Experiencing God.

Steve Gentry

[0:00] All right, have a seat. [0:02] Good morning, my name’s Steve. [0:04] I’m one of the pastors here at Village Church. [0:06] And I’m so thankful and grateful to see [0:08] each and every one of you. [0:10] If you’ve not been here before, I just

[0:13] said all of that backwards for some reason. [0:16] And now I can’t go to the beginning and fix it. [0:19] But next Sunday is going to be a little different [0:22] than most of our Sundays. [0:23] We’re going to have what we lovingly [0:27] have experienced as our 67th annual National Celebration

[0:30] of Life Festival of America in the year of our Lord 2017. [0:35] Next week, we’ve been doing this for 67 years. [0:38] So it’s a big year. [0:39] 75 is not too far away. [0:42] But some people have asked me, now Steve, [0:46] church has only been around for eight years.

[0:49] How have you done this for 67 years? [0:51] And I take a good multivitamin. [0:53] I try to eat my greens. [0:55] And that’s how I’m aging so well. [0:57] So that answers that question. [0:58] I hope that clears up any confusion as to how

[1:01] those two numbers don’t match. [1:03] But if it doesn’t clear up any confusion, I don’t really care. [1:07] You’ve got to have a sense of humor about these things. [1:10] But next Sunday, that’s easier for you guys [1:12] because you’re the ones that don’t like to get up early [1:14] on Sunday and come to the early service.

[1:16] So you’ll be here. [1:17] And here’s how it’s going to go. [1:19] You’re either going to come next Sunday [1:21] and then after the service go out and enjoy [1:24] the wonderful festivities, the bounce houses, the barbecue, [1:28] the burgers and hot dogs, the chips,

[1:31] the absence of anything healthy, the cornhole, [1:35] whatever other stupid games we have [1:38] that people have invented to make money. [1:39] And you’re either going to do that or you’re [1:42] going to walk to your car and everyone’s going to stare [1:47] and be like, there goes the person that

[1:50] doesn’t want to have friends. [1:52] And we’re all going to feel really sorry for you. [1:56] So next week, don’t leave, stay, and just pretend to be social. [2:04] Pretend. [2:05] All right? [2:05] And maybe someone will come along and make you feel better.

[2:10] And that’s how it happens for me. [2:11] Maybe it will be me. [2:12] It probably won’t. [2:15] That’s just the truth. [2:16] There’s so many of you that I can’t make it all around. [2:19] But please, next week, we do this every year

[2:22] as just a way to celebrate as a church body and fellowship [2:27] with one another and just celebrate and enjoy [2:29] all the things that God has done and really just [2:32] enjoy fellowship with all the people [2:34] that God has brought our way. [2:35] So please make every effort.

[2:37] I love how people say, make every effort to come. [2:40] That almost gives you an excuse. [2:41] Don’t make an effort, just come. [2:43] All right? [2:44] That’s the message that I want you to receive today. [2:46] And I’ll promise that there will be enough food for you.

[2:50] Let’s talk about the Bible for a while. [2:52] I think that’s why you came, right? [2:54] So open your Bibles to Genesis chapter 28. [2:56] That’s where we’re going to be. [2:58] All morning, we’re going to, by God’s grace, [3:00] make it through the entire chapter this morning.

[3:02] Over the past few weeks, we’ve been [3:04] looking at the lives of Isaac and Rebecca [3:06] in the book of Genesis. [3:08] God made a covenant with Isaac’s father Abraham [3:11] that through his child, a great nation would be birthed [3:15] and that through his lineage, all families and nations

[3:18] of the earth would be blessed. [3:20] And so that promise then necessarily extended [3:23] to his son Isaac. [3:25] And now this week, we’re going to see it extend [3:27] to his son Jacob. [3:29] And ultimately, what we see is that as we

[3:32] move through the Old Testament, God becomes clearer and clearer [3:36] and more specific about his promises to his people. [3:40] And then it’s ultimately completely fulfilled [3:42] in the person and work of Jesus Christ. [3:44] From the lineage of Abraham comes the nation of Israel. [3:48] Then from the nation of Israel, we

[3:50] see our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ born into this world, [3:54] lives a perfect life, dies the sinner’s death, [3:57] and then rises again triumphantly [4:00] to win victory over sin and death as our substitute. [4:03] And that is the fulfillment of these great promises. [4:07] But where we are now is back at the beginnings

[4:09] of these promises, is back where God [4:12] begins to kind of unfold for us just how he’s going to work. [4:17] And so in the lives of Isaac and Rebecca, [4:19] God was clear that the promise of God [4:22] would go through their younger son Jacob, [4:24] not the older son Esau.

[4:26] And so as this began to flesh out in real time, [4:30] this family would experience confusion, disobedience, [4:34] dysfunction, and deception as people focused more [4:37] on getting their way rather than taking [4:40] joy in God’s will. [4:43] And whenever that path is chosen,

[4:45] there is going to be pain. [4:47] Because God in his sovereignty made the decision [4:49] that he would be a little countercultural [4:50] and that he would move through the younger son rather [4:54] than the older son, which even to this day is strange. [4:58] And God told his people, he said, be faithful.

[5:01] Trust me in this. [5:02] But as they got everything backwards, [5:04] as we saw last week, there’s just pain being caused [5:08] in this family. [5:10] And this is pain that is willfully chosen [5:12] when you do not follow God’s will.

