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Voddie Baucham - Joseph Brings His Family to Egypt · Voddie Baucham Sermons

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  Speaker 1: Well, if you come to Genesis chapter 46, and we'll
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  Speaker 1: look at the first half of Genesis chapter 46, and
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  Speaker 1: it's always interesting when you are assigned a preaching segment
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  Speaker 1: that has, for the most part, a list of names
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  Speaker 1: as its content. And we have that today, where we
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  Speaker 1: have a list of names as a good portion of
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  Speaker 1: the content in Genesis chapter 46. And yet that list
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  Speaker 1: of names is extremely important as we understand the movement
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  Speaker 1: here in chapter 46. I want you to go back
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  Speaker 1: to Genesis chapter 37. And if you'll remember, when we
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  Speaker 1: started in the life of Joseph, we started in Genesis
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  Speaker 1: chapter 37. And we talked about those 11 times in
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  Speaker 1: the book of Genesis that you see this Hebrew phrase
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  Speaker 1: or this Hebrew concept of the Toledot or this Hebrew
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  Speaker 1: concept of The story of the generations of. Genesis starts
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  Speaker 1: these Toledotes early on in Genesis chapter 2. Ironically, that's
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  Speaker 1: the first time when it's not the Toledote or story
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  Speaker 1: of the generation of a family. But in Genesis chapter 2,
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  Speaker 1: it is the Toledote or the story of the generations
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  Speaker 1: of the heavens and the earth. Well, this is the
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  Speaker 1: last one of those phrases that we have in the
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  Speaker 1: book of Genesis. Here in Genesis chapter 37. So the
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  Speaker 1: last Toledot or the last story of the last generation
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  Speaker 1: to be accounted here in the book of Genesis is
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  Speaker 1: not the Toledot of Joseph, but that of Jacob. And
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  Speaker 1: it's important to remember that. So go back to Genesis
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  Speaker 1: chapter 37, beginning of verse one. Jacob lived in the
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  Speaker 1: land of his father's sojournings in the land of Canaan.
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  Speaker 1: These are the generations of Jacob. Now, we've looked at
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  Speaker 1: the life of Joseph, but we are studying the generations
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  Speaker 1: of Jacob. The life of Joseph, though it looms large
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  Speaker 1: in the minds of those of us who love the
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  Speaker 1: Bible and those of us who love the book of Genesis,
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  Speaker 1: the life of Joseph is only a parenthetical statement in
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  Speaker 1: the life of Jacob. Joseph is not the patriarch. Jacob
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  Speaker 1: is the patriarch. This is not about Joseph. Joseph finally
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  Speaker 1: understands that. And we saw that in the last chapter
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  Speaker 1: when Joseph says to his brothers, listen, don't be angry
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  Speaker 1: with yourselves for what you did to me. God sent
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  Speaker 1: me here. And more importantly, God sent me here in
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  Speaker 1: order that he might use me to rescue you from
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  Speaker 1: this famine. Why? Because this is not the Toledot of Joseph,
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  Speaker 1: it's the Toledot of Jacob. This is about Jacob being
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  Speaker 1: rescued and God using Joseph to rescue Jacob. Don't miss that.
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  Speaker 1: So now we come back and all of a sudden
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  Speaker 1: that title is reintroduced. That title, Israel. Remember, this is
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  Speaker 1: the name that he gets after he wrestles with the angel.
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  Speaker 1: So we are now talking about the nation that is
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  Speaker 1: going to come forth from Jacob. Therefore, they refer to
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  Speaker 1: him with this name again. We saw it already in
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  Speaker 1: chapter 45, as he was once again referred to as Israel.
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  Speaker 1: But now again, we'll see it in chapter 46. So ultimately,
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  Speaker 1: here in this first half of chapter 46, we're going
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  Speaker 1: to look at this picture of Jacob's multi-generational vision and blessing.
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  Speaker 1: Jacob's multi-generational vision and blessing. Look beginning at chapter 1.
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  Speaker 1: So Israel took his journey with all that he had
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  Speaker 1: and came to Beersheba. Now we've seen that place before, Beersheba.
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  Speaker 1: His father Isaac built an altar there and offered sacrifices
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  Speaker 1: to the God of his father Isaac. And God spoke
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  Speaker 1: to Israel in visions of the night and said, Jacob, Jacob.
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  Speaker 1: And he said, here am I. Then he said, I
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  Speaker 1: am God, the God of your father. Do not be
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  Speaker 1: afraid to go down to Egypt For there I will
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  Speaker 1: make you into a great nation. I myself will go
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  Speaker 1: down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring
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  Speaker 1: you up again, and Joseph's hand shall close your eyes.
