Latest / Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast / #10147 - Back To Bethel Again and Again - Genesis 35:1-10

Transcript

#10147 - Back To Bethel Again and Again - Genesis 35:1-10 · Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast

0:04
Welcome to the study of God's word with pastor and author.
0:07
Ed, Taylor recorded live at Calvary Church in Aurora,
0:11
Colorado to learn more about the many resources available,
0:14
through abounding Grace Media or to tune into our live stream
0:17
Services. Visit us online at Calvary, Co
0:21
dot church or download our free Calvary Church app.
0:25
Now, here's Pastor Ed to take us into our study.
0:30
Amen. Amen, open your Bibles Genesis
0:32
chapter 35. We're just going to tackle a few
0:35
verses today Genesis chapter. 35, and I've entitled our Bible
0:40
study back to Bethel again. And again, back to Bethel again.
0:46
And again, when I think of Bethel, I think of Revival in
0:50
the life of Jacob Revival. I mean, we certainly need one
0:54
and we want one and we're praying for one.
0:57
Revival is such a topic today that churches, Schedule.
1:00
Revivals other people fake them today, we're even seeing a rise
1:05
and attendance at certain churches while there's a
1:09
decrease in attendance and other churches.
1:11
And people are calling that Revival but it's not truly a
1:16
Revival. Happens to be more patronizing
1:20
in a mixture of the Gospel. Unfortunately, revivals can't be
1:24
scheduled. They can't be controlled.
1:27
They can't be initiated by man. They can't be orchestrated by
1:30
man. It Revival starts with God.
1:34
Charles Finney said that said it this way.
1:36
A Revival is nothing more than a new beginning of obedience to
1:41
God. It was Henry blackaby that said
1:45
it this way, during trouve of Revival thousands of lost people
1:49
are suddenly swept into the kingdom of God, scenes of The
1:53
Lost coming to the savior in great.
1:56
Unprecedented numbers are common Revival to bring back to life.
2:01
Again, is initiated by God. It's initiated by God in the
2:05
hearts of his people. Again, quoting deal Moody.
2:09
He says I'm only one but I am one, I cannot Do everything but
2:14
I can do something and that which I can do by the grace of
2:18
God, I will do. And it was that simple,
2:22
commitment and deal, Moody's heart that God used him to bring
2:25
Revival, both to England and America.
2:29
If you're taking notes, Revival involves two things, two things.
2:32
Number one, a recognition of sin personally and number two of
2:39
repentance of heart personally don't.
2:43
Get this judgment always begins where in the house of the Lord.
2:48
Judgment begins in the house of the Lord.
2:51
And when we talk about Revival, we need to remember number one,
2:54
it's a recognition of sin, why? Because sin is horrible and
2:59
destructive it, ruins lives, it ruins families, it ruins
3:05
Futures. It causes.
3:08
Great heartache and sorrow, and Hardness of Heart.
3:14
A nation can be affected by sin. A family can be affected by sin.
3:19
A church can be. Or even a person given over to
3:21
sin is not close to the heart of God.
3:26
God would put it this way. If you love the world, you don't
3:29
have the love of the father in you.
3:32
God would say through John. And so the separation that send
3:36
creates deepens, and widens, until that Nation, until that
3:40
family, until that church, until that person, No longer wants to
3:45
honor God but instead decides no matter the consequences, no
3:50
matter the tears, no matter how many people get hurt a person, a
3:54
nation a church says, I don't care, I will choose to send and
3:59
it doesn't matter to me what it affect, how it affects you.
4:02
And you imagine, The kind of hurt and pain that bring sin
4:07
brings from the inside. Through resistance and rebellion
4:13
and hard-heartedness. And so a person that's given
4:16
over to sin is often hard and cold and indifferent to God's
4:21
presence. At the turn of the century
4:24
james.byrne, wrote a book entitled, revivals the laws and
4:28
the leaders. And in the very opening chapter,
4:31
he discusses the laws of Revival, as well as the laws of
4:35
the absence of Revival. He writes.
4:38
The first tendency is for the doctrine of the church to lose
4:41
its power of convicting, the conscience, and convincing the
4:46
mind or moving the heart. And quote, he goes on in the
4:50
book to point out that spiritual Decay brings With it, a
4:53
formality of worship in which the ritual is so exalted.
4:57
That it crushes. The Spirit Revival begins with
5:01
merely recognizing your own condition, your own condition,
5:08
not recognizing someone else's condition, but your own and who
5:12
you are and where you are in your walk with the Lord,
5:15
secondly, Revival, then involves the repentance of heart and I
5:20
did a deep study on this. When we studied through 1st, On
5:23
the difference between Godly sorrow and worldly sorrow.
5:27
And if this is something you wrestle with like for those
5:29
listening to me right now that go through the cycle, repentance
5:32
and repentance rededication, repentance or then you really
5:35
haven't learned how to repent. Because repentance will not lead
5:40
to a constant continual rededication on occasion.
5:44
Perhaps, the need is to come back to the Lord on occasion.