[5:17] And the issue of trusting God and not trusting God [5:20] is a very simple issue. [5:22] When you trust God, you seek to obey what he has said [5:26] and how he has said that his promises will be fulfilled. [5:30] When you do not trust God, you do not follow [5:33] what he has said you should do.

[5:34] You do not take joy in what his will will be. [5:37] And you trust yourself more than anything else. [5:40] And the root of this sin of trusting yourself [5:43] more than trusting God finds its life [5:46] in the fact that you do not believe you need God. [5:50] You think that you can trust yourself.

[5:53] And this is the path that we are continuously tempted [5:56] to take. [5:58] But understand that it takes no faith [6:00] to follow your own heart rather than focusing [6:02] on the heart of God. [6:04] It takes no faith.

[6:05] Because to follow God’s promises means that you believe [6:09] that there’s coming a day where he will fulfill [6:11] his promises and his promises for you will be better [6:15] than your will for yourself. [6:17] When you just follow after your heart, [6:20] when you follow after your wisdom,

[6:22] when you just do whatever seems right to you, [6:25] it takes no faith. [6:27] Because you just immediately get the dessert of that. [6:30] You immediately receive the recompense for that. [6:33] There’s no waiting, there’s just you. [6:35] And what you have to give to yourself

[6:38] is in no comparison as good as what God has to give [6:41] for himself because what you have to give [6:42] for yourself is worthless. [6:44] It’s detrimental. [6:45] It’s not beneficial. [6:47] And the problem that we have in our culture

[6:50] is that we are raised to believe [6:52] that we are ultimately good. [6:55] We are raised to believe many times in this culture [6:58] that our good is the best good and that we are all right [7:01] and that people like us and you’re the golden trophy [7:05] of the child.

[7:07] And so we walk around and we say, [7:08] you know what, I’m pretty good. [7:09] My wisdom’s all right. [7:11] What do I need life change for? [7:13] Everything’s going okay for me. [7:15] But the reality is that you are not good.

[7:18] The reality is that you are in sin. [7:20] The reality is that you need to turn [7:22] from your definition of good [7:24] towards God’s definition of good. [7:26] You are not all right. [7:29] For the most part, we live faithless lives

[7:32] because we do not seek God in his word [7:35] for what he desires for us. [7:37] And instead, we seek what is logical and reasonable [7:40] by the standards of this world. [7:43] We often attempt to remake God in our image [7:47] rather than seek to be changed into God’s image.

[7:52] And as the record of Jacob and Esau continues to unfold, [7:55] we find this dysfunctional family still reeling [7:58] from the struggle with the temptations [8:00] to trust themselves rather than God. [8:04] And every single time, there will be consequences [8:07] to that type of action.

[8:09] So in Genesis 28.1, here’s what we read. [8:13] It says, Isaac called Jacob [8:14] and blessed him and directed him. [8:15] You must not take a wife from the Canaanite women. [8:18] Arise, go to Paddanarim to the house of Bethuel, [8:21] your mother’s father, and take your wife

[8:23] from one of the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother. [8:26] God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful [8:28] and multiply you that you may become a company of peoples. [8:32] May he give the blessing of Abraham to you [8:34] and to your offspring with you [8:36] that you may take possession of the land

[8:38] of your sojournings that God gave to Abraham. [8:40] Thus, Isaac sent Jacob away, and he went to Paddanarim [8:44] to Laban, the son of Bethuel the Aramean, [8:46] the brother of Rebekah, Jacob and Esau’s mother. [8:49] So there we have the record of what happened to Jacob [8:53] directly after chapter 27.

[8:55] At the end of 27, it says, Rebekah goes to Isaac and says, [8:59] if the blessing is gonna go through Jacob, [9:01] please do not let him take a wife [9:03] from these Canaanite women. [9:05] Do as your father did. [9:07] Send him back to my homeland

[9:09] so that he may find a bride from our lineage. [9:13] And that is the pathway that Jacob takes. [9:15] It seems as though Isaac and Rebekah [9:17] are beginning to get back onto God’s game plan, [9:20] at least with their son Isaac, [9:22] and they’re seeking his will

[9:24] so that he can continue the promise of God [9:27] from his father Abraham. [9:30] But then look at Esau. [9:32] It says, now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob [9:35] and sent him away to Paddanarim to take a wife from there. [9:39] And that as he blessed him, he directed him,

[9:42] you must not take a wife from the Canaanite women. [9:45] And that Jacob had obeyed his father and his mother [9:48] and gone to Paddanarim, so when Esau saw [9:51] that the Canaanite women did not please Isaac his father, [9:55] Esau went to Ishmael and took as his wife, [9:57] besides the wives that he had,

[9:59] Mahaleth, the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, [10:02] the sister of Nebaiath. [10:05] And so we see two kind of contradictory stories [10:09] among these two brothers. [10:11] We see Jacob receive the blessing, [10:14] we see Isaac reiterate the Abrahamic covenant over him,

[10:17] and Jacob is going back to his homeland [10:20] to find a wife of his people, [10:21] but then we get down to Esau [10:23] and we see the consequences of sin. [10:27] We see that this family does not completely get back [10:30] on God’s plan, but instead only kind of,

[10:32] in a kind of a three quarters way gets back on God’s plan, [10:35] but then there’s Esau left out seeking resentment [10:39] rather than fulfilling and taking joy [10:43] in the covenant that God has for his people. [10:45] Friends, I want you to understand something very clear, [10:47] that you should not be surprised

[10:49] at the consequences of disobedience. [10:52] Do not be surprised that there will be consequences [10:55] to your disobedience. [10:56] Now I’m not speaking that there’s no forgiveness [10:59] available for sin, I’m not speaking that when we’re [11:01] disobedient to God’s way, that we cannot find grace,