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  Speaker 1: That statement only sounds confusing if you don't understand this
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  Speaker 1: multigenerational and covenantal concept. If you don't understand this multigenerational
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  Speaker 1: and covenantal concept, then God just contradicted himself. Don't be
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  Speaker 1: afraid to go down to Egypt. I'm going to bring
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  Speaker 1: you back up out of Egypt. By the way, you're
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  Speaker 1: going to die there, and Joseph's going to be the
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  Speaker 1: one to close your eyes when you die in Egypt. Whoa,
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  Speaker 1: time out, God. I thought you said I was going
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  Speaker 1: to go to Egypt, and then you're going to bring
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  Speaker 1: me out. I'll explain in a moment. Verse 5. Then
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  Speaker 1: Jacob set out from Beersheba. The sons of Israel carried
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  Speaker 1: Jacob their father, their little ones, and their wives in
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  Speaker 1: the wagon that Pharaoh had sent to carry him. They
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  Speaker 1: also took their livestock and their goods, which they had
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  Speaker 1: gained in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt,
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  Speaker 1: Jacob and his offspring with him, his sons and his
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  Speaker 1: sons' sons with him, his daughters and his sons' daughters
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  Speaker 1: with all his offspring he brought with him into Egypt.
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  Speaker 1: Now these are the names of the descendants of Israel
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  Speaker 1: who came into Egypt. Jacob and his sons, Reuben, Jacob's firstborn,
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  Speaker 1: and the sons of Reuben. So we got a lot
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  Speaker 1: of pregnant women out there right now. You're trying to
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  Speaker 1: think about names. You're gonna get a whole bunch of
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  Speaker 1: ideas right here. Hanak, Palu, Hezron, and Carmi, the sons
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  Speaker 1: of Simeon, Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shal, the
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  Speaker 1: sons of a Canaanite woman. The sons of Levi, Gershon, Kohath,
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  Speaker 1: and Merari. The sons of Judah, Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez,
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  Speaker 1: and Zerah. But Er and Onan died in the land
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  Speaker 1: of Canaan. And the sons of Perez were Hezron, and Hamul,
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  Speaker 1: the sons of Issachar, Tola, Puva, Job, and Shimron, the
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  Speaker 1: sons of Zebulun, Sered, Elan, and Jalil. These are the
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  Speaker 1: sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Paddan Aram,
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  Speaker 1: together with his daughter Dinah. Altogether, his sons and his
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  Speaker 1: daughter numbered 33. The sons of Gad, Ziphion, Hagi, Shuni, Esbon, Eri, Arodi, Areli,
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  Speaker 1: the sons of Asher, Imnah, Ishva, Ishvi, Berea, with Sere,
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  Speaker 1: their sister, and the sons of Berea, Heber, and Malkiel,
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  Speaker 1: These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah,
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  Speaker 1: his daughter, and these she bore to Jacob, 16 persons.
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  Speaker 1: The sons of Rachel, Jacob's wife, Joseph and Benjamin, and
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  Speaker 1: to Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh
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  Speaker 1: and Ephraim, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potipharah, the priest
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  Speaker 1: of On, bore to him. And the sons of Benjamin, Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gerah, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Mupim, Hupim,
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  Speaker 1: and Ard. These are the sons of Rachel, who were
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  Speaker 1: born to Jacob, 14 persons in all. The sons of Dan, Hushim,
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  Speaker 1: the son of Naphtali, Jaziel, Guni, Jerez, and Shillim. These
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  Speaker 1: are the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to Rachel,
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  Speaker 1: his daughter, And these she bore to Jacob, seven persons
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  Speaker 1: in all. All the persons belonging to Jacob came into
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  Speaker 1: Egypt who were his own descendants, not including Jacob's sons' wives,
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  Speaker 1: were 66 persons in all. And the sons of Joseph
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  Speaker 1: who were born to him in Egypt were two. All
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  Speaker 1: the persons of the house of Jacob who came into
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  Speaker 1: Egypt were 70. 70. There's your nation of Israel. 70 people.
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  Speaker 1: That's it. God made a promise to Abraham. And his
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  Speaker 1: promise to Abraham was a number so great that it
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  Speaker 1: could only be compared to the stars in the heavens
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  Speaker 1: and the grains of sand in the sea. And we
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  Speaker 1: just read that. what they have up to now in
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  Speaker 1: five minutes, that's it, 70 people. And God's gonna turn
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  Speaker 1: 70 people into a nation. And he's going to take
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  Speaker 1: 70 people out of Canaan. Most of the Canaanites probably
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  Speaker 1: didn't even know these 70 people were there. Had no
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  Speaker 1: idea who this clan was or anything about this clan.
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  Speaker 1: They're going to come back and take over the place.
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  Speaker 1: 70 people. What on earth can 70 people do? That's
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  Speaker 1: a good question. If you know the rest of the
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  Speaker 1: story in the Bible, you know that these 70 people
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  Speaker 1: are going to change the entire world, but not in
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  Speaker 1: and of themselves. It is going to happen over generations.
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  Speaker 1: And so here's the multi-generational vision and blessing of of
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  Speaker 1: Jacob that we see here in Genesis chapter 46. Couple
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  Speaker 1: of things. Number one, we see that Jacob worships the
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  Speaker 1: God of his father. Jacob worships the God of his father.
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  Speaker 1: The first piece of the multi-generational blessing of Jacob goes backwards.