5:48
Perhaps, there's a need to recognize a distance, but this
5:52
constant cycle of, hey, I'm sending this week and I can
5:55
always go back and repented church and I'm sending this week
5:58
and I can always come and cry at the altar.
6:00
Look with true repentance. It starts a new channel of
6:05
relationship with God. That you begin to enjoy that
6:08
saint. Tainted by sin.
6:11
Revival requires repentance because once it's realize that
6:15
sin is devastating and repulsive, my own thin, then a
6:20
change of heart takes place. This is where we are as a
6:25
country where we are many individually where we are in
6:29
some parts of the church and where Jacob is.
6:32
He needs Revival. He needs a Revival God.
6:36
Calls. Him back to Bethel.
6:39
To the house of God. He calls him back to a place
6:43
where member and chapter 28. God met him there.
6:48
He was overwhelmed by the presence of God in a time of
6:51
Devastation and difficulty that had real deep low point in his
6:57
life. In our last chapter and verse
7:00
34, chapter 34 remember the name of God wasn't even mentioned
7:04
wants it was a Godless difficult chapter in the Bible full of
7:09
lust and greed and envy and fear and indifference and even murder
7:17
Revenge. And we learned that taking
7:19
Revenge only makes things worse it appears as if Jacob's not
7:23
sensitive to the sin issues and his family, really, he's pretty
7:28
much only concern for himself. Look what you've done to my name
7:32
and look at the reputation. I'm going to have never really
7:35
expressing any Cara concern for his daughter, or the wickedness
7:39
in his own sons and the sin that was in his family.
7:43
But chapter 35, is another transition in Jacob's life God
7:48
is now mentioned 11 times in chap in this chapter.
7:54
It's the last chapter really in Genesis wholly, devoted to
7:57
Jacob's life. Right in the middle of Jacob's
8:01
perceived comfort and selfishness.
8:04
God breaks in And he calls. Jacob back to Bethel.
8:11
We broke down Jacob's life into these segments and chapter 28.
8:16
We saw his salvation. And then in chapters, 29 and 32,
8:20
the process of subduing, Jacob, then in chapter 33 and 34, he
8:26
was separated unto the Lord. And now, in chapter 35, he's
8:31
being set apart sanctify, God speaks and intervenes in his
8:37
life. Jacob is now settling down no
8:43
longer wanting to wander around and be a pilgrim.
8:46
He's settling down, but God's going to tell him you need to
8:49
get up and you need to get out. Of course, from the last chapter
8:54
of the Canaanites are not going to be happy, they're not going
8:57
to take the shechem massacre lightly.
9:00
So there is even some practicality we think always God
9:04
has to act in some super spiritual way.
9:06
You know that just talking always in super spiritual
9:09
things. God is very practical and
9:12
reasonable and after this, Massacre of shechem and those in
9:19
this area he is going, you can't stay here, it's got to go back.
9:23
There is a spiritual component to it, but there's also a
9:26
practical component, go back to Bethel and their their Jacobs
9:32
going to experience, Revival. Notice with me in verse 1,
9:36
chapter 35, then God said to Jacob And can I just say before
9:41
we move on God speaks today, you can hear from the Lord, God
9:46
wants to speak to your life. He speaks primarily through his
9:49
word, you need to know the word of God, you need to be open.
9:53
Reading your Bible, praying everyday, don't know if you can
9:57
in the morning I get up early. Do your DeVos, don't run out of
10:00
the house. Just ignoring the word of God,
10:03
let it soak in, get the app, let it read.
10:05
Let the Bible be read to you while you're getting ready for
10:08
they, whatever you need to do. Listen for the Lord, he wants to
10:11
speak to you, and he wants to speak to you in the issue that
10:14
you carried in here. Today, he wants to give you
10:17
Direction. He wants to help you the Lord.
10:20
Got he wanted the he's speaking to Jacob and Jacob didn't even
10:23
want help. He wasn't even looking for it.
10:25
However, you know how sometimes nobody has any idea, what's
10:28
going on in your life, but you do, you haven't told anybody,
10:33
but you got a lot on your mind, man.
10:35
You got a lot going on. So you got those little private
10:38
prayers, those little It prayers.
10:40
You got those little concerns that you're just talking to the
10:43
Lord. You don't even know you're
10:44
talking to the lawyer. But just like, man, Lord, this
10:46
is, I don't know what's going to happen with her.
10:48
I don't know what's going to happen with what's going on and
10:50
you're there and you don't, we don't need to know what's
10:52
happening in your life and God's ready to speak.
10:54
Jacob is receives a word from God Arise, go up to Bethel and
11:01
dwell there make an altar there to God who appeared to you when
11:06
you fled from the face of Esau your brother.
11:09
And Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him,
11:12
put away the foreign gods that are among you purify yourselves
11:16
and change your garments. Notice, first of all, how bad
11:21
things have really become in Jacob's house.
11:24
We already know that there were foreign gods among Jacob, we
11:28
knew that Rachel stole them, hid them, when labor and chased
11:32
after them, we already knew that.