[11:04] of course we can find grace to save us, [11:06] we can be reconciled to God through faith in Jesus Christ, [11:09] we can be forgiven of sins past, present, and future, [11:13] completely forgiven, but that does not mean [11:15] the earthly consequences of our sin will not still be there. [11:22] And we see in this story, those consequences go down

[11:26] into the life of Esau, into the other son, [11:29] because there’s always, always, always going to be [11:32] consequences to our sin. [11:34] And that is why we should not traverse too long [11:37] into the life of disobedience of God, [11:39] into the life of sin, into the life of not taking joy

[11:43] and finding our hope and peace in the will of God, [11:46] because the further we get into those consequences, [11:50] number one, the harder it is for us to ask for forgiveness. [11:53] But then number two, the larger the ramifications [11:56] for our sin will be. [11:59] This family marches on, but they march on at the consequence

[12:03] of Esau finding his hope in his sin, [12:07] rather than finding his hope in the covenant of God. [12:11] You know, the scripture is silent about how Isaac [12:14] and Rebecca focused on Esau’s wives, [12:17] but the text tells us that he already had a few [12:20] at this point, so maybe they had given up, I don’t know.

[12:23] But note that Esau’s reaction to Jacob’s departure [12:27] was that he wanted to hurt his parents. [12:30] He was filled with anger and resentment [12:33] over the situation from Genesis 27, [12:36] and wanted to hurt them by going against [12:38] what his mother wanted for Jacob.

[12:41] So Esau sought to find a Canaanite wife. [12:47] And that’s how the story goes. [12:49] You see, so often there are parents [12:52] that will raise their children to do a whole host of things [12:55] other than follow God with everything that they have, [12:59] other than follow God and find joy in his will

[13:01] in what he prescribes, other than living [13:05] to saturate your life in his word, [13:07] living to live for his glory, [13:09] and going after what it is that God wants for you. [13:11] But here we find the ramifications [13:14] of what that really looks like.

[13:16] And parents will, when their kids get a little bit older [13:19] and they’ll begin to struggle and sin, [13:20] they’ll begin to deny faith in Jesus Christ, [13:22] they’ll begin to go the opposite direction, [13:25] and the parents will then say, why are you doing this? [13:28] Why would you not wanna believe the gospel?

[13:30] And many, many times it is because the parent [13:33] has not cultivated an environment and an atmosphere [13:36] in the family where God’s will is enjoyed. [13:40] And that’s what you have with Isaac and Rebecca. [13:43] You have a family that before the birth of their sons, [13:47] God’s will for the lives of their children

[13:49] are revealed to them, but they do not raise Esau [13:52] to find joy in Jacob being chosen, [13:55] to find joy in the fact that God’s covenant [13:57] would be furthered in that family, [13:59] to find joy in whatever God’s sovereign plan is for them, [14:03] and instead, Esau is raised,

[14:05] and when he can make his own decisions, what does he do? [14:08] He lives with resentment towards his mother and father [14:12] and lives with a great parent wound in his life [14:16] that all he cares about is they desire this for my brother, [14:20] I will do the opposite in order that I may bring them pain.

[14:27] Parents, the consequences of your decisions [14:29] as you raise children are monumental. [14:32] You see, many of you are raising your children [14:35] to worship a leather ball either being kicked [14:37] or thrown down a field. [14:40] Many of you are raising your children,

[14:43] and you’re saying, well, I want them to follow Jesus Christ, [14:45] I want them to worship him with their lives, [14:47] but then you saturate your life with the desire for wealth, [14:52] with chasing after money with all of the time that you have. [14:56] You tell your children, I want you to follow Jesus, [14:59] but then the example that they have as a parent

[15:01] who’s chasing power, who’s chasing fame, [15:03] who’s chasing career ambitions above everything for them. [15:08] And then when they’re old enough [15:09] to make their own decisions for life, [15:11] and they will even go to the extent [15:13] where they deny faith in Jesus Christ,

[15:14] you will look and you will say, that’s not how I raised you, [15:17] yes, it is.

[15:21] You see, your verbal cues may not have been [15:25] to live a life in which you deny faith in Jesus, [15:27] but your actions spoke of a different gospel. [15:33] Your actions always speak to what your values actually are.

[15:40] And when you leave behind in your wake [15:43] an example of faithlessness in the things of God, [15:49] you may speak to allegiance to Jesus Christ, [15:52] but in your wake, you do not proactively show [15:56] a real commitment to the things of God [15:59] with all of the margin in your time.

[16:02] You should not then, when they are adults, [16:05] wonder why they went astray. [16:08] They went astray because that is what you taught them to do. [16:13] Now I tell you, you cannot control [16:16] what happens to your children. [16:19] You can do everything right, or what we would call right,

[16:23] you can do everything with the greatest power [16:25] that you have, and still, they rebel [16:28] against the things of God. [16:30] Still, they rebel against Jesus Christ. [16:33] But you must do everything you can in your power [16:36] to ensure that they find joy in the things of God.

[16:40] And then as you teach them to trust the authority [16:44] of the scripture, to trust the sovereignty of God, [16:47] to find their joy in the covenants of God, [16:50] and their joy in Jesus Christ being the fulfillment [16:52] of all of those covenants, as you do that, [16:54] you pray for them, you example for them,

[16:57] you show them that the way that you use your time [17:00] is to show your allegiance to the truth [17:02] of the gospel of Jesus Christ. [17:04] And then in that, you trust that the Holy Spirit [17:07] will work in their lives to bring them to faith [17:10] through both your word, but also through your deed.