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  Speaker 1: It's ironic because usually when we talk about multi-generational vision,
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  Speaker 1: multi-generational blessing, we're always talking about forward. We always start
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  Speaker 1: with me and then we go forward. my children, my
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  Speaker 1: children's children, that's going to be my multi-generational vision, my
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  Speaker 1: multi-generational blessing. No, the beauty of Jacob's multi-generational vision and
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  Speaker 1: multi-generational blessing is that it goes backwards before it goes forward.
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  Speaker 1: Look at verse 1 and 2. So Israel took his
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  Speaker 1: journey with all that he had and came to Beersheba,
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  Speaker 1: he goes back to the place of his father and
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  Speaker 1: offered sacrifices to the God of his father, Isaac. So
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  Speaker 1: he goes back to the place established by his father
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  Speaker 1: to remember God. He offers sacrifices there in order to
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  Speaker 1: remember God And God spoke to Israel in the vision
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  Speaker 1: of the night and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said,
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  Speaker 1: here am I. Then he said, I am God, the
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  Speaker 1: God of your father. He goes back. This is something
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  Speaker 1: that we don't appreciate, especially those of us who are
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  Speaker 1: of the reformed ilk. We don't appreciate it because we look,
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  Speaker 1: for example, at Catholicism. And we say, well, Catholicism has
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  Speaker 1: a huge problem because they put Christians the history of
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  Speaker 1: the church and the tradition of the church on par
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  Speaker 1: with the scriptures. That is wrong. Sola Scriptura, Sola Scriptura,
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  Speaker 1: to which I say, amen, hallelujah, praise the Lord, be careful.
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  Speaker 1: That's my response. Amen, hallelujah, praise the Lord, be careful.
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  Speaker 1: Here's why. We worship the God of our fathers. If
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  Speaker 1: your idea of biblical Christianity is starting at ground zero
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  Speaker 1: and not depending on anyone who came before you, you
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  Speaker 1: are arrogant, ignorant, and in great danger. If you do
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  Speaker 1: not appreciate the history of the church, you are arrogant, ignorant,
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  Speaker 1: and in great danger. If you don't read things that
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  Speaker 1: are older than your own generation, you are arrogant, ignorant,
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  Speaker 1: and in great danger. The first part of our multi-generational
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  Speaker 1: vision is to go back, why? Because God wasn't invented
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  Speaker 1: in my generation, amen. God's truth wasn't invented by my generation.
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  Speaker 1: There are those who have gone before who have known God,
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  Speaker 1: who have walked with God, who have also failed to
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  Speaker 1: walk with God, and there's something to be learned from
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  Speaker 1: them all. Why is this so important? Well, a couple
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  Speaker 1: of things. Look at, for example, the first commandment and
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  Speaker 1: the fifth commandment. In the first commandment, God makes it
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  Speaker 1: very clear. I am God. You should worship me only.
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  Speaker 1: I'm God, you worship me only, amen. He's God, we
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  Speaker 1: worship him only. Then there's the fifth commandment. By the way,
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  Speaker 1: first commandment, the first of our vertical commandments, the fifth commandment,
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  Speaker 1: the first of our horizontal commandments is what? Honor your
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  Speaker 1: father and your mother. Why? Because they're the ones charged
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  Speaker 1: with teaching you who God is and how God is
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  Speaker 1: to be worshiped. Do you follow? So the first part
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  Speaker 1: of our multigenerational vision is we go back. We go
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  Speaker 1: back to our forefathers. By the way, going back to
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  Speaker 1: our forefathers, this is not about blood. This is about truth.
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  Speaker 1: So who are my genuine forefathers in the faith? My
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  Speaker 1: genuine forefathers in the faith are those who followed God.
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  Speaker 1: Which God? The Bible makes it clear throughout the Pentateuch,
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  Speaker 1: the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. Who's that?
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  Speaker 1: That is the one true and living God. Why do
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  Speaker 1: we follow the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? Well,
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  Speaker 1: because the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was also
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  Speaker 1: the God of Noah. Well, why do we want to
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  Speaker 1: follow the God of Noah? Because the God of Noah
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  Speaker 1: was also the God of Adam. Well, why do we
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  Speaker 1: want to follow the God of Adam? Because the God
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  Speaker 1: of Adam is the God who created all things. He
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  Speaker 1: is the Lord of the universe. And if you're worshiping
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  Speaker 1: somebody who was not the God that Adam worshiped, who
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  Speaker 1: was not the God that Noah worshiped, who was not
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  Speaker 1: the God that Abraham or Isaac or Jacob worshiped, then
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  Speaker 1: you are not worshiping the God of the Bible. So
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  Speaker 1: the first place you look in your multigenerational vision is backward.