11:35
And this is one of those passages again or you may just
11:38
read over it and not allow it the weight of what's being said
11:43
here to really hit you, some of you already understand know what
11:47
right where I'm going. But for those of you that don't
11:50
I want you to hear this again, Jacob said to his household and
11:54
to those who were with them, put away the foreign gods that are
11:57
among you. By yourselves and change your
12:01
garments. We already knew God's were there
12:03
but now we have confirmation that Jacob knew and didn't do
12:08
anything about him until now, We've been looking at some of
12:13
the failures of Jacob, his favoritism, his lack of
12:17
leadership as a father, as a man.
12:20
And now we learn, he knew about the idols all along.
12:24
It was no surprise to him. He knew about them and has
12:29
finally chosen to take care of them.
12:34
I believe you could also come to the conclusion that not only did
12:38
he know, but he tolerated them and chose to do nothing about
12:42
them. Jacob had sunk to a very low
12:45
spiritual level again, except this time he's very prosperous.
12:51
He has a lot of possessions. He's put his roots down in
12:54
shechem. He's building houses there began
12:58
to become extremely comfortable in might I just say to the 21st
13:04
century Church. Take it as a warning.
13:09
There are many many things that can cause us to stray away from
13:13
a deeper relationship with Jesus.
13:17
And most of them surround about the comfort and ease of this
13:20
world. Most of the things of this
13:23
world, possessions, putting our Roots down wealth worldly,
13:30
success education, Comfort ease. Now, let me see, be careful to
13:38
balance. The Bible doesn't condemn these
13:40
things in and of themselves. And certainly each of these
13:45
things have been used greatly for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
13:48
That's not the issue. The issue is will turn over to
13:52
Luke chapter 21 and let's read it together and Luke's gospel
13:57
chapter 21. We're going to read it first
13:59
from the new King James, and then I'll read the NLT to you
14:03
notice in Luke 21, pick up. When you get there in verse 34,
14:10
Before we look too bad to down on.
14:12
Jacob, let's look at ourselves in the mirror and let's take the
14:16
warning of Jesus. Through the voice of your
14:19
pastor, Luke chapter 21 and verse 34, but take heed to
14:25
yourselves. Lest your hearts be weighed down
14:29
with carousing. Drunkenness.
14:32
Pause there for a second. You're like some of you are like
14:34
I left that behind a long time ago.
14:36
I'm not partying anymore. I'm not getting drunk anymore.
14:40
Jesus, I'm with you, man. I left that stuff.
14:43
I've been delivered from it. I don't want any, and that's
14:45
where I meant. I don't want anything to do with
14:47
that. The rest of my life, alcohol
14:50
almost completely destroy my life.
14:53
And everything surrounding it. So I'm like, okay, Jesus, yes.
14:56
And then notice what he says and the cares of this life it takes
15:03
a lot more, it takes a lot more denial of self to agree with
15:08
Jesus, on this one, He says you be careful.
15:13
You watch out for drunkenness, you got it.
15:14
Jesus. I'll stay away from drunkenness
15:17
and you watch out for carousing, which is another word for
15:20
drunken parties. I'll stay away from the party
15:22
scene. I'll stay away from the RAB
15:24
through the Rave parties. I'll stay away from I'll stay
15:27
away. Yes, Lord, I'm with you.
15:29
Oh, and watch out for the cares of this life.
15:32
What The cares of the life they're weigh you down.
15:36
Oh they do. He says, these are things that
15:39
will weigh you down and that day will come on.
15:42
You he says unexpectedly, it's going to come as a snare on all
15:46
those who dwell in the face of the whole earth and then the
15:49
answer was watch, therefore, and pray, always that, you might be
15:53
counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to
15:57
pass and to stand before the son of man.
16:02
Be careful in the NLT. It's translated this way.
16:06
Watch out don't let your hearts. Be dulled by carousing and
16:10
drunkenness or by the worries of this life, don't let that day.
16:14
Catch you unaware like a trap for that day.
16:16
Will come upon everyone living on the earth.
16:19
Keep alert at all times and pray that you might be strong enough
16:22
to escape these coming Horrors and stand before the son of man.
16:30
Now it's interesting to me as Jacob is becoming comfortable
16:35
suddenly in shechem. But now what happened with the
16:38
the evil perpetrated on his daughter, the Revenge that his
16:42
sons took is now disrupting everything and he's got to have
16:45
to move on. The God would speak to him in
16:49
the middle of this. We learned in previous studies
16:54
and I it's a continual theme throughout the Bible that God is
16:58
often way more gracious than we are.
17:01
And he loves Jacob has a plan for him and his family, no
17:04
matter how bad it gets no matter how difficult, no matter how he
17:09
participates in it, no matter how much he approves of the
17:12
idols, God is going to continue to pursue Jacob.
17:17
I wonder today. You're listening to my voice.
17:20
Who the one that God is pursuing.