[17:14] But many of you think there’s going to come a moment [17:17] where you can just throw a spiritual Hail Mary [17:20] in the fourth quarter and hope that it sticks. [17:23] That’s not the way this works.

[17:27] There’s no quality spirituality [17:29] without quantity of spirituality. [17:33] You cannot waste your life in leisure and hobbies [17:38] and no joy in the will of God, [17:41] and then hope that faith sticks [17:43] in the lives of your children.

[17:44] You cannot do that. [17:45] It doesn’t work that way.

[17:49] My hope and prayer for my children, all three of them, [17:54] is that they will see in my life a joy in the things of God [17:58] more than a joy of anything in this world. [18:03] And that way, when they are old enough to own their faith, [18:08] they will have an example that they can look at [18:11] rather than an example that they need to shun,

[18:15] or an example that causes them [18:17] to not believe the gospel at all [18:19] because they saw me trivialize it in their lives for years. [18:23] But that requires for many of you [18:25] to make some grave changes in your life. [18:29] You see, one of the reasons that we read

[18:32] through the gospel accounts in the New Testament [18:34] and we see the prostitutes, the publicans, the sinners, [18:38] they just chase after Jesus. [18:41] They’re so in love with Jesus. [18:42] It’s not because Jesus was okay with their sin. [18:46] It’s not because Jesus said,

[18:48] oh, you come in my presence [18:49] and no changes are required of you. [18:51] No, it is because they knew the depth [18:53] of their own depravity. [18:55] They understood their great need [18:58] for the things of Jesus Christ.

[19:00] But then you look at the Pharisees, [19:01] you look at the religious people of that time, [19:03] and they believe, well, I’m okay. [19:05] I can figure this out on my own. [19:07] I’ll just follow after whatever I want [19:09] to give me great gain

[19:12] with no worry for the next generation. [19:15] So one of the hardest things that you will do as a parent [19:18] is realize, number one, [19:20] you have no idea what you’re doing.

[19:23] But then number two, your default mode [19:25] is that you’re gonna do everything wrong.

[19:28] Given the opportunity, [19:30] you will lead your children down the wrong path. [19:33] You will, it’s because you’re a sinner. [19:36] But that’s the place of the gospel in our lives, [19:38] to make those corrections. [19:41] See, you will have the opportunity

[19:43] to chase after many, many false gods, [19:46] and unfortunately, many of you will do that, [19:48] and many of you will continue to do that. [19:51] But you have the opportunity to show your child [19:54] many, many times throughout life [19:56] what real repentance looks like,

[19:59] what turning from sin looks like [20:00] and embracing the will of God in Jesus Christ [20:03] for your life actually looks like. [20:06] You see, you will either live in resentment [20:08] or you will be corrected by discipline. [20:11] So the past few minutes, I’ve said some hard things.

[20:14] And many of you are sitting there, [20:15] you’re like, well, I’m just gonna keep going [20:16] down the same path, I think I’m gonna be all right, [20:18] I think my kids are gonna be all right, [20:19] Steve, you have no idea what you’re talking about, [20:21] and you’re gonna resent me.

[20:23] But some of you are receiving it, [20:24] and you’re like, yeah, I need to make some changes. [20:28] And that’s what being corrected by discipline looks like. [20:30] That’s what actually looking at the word of God [20:32] and receiving it and saying, you know what, [20:33] this is correcting the way that I live my life.

[20:36] You see, in Deuteronomy 7, 9, it says, [20:38] Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, [20:41] the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love [20:43] with those who love him and keep his commandments [20:46] to a thousand generations. [20:49] And note that Esau could find no joy in that promise

[20:55] because he wasn’t taught to. [20:58] Note the effect of unfaithfulness in his family. [21:02] There’s nothing but turmoil that marches forward [21:05] as God’s covenant is not focused on [21:07] in this part of the family. [21:08] There are always going to be consequences to sin.

[21:12] And the consequences of the family of Isaac and Rebecca [21:14] was that they treated their children, [21:16] and this carried through to the way that Esau saw women. [21:21] He didn’t want to be faithful to the covenant, [21:23] he just wanted to hurt his father and mother. [21:28] Friend, I tell you, the pain of the sin of his past

[21:30] would define his future, but it didn’t have to.

[21:36] God was clear that the covenant would march on [21:39] through Jacob, but rather than finding joy [21:41] in God’s faithfulness, what does he do? [21:43] He’s resentful because of the sins of the past.

[21:47] Friends, you do not have to continue in the state [21:51] that you are in if you are living a life [21:53] that is outside of what God desires for you. [21:55] You do not have to continue down that path. [21:58] The hope of Jesus is that he will bring us in, [22:01] reconcile us to himself, and then he looks to us

[22:03] and he says, now that you’ve been cleansed, follow me. [22:06] Make those changes. [22:09] Note that the faithful response to the consequences of sin [22:12] is to understand them as discipline. [22:15] This is the Revelation of Hebrews chapter 12. [22:19] It says, and have you forgotten the exhortation

[22:21] that addresses you as sons? [22:22] And then he quotes Proverbs 3. [22:24] He says, my son, do not regard lightly [22:26] the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary [22:28] when reproved by him, for the Lord disciplines [22:31] the one he loves, and he chastises every son

[22:34] whom he receives. [22:36] See, so often, we think of the discipline of the Lord [22:39] as some baseball bat that’s gonna come in [22:41] and it’s just gonna ruin us, and then we know [22:43] it’s the discipline of the Lord. [22:44] Now, I do not believe it’s like that most of the time.

