit trying
To earn by your efforts what only God can accomplish.

It is the flip-side to self-reliance.
You must learn you can’t, and that only God can.

You cannot, by your own efforts, secure any one of the promises of God.
• You can’t save yourself
• You can’t secure your salvation
• You can’t satisfy your soul
• You can’t bring in blessing

YOU AREN’T GOD
AND GOD’S PEOPLE ROUTINELY HAVE TO LEARN THIS LESSON

Take Job, who got a little big for his britches, and actually felt the need to call God to appear before him to answer for Job’s injustices.

From Job 38-41 God showed up to talk to Job
And over those 4 chapters God reiterated time and time again
The exact same point – YOU ARE NOT GOD!

And throughout those 4 chapters you’ll find God asking Job:
• Did you create the heavens?
• Can you restrain the oceans?
• Do you even know the depth of the sea?
• Do you watch over the mountain goat?
• Do you know why the horse is brave or strong?
• Can you teach the hawk to fly?
• Can you control the wild ox?
• Can you capture a Hippo?
• Can you tame a crocodile?

And all of these things that Job can’t do are easy for God.

Job learned that he was not God.
Job 42:1-6 “Then Job answered the LORD and said, “I know that You can do all things, And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ “Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.” ‘Hear, now, and I will speak; I will ask You, and You instruct me.’ “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; But now my eye sees You; Therefore I retract, And I repent in dust and ashes.”

Consider Nebuchadnezzar, a man who also got too big for his britches.

God sent him a dream to warn him
That he was too arrogant about his own abilities.

Daniel interpreted that dream:
Daniel 4:24-25 “this is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king: that you be driven away from mankind and your dwelling place be with the beasts of the field, and you be given grass to eat like cattle and be drenched with the dew of heaven; and seven periods of time will pass over you, until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes.”

Nebuchadnezzar didn’t listen – the dream was fulfilled

When God restored his sanity, Nebuchadnezzar said:
Daniel 4:34-37 “But at the end of that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever; For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom endures from generation to generation. “All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, But He does according to His will in the host of heaven And among the inhabitants of earth; And no one can ward off His hand Or say to Him, ‘ What have You done?’ “At that time my reason returned to me. And my majesty and splendor were restored to me for the glory of my kingdom, and my counselors and my nobles began seeking me out; so I was reestablished in my sovereignty, and surpassing greatness was added to me. “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride.”

Consider Peter
After Jesus pulled in a large catch of fish:
Luke 5:8 “But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus’ feet, saying, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!”

Or after Jesus was transfigured:
Matthew 17:6 “When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground and were terrified.”

The word we are looking for here is TRANSCENDENT
It means that God is “beyond the range or grasp of human experience, reason, or belief”

Romans 11:33-36 “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, OR WHO BECAME HIS COUNSELOR? Or WHO HAS FIRST GIVEN TO HIM THAT IT MIGHT BE PAID BACK TO HIM AGAIN? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.”

Isaiah 55:8-9 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.”

It’s always been important that God’s people know their place before God.
He is transcendent
HE IS ABOVE US IN EVERY POSSIBLE WAY!

Throughout Israel’s history one of the biggest sins they committed
Was the sin of forgetting this.
(They instead dumbed God down with graven images)

Isaiah 40:18-26 “To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare with Him? As for the idol, a craftsman casts it, A goldsmith plates it with gold, And a silversmith fashions chains of silver. He who is too impoverished for such an offering Selects a tree that does not rot; He seeks out for himself a skillful craftsman To prepare an idol that will not totter. Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. He it is who reduces rulers to nothing, Who makes the judges of the earth meaningless. Scarcely have they been planted, Scarcely have they been sown, Scarcely has their stock taken root in the earth, But He merely blows on them, and they wither, And the storm carries them away like stubble. “To whom then will you liken Me That I would be his equal?” says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high And see who has created these stars, The One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name; Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power, Not one of them is missing.”
Through their graven images they robbed God of His transcendence.
They sought to bring God down to their level.

When you rob God of His transcendence, you only harm yourself,
For you end up with a god who looks the way you want him too,
But you ultimately end up with a god who can’t help.

It is essential that you come to the place in your life
Where you realize your weakness and His greatness.

Well Jacob is learning this.
As he witnesses Rachel’s struggles despite their efforts,
Jacob is figuring this out.

But obviously he hasn’t fully grasped it yet,
Because Sarah still has another plan for children they are going to try.

She wants to give her handmaid to Jacob, and because Jacob is in the mode of consenting to Rachel, he gives in and furthers iniquity by going in to Bilhah.

And to some extent the plan works.

DAN is born and Rachel says, “God has vindicated me, and has indeed heard my voice and has given me a son.”

Rachel’s statement is certainly a bit of a stretch.
God did grant the birth of Dan, but it was hardly as a reward for Rachel.

Then NAPHTALI is born and Rachel says, “With mighty wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister, and I have indeed prevailed.”

This doesn’t mean that she outdid her sister (she clearly did not).
Rather Rachel is saying, “I have wrestled the role of child-bearer away from my sister and I have won! Now I’m the child producer!”