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  Speaker 1: to make sure that the God whom we worship is
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  Speaker 1: the God of scripture, the God who has revealed himself,
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  Speaker 1: and the God who has called upon those to whom
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  Speaker 1: he has revealed himself to tell the story to coming generations,
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  Speaker 1: which is the incredible blessing that you and I have
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  Speaker 1: when we open up the scriptures, that those who have
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  Speaker 1: gone before us who have encountered God, who have been
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  Speaker 1: encountered by God, have provided for us a record of
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  Speaker 1: that encounter. Go with me, if you would, and look
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  Speaker 1: to the right. Look at Deuteronomy chapter 6. Look at
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  Speaker 1: Deuteronomy chapter 6. Verse 1, now this is the commandment,
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  Speaker 1: the statutes and the rules that the Lord your God
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  Speaker 1: commanded me to teach you, that you may do them
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  Speaker 1: in the land to which you are going over to
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  Speaker 1: possess it, that you may fear the Lord your God, you,
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  Speaker 1: your son, and your son's son, by keeping his statutes
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  Speaker 1: and his commandments, which I command you all the days
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  Speaker 1: of your life. and that your days may be long.
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  Speaker 1: Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them,
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  Speaker 1: that it may go well with you and that you
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  Speaker 1: may multiply greatly as the Lord, the God of your fathers,
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  Speaker 1: has promised you in the land flowing with milk and honey.
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  Speaker 1: There's the multi-generational vision. What does he keep doing? He
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  Speaker 1: keeps going backward to the God of your fathers and
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  Speaker 1: forward to the God of your sons and your sons' sons.
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  Speaker 1: It's backward and it's forward. In other words, Moses says,
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  Speaker 1: I'm giving you these commandments. By the way, these commandments
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  Speaker 1: didn't originate with me. They go back to the God
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  Speaker 1: of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob, to the
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  Speaker 1: God who created the world. This does not happen in
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  Speaker 1: a vacuum. It does not exist in a vacuum. Our
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  Speaker 1: desire is to worship God in spirit and in truth,
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  Speaker 1: not based upon my own limited experience and my own
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  Speaker 1: limited scope and frame of knowledge. I cherish the record
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  Speaker 1: of those who've gone before. Turn with me, if you will,
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  Speaker 1: to Psalm 78. Psalm 78. And look at those first
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  Speaker 1: few verses there. This is a mascal of Asaph. Give ear,
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  Speaker 1: O my people, to my teaching. Incline your ears to
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  Speaker 1: the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth
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  Speaker 1: in a parable. I will utter dark sayings from of old,
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  Speaker 1: things that we have heard and known that our fathers
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  Speaker 1: have told us. He's reaching back. We will not hide
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  Speaker 1: them from their children, but tell the coming generation the
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  Speaker 1: glorious deeds of the Lord and his might and the
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  Speaker 1: wonders that he has done. He established a testimony in
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  Speaker 1: Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded
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  Speaker 1: our fathers to teach to their children, that the next
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  Speaker 1: generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise
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  Speaker 1: and tell them to their children, so that they should
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  Speaker 1: set their hope in God and not forget the works
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  Speaker 1: of God, but keep his commandments, and that they should
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  Speaker 1: not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation,
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  Speaker 1: a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was
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  Speaker 1: not faithful to God. So we reach back, but not
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  Speaker 1: for everything. Amen? We reach back, but not for everything.
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  Speaker 1: We reach back for that which is true, which is biblical,
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  Speaker 1: which is right. But we also learn from those who
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  Speaker 1: have gone before us and the things that they did
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  Speaker 1: not do well. Not just the Psalms, but look at Proverbs.
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  Speaker 1: And we'd have to read all the Proverbs to get
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  Speaker 1: the richness of this concept here. But look at, for example,
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  Speaker 1: Proverbs chapter 4 and verse 1. Hear, O son, a
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  Speaker 1: father's instruction, and be attentive that you may gain insight,
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  Speaker 1: for I give you good precepts. Do not forsake my teaching.
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  Speaker 1: When I was a son with my father, tender, the
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  Speaker 1: only one in the sight of my mother, he taught
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  Speaker 1: me and said to me, let your heart hold fast
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  Speaker 1: my words. Keep my commandments and live. In other words, son,
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  Speaker 1: I want you to pay attention to what I teach you. Why?
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  Speaker 1: Because I'm teaching you God's precepts, which by the way,
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  Speaker 1: I learned from my father who taught them to me.
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  Speaker 1: Reaching backward and reaching forward. And again, Ephesians chapter six,
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  Speaker 1: verses one through four. Children, obey your parents and the
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  Speaker 1: Lord for this is right. honor your father and your mother,
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  Speaker 1: which is the first commandment with a promise that it
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  Speaker 1: may be well with you and you may live long
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  Speaker 1: in the land. By the way, what's that? That's Deuteronomy
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  Speaker 1: chapter five and Deuteronomy chapter six. Verse four, fathers, do
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  Speaker 1: not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up
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  Speaker 1: in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. What's that?
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  Speaker 1: Deuteronomy six, seven. So the beauty here in what we
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  Speaker 1: see in Jacob is first and foremost in its continuity.
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  Speaker 1: Jacob knows God for himself. Jacob has encountered God on
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  Speaker 1: his own. And yet, the God whom Jacob has encountered
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  Speaker 1: was the God of Isaac and the God of Abraham.