17:22
Are you the one that God continues to pursue and you just
17:26
put up a fight? You're going to go the hard way
17:30
and you're going to learn the hard way.
17:32
I think with Jacob it's a joy to remember that we serve a
17:36
forgiving God. I want you to know that we serve
17:40
a forgiving God not a condemning God.
17:44
So often we look at our own condition.
17:47
And we conclude that there's no forgiveness for us.
17:52
I often hear that. It wasn't too long ago.
17:57
That a sister approached me after a service weeping weeping
18:00
in tears with her husband. And as she shared with me, the
18:03
burden she was carrying a past sin.
18:05
She just kept voicing kept saying, I can't forgive, I can't
18:09
get over. I can't forgive.
18:10
I can't forgive And I reminded her of really the graciousness
18:17
of God that God can forgive. And God will forgive that, the
18:23
blood of Jesus Christ is sufficient to forgive.
18:25
Even the things you won't forgive yourself.
18:28
I explained to her that often that response about forgiveness
18:33
in that sense of I've sent too much and it's so bad and I just
18:37
can't forgive myself. Actually, is a reflection of a
18:42
thought often that sounds like this.
18:45
The thought is like this, you know, I have sinned so bad and I
18:49
have done. So Done such wickedness.
18:52
I can't get over it, I can't get Beyond it, I can't move forward.
18:57
And if I was God, if I was God, I wouldn't forgive myself and
19:03
many people live that way. They may not voice it that way,
19:05
but they live life that way. And as I was sharing it with her
19:10
and I share with others, as I was sharing with her eyes like
19:12
you know there's a there's a Bible word for that
19:15
unwillingness to forgive yourself.
19:18
That when you put your place off in the place of God and you
19:21
refuse to forgive, which really is not the way the world
19:24
operates, not asking that you have the power to forgive
19:26
yourself, the biblical view of forgiving yourself, is humbling
19:31
yourself to receive the sufficient forgiveness of Christ
19:34
through the blood of Jesus. It's not something you can do
19:37
upon yourself. It's a humility that you bring
19:40
say. I bring my Cindy, and I believe
19:42
that your blood is sufficient and is paid the price for all of
19:46
my sins. But when you take the Place of
19:48
refusing to live in the Forgiveness of Christ, hears,
19:51
the Bible word. The Bible calls that idolatry
19:55
because you have placed yourself above a forgiving God, And
20:02
chosen to live in a position where you're tormented.
20:07
And you're crushed. Certainly when you have a depth
20:11
of sin like that it's going to bring consequences.
20:15
It is going to bring pain. Yes.
20:19
But it's not God's heart for you to live perpetually in torment
20:23
and self-condemnation. God made this so clear.
20:29
He wanted to make this so clear that he gave us Romans. 8:1
20:33
there is therefore now. So every time you read it it's
20:37
not just when it was written but Noone, you read it in the
20:39
present tense, there is therefore now no condemnation
20:45
for those that are in Christ. But even before Paul, the
20:48
Apostle inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote to the Romans
20:51
Jesus said this, Are you familiar with this passage for
20:56
God? So loved the world that he gave
20:58
his only begotten, son, that whoever believes in him would
21:02
not perish but have everlasting life.
21:04
You guys. Give me an amen.
21:05
If you're familiar with that, how about verse 17?
21:10
Verse 17 says for God did not send his son into the world to
21:14
condemn the world No. But that the world through him,
21:19
might be saved. He who believes in Him is not
21:24
condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already.
21:28
Because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten,
21:31
Son of God, and God Is With Us. He'll work with us and he'll
21:37
work with us and he'll work with us to bring us back to himself.
21:42
Ask Jacob, Jacob will tell you God was pursuing him.
21:46
Jacob. Up.
21:48
You don't belong in shuck them. You've got to get back to
21:52
Bethel. God is the god of the Second
21:55
Chances. Many times.
21:56
I'm asked that, is God. This God gives Second Chances.
21:59
Yes. And third, and fourth, and some
22:03
of you are like, MN thousand. Yes, you must be keeping count.
22:07
It's not God's will for you to keep going on that cycle, but if
22:10
you need it, while you're alive right now, repent, recognize
22:14
your sin, repent and enjoy. Evil in your life right now.
22:19
God is ready to give it to you. He's ready to receive you.
22:22
While you are on Earth, you will get chance after chance.
22:25
Here's the thing though. I don't know when the last
22:27
chance, man, I don't know what the last chances.
22:31
I don't know when you go too far, the Bible says, there is a
22:34
sin unto death. I don't know, I can't tell you
22:39
what keep going, keep going, keep going live, you know, in
22:41
that Perpetual cycle live with a hard heart live with a resistant
22:44
heart that I will never say that instead, I will say come to the
22:48
Lord. Now take the chance right now,
22:51
receive it from the Lord, come back to him.
22:54
Don't misunderstand his long-suffering, it's not an
22:58
approval of sin. It's rather a reminder of his
23:01
gracious heart wanting and Desiring are full devotion.