RACHEL THINKS HER EFFORTS FINALLY WORKED

The problem is that two can plan at her game.

(9-13) “When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing, she took her maid Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. Leah’s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a son. Then Leah said, “How fortunate!” So she named him Gad. Leah’s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. Then Leah said, ” Happy am I! For women will call me happy.” So she named him Asher.”

GAD “How fortunate!” (I think you can feel her take a shot at Rachel there)
ASHER “Happy am I! For women will call me happy.”

Both of those names sort of look at Rachel with a sneer as though to say, “Oh, looks like you didn’t win after all!”

So Sarah has tried three tactics to have children and she is unsuccessful.

Let’s move to PLAN D

Seduction, Strength, Sympathy
#4 SUPERSTITION
Genesis 30:14-21

Little Reuben (4 or 5 years old) was out playing in the field and found some “mandrakes”.

The reason these were a hot commodity is because they were supposed to help with fertility. It was a superstition; a wife’s tale.

And Rachel sees another opportunity for a chance.
If she could get those mandrakes then surely she could conceive.

The cost for them would be to lift her sanction between Leah and Jacob.
Rachel did.

She received the mandrakes, but Leah had the children

ISSACHAR “God has given me my wages because I gave my maid to my husband.”

Again, God did grant the child,
But Leah is way off in her reasoning as to why.

ZEBULUN “God has endowed me with a good gift; now my husband will dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons.”

Leah even threw in a daughter named “Dinah” who we will learn of later.

But the point is, that Rachel has tried every human effort imaginable to have children, but she can’t.

WHY?
BECAUSE GOD IS TEACHING JACOB
THE INABILITY OF HUMAN EFFORT.

You are supposed to read this chapter and see that the children Jacob had were only because of God and no one else’s efforts.

Notice all the references:

Genesis 29:31 “Now the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, and He opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.”

Genesis 30:2 “Then Jacob’s anger burned against Rachel, and he said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?”

Genesis 30:17 “God gave heed to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son.”

Genesis 30:22 “Then God remembered Rachel, and God gave heed to her and opened her womb.”

Clear isn’t it?
Not to mention all the times that Leah gives God credit for her sons.

And what is clear is that like Jacob, RACHEL FINALLY LEARNED THAT.

(22-24) “Then God remembered Rachel, and God gave heed to her and opened her womb. So she conceived and bore a son and said, “God has taken away my reproach.” She named him Joseph, saying, “May the LORD give me another son.”

So when you read that story as a whole there is no doubt the point that Moses is making.

• God had promised to multiply and bless Jacob’s descendants.
• God was fulfilling that promise.
• God was doing it in such a way that no one but Him could receive
credit.

And it is the other lesson Jacob is learning.
Not only is God transcendent, GOD IS ALSO TRUSTWORTHY

God is doing what He promised.

And here is the part we have to love:
GOD IS DOING THROUGH AND IN SPITE OF SINFUL PEOPLE

And this has been true throughout the Genesis account.
• Abraham is leaving the Promised Land, passing off his wife, going in to Hagar, trying to hang on to Ishmael, and despite all that God still fulfills His promise.

• Isaac passes off his wife, ignores the divine oracle about his sons, tries to bless the wrong one, and despite all that God still fulfills His promise.

• Jacob cheats his brother, lies to his father, commits polygamy, and despite all that God still fulfills the promise.

And here is what we learn.

GOD IS FAITHFUL – HE FULFILLS HIS PROMISES
AND NOT EVEN SINNERS CAN THWART HIS WILL
This morning, I want you to read this story through Jacob’s eyes.
• A man who messed up his plan for a wife
• A man who couldn’t control who bore his children
• Caught in a web between two bickering women

BUT IF HE’LL STEP BACK HE’LL SEE
God is systematically fulfilling His promise in spite of Jacob.

Do you know what we call that?
GRACE

It’s the song Peggy sang last week
“Were it not for grace, I can tell you where I’d be; wondering down some pointless road to nowhere, with my salvation up to me. I know how that would go, the battles I would face, forever running, but losing the race; where it not for grace.”

Friend this morning I want to encourage you that
The God who promised salvation to you is a Transcendent God
Who is Faithful to fulfill that promise in spite of your mistakes.

Am I saying that mistakes don’t matter?
No

Throughout history God’s people have brought much grief and pain to their lives because of their sin.

Take Israel as the prime example.
They worshiped other gods, they forsook God’s law and as a result God raised up Babylon to destroy them and removed them from the land for 70 years.

But even as Israel marched to Babylon, God promised that He had not forgotten them and that His promise would still be fulfilled.

Jeremiah 29:10-14 “For thus says the LORD, ‘When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place. ‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. ‘Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. ‘You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. ‘I will be found by you,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.’”

Or take Israel rejecting Christ and thus bringing upon themselves all sorts of pain and anguish, even being temporarily broken off.

And yet know:
Romans 11:28-29 “From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”

So I’m not saying disobedience or sinful living doesn’t matter – it does.
Those poor decisions can bring tremendous pain into your life.

But what I am saying is that the overall promises that God makes
Are never put in jeopardy by the weakness of His people.