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  Speaker 1: Abraham could not know God for Isaac. Isaac could not
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  Speaker 1: know God for Jacob. They had to know God for themselves.
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  Speaker 1: It was incumbent upon them to teach their sons about
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  Speaker 1: this God with whom they were in covenant relationship. And
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  Speaker 1: so it first reaches back. That's the beauty of his
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  Speaker 1: multi-generational vision. Is that the first thing that we see
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  Speaker 1: here is that Jacob is walking with the God of
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  Speaker 1: his fathers. Because we've already learned that the God of
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  Speaker 1: his fathers is God indeed. Amen? Amen. Secondly, Jacob remembers
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  Speaker 1: the covenant. Jacob remembers the covenant. Where does the sacrifice
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  Speaker 1: idea come in? The sacrifice idea that we see here
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  Speaker 1: in Jacob's life is the same idea that we saw
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  Speaker 1: in the life of his father and of his grandfather.
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  Speaker 1: And so, we go back again to this first part
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  Speaker 1: of the passage. Verse 46, chapter 46, verse 1. So
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  Speaker 1: Israel took his journey with all that he had and
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  Speaker 1: came to Beersheba. He stopped in Beersheba, heading south on
• 23:10
  Speaker 1: the way into Egypt, offered sacrifices to the God of
• 23:13
  Speaker 1: his father Isaac. God spoke to Israel in a vision
• 23:17
  Speaker 1: of the night, confirming again the covenant, and said, Jacob, Jacob.
• 23:22
  Speaker 1: And he said, here I am. And he said, I
• 23:24
  Speaker 1: am God, the God of your father. Do not be
• 23:26
  Speaker 1: afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will
• 23:29
  Speaker 1: make you into a great nation. Turn with me back
• 23:34
  Speaker 1: to the left and look at Genesis chapter 12. Genesis
• 23:56
  Speaker 1: chapter 12. Listen to this. Now the Lord said to Abram,
• 24:03
  Speaker 1: by the way, here's another one who's going to have
• 24:06
  Speaker 1: a name change. Isn't that beautiful? Even going back here
• 24:12
  Speaker 1: to Genesis chapter 12, you realize that this is before
• 24:14
  Speaker 1: the name change. God changes his name. Now the Lord
• 24:18
  Speaker 1: said to Abram, go from your country and your kindred
• 24:21
  Speaker 1: and your father's house to the land that I will
• 24:24
  Speaker 1: show you. By the way, is that not exactly what's
• 24:26
  Speaker 1: happening now with Jacob? God is saying, leave here. Leave
• 24:35
  Speaker 1: here and I will make of you a great nation.
• 24:41
  Speaker 1: Is that not exactly, precisely what God just said to Jacob?
• 24:45
  Speaker 1: And I will bless you and make your name great
• 24:48
  Speaker 1: so that you will be a blessing. I will bless
• 24:50
  Speaker 1: those who bless you and him who dishonors you I
• 24:53
  Speaker 1: will curse. And in you all the families of the
• 24:55
  Speaker 1: earth shall be blessed. And again, we see it in
• 24:59
  Speaker 1: chapter 15 and so on and so forth. So what's
• 25:03
  Speaker 1: happening here? is that God is reminding Jacob of the
• 25:08
  Speaker 1: covenant that he made with Abraham, that he renewed with Isaac,
• 25:13
  Speaker 1: that he is now again renewing with him. He remembers
• 25:21
  Speaker 1: the covenant. He remembers the promise of God. Listen to
• 25:26
  Speaker 1: John Calvin commenting on this. Because the holy man is
• 25:31
  Speaker 1: compelled to leave the land of Canaan and to go elsewhere,
• 25:35
  Speaker 1: He offers on his departure a sacrifice to the Lord
• 25:38
  Speaker 1: for the purpose of testifying that the covenant which God
• 25:41
  Speaker 1: had made with his fathers was confirmed and ratified to himself.
• 25:46
  Speaker 1: For though he was accustomed to exercise himself in the
• 25:51
  Speaker 1: external worship of God, there was yet a special reason
• 25:55
  Speaker 1: for this sacrifice. And doubtless, he had then peculiar need
• 25:59
  Speaker 1: of support, lest his faith should fail. For he was
• 26:03
  Speaker 1: about to be deprived of the inheritance promised to him
• 26:08
  Speaker 1: and of the site of that land, which was the
• 26:11
  Speaker 1: type and the pledge of the heavenly country. Jacob's reminding
• 26:20
  Speaker 1: himself of the covenant. Please don't miss this. Jacob at
• 26:25
  Speaker 1: this point is older than anybody you know. Don't miss this.
• 26:30
  Speaker 1: Let me say that again. Jacob at this point is
• 26:32
  Speaker 1: older than anybody you know. Old people don't move. Amen. Generally,
• 26:42
  Speaker 1: old people don't move. If they do, it's kicking and screaming.