[22:47] Most of the time, the discipline of the Lord [22:49] is our conscience. [22:51] Most of the time, the discipline of the Lord [22:53] for our sin is that little voice inside of our head [22:56] that when we are headed down the wrong path, [22:58] it tells us, you know, this is wrong, right?

[23:01] You know that you should be over here [23:03] rather than over there, right? [23:04] You realize that, right? [23:06] See, most of the time, that is the discipline of the Lord, [23:09] but then as the consequences pile on, [23:12] and in Esau’s life, this just kind of disgust

[23:14] of his family and this kind of hatred for his family, [23:17] this is a consequence of the sin of his parents [23:20] in which they needed to seek their son out, [23:22] in which they saw that there are consequences, [23:24] and instead of seeing it as a rebuke of the Lord, [23:28] what do they do?

[23:28] They just carry on.

[23:31] Esau just carries on as well with no response to it, [23:35] but know what he likens the discipline of the Lord to. [23:38] He likens it of the discipline of a father to a child.

[23:46] See, this is the great loss of Isaac and Rebecca. [23:50] You see, the discipline is compared to the way [23:52] parents discipline their children. [23:54] And so to the parents, I ask, [23:56] does your discipline look like the Lord’s?

[24:00] Is your focus on loving your children toward God, [24:03] or is your parenting selfish and focused on you? [24:07] You see, many will learn to respond to God [24:11] the way that they respond to mom and dad.

[24:18] You see, the main discipleship for a mother and a father [24:22] is their children. [24:23] Those are the closest relationships that you have. [24:26] And so the question that you must ask yourself, [24:28] what type of disciplinarian is your child getting? [24:32] Is he getting a godly disciplinarian,

[24:34] or is he getting a selfish disciplinarian? [24:37] Is she getting someone whom is seeking to point them [24:40] towards the things of the Lord, [24:41] or is she getting someone who’s just trying [24:43] to discipline them so that they will leave you alone? [24:48] Because remember, this is all about you,

[24:50] and you just need them to straighten up, [24:52] so that you can get back to what you wanna do for yourself.

[24:58] The main revelation in small children [25:00] of the things of the Lord is mother and father. [25:03] And that teaches us two things. [25:06] Number one, parenting is about discipleship towards God. [25:09] Parenting is about discipleship towards God. [25:11] It’s not about anything else.

[25:13] See, many people in their priority list, [25:16] discipleship towards God is like number 17 on the list. [25:19] And you’ve got a lot of other hopes [25:21] that you want for your kids above that one. [25:23] You want them to get a good job, [25:25] you want them to not bother you too much,

[25:27] you want them to not get kicked out of school, [25:28] you have all these hopes, and then number 17, [25:31] oh, I want them to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.

[25:34] You gotta get rid of everything above that, [25:36] and that’s number one. [25:39] See, because when you do not [25:40] disciple your children towards Jesus Christ, [25:43] eventually you reveal that you do not personally believe [25:45] the gospel of Jesus Christ.

[25:48] Because the fruit of believing the gospel [25:50] is discipling others. [25:52] But then it teaches us something else. [25:54] See, for some of you, your parents [25:56] were like Isaac and Rebecca. [25:58] And the answer for you is not to cause yourself

[26:01] further pain like Esau did. [26:03] The answer is to receive the discipline of the Lord [26:06] and learn what a parent is from God, [26:09] and then live that love out. [26:13] So if you have horrible parents that do not care [26:16] enough about the things of God

[26:17] to show you what it is to live a godly life, [26:19] but instead they live a completely self-centered life, [26:22] there’s still hope for you.

[26:25] So we like to think that these things are so complicated. [26:28] We like to think that our problems [26:29] are more complex than anybody else’s. [26:31] No, they aren’t. [26:32] You either believe the gospel [26:33] or you don’t believe the gospel.

[26:35] Number two, God will never abandon his promises. [26:40] God will never abandon his promises. [26:43] If you are God’s people, he will be with you. [26:47] This is the story. [26:48] Then unfolds, the record then goes back to Jacob, [26:51] and it shows us the path Jacob goes on.

[26:53] It says in verse 10, [26:54] Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran. [26:57] And he came to a certain place [26:58] and stayed there that night because the sun had set. [27:00] Taking one of the stones of the place, [27:02] he put it under his head and lay it down

[27:04] in that place to sleep. [27:06] Now, when I read that, [27:08] I’ve been looking for a mattress recently, [27:10] and I immediately think to myself, [27:12] wow, I’ve got it so much better than they had it. [27:15] I mean, imagine what sleeping on a rock

[27:17] must have done to your neck. [27:18] They may have had better necks back then. [27:20] I do not know. [27:21] But I have a sneaking suspicion [27:23] that there’s gonna be a book in Life Way at some point [27:26] that’s called The Genesis Pillow.

[27:28] And it’s going to be a book [27:30] about how the biblical way to sleep is on rocks. [27:34] Don’t read that book. [27:35] It’s stupid. [27:37] There are so many dumb books out there [27:40] about things like that.

[27:42] Most of the books of Life Way, avoid them. [27:44] The convention owns it, [27:45] but they should have better discernment.