Philippians 1:6 “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”

God will fulfill them in spite of you.
And that is easily seen here.

THAT IS GRACE.
It is the transcendent God at work on you, through you, and many times in spite of you, to faithfully fulfill all His promises to you.

So worship Him
So rest in Him
So trust Him

Faith You Can See – Part 1
James 2:14-26 (14-18)
November 9, 2014

As you know we are working through the book of James
And we are listening as he reveals what a real Christian looks like.

• We know that they count trials as joy
• We know that they persevere through temptation
• We know that they hear the word of God and do it
• We know that their religion is not self-serving
• And we know that they don’t show favoritism

Tonight we continue working our way through James’ list
And I think it is obvious that James ups the stakes a little here.

You can feel his passion grow as we dive into the middle of this second chapter.

Tonight James specifically targets your faith.
He wants to know if it is real or not.

And it all stems on this one belief of James:
FAITH IS NOT INVISIBLE

I don’t know where the idea came from
That all spiritual attributes were invisible.
People just sort of want to spiritualize everything and make it all personal and private.

But that just isn’t Biblical.
The Christian life is a life that is to be put on display.

No verse sums that up better than:
Matthew 5:16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

Philippians 2:14-15 “Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world,”

We are lights shining in darkness.
You never were meant to take your light and hide it under a basket.

Your faith is not meant to be invisible.

And that is precisely what James is talking about here
Throughout the end of chapter 2.

Look down at verse 18:
“But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; SHOW me your faith without the works, and I will SHOW you my faith by my works.”

Look down at verse 22:
“YOU SEE that faith was working with his works…”

Look at verse 24:
“YOU SEE that man is justified by works and not by faith alone.”

It is clear that James is talking about FAITH YOU CAN SEE

Now it is true that in many cases the Pharisees were hypocrites who put on an outward display of religion that did not match their heart.

They had works, but they had no faith.

But don’t let their bad example push you to faith with no works
That is the opposite extreme and it’s just as wrong.

While you can have works without faith
You cannot have faith without works.

And that is where James is taking us here.

There are three main points to this passage
As we examine different types of faith.

#1 EFFORTLESS COMPASSION REVEALS DEAD FAITH
James 2:14-18

James wastes no time with two very penetrating and important questions.

“What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works?”

You really need to key in on the word “says” there.
• James is referring to the person who claims to be a Christian.
• James is referring to the person who claims to believe in Christ.

They SAY they believe, but if it wasn’t for their outward confession,
You’d have no idea that they were a Christian.

They are the type of person who says, “I’m a Christian”
And it really sort of shocks you because you would have never guessed it.

And James says, “What use is it..?”

Another way to ask that is,
• “How much value does it have?”
• “What is it worth?”
• “What can it accomplish?”

And if you want to know specifically what James is getting at,
Look at the next question:

“Can that faith save him?”

Now we’re getting to the heart of the issue.

You have a verbal faith that is void of any other evidence…
What can that faith accomplish?

Well, here’s a few things it can do
• It can make you feel better about yourself
• It can also get those evangelistic nuts off your back
• It can help your reputation around other Christians
• It might even gain you access into Christian circles

The reality is that there is value in faith that is only verbal.
The problem is that it has no eternal value.

For all the things that it can do for you,
One thing it can’t do is save your soul from hell.

It may gain you access into the church, but it will not gain you access into heaven.
It may get the evangelist off your back, but it won’t keep you out of hell.
Namely because it is not the kind of faith that God accepts.

James already alluded to this earlier:
James 1:27 “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”

Even in that verse James revealed that there is a definite MEASURABLE ACTION side that is required in our faith or our religion.

He spoke of VISITING orphans and widows and KEEPING oneself unstained.

And that is the type of religion that God accepts.

But religion or faith that has no action and is not measurable
Is not acceptable to Him.
And so it is not a faith that can save.

And please let this sobering reality sink in a little tonight.

THERE IS SUCH A THING AS FAITH THAT CANNOT SAVE

And man how many times did we see that type of faith in the Bible?

John 12:42-43 “Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.”
What was that?
• Well salvation requires confessing Jesus as Lord.
• So I don’t know what their faith was, but it wasn’t saving faith.

Here’s another:
John 2:23-25 “Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing. But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.”

Again, there is a group of “believers”.
I don’t know what type of faith they had, but whatever it was,
It was clear that Jesus didn’t accept it.

He would not give Himself to them.

John 8:31-32 “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

There again, they claimed belief but Jesus wouldn’t buy it.
He wanted to see obedience.

It is worthy to note that later in that very chapter he revealed that those same people:
• Seek to kill Him (37)
• They do not accept His word (37)
• They cannot hear His word (43)
• They are children of Satan (44)
• They are not of God (47)

So again, we are confronted by people who “believe” or people
Who have some kind of faith, but they still are not saved.

I don’t know about other denominations, but Baptists need to hear this.

In our quest to simplify the gospel
We came up with those clever little A,B,C’s of the faith.
(You know – Admit, Believe, Confess)

And it got to such a point that if a person would say
They believed in Jesus, then we would pronounce them a Christian.

And then because we believe in security of the believer someone would tell them, “You’re saved and don’t worry, you can never lose it.”