23:05
So what does he tell? Jacob, get back Bethel to me.
23:09
It's just amazing that God speaking to him that he can hear
23:12
the voice of the Lord. Even the midst of this condition
23:14
of his life, you can hear the voice of the Lord in any
23:16
condition of life, just tune your ear in you think of the
23:20
prodigal son. He's sitting there completely a
23:22
separate from the father. Right there in the pig, slop
23:25
resistant rebellious, but man, the Lord God him.
23:30
And he's right there in the middle of it and as he's
23:32
thinking through, he gets that sense.
23:35
Why? Because it was planted in him in
23:36
a much younger age, you can always come home.
23:40
You can always come home. and it came to his senses, he came to
23:45
himself and even as he was starting to assess his father,
23:50
He misunderstood his dad. Oh, you know I just be a
23:53
servant. No God, you're never going to be
23:55
a servant in my house. You're my son.
23:58
You come home, you're my son, not only you my son, but when
24:00
you meet Dad, he's going to run to you.
24:04
He's going to wrap you up and throw a party for you.
24:07
Because you're always a son to your heavenly father, you're
24:10
always a daughter. He's got to come to the end of
24:13
yourself. Otherwise, you can just be
24:14
miserable all the time. Living under condemnation with
24:18
the effects of sin. Everyone around you is going to
24:20
be jacked up because you've chosen to be jacked up and God
24:23
is calling you back to himself? The call to the Lord today is
24:27
get back to the house of God. You got to get back to Bethel
24:32
and that's why you can see why we just wanted to tackle a few
24:34
verses today because there's so much in this jacob even though
24:39
he's been approving idolatry. Hasn't been the dad that he
24:42
should have been God, still speaks to him.
24:45
You need to get back to Bethel. It's been 10 years about, it's
24:48
been about 10 years since that episode in Bethel, where he
24:52
said, surely the Lord is here. After the issue at home.
24:57
It's been 10 years of wandering. He's in shechem right now in the
25:01
voice, speaks to him in shechem with a messed-up family
25:05
everybody's against him, a place of failure and misery Bethel.
25:10
A place of glory and Revelation, go back to the place of glory
25:15
and Revelation your choices for yourself.
25:17
Jacob are not good. Stop it.
25:22
Some of the greatest Council that pastors could ever give
25:24
you. Yeah, you understand I'm
25:27
struggling. I'm going through all this and
25:28
oppressors so stop it. No, no Pastor.
25:32
I need an hour or you. Okay, then sit down for an hour
25:35
and I'll just keep saying stop it.
25:38
Stop it. And then you can hear the
25:41
responses. I can't Pastor now you just
25:44
won't You just won't. You can.
25:49
What's impossible with man is possible with God?
25:53
You can as you abide in Christ, you can as you submit yourself
25:59
to him. Bethel.
26:03
Again was if you remember back in chapter 28 was a place of
26:06
transition for Jacob. He deceived his brother.
26:12
Manipulated his dad. He ran away.
26:16
Never to see his mom again. when he came to Bethel, previously,
26:21
loved was What drove him there. The first time you'll recall was
26:26
this sense of distress? He was distressed and messed up.
26:34
I mean, talk about load points in a man's life, this was one of
26:38
them 10 years earlier. God is calling them back to that
26:45
time of distress. And difficulty.
26:51
As hard as this is to hear, it's good to look back on those times
26:56
of distress, and remember the darkness that our life was apart
27:00
from Christ. We shouldn't have quick memories
27:05
when it comes to what God delivered us from.
27:09
So our testimony. So what God has done in our
27:12
lives. It's our personal story of the
27:16
power of God. Many times in our lives, the
27:20
devil will come and try to convince you.
27:22
The things are better in the world.
27:25
The things weren't all that bad. But it's a lie, the devil's,
27:30
crafty manipulative himself, he waits for that vulnerable
27:35
moment. Vulnerable moment that low time
27:38
and then you'll find yourself longing for the past.
27:40
You see a healthy understanding of the past will keep you from
27:44
it when you remember, hey man, that was bad.
27:48
I remember, you know, Jacob can start the thing as soon as he
27:51
heard Bethel. Wow, I remember, I remember
27:55
Bethel. I ran away from home for my
27:58
life. I just lied to my dad my mom and
28:02
it was bad. And I'm sure, Bethel began.
28:08
Began a healthiness of remembering what God did and how
28:13
bad it was before. God worked.
28:16
The devil, when he tries to remind you of the past, which is
28:19
unhealthy, he conveniently leaves out.
28:24
The things that would really keep you from the past, like,
28:27
waking up in your own vomit. Being taken advantage of at a
28:31
club. Being in jail that night.
28:36
The loneliness, the hangovers, the troubles, the fears, the
28:41
distance, the enemy, when he brings up your past, he does so
28:45
to tempt you. But God will say, hey get back
28:48
to Bethel. I met you there.
28:51
Remember yes. What I do.
28:52
I remember. Even as the church in Ephesus.