• 26:45
  Speaker 1: But generally, when you come to a place in your
• 26:47
  Speaker 1: life where you're 80, 90, 100 years old and you
• 26:51
  Speaker 1: live somewhere, what do you make up in your mind?
• 26:56
  Speaker 1: This is my home. I'm going to die here. Jacob
• 27:00
  Speaker 1: not only has found a place that has become a
• 27:03
  Speaker 1: home to him because it's where he grew up. This
• 27:07
  Speaker 1: is the place that God promised him. to his grandfather, Abraham.
• 27:12
  Speaker 1: Abraham didn't even see it. He only got a small
• 27:15
  Speaker 1: portion when he bought a piece of land to bury
• 27:17
  Speaker 1: his wife. Now, here is Jacob, and he's got 70 people,
• 27:24
  Speaker 1: and he's living in the promised land, and God says,
• 27:28
  Speaker 1: old as you are, move. Really? Really? Do you know
• 27:39
  Speaker 1: how comfortable my chair is now? Are you serious? This
• 27:47
  Speaker 1: is the place where I have decided to die. I
• 27:57
  Speaker 1: remember my grandfather, who I buried earlier this year, when
• 28:05
  Speaker 1: he was close to the end, He couldn't say much.
• 28:12
  Speaker 1: And oftentimes he'd go into the hospital, but ultimately, ultimately,
• 28:18
  Speaker 1: what my grandfather would communicate toward the end was, I
• 28:21
  Speaker 1: want to go home and die. That's normal. That's natural.
• 28:34
  Speaker 1: I want to go home and die. I want to
• 28:39
  Speaker 1: lay down my head in the place that I know,
• 28:43
  Speaker 1: where my memories are, where my family is. And I
• 28:47
  Speaker 1: want to end my life where I have invested my life.
• 28:51
  Speaker 1: Just let me go home and die. That's normal. That's natural.
• 28:59
  Speaker 1: And at that point in his life, God says, move. Move.
• 29:09
  Speaker 1: And what does he do? He stops on his way
• 29:13
  Speaker 1: out of the land that was his home, out of
• 29:17
  Speaker 1: the land that had been promised, out of the land
• 29:21
  Speaker 1: that he lived his whole life to get to. And
• 29:25
  Speaker 1: on the way out, he stops and sacrifices to God
• 29:29
  Speaker 1: at a place where his father had built an altar
• 29:32
  Speaker 1: on his way into the land. And he says goodbye
• 29:38
  Speaker 1: to the promise because God meant more so many of
• 29:49
  Speaker 1: us when we think about a multi-generational vision all we
• 29:53
  Speaker 1: can think about is houses and land and wealth that
• 29:57
  Speaker 1: we can transfer from one generation to the next. And
• 30:01
  Speaker 1: there's nothing inherently wrong with that. But if you have
• 30:05
  Speaker 1: a place that you've acquired and your greatest hope is
• 30:10
  Speaker 1: that you look at yourself and say, one day a
• 30:13
  Speaker 1: hundred years from now, there'll be generations named after me
• 30:17
  Speaker 1: and they're going to live in this same place, you've
• 30:19
  Speaker 1: missed the idea of multi-generational vision. Jacob's hope is not
• 30:32
  Speaker 1: in the place, but in the God who promised. That's
• 30:37
  Speaker 1: Jacob's hope. And so we see first this multigenerational vision
• 30:43
  Speaker 1: in that he worships the God of his father. Secondly,
• 30:45
  Speaker 1: he remembers the covenant. But thirdly, he's leaving the land.
• 30:52
  Speaker 1: He's leaving the land. Because ultimately, Jacob's multigenerational vision and
• 30:59
  Speaker 1: his multi-generational blessing is faithfulness to the God of the covenant.
• 31:07
  Speaker 1: Don't miss that. Faithfulness to the God of the covenant.
• 31:11
  Speaker 1: If Jacob refuses to go, then he has faithfulness to
• 31:15
  Speaker 1: a plot of land. But Jacob doesn't have faithfulness to
• 31:19
  Speaker 1: a plot of land. Jacob has faithfulness to the God
• 31:23
  Speaker 1: of the covenant. He recognizes that the plot of land
• 31:27
  Speaker 1: is a very small piece in all of this. This
• 31:30
  Speaker 1: is not about a plot of land. This is about
• 31:32
  Speaker 1: a God who owns the plot of land. This is
• 31:35
  Speaker 1: about the God who owns the heavens and the earth.