DOES ANYONE KNOW HOW TO SPELL FALSE ASSURANCE?

Baptists should, because it is has become
One of our main contributions to American Christianity.
Friends – Just because someone says they believe in Jesus
Does not mean they are saved.

Just because you believe in Jesus does not mean you are saved.

Sentimental faith is not enough.
It must be a divine, supernatural faith, God accepted faith.

HOW DO I KNOW IF I HAVE THAT KIND OF FAITH?

When that faith arrived, did it change your life?
2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”

If it didn’t change your life, then it isn’t saving faith.

And that is what James is trying to say.
Your faith cannot be this surface only intellectual claim,
It must be verifiable.
It has to be something that can be seen.

HOW ABOUT A “FOR INSTANCE”?
(James likes hypothetical illustrations)

“If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food”

Now there is the hypothetical

1) You have “a brother or sister”
• This isn’t even some pagan
• This isn’t even your enemy
• This is a fellow “brother or sister”

2) And they are “without clothing”

Look at that

James doesn’t say they don’t have the latest fashions,
He says they are “without clothing”

They are either exposed to the elements
Or exposed in an indecent manner.

This isn’t someone with a discontentment this is someone with a need.

And that isn’t all.
3) They also need “daily food”

Now in our culture we don’t know much about “daily food”
We have deep freezers and refrigerators and our food is packed full of preservatives that let it survive on the shelf for hundreds of years.

But when the Bible says “daily food” it means food for today.
They have nothing to eat.

They are a fellow believer, they are naked and they are hungry.
That is a real situation.

And I shouldn’t have to tell you what a Christian should do there.
The word is COMPASSION

And Scripture is clear about it.

Look at the Old Testament:
Exodus 23:10-11 “You shall sow your land for six years and gather in its yield, but on the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, so that the needy of your people may eat; and whatever they leave the beast of the field may eat. You are to do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove.”

God demanded compassion to poor, and that wasn’t even really asking for that much – bare minimum to say the least.

Listen to John the Baptist:
Luke 3:11 “And he would answer and say to them, “The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise.”

Listen to Jesus:
Matthew 25:34-36 “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. ‘For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’”

Or:
Matthew 9:35-38 “Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. “Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”

Listen to the apostles:
Galatians 2:9-10 “and recognizing the grace that had been given to me, James and Cephas and John, who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, so that we might go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. “They only asked us to remember the poor — the very thing I also was eager to do.”

Look at the early church:
Acts 2:44-45 “And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need.”

Acts 4:32-35 “And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them. And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all. For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales and lay them at the apostles’ feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need.”

So at this point everyone is fairly clear on what a Christian should do for “a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food.”

You should give them some of your clothing
And give them some of your food.

That is obvious.

But here is what the person with fake faith did.
(16) “and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,”

Your answer to their dilemma was
To SPEAK A BLESSING OVER THEM

There is some more of that WORD-FAITH junk
We see floating around today.

How many TV preachers have we heard do the exact same thing through their programs?

• We see some preacher dressed to the nines,
• Standing on some elaborate stage,
• Asking for offerings of money from the poor
• In return he speaks a prophecy of blessing over them.
• “I bless your finances in the name of Jesus”
• “I proclaim food in your pantry”
• “I declare clothes in your closet”
• “I speak favor into your bank account”

But if you’ll pay attention the exchange of money
Between them and the poor is all flowing the wrong direction.

They should be sending out checks, not receiving them.

Now granted they are some of the easy examples,
But any time we bless people
But ignore their needs it is the same thing.

And look, I do want to differentiate between people who have a sense of entitlement who are just disgruntled and those who are really in need.

It is true that Scripture tells us that the brother who won’t work is sinning
And needs to be disciplined not provided for.

But at the same time we are talking about the legitimate need
And the fact that true faith always helps that need.

I remember a missionary story I heard about a mission group in a third world country attending a church in need of financial help.

I don’t recall the need, but the solution of one of the team members was, “We’ll pray that God will provide the money that you need.” Instantly a different member of the group responded, “God has provided! Everyone on the mission team get out your wallet!”

But stories like that are not the norm.
And James is frustrated.

Do you want to know about useless faith?
“one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?”

What you did for that poor brother is just about as pointless
As telling God you believe in Him.

It isn’t verifiable – it isn’t real

And to that James makes a solid point.
(17) “Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.”

You have faith that consists of effortless compassion.
James as a word for that kind of faith – “DEAD”

I don’t know what you have, but it isn’t saving faith.
• You have religion without compassion
• You have religion without love
• You have a belief that has thus far been unable to rid you of selfishness and fill you with divine love.

If you don’t have measurable compassion for the poor,
Then you have a major problem.

1 John 3:17 “But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?”

Or how about this story?
Luke 10:25-37 “And a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” And He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?” And he answered, “YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” And He said to him, “You have answered correctly; DO THIS AND YOU WILL LIVE.” But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead. “And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. “Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. “But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. “On the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.’ “Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?” And he said, “The one who showed mercy toward him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do the same.”

Now there was a guy who wanted to know the same thing
We are talking about.

“Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
(Notice Jesus did not say, “just believe”)

Instead that man realized that selfless love was the requirement
And that birthed the story of the Good Samaritan.

And again you get the point.
Faith that is void of compassion is not saving faith.

AND HERE IS THE KICKER
If all you have is verbal faith with no works
ANYONE CAN SHOOT A HOLE IN THAT!

(18) “But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”

This isn’t James challenging you,
This is James giving you another hypothetical.

James says, “lets suppose all you have is that verbal faith that is void of any measurable compassion.”

You claim to be a believer, thought it is hardly evident.

Do you know how easy it is to prove you a fraud?
“someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”

In other words, all someone has to do to discredit your faith
Is walk up to you and say, “Do you have faith?”
You’d say, “Yes”
And they say, “Show me”

Perhaps you answered, “That’s not possible for faith is spiritual and private and invisible.”

And then they will answer, “I will show you my faith by my works.”

This man basically said – “Put up or ___________”

DO YOU SEE THE PROBLEM?
You have a faith that cannot be verified
This does no good for your mission in the world
This does no good for your eternal hope of heaven

Yesterday Carrie and I bought a new vehicle (hardly new, but new to us)
• We had been approved for a loan before we went,
• But once we decided to buy the car we had to activate the loan.
• At one point during the process a man from the bank said we need to put you
through a verification process. We need you to prove you are who you
say you are.
• They asked me to verify the ages of Bryan and Cheryl Mosley
• Now that wasn’t a hard question, any genuine and true son ought to know
those facts.

But suppose I couldn’t answer,
Do you think they are going to loan me the money?

Nope – because my identify would not be verifiable.

And this is precisely the problem.

We have all these people today claiming to be children of God
And expecting to be effective in their witness
And that they have access to heaven when they die.

BUT THEIR FAITH IS NOT VERIFIABLE – IT IS DEAD

And James wants to know – can you verify your faith?

DO YOU HAVE SIMPLE MEASURABLE COMPASSION?
Luke 6:30-35 “Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back. “Treat others the same way you want them to treat you. “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. “If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. “If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount. “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.”

Jeremiah 22:16 “He pled the cause of the afflicted and needy; Then it was well. Is not that what it means to know Me?” Declares the LORD.”

It is measurable faith and a verifiable relationship.
Now there are two more that James has for us over the remainder of the chapter, but I think it is valuable to simply let this one sink in.

Is my faith verbal or verifiable?
Do I have to tell people I am a Christian, or can they see it in my actions?

And if you want an action to examine tonight,
Look at your compassion on those less fortunate.

God loves the poor
John the Baptist defended the
Jesus loved the poor
The apostles remembered the poor
The early churched helped the poor

If we don’t (especially our brothers and sisters)
Then I don’t know how we make a claim to be one with them.

Now you should also understand that
This is not a sermon about going out and helping the poor.

You know,
• You hear this sermon,
• Fall under conviction
• Run out and buy a bunch of non-perishable items for the Parks Group food drive
• Just so you can feel good about yourself.

This sermon is not about helping the poor, it’s about faith.

And if your faith has yet to produce genuine measurable compassion,
I’m not telling you to give to the poor,
I’m telling you to question your faith.

The issue is not the poor here,
It is whether or not you have a faith that will bring about salvation.

If so far in your Christian life you’ve said you have faith, but you’ve had no works, what kind of faith do you really think you have?

You don’t need to add works – you need to add genuine faith.
(it will add the works)

Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”

Crushing Jacob’s Self-Reliance
Genesis 29:1-30
November 9, 2014

As you know we are working through the book of Genesis,
It is the “The Gospel According to Moses”

Most recently we’ve been dealing with the Patriarchs
(Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob)

And it is impossible to miss the fact that
God’s work in each of these 3 lives has been strikingly similar.

• He chose all three
• He made promises to all three
• He sanctified all three
• He glorified all three

We certainly saw that in Abraham and Isaac,
We are now seeing it unfold again in Jacob.

We have said from the beginning that we learn a great deal about GRACE
As we examine how God works in Jacob’s life.

By now you’ve got a pretty good handle on Jacob.
He was the second of twin boys, but God chose him to be first.

That means that according to God’s sovereign decree
Jacob was going to receive the birthright and the blessing.
God promised it, it was going to happen.

But if you’ll remember this is where
The main flaw in Jacob’s character began to reveal itself.

Jacob was not primarily a man of faith
Jacob was not primarily a man who sought God
JACOB WAS A SELF-RELIANT MAN

That doesn’t mean that Jacob wasn’t interested in God, he was.
That doesn’t mean that Jacob didn’t believe in God, he did.

We all remember last week as Jacob had a dream
And God revealed His plan to bless Jacob and be with him.

Jacob appreciated that and believed that
And even promised that if God would do that then God would be his God.

The problem was that even though Jacob knew God,
Jacob wasn’t to the point where he was fully depending on God.

He was not yet a man of faith.
And we have seen that haven’t we?
Jacob has routinely been a man who took matters into his own hands.

• Have you seen Jacob pray yet?
• Have you heard Jacob petition God yet?
• Have you observed Jacob waiting on God yet?