[27:49] So Jacob is somehow sleeping on a rock. [27:52] And then in verse 12. [27:53] And he dreamed. [27:55] And behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, [27:57] and the top of it reached to heaven. [27:59] And behold, the angels of God were ascending

[28:01] and descending on it. [28:02] And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, [28:04] I am the Lord, the God of Abraham, your father, [28:07] and the God of Isaac. [28:08] And the land on which you lie, [28:10] I will give to you into your offspring.

[28:12] Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, [28:14] and you shall spread abroad to the west [28:17] and to the east and to the north and to the south. [28:19] And in you and your offspring [28:20] shall all the families of the earth be blessed. [28:22] Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go

[28:26] and will bring you back to this land. [28:28] For I will not leave you until I have done [28:30] what I have promised you. [28:32] Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, [28:34] surely the Lord is in this place. [28:35] And I did not know it.

[28:38] And he was afraid and said, how awesome is this place? [28:41] This is none other than the house of God. [28:44] And this is the gate to heaven. [28:49] You see, friend, God is going to be faithful [28:51] to his promises. [28:53] The choice that you have is whether you will find joy

[28:55] in his faithfulness or if you will worship yourself. [29:00] There’s a deep contrast in the story [29:02] between Esau and Jacob. [29:05] As Jacob departs from his journey, [29:06] the Lord gives him a revelation. [29:09] God is clear that this is what he was going to do.

[29:13] In verses 13 and 14, he says, [29:15] your descendants will bless the world. [29:17] In verse 15, he says, I will never leave you. [29:20] Many people will look at the dream of Jacob’s ladder [29:22] and they try to find some deeper meaning. [29:25] They say, oh, what is this dream?

[29:26] What is this special revelation? [29:28] It is very simple. [29:29] This is God reiterating to Jacob the Abrahamic covenant. [29:33] There’s nothing in this dream that was not [29:36] in the Abrahamic covenant other than the vision aspect of it. [29:39] It is God impressing upon the life of Jacob.

[29:42] It is God interceding in the life of Jacob [29:45] and saying, Jacob, the promise that I made [29:48] to your grandfather is going to come through you. [29:52] He says, I will bless the families of the earth [29:55] through you and your descendants, which will be many, [29:58] and I will never leave you.

[30:01] This is what God has always promised, [30:04] that he will never depart from his people. [30:07] As time marched on, he reiterated this promise [30:10] throughout the Old Testament. [30:11] In Deuteronomy chapter 31, verse 8, he told Israel, [30:14] he said, I am going before you.

[30:16] I will be with you. [30:18] You have nothing to fear.

[30:23] You see, friends, it is the thought that God’s presence [30:25] is either not beneficial to you or it is not joyful [30:28] that leads to fear. [30:31] When you find your joy in God’s will, [30:33] it is the cure for fear. [30:37] It’s that simple.

[30:39] You see, when God is trusted, life is beautiful. [30:43] Because no matter what you go through, [30:45] no matter what pain, no matter what turmoil, [30:48] no matter what trial you’re going through, [30:49] you can bank on the promise that God is with you [30:53] every step of the way.

[30:55] And this is what God revealed to Jacob. [30:58] And he declared, Jacob, be faithful to me. [31:01] You see, the faithfulness of God is the bedrock [31:03] of what real faith is. [31:06] It is not our faithfulness that defines life. [31:09] It is God’s faithfulness.

[31:11] That is the centerpiece of this passage, [31:13] the centerpiece of the life of faith. [31:16] Experiencing God in your life is about trusting [31:19] in His faithfulness. [31:21] And to trust in God’s promises is to experience [31:25] closeness to Him.

[31:27] And what are His promises? [31:29] Was promises in this passage that He will be faithful [31:32] to the covenant that He had made. [31:34] He will deliver on this promise. [31:36] And then ultimately we see this promise fulfilled [31:38] in Jesus Christ.

[31:39] How does God bless all nations? [31:41] Through this family, His birth, Jesus Christ. [31:44] And then on the cross and through the resurrection, [31:46] Jesus makes it possible for all peoples of all nations, [31:50] of all ethnicities, of all races, [31:52] of all the families of the earth,

[31:54] that they can be reconciled to Him. [31:57] What He is saying is, I am the promise [32:02] that God gifts Himself to us. [32:06] This promise of God’s eminence in the lives [32:09] of those who trust Him extends through the gospel. [32:12] And the promise of verse 15 is similar in nature

[32:16] to the promise of Matthew 28, 19 through 20. [32:20] I mean, when Jesus Himself, after His resurrection, [32:22] He looks to His people and He says, [32:24] go, make disciples of all nations, [32:26] baptizing them in the name of the Father, [32:27] and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit,

[32:29] teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you [32:31] and what He’s saying, behold, I will be with you. [32:37] The ultimate of every promise of God is Himself. [32:42] It’s the greatest gift that He could ever give [32:44] into your life is that He will never abandon [32:47] His promises and thereby He will never abandon

[32:50] those who trust in Him. [32:52] God is the greatest gift that God could ever give. [32:56] His promises are eternal. [32:58] His salvation is secure. [33:01] But note what God does not say. [33:04] God did not tell Jacob that Jacob’s vision

[33:06] for good would happen. [33:08] God promised Jacob that God’s vision for Jacob would happen [33:12] and God would walk with him every step of the way. [33:17] That is the salvation of the Lord. [33:22] You see, number three this morning, [33:23] the response to Revelation is always worshipful obedience.

[33:28] Did you realize that every act of obedience [33:31] should be founded on God’s promises?