28:57
I was told to remember from where you have fallen repent and
29:02
repeat the first works. That's come up many times and
29:05
teachings in the last six to eight weeks.
29:08
I noticed for myself and some will ask a do you actually
29:12
listen to what you teach? Yes, I do.
29:14
I listen to what I teach three times on the weekend want on
29:17
Wednesday and many times on the radio.
29:19
I listen to the radio, not to be a critic but to hear the voice
29:23
of God, because if I can hear the voice of God through my
29:25
teaching, then you poor You'll never hear it.
29:29
And I want to hear from the Lord and I want to if man I'm and
29:33
I'll be listen, I'm like man, that's good.
29:34
Lord. And I felt this conviction
29:37
recently. Now, serious.
29:39
Not, not just for me, but like, you know what I mean?
29:43
So I thought I felt this conviction is I've heard it many
29:46
times in the last eight weeks. This remember, repent and return
29:52
that I'm like, I need to do that.
29:55
I'm not any Grouse in, I don't have massive send to repent
29:59
from. So it's not that I'm not like in
30:02
a place. I believe in the Lord is
30:03
confirmed that to not in a place like Ephesus.
30:06
I'm walking with the war making great progress in a wonderful
30:08
place. In my walk.
30:10
My family, it's not that. It's just like, I felt like the
30:14
Lord saying Ed, if you're going to tell the church to do it, you
30:16
should do it to like, okay. And so we've been looking up old
30:20
music that we were listening to as new Believers and it was bad.
30:24
Back then, but we've been creating Marie and I some
30:28
playlists and and you know what? Actually a lot of it was really
30:31
good music, you've never heard before.
30:34
It's the music that was used for me as a new believer in the
30:36
early 90s and it was what we grew up on old worship music.
30:42
I have from CDs that I purchased when I was at the church.
30:45
That's why it's such a such a burden for me for pastor in a
30:48
team to keep producing music here.
30:51
God, uses music ties it to the word of God.
30:54
And two segments in your life. And so I've been listening, I've
30:57
been listening to the music that I grew up on as a new believer
31:01
and I've also gone back to a lot of my personal growth was by
31:05
radio and because I don't have the time I'm not in the car like
31:09
I was as a new believer commuting and going to work the
31:13
pastor's that I listen to during those times have podcasts So,
31:17
I've gone back to listening tours, all Reese every day
31:21
listening to my pastor Jeff every day through their podcast
31:25
so they have their radio broadcast on podcast.
31:28
Listening to Pastor Chuck every day, listening to Pastor, skip
31:32
heitzig every day and you're like Manna that's a long time.
31:35
I know. And it's fruitful And it's
31:39
edifying. And it's building up and it's
31:43
reminding me of the work that God was doing back.
31:46
Then, it reminds me that I didn't grow up so quickly that
31:50
there was a process in my life, that even if I would after, I
31:53
was born again, nine months later, my marriage was still in
31:57
crisis as Believers. You tend to forget those things.
32:01
We've been married, thirty something like they're 30, 34
32:04
years. But as a new Believers, it was
32:09
still in crisis because God, he's subdued me.
32:13
But he also needed to work in me like Jacob, we studying.
32:17
Jacob and go Jacob. Oh, Jacob.
32:18
Oh Jacob. Yeah, your Jacob in many ways.
32:23
So am I We're God's doing a work in US.
32:28
Where he wants to do a work in us and he's ready to say, hey,
32:34
get up. Go back to Bethel and you can
32:37
already hear the response. Already been to Bethel.
32:39
Already been to Bethel. Alright.
32:40
Then respond to the voice of God in your resistance, in your
32:43
hard-heartedness or get up and go back to Bethel.
32:49
Go back to the place where God spoke in a miraculous way.
32:52
Yes. It was a difficult time.
32:54
Yes. It was a time of distress.
32:56
Yes. You were on the Run.
32:58
Yes. You you were so wrapped up in
33:00
your conniving ways and and you were Jacob because remember
33:04
Jacob has a new name at this point.
33:07
Chapter 35, he's Israel governed by God.
33:11
Back in first time 10 years earlier was just Jacob.
33:17
And he can see he's he's meaning the Lord himself getting away of
33:21
the foreign Idols verse 3 now. He says let us arise and go to
33:27
Bethel. And I'll make an altar there to
33:30
God who answered me in the day of my.
33:33
What does your Bible say distress?
33:35
He remembers. He remembers.
33:42
For me, it would be go back to Downey.
33:46
That's where the house of God was where I got saved.
33:50
And believe me, I didn't care about some church in Downey at
33:53
that time. But the god of the house cared
33:57
about me. Just like the god of the house
34:02
cares about you. I know it's just a building and
34:04
it's not even really a fancy building and it's just a big
34:08
Square where people come together and seeing and study
34:10
the Bible. But I want you to know this.
34:13
There is a God of this house and he cares for you and he loves
34:18
you and he's given his son for you.
34:21
Your life matters. And if God is calling you back
34:25
to Bethel, or to Aurora, We're just some small town in Wyoming.