And the answer is no.
• Jacob had a plan for getting the birthright and he pulled it off
• Jacob had a plan for getting the blessing and he pulled it off

The one encounter Jacob had with God,
Was initiated by God in one of Jacob’s dreams.

THE POINT IS THAT JACOB IS FAR TOO SELF-RELIANT.

PRESENTLY IN OUR STORY
Jacob is about to enter what we have called “Laban’s University”
(It is not much different from the “Wilderness University” we have often spoken of)

And Jacob is about to earn a faith degree.
He is going in depending on self, he’ll come out depending on God.

By the time we get to chapter 32, Jacob will be on the run.
He’ll have Esau (whom he cheated) in front of him with 400 men
He’ll have Laban (whom he cheated) behind him.

And in that chapter Jacob will wrestle with God
Until God promises to bless him.

In short, Jacob enters Laban’s University depending on self,
He’ll come out so dependent on God
That he won’t let go until God promises to bless him.

So it’s not hard to see what God is up to.
• God is pruning Jacob
• God is molding Jacob
• God is sanctifying Jacob

And we call this GRACE

It is nothing short of the grace of God
That God is willing to mold Jacob into the man he must become.

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 certainly saves us, but it also instructs us “to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, and righteously and godly in the present age”

It also causes us to look “for the blessed hope”
That God has set before us.

This is the type of grace that is now at work in Jacob’s life.

If you want a little more of an outline, let me give it to you like this.

Jacob’s time with Laban will be characterized by three major events.
All three events are steeped in intrigue, deception, and strife.

The first time Jacob is a VICTIM of Scheming – bride swap
(Namely because he is disregarding God)

The second time Jacob is a VIEWER of Scheming – Leah vs. Rachel
(And here he acknowledges that he is not God)

The third time Jacob is VICTOR over Scheming – earning Laban’s flock
(And here he is fully dependent upon God)

That is what God is doing in Jacob’s life.
• It is a process of pruning
• It is a process of transformation
• It is a process of education
• It is a process of sanctification

IT IS NOTHING SHORT OF GRACE AT WORK IN JACOB’S LIFE

Hopefully you’ll see that clearly as we study through these texts,
Hopefully you’ll be able to recognize that same grace at work in your life.

Well, this morning
Let’s look at that first major lesson that Jacob is about to learn.

It’s not a pleasant one, but there is little doubt that it would grab Jacob’s attention.
Jacob will fall victim to Laban’s scheme of swapping brides.

There are two main points we’ll look at this morning
As we see God begin to crush Jacob’s self-reliance.

#1 JACOB’S CONFIDENCE
Genesis 29:1-20

Hopefully you remember where Jacob is in the story.

He has just secured the blessing from Isaac,
But because he did it in a deceptive way, Esau wants to kill him.

To keep that from happening
Rebekah devised a plan for Jacob to flee to Laban for a wife.

Genesis 28:2 “Arise, go to Paddan-aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father; and from there take to yourself a wife from the daughters of Laban your mother’s brother.”

No doubt Jacob would have been rattled by this request,
For leaving the land of promise was never part of the plan.

However we heard Isaac encourage Jacob’s faith,
Asking him to trust in the God of Abraham

Then we saw God specifically encourage Jacob’s faith
With a dream and a divine promise.

Genesis 28:12-15 “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. And behold, the LORD stood above it and said, “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your descendants. “Your descendants will also be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed. “Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

The ladder was a picture of God working on earth.
(Children sing “We are climbing Jacob’s ladder” but that is wrong.
That ladder is not for us to go up, it is for God to come down)

God has come down to work specifically for Jacob.
• God is going to secure the land for him (good for a man leaving)
• God is going to turn him into a blessing (good for a man of contention)
• God is going to be with him and secure the promise

And what we learned was that these promises and revelations
Must have greatly lifted Jacob’s spirits.

In fact verse 1 says, “Then Jacob went on his journey”
The Hebrew translates “Then Jacob lifted up his feet”

It is a connotation of excitement and enthusiasm.
Jacob’s joy and excitement for the trip have been restored.

He may have been perplexed at having to flee the Promised Land,
But Isaac’s reminder and God’s revelation
Have certainly lifted Jacob’s spirits.

And everything you see for the next 20 verses
Drips of a man overflowing with optimism and self-confidence.

First you notice that
• Jacob comes to the land
• Sees a well and makes acquaintance with the people there.
• He asks if it is Laban’s land and inquires how Laban is doing.
• And Jacob learns that Laban is doing well.

And after he learns this you will see
Jacob’s first expression of self-confidence.

1) SHEPHERDING ADVICE
(7) “He said, “Behold, it is still high day; it is not time for the livestock to be gathered. Water the sheep, and go, pasture them.”

Now I don’t know about you, but I always enjoy it
When total strangers come up to me and tell me how to do my job better.

When you think about it, this was pretty brass thing Jacob did.
These were shepherds from this reason
They obviously knew why they were doing what they were doing

And yet Jacob didn’t mind jumping right in there and giving his advice.

But Moses makes it clear why they are waiting.
(3) “When all the flocks were gathered there, they would then roll the stone from the mouth of the well and water the sheep, and put the stone back in its place on the mouth of the well.”