[33:35] So when we think about our obedience, [33:37] we must consider what should my obedience be based on? [33:41] Look at how the story continues. [33:42] The record begins in verse 18, it says, [33:45] So early in the morning, Jacob took the stone [33:46] that he had put under his bed and set it up for a pillar

[33:49] and poured oil on top of it. [33:50] He called the name of that place Bethel, [33:53] but the name of the city was Louis at first. [33:55] Then Jacob made a vow saying, [33:58] if God will be with me and will keep me in this way [34:01] that I go and will give me bread to eat

[34:02] and clothing to wear so that I come again [34:05] to my father’s house in peace, [34:06] then the Lord shall be my God. [34:08] And this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, [34:10] shall be God’s house. [34:12] And of all that you give me,

[34:13] I will give a full tenth to you. [34:18] You see, he names the place Bethel, [34:20] which means the house of God. [34:22] He vows that God’s presence is his heart’s desire. [34:25] And that is worship. [34:27] That is the legitimate response to God’s word.

[34:31] You see, to experience the presence of God [34:32] changes our lives. [34:35] It makes you step back and realize [34:37] that something has happened that changes. [34:39] Every moment that comes after it [34:42] makes you look and say, this ground is holy.

[34:43] I will never be the same. [34:45] And we may retort, that must have been something, [34:49] to actually receive revelation from God, [34:52] to have him speak his promises, [34:54] even if through a dream into your life. [34:57] That must have affected Jacob.

[35:00] And it obviously did, but the truth is [35:03] that God did this in part so that you could have it. [35:06] You have the opportunity in every moment [35:10] to receive his promise and all of God’s promises [35:14] in his word. [35:16] And the key is how you understand it,

[35:19] and if you’re truly receiving it. [35:22] You see, the experience that Jacob had, [35:24] while dissimilar to what we have today, [35:26] it is contained in his ultimate revelation, [35:29] in his scriptures. [35:30] You have every moment and every day

[35:32] where you can saturate your life in the word. [35:35] See, I’m frequently asked, man, Steve, [35:39] how do you preach so much about the word? [35:41] When you’re preaching, you talk about the word [35:43] as if you know it, and can you teach me how to preach? [35:45] And I say, well, it’s pretty simple.

[35:47] I’m not an expert at many things, anything really, [35:51] but the way that I preach is ultimately, [35:53] it’s founded in just the fact that I read the Bible. [35:56] I say, oh, it’s not that simple. [35:59] I say, it really is. [36:00] And so when most people think about reading the Bible,

[36:02] they think about it this way. [36:03] They’ll go in the Bible and they’ll read a verse, [36:05] and they’ll say, all right, I’m done for the day. [36:07] I say, no, when I say read the Bible, [36:09] I’m talking, you gotta read it, man. [36:11] You gotta study it, you gotta go through it.

[36:14] You gotta let it saturate you. [36:15] You gotta sit in it. [36:17] You’ve got to know it. [36:19] You’ve got to put more value in the presence of God. [36:22] You’ve got to put more value in the Word of God. [36:24] You’ve got to put more value in the revelation of God

[36:26] than you put in anything else in your life. [36:29] You need to spend more time in the Word of God [36:32] than you spend in YouTube. [36:36] You need to spend more time in the Word of God [36:38] than you spend on Facebook. [36:41] You need to spend more time in the Word of God

[36:43] than you spend doing anything else in your time. [36:46] And then, after many seasons of saturating your life [36:51] in the word of God, [36:52] you just sort of naturally can talk about it. [36:56] You just sort of naturally start to glean truths from it [37:00] when you read the same record for the 10th time.

[37:05] You say, I never realized that. [37:07] I never applied it this way. [37:09] I didn’t know about that. [37:10] You see, you didn’t get it the previous nine, [37:12] but on the 10th time, [37:14] it started to saturate down to your soul.

[37:20] That’s why Hebrews says the word of God [37:22] is sharper than any two-edged sword [37:23] piercing asunder even to the soul.

[37:28] See, friends, the problem isn’t [37:29] that God’s presence isn’t available. [37:31] The problem isn’t that God’s revelation is unavailable. [37:34] The problem is that we are ignoring it for lesser things. [37:39] We are more interested in the trinkets of this age [37:43] than we are in the eternal revelation of our God.

[37:48] But the other issue is that many of you [37:52] have no intention whatsoever [37:54] to apply God’s revelation to your life. [37:57] See, I hear from many people [37:59] that I want to experience God at a deeper level, [38:03] yet you have no intention of having your lifestyle changed

[38:07] to be more godly and more biblical. [38:10] You friends, I didn’t say every place in scripture [38:12] that the presence of God is experienced and enjoyed, [38:15] the result is a changed life more in line with God’s will. [38:21] Nowhere in scripture do you see people [38:23] experiencing God on a regular basis

[38:25] and then just walking around [38:26] like nothing has changed for them. [38:29] Every place, it brings drastic changes in their lives. [38:34] You see, experiencing God has a goal. [38:36] It has a purpose. [38:37] It is for you to be more in line with who God is.

[38:43] And if revelation is received, you will obey. [38:48] You see, Jacob experiences worship in this moment. [38:52] In a way that the word doesn’t record beforehand [38:54] that he had experienced worship, [38:57] or really, it doesn’t really express it [38:59] that much afterwards, but in this moment,

[39:02] and experiencing God, we see Jacob worship. [39:06] And what does this mean about worship? [39:09] It means that when you worship, [39:12] it is in light of who God is [39:14] and the change that he wants to make in your life, [39:17] and you make those things.