• 31:38
  Speaker 1: This is about trusting that God. So he leaves. He's
• 31:51
  Speaker 1: older than anyone you know. and he packs up everything
• 31:57
  Speaker 1: he owns, and he leaves to go to a land
• 32:02
  Speaker 1: that he doesn't know. He also knows that he'll never
• 32:10
  Speaker 1: be back. The last part of that paragraph is, Joseph's
• 32:16
  Speaker 1: hand shall close your eyes. He's not going on a
• 32:24
  Speaker 1: trip He's not going on a vacation to Egypt. Jacob's
• 32:33
  Speaker 1: part of the journey will end in Egypt. So here's
• 32:37
  Speaker 1: what God is saying to Jacob. Jacob, I made a
• 32:40
  Speaker 1: promise to Abraham. And that promise to Abraham included this
• 32:45
  Speaker 1: land in which you now live and all of this
• 32:48
  Speaker 1: land in which you now live. That promise was confirmed
• 32:53
  Speaker 1: again to Isaac. Now here you are living in that
• 32:56
  Speaker 1: land that was promised to you, and it's good. I've
• 32:58
  Speaker 1: been good to you. You've trusted me, and I've delivered
• 33:01
  Speaker 1: exactly what I said I was going to deliver you.
• 33:04
  Speaker 1: Now here's what I want you to do. I want
• 33:06
  Speaker 1: you to pack up everything that you own and everyone
• 33:09
  Speaker 1: who you hold dear and take them out of the
• 33:12
  Speaker 1: land that I promised to you. And you are going
• 33:15
  Speaker 1: to die on foreign soil. And Jacob says, let me
• 33:27
  Speaker 1: worship first. That's just good. I'm not there. Are you there?
• 33:39
  Speaker 1: I'm not. But by God's grace, if he calls you
• 33:45
  Speaker 1: to be or if he calls me to be, he'll
• 33:48
  Speaker 1: grant us the grace that we need in order to
• 33:51
  Speaker 1: be there. Fourth thing that we need to know is this.
• 34:01
  Speaker 1: Jacob's playing a part in the drama that he doesn't
• 34:04
  Speaker 1: even know is being written. Jacob's playing a part in
• 34:09
  Speaker 1: a drama that he doesn't even know is being written.
• 34:12
  Speaker 1: Which is good, by the way, because if he knew,
• 34:15
  Speaker 1: it would be even harder for him to go. That's
• 34:19
  Speaker 1: why God doesn't give us the big picture all at once.
• 34:23
  Speaker 1: We couldn't handle it. There's no way in the world
• 34:26
  Speaker 1: that we can handle the big picture. Here's what I'm
• 34:28
  Speaker 1: going to do. Jacob, here's what I'm going to do.
• 34:30
  Speaker 1: I'm going to take you down to Egypt, and things
• 34:32
  Speaker 1: are going to be great. You're going to be saved
• 34:33
  Speaker 1: from the famine, and you're going to multiply, and this
• 34:37
  Speaker 1: nation is going to grow. Oh, God, that's so wonderful.
• 34:39
  Speaker 1: You're too good to me. Yeah. And then they're going
• 34:42
  Speaker 1: to become slaves in Egypt for 400 years. Oh. No. See, no. No. No, no,
• 34:56
  Speaker 1: we're gonna go down there and then we're gonna eat.
• 34:58
  Speaker 1: And then the famine, see, that's gonna be over, right?
• 35:01
  Speaker 1: So five more years. And then after the famine is over,
• 35:05
  Speaker 1: then all of my people, they come back to this
• 35:07
  Speaker 1: land that you promised us and they stay here after
• 35:11
  Speaker 1: they've been rescued from the famine, God, right? No, they
• 35:19
  Speaker 1: will be slaves in Egypt for 400 years. Why would
• 35:34
  Speaker 1: God do that in order to keep his promise? Let
• 35:44
  Speaker 1: me ask you a question. Seventy people live in Canaan.
• 35:50
  Speaker 1: They continue to grow and multiply in Canaan. By the way,
• 35:55
  Speaker 1: we know what happens when they come back in Canaan
• 35:56
  Speaker 1: as a nation. We know the intermarriage and everything else
• 35:59
  Speaker 1: that happens. These 70 people are there in Canaan. They
• 36:03
  Speaker 1: begin to grow and multiply. They begin to intermarry in Canaan.
• 36:06
  Speaker 1: What are the chances that they end up becoming a
• 36:09
  Speaker 1: separate and distinct nation of people? Chances are slim. But
• 36:16
  Speaker 1: if you take them into an already existing nation, that
• 36:19
  Speaker 1: is the most powerful nation on earth at the time,
• 36:23
  Speaker 1: and you make them slaves to that nation, now what
• 36:27
  Speaker 1: are the chances that they don't intermarry with that nation
• 36:30
  Speaker 1: and and instead become a separate and distinct nation in
• 36:33
  Speaker 1: and of themselves, numbering in the millions and yet being
• 36:39
  Speaker 1: completely distinct. They go to Egypt to become a nation.
• 36:50
  Speaker 1: They go to Egypt to remain separate and distinct. By
• 36:55
  Speaker 1: the way, this is what God has always done with
• 36:58
  Speaker 1: his people. And in case you haven't recognized it, this
• 37:02
  Speaker 1: is what God does with you and me. In the
• 37:04
  Speaker 1: world but not of the world. Come out from among
• 37:07
  Speaker 1: them and be separate. We are not of them. Do
• 37:11
  Speaker 1: we love them? Yes, we love them. Do we proclaim
• 37:14
  Speaker 1: God's truth with them? Yes, we proclaim God's truth to them.