34:32
Or some place where God met you. Then let us arise and go.
34:37
This is the time. Tonight is the Night.
34:43
Revival takes place as he recognizes.
34:47
He says, I'm going back. He says, Aunt God answered me in
34:52
the day of my distress and has been with me in the way which I
34:55
have gone. He's been with me all along, you
34:59
know, how the ups and downs of emotions, and difficulties and
35:01
loneliness, and the Care. Now, Jacob was a God's been with
35:04
me all along. He's not isolated in Bethel,
35:06
he's with me all along. He's going to follow me, he's
35:10
going to help me. He's going to deliver me because
35:12
you know, that crisis back in early 1991.
35:17
The Maria. And I were in, you know what
35:18
happened? God got us through it.
35:22
He apprehended my heart. Empower me, baptize me with his
35:26
holy spirit. You wouldn't have been able to
35:28
tell me back then, but looking back at God, had a plan for my
35:32
life. He had a plan for my marriage,
35:36
had a plan for my kids and I'm nothing special.
35:40
God has a plan for you and like, right now, you'd like, I don't
35:43
know, I can't see it. I don't understand.
35:44
Hey, I'm telling you right now. God has a plan for you.
35:47
He has a plan for your singleness is a plan for your
35:50
marriage. He has a plan for your children
35:53
and your grandchildren. He knows what he's doing in your
35:56
life. Bethel.
35:59
The house of God was special to Jacob.
36:03
He learned of God's love there. He learned a God's concern
36:06
there. He learned of God's plans for
36:08
his life. There he would remember the
36:10
blessings, he would remember the dreams, he would remember the
36:13
access, and I'm sure you remember the years in between,
36:18
how can you not? How can you not remember the
36:21
years in between Jacob would look back at some of the years
36:24
in between there were blessing in there was fruit, but there
36:27
was also Today years. Wasted Years.
36:33
And who wants to waste their life.
36:34
Nobody nobody wants to waste their life.
36:38
Nobody But unfortunately we all have years that we wish we get
36:44
back. There's no reason going forward
36:47
from this day forward. There's no reason for you to
36:49
waste any more years. There's no reason for you to
36:53
throw away any more time that God has given to you.
36:57
Listening again today to Pastor all teaching, he was talking
36:59
about finishing your race. Finish your race, strong.
37:04
And here we are as a church just in the clutches of great grief.
37:08
Losing for the very first time of very, I mean, for the very
37:12
first time period, let alone such a wonderful man.
37:15
We're losing a pastor, like Pastor a van, but even, as I was
37:19
sharing with one of the brothers in the green room, right before
37:21
I came out, I was saying, you know, what?
37:23
A vamp finishes race and he finished it well, he finished
37:27
it. Well, why?
37:30
Because he lived every day as if it was as lost that's in, it's
37:34
nothing. Like nothing.
37:36
Extraordinarily different than what you and I can do in your
37:39
own context. He wasn't looking 30 years down
37:42
the road, he was living today and we need to live today as if
37:46
it's our last You don't know when you're going to finish your
37:49
race, you don't know. You don't know if it's today or
37:54
tomorrow or next year. But we want to finish our race,
37:58
we don't want any more Wasted Years, we don't want to listen
38:01
to unbelief, remember the children of Israel?
38:03
They wasted 40 years, a whole generation died in the
38:07
wilderness because of unbelief. Because of 10 people, 10 liters,
38:16
10 Elders, that came back with a bad report.
38:21
God never sent them into the land for a survey.
38:25
So they could like asking for their opinion, he was sending
38:29
them, he was going to give them that land but because of
38:32
unbelief and fear. They come back with a bad report
38:37
and they whole nation was plunged into Wilderness
38:42
wanderings. Just the entire book of numbers
38:45
in the Old Testament. This is where I want to end
38:49
today. Would you turn over?
38:50
Take some time to find it in the Book of Joel?
38:53
Would you turn over to the Book of Joel?
38:56
This will be toward the end of your Old Testament.
39:00
If you find Hosea, it's to the right and if you find Amos, it's
39:05
to the left. If you can't find either one,
39:08
ask your neighbor. No, man, I don't know.
39:11
Look in the table of contents, it's okay.
39:13
You'll learn the books of the Bible eventually.
39:15
It's okay. But when we turn look for them,
39:19
if you have a finger in your table of contents, no problem.
39:22
Look at the table, contents, not a problem.
39:25
And I want to know, do I want you to notice Joel chapter 2 in
39:28
verse 25? Joel 2:25.
39:36
This was something God gave to me.
39:39
And I held onto it and held on to it and held on to it.
39:43
And I'll explain to you how I expected it to happen in just a
39:48
moment. But here here's what this is a
39:50
promise that the lord gave to me So I will restore to you the
39:56
years that the swarming Locust has eaten The Crawling Locust,
40:01
the consuming Locust and the chewing Locust.
40:04
My great Army which I sent among you.
40:07
You shall eat and plenty and be satisfied and praise the name of
40:12
the Lord your God who has dealt wondrously with you.