Verse 2 tells us that “the stone on the mouth of the well was large.”
That hardly seems like pertinent information
Until you learn that this is why the shepherds were all gathered.

Jacob wondered why they’d be watering flocks in the middle of the day
Instead of pasturing them.

(8) “But they said, “We cannot, until all the flocks are gathered, and they roll the stone from the mouth of the well; then we water the sheep.”

The reason they were there is because they couldn’t move the stone by themselves. It was a large stone and they couldn’t move it.

Well, Rachel arrives and this leads to
Jacob’s second display of self confidence.

2) SHOW OF STRENGTH
(9-10) “While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherdess. When Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother’s brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother’s brother, Jacob went up and rolled the stone from the mouth of the well and watered the flock of Laban his mother’s brother.”
You ladies might not know why Jacob went and moved that stone by himself, but every man in here does.

This was his opportunity to show off for Rachel.
“I’ll move a stone that none of these can move by themselves!”

And come on, if you’re one of those other shepherds
You’ve had about all of Jacob that you can stand.

This arrogant punk walks in here questions our shepherding skills and then he-mans this rock out of the way to show how strong he is.
“This guy thinks he is really something special!”

Self-confidence right?

Well that’s not all
3) STEALING A KISS

(11-12) “Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted his voice and wept. Jacob told Rachel that he was a relative of her father and that he was Rebekah’s son, and she ran and told her father.”

You can call this just a customary greeting if you want,
But I say, “No way”. Jacob’s biorhythms are sky high.

He’s a big shot with big plans
He’s laying claim to all he wants and not afraid to show it

He is flying high.

And that still doesn’t change.
4) SERVICE OF LABAN

READ VERSES 13-20

Because Jacob fled Canaan with no money,
He has nothing to offer Laban for Rachel’s hand.

Jacob’s only recourse is to work off the debt,
And Jacob instantly pops off that he’ll give 7 years for Rachel as a wife.

I can’t help but detect a little boldness in this as well.
Do you think such a sacrifice impressed Rachel? I think it was supposed to.

And of course we notice that even the service
Went right according to Jacob’s plan.

(20) “So Jacob served seven years for Rachel and they seemed to him but a few days because of his love for her.”
SO WHAT IS THE POINT SO FAR?

Namely that Jacob is dripping with self-confidence
• He’s making plans
• He’s chasing dreams
• And everything is working exactly as it should

If there was ever a man who has the world by the tail it’s Jacob.
• He planned and got the birthright from Esau
• He planned and got the blessing from Isaac
• He planned and got Rachel from Laban

I promise you, in Jacob’s mind, he has the Midas touch.
He’s even got God in his hip pocket
Just to make sure everything goes according to plan.

This is a man walking in extreme self-confidence.

And let me tell you:
THAT HAS TO GO

James said it best about people who trust in their own plans:
James 4:13-16 “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.”

That is another way of saying:
DON’T EVER GET TOO BIG FOR YOUR BRITCHES!

It may seem like your plans are dipped in butter,
Coated with gold, and as solid as iron.

You may think your capable of outrunning speeding bullets
And leaping tall buildings in a single bound

But let me remind you:
Proverbs 11:2 “When pride comes, then comes dishonor, But with the humble is wisdom.”

Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling.”

Proverbs 29:23 “A man’s pride will bring him low, But a humble spirit will obtain honor.”

All those who got too self-confident fell flat on their face.

Just ask Peter:
Mark 14:29 “But Peter said to Him, “Even though all may fall away, yet I will not.”

Just ask the guy who had so much grain in his barns
He decided to build bigger ones and rest in security for the rest of his life.
Luke 12:20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’”

Just ask Job
TURN TO: Job 29:1-20

Self-confidence in what you’ve done or can do is a very dangerous thing.

That is why Scripture says:
Proverbs 26:12 “Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.”

Jeremiah 9:23-24 “Thus says the LORD, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD.”

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.”

And now you’re catching on to the problem with Jacob.
He wasn’t necessarily a bad man
And his plans weren’t necessarily bad plan.

It’s just that it is pretty clear Jacob was trusting in his own abilities
And leaning on his own understanding.

He was full of self-confidence
And he was RIPE to have the rug pulled right out from under him.

Enter Laban…

Jacob’s Confidence
#2 JACOB’S CONSEQUENCE
Genesis 29:21-30

Now there is a familiar story
(and again eerily similar to one we’ve already read)

Jacob’s plan has worked to perfection
And so he approaches Laban with his familiar cocky confidence and says, “Give me my wife, for my time is completed, that I may go in to her.”

You can hear his tone can’t you?
(I don’t think those were the exact words I used when I spoke to Carrie’s dad)
Jacob is used to getting what he wants
Simply because he has always been a step ahead of the game.
(He’s a J.R. Ewing if there ever was one.)

But look out Jacob, you’re not the only one with a trick up your sleeve.
Laban throws the party,
Laban invites the guests,
Laban presents the bride.

(23-24) “Now in the evening he took his daughter Leah, and brought her to him; and Jacob went in to her. Laban also gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah as a maid.”