• 37:17
  Speaker 1: But by the way, here's the difference. Ours is not
• 37:19
  Speaker 1: an ethnic nation but a spiritual kingdom. So the blessing
• 37:24
  Speaker 1: is that there are those on the outside who can
• 37:26
  Speaker 1: be added to the kingdom to which we belong. But
• 37:29
  Speaker 1: the fact of the matter is, we are sojourners in
• 37:32
  Speaker 1: this land. It is not our home. And the land
• 37:35
  Speaker 1: of promise is what we anticipate, not what we already have.
• 37:46
  Speaker 1: So he's playing a part in a broader drama. By
• 37:51
  Speaker 1: the way, As I was looking at this, there were
• 37:54
  Speaker 1: a couple of things that just stood out to me. First,
• 37:56
  Speaker 1: it was just one or two. Then I started to
• 37:59
  Speaker 1: look more carefully and more closely. Before we get to
• 38:02
  Speaker 1: the last point, just stay here for a minute in
• 38:05
  Speaker 1: this drama that's going on that Jacob has no idea of,
• 38:09
  Speaker 1: that Jacob cannot understand at all. Now, in this drama,
• 38:14
  Speaker 1: there are several things going on. Number one, they're about
• 38:19
  Speaker 1: to enter Egypt. And I want you to see how
• 38:23
  Speaker 1: entering Egypt mirrors the Exodus from Egypt in a number
• 38:28
  Speaker 1: of ways. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.
• 38:34
  Speaker 1: Number one, they had to have permission to get into
• 38:38
  Speaker 1: Egypt from Pharaoh. Pharaoh grants the permission to Joseph. They
• 38:44
  Speaker 1: had to have permission to get out of Egypt from Pharaoh.
• 38:47
  Speaker 1: Pharaoh grants the permission to their representative Moses. How about
• 38:51
  Speaker 1: that representative? Well, Joseph was the head of Pharaoh's house.
• 38:56
  Speaker 1: In the Exodus, Moses was raised in Pharaoh's house. How
• 39:00
  Speaker 1: about intercession? Entering into Egypt, God gave Joseph favor and
• 39:05
  Speaker 1: softened Pharaoh's heart. How about in the Exodus? God used
• 39:09
  Speaker 1: Moses and the plagues to harden Pharaoh's heart so that
• 39:12
  Speaker 1: he would eventually let them go. What about their wealth? Well,
• 39:16
  Speaker 1: coming into Egypt, there's wealth that was given to them
• 39:19
  Speaker 1: by Pharaoh on those chariots that came to get them.
• 39:23
  Speaker 1: When they're going out of Egypt in the Exodus, there
• 39:26
  Speaker 1: is wealth that is given to them by the Egyptians
• 39:29
  Speaker 1: on their way out how about these chariots going into
• 39:33
  Speaker 1: Egypt Pharaoh sends chariots to pick up Jacob and his
• 39:36
  Speaker 1: people going out of Egypt Pharaoh sends chariots to destroy
• 39:41
  Speaker 1: Israel how about the census Going into Egypt, there is
• 39:46
  Speaker 1: a census of the 12 sons and the 70 people
• 39:50
  Speaker 1: connected to them. Coming out of Egypt, there is a
• 39:53
  Speaker 1: census of the 12 tribes and the millions that are
• 39:56
  Speaker 1: now counted among the nation. How about worship? Jacob stops
• 40:01
  Speaker 1: on the way into Egypt to worship God. Moses requests
• 40:07
  Speaker 1: from Pharaoh to be able to go outside of Egypt
• 40:11
  Speaker 1: to a holy place and worship. How about disaster? God
• 40:16
  Speaker 1: uses a famine to get his people into Egypt. Then
• 40:21
  Speaker 1: God uses plagues to get his people out of Egypt.
• 40:27
  Speaker 1: Jacob has no idea that he is part of a
• 40:31
  Speaker 1: much grander story. And yet, when we look at a
• 40:35
  Speaker 1: panoramic view, we see that what God is doing here
• 40:40
  Speaker 1: is mirrored in what he's going to do to take
• 40:42
  Speaker 1: his people out some 400 years later. Finally, Jacob is
• 40:48
  Speaker 1: believing God for an inheritance that he can neither see
• 40:52
  Speaker 1: nor attain in this life in a number of ways.
• 40:57
  Speaker 1: God says, I'm going to make you a nation. But
• 40:59
  Speaker 1: he also, you're going to go here and you're going
• 41:02
  Speaker 1: to die and Joseph is going to close your eyes.
• 41:05
  Speaker 1: But I'm going to make you a nation. He's believing
• 41:08
  Speaker 1: God for an inheritance he can't see. He won't be
• 41:11
  Speaker 1: around to claim it. And yet, because he loves and
• 41:14
  Speaker 1: trusts God, he holds on to it nonetheless. He also
• 41:18
  Speaker 1: believes that God's going to give him the land. And
• 41:22
  Speaker 1: he holds on to it even though he personally is