[39:19] And so we’ll say oftentimes, and this is so true, [39:22] that worship brings about obedience. [39:25] But then in our obedience, we do not worship. [39:28] We will say silly things if I say, [39:29] why do you do right things? [39:31] I’m sure 85% of you will probably tell me you say,

[39:33] you do right because it’s right. [39:36] No, you don’t. [39:38] That’s the way pagans do right. [39:40] You do not do right because it is morally good. [39:45] You do not do right because of your definition of good. [39:48] You do right because God’s promises are true.

[39:52] Every single time. [39:54] You do right because of the worship of God. [39:58] I am obedient because I believe [40:01] that God will deliver on his promises. [40:04] You see, what has changed about Jacob’s life [40:06] in this passage is that God has let him know

[40:09] this is the destination of your life. [40:12] And then in view of those promises being fulfilled, [40:15] Jacob makes the change and he says, [40:18] I’m going to readjust the direction of my life [40:21] based on what God has said the future will look like. [40:26] That is why we obey.

[40:28] That is why we do that which is right. [40:30] It is the change in his life. [40:33] To truly worship God is to obey him based on his promises [40:38] because you trust that he will deliver on them. [40:40] That is where obedience that glorifies God comes from.

[40:46] Friends, when we get further in the record, [40:51] further in the narrative, [40:52] we see in Joshua chapter one verses seven and eight [40:55] that Moses had died and Joshua was taking up [40:58] the leadership of the nation. [41:00] And he told the nation in verses seven and eight,

[41:02] he says, you’ve received God’s revelation. [41:05] Do not turn away from it, follow it. [41:07] Then your life will be successful. [41:10] Be strong because God is with you. [41:14] You see, I tell you, part of the reason [41:15] that you aren’t experiencing God is in this passage.

[41:20] You turn from God’s law every chance you get [41:25] and then you try to claim his promises in your life. [41:28] That is not how it works. [41:30] You see, God has promised specific things [41:34] ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ [41:36] and then being lived out in light of the mission

[41:39] of Jesus in the gospel. [41:41] And what we do with the promises of God [41:43] is we just try to make whatever fancy we have this week, [41:46] that is the promise of God, [41:47] I’m believing God for this, that, or the other thing. [41:52] And the problem is that you’re going to be disappointed

[41:54] because God didn’t promise any of those things.

[41:58] And so then the resentment will build [42:00] and you will begin to look like someone [42:02] who’s not following Jesus Christ. [42:04] Part of it is our definition of success. [42:07] You see down there in verse eight, [42:08] Joshua looks at them and says,

[42:09] oh, he will make your way prosperous [42:11] and then you will have good success. [42:13] What is success?

[42:16] Success is the presence of God [42:18] and the surety of his promises. [42:21] You can’t claim promises he hasn’t made [42:24] and just hope that things go your way. [42:27] You live as if his promises are everything for you [42:32] and then you depend on things that he hasn’t promised.

[42:35] But his forgiveness demands your life. [42:39] You have been unfaithful. [42:42] And Jesus, as the ultimate fulfillment of this covenant, [42:46] demands you to be reconciled in relationship to him [42:49] and follow him in a new life. [42:51] You do not turn to the right, you do not turn to the left.

[42:55] You follow what his will, as revealed in scripture, is. [43:01] Friend, I tell you, you need to experience God [43:02] on God’s terms. [43:05] Then walk in submission to his ways. [43:08] You need to experience God in the revelation of his word [43:12] and then build and teach a life of faithfulness

[43:16] to the next generation. [43:17] And don’t let any idol of this world tempt you [43:20] to the right or to the left. [43:22] You need to experience God and then worship [43:25] in his house forever. [43:28] But be prepared that it will change

[43:30] the direction of your life. [43:32] And it will do that many, many times. [43:35] Because as you know more of the presence of God, [43:38] so will the direction of your life be corrected [43:41] more and more and more because you will become [43:44] more and more like Christ in every step of the journey

[43:48] that is yet before you. [43:50] As the band comes forward, [43:52] we transition into a time of communion.

[43:57] Every week we reflect on the Lord’s Supper. [44:01] The bread represents the broken body of Jesus, [44:03] the cup represents his shed blood. [44:06] And when we eat and when we drink, [44:08] what that represents is us taking a look, [44:11] is us reminding ourselves of the covenant faithfulness

[44:14] of God to his gospel. [44:16] And that all of the promises of God find their yes [44:19] in Jesus Christ. [44:21] And so I tell you today, if you’re in here [44:23] and you’ve not trusted in Jesus Christ, [44:25] or something I’ve said or something that you’ve seen

[44:28] in the word or the Holy Spirit has just moved on you, [44:31] and you say, I don’t know that I’ve ever believed. [44:33] I don’t know that I’ve ever trusted. [44:35] The way that you’re talking about Jesus, [44:36] I don’t know that I know him. [44:40] As those who believe come forward,

[44:42] I’m gonna ask you to do something different. [44:43] I’m gonna ask you to step out into the foyer. [44:46] Someone will be there to talk with you, [44:47] answer questions that you might have, pray with you, [44:51] help you understand what it is to trust in Jesus. [44:54] But if you’re in here and you’ve trusted in Christ,

[44:57] you know him as Lord, in just a moment, [45:00] I’m gonna ask you to come eat and drink. [45:03] And as you do that, reflect on the covenant of God. [45:07] Christ is in you. [45:09] Christ is reigning and he will reign forever. [45:13] And as you walk into this world, follow his reign.

[45:17] When you’re ready, come.