People often ask how Jacob could not have known.

Granted parts of this story seem a little far-fetched.
(But I remind you it wasn’t nearly as far-fetched as the trick he played on Isaac)

There are two reasons that Jacob was fooled.
Thick veil and dark tent

Laban played this thing cool.
• He brought a bride (customary)
• He gave a maid (customary)

Everything here looked like normal and thus Jacob had no red flags
Because Jacob is used to his plan always working.

(25) “So it came about in the morning that, behold, it was Leah! And he said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served with you? Why then have you deceived me?”

Now would probably be a good time to insert the verse.
Galatians 6:7 “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.”

Perhaps Jacob should write home to Isaac
About what it feels like to have someone dress up and pretend they are someone they really aren’t in order to get what they want from you.

Had Jacob forgotten that Rebekah (who masterminded the first deception) was Laban’s sister?

JACOB HAS JUST MET HIS MATCH.

And let me remind you.
When you live by your wits, you are prone to get out-witted.

There is always someone craftier, smoother, or better at it than you.

That is why trusting in your own plans, schemes, abilities, discernment
Is a foolish endeavor.

You are asking to be hood-winked.

Proverbs 26:12 “Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.”

Laban just got the best of Jacob.
(26-30) “But Laban said, “It is not the practice in our place to marry off the younger before the firstborn. “Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also for the service which you shall serve with me for another seven years.” Jacob did so and completed her week, and he gave him his daughter Rachel as his wife. Laban also gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her maid. So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and indeed he loved Rachel more than Leah, and he served with Laban for another seven years.”

Now let me ask you,
Can you feel some of the starch just come right out of Jacob?

Where is that cocky, confident, take the bull by the horns boy
We saw at the beginning of the chapter?

Well, that boy is gone.
He has just been brought down to size.

He has just been taught that he is not the most clever
He has just been taught that he is not the most wise

And he is finally learning that if he is going to succeed in life,
He might need some help.

JACOB’S SELF-CONFIDENCE JUST GOT CRUSHED.

And friend this is a necessary work
That God must do in the life of every person He calls to Himself.

You cannot succeed while trusting in yourself,
Your faith must move from you to God.

Jeremiah 17:5-8 “Thus says the LORD, “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind And makes flesh his strength, And whose heart turns away from the LORD. “For he will be like a bush in the desert And will not see when prosperity comes, But will live in stony wastes in the wilderness, A land of salt without inhabitant. “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD And whose trust is the LORD. “For he will be like a tree planted by the water, That extends its roots by a stream And will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, And it will not be anxious in a year of drought Nor cease to yield fruit.”

Those that trust in self are cursed
Those that trust in God are blessed

AND SO A NECESSARY WORK OF GRACE
Is for you to be taken through situations that force you to quit trusting your own abilities and to start trusting His.

Psalms 30:6-9 “Now as for me, I said in my prosperity, “I will never be moved.” O LORD, by Your favor You have made my mountain to stand strong; You hid Your face, I was dismayed. To You, O LORD, I called, And to the Lord I made supplication: “What profit is there in my blood, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your faithfulness?”

Did you catch how a little adversity
Turned the Psalmist to begin trusting God?

Listen to Paul.
2 Corinthians 1:8-9 “For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead;”

The point is that self-confidence is not where God wants you.

And this has been one of the major lies of our society.

This country (especially our school systems) spend great amounts of effort promoting Self-Esteem and Self-Worth and Self-Confidence
And even Self-Love

But those things are contrary to God’s plan for your life.
In fact to follow Jesus at all the very first thing you must do is deny self.

Matthew 16:24 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.”

God does not want you confident in yourself or your own abilities.
God wants you confident in Him.

And part of His greatest work of grace
Is when He takes you through those moments that teach you that.

• So you had a financial dilemma that was beyond your control…
• So you had a medical dilemma that was beyond your control…
• So you had a physical dilemma that was beyond your control…
• So you had a relationship dilemma that was beyond your control…
• So you had an emotional dilemma that was beyond your control…

That’s good – it was meant to teach you to trust in God
Because none of those things are beyond His control.

But even that is not the final objective.

Because financial, medical, physical, relational, emotional issues
Are not the most important.

The most important issues you will ever face in life are spiritual issues.
And you most certainly must learn
That those issues are beyond your control.

If you are allowed to think that you are in control own fate
Then it’s possible you’ll take the matter of your soul into your own hands
AND THIS RESULTS IN CERTAIN FAILURE.

So God, in His grace, teaches you just how fragile you are
Because if you learn nothing else in this life
You had better learn to trust Him.

Jacob is on that path.

And so are the children of Israel whom Moses is preaching to.
God ripped them from Egypt and placed them in the wilderness and if they were learning nothing else it was that they had to daily depend on God for everything!

Self-Reliance would get them nowhere!

And it won’t get you anywhere either.
• So learn from your struggles
• Recognize just how weak and hopeless you really are
• Quit leaning on your own abilities and understanding

AND CAST IT ALL ON THE BACK OF GOD

Jacob isn’t doing that yet, but in about 13 more years he will.

That’s grace at work!

Titus 2:11-12 “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,”