40:16
And my people shall never be put to shame.
40:19
And then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel.
40:21
And then I am the Lord, your God.
40:23
And there is no other, and my people shall never be put to
40:27
shame. God has promised the nation whom
40:31
he sent judgment on for their Disobedience that I'm going to
40:35
restore to you. The years that were lost many
40:39
times. This is misunderstood as if
40:40
let's just say you wasted 10 years of your life, like somehow
40:43
God's going to give you those 10 years back.
40:45
That's not what happens with crops, you know?
40:48
So if you have years of Judgment of not having crops and having
40:52
them all eaten up, what's the restoration York?
40:55
You will get another crop. You're not going to get 10 years
40:58
of crops, but your lands are going to be healthy again.
41:02
You're going to start growing again.
41:04
You're going to start living the way I intended for you to live.
41:07
You're going to enjoy the crops, there's going to be Prosperity,
41:10
you're going to give the testimony of God.
41:12
You're going to tell people what a good God is and how you learn
41:15
through adversity in judgment. Consequences for the New
41:19
Covenant believer, to turn your eyes to the Lord and hold fast
41:23
to his promise. So I always held on to that
41:25
because of the years that I threw away until I was saved in
41:28
my early 20s and and here's how I measured it.
41:30
I measured it by. I was just looking forward to
41:33
the day and I felt like God gave me a promise.
41:36
That one day I would serve the Lord as many years as I serve
41:41
the world and I glued all my baby years from birth.
41:44
All the way into the womb. I was a rotten kid from the
41:47
room. All the way into my early 20s
41:50
and just you know, putting alcohol and drugs into it just
41:52
got worse in my 20s. And so to me it was going to be
41:58
at age 46. That was the big moment.
42:02
However, you know, tragedy struck our family and it wasn't
42:05
so big of a deal. I was going to make a big deal
42:07
and with I was at church, we're all going to Rejoice.
42:09
Yes. And maybe and things happen.
42:12
I forgot about it. I literally forgot about it was
42:15
overcome with grief and all kinds of other things I just Got
42:18
about it and then later on the Lord just reminding me by the
42:21
way. You serve me longer than you,
42:23
serve the world and it was just a little private moment.
42:26
I said, oh thanks Lord. So good, you're so faithful to
42:30
me. This is unbelievable.
42:33
You fulfilled, This Promise, the way you gave it to me.
42:36
You look all these years you've given me and blessing in my life
42:40
and on and on the list goes but you don't have to be resistant
42:44
and hard-hearted toward God church, he is so ready to shower
42:49
you with compassion and mercy and his grace.
42:52
He loves you so much. He cares for you, he calls you
42:58
to himself. He calls you by name.
43:02
You're a prodigal right now. He's waiting for you.
43:05
He's waiting for you to return. You just take one step back and
43:09
boom. He's already there just one step
43:12
just come back. Or like Jacob, get up.
43:18
Go back to Bethel. You'll see in a moment.
43:22
Well, in our study next time because we're out of time, but,
43:24
you know, in the beginning, I'll just give it to you now.
43:28
When Jacob first came to Bethel, remember what he called it, he
43:31
called it the house of God. How awesome is this place?
43:35
But this time, you can read ahead and we'll finish the
43:38
chapter next time, but this time you can read ahead.
43:41
He's not so interested in the place as he is in the god of the
43:44
place. And that's maturity, he's not so
43:48
interested in the place, but now he's focused on the god of the
43:52
place, that's some spiritual growth that the Lord will give
43:57
to each one of us. So father I pray tonight as your
44:00
word Goes Forth to us and as we're stricken with so much,
44:05
just so much man. It's just more than men and
44:08
women can bear God. There were grateful for your
44:13
sustaining power tonight. Your sustaining power.
44:20
That we are kept by the power of God.
44:24
Peter said that. You're keeping us.
44:31
And yet not violating our will like you're not going to make us
44:34
worship you. You're not going to make us get
44:37
back to Bethel but you'll tell us.
44:39
Get up arise get back get back to the place where I met you get
44:44
out of here, get out of this place, get out of this sinful
44:47
Place. Remember from where you have?
44:50
Fallen repent return. So I just call our church Lord
44:56
tonight. This remnant of Believers here
44:58
in a midweek, those watching online.
45:01
Listening on the radio way, call them to a place of remembrance
45:05
and repentance and returning. That we might rise up again,
45:13
over and above our own flesh and we might grow in Grace.
45:20
In Jesus name. Amen.
45:24
We pray that you've been encouraged by this Bible.
45:26
Study delivered live from the sanctuary of Calvary Church for
45:30
prayer. Call us at 877, 30 Grace.
45:34
That's eight 77304, 2:53 to listen to this message in its
45:41
entirety or to join us for our live stream Services.
45:44
Visit us online at Calvary. Co dot church or download our
45:49
free Calvary Church app. Be blessed as you Worship Jesus
45:53
this week. Worship Jesus this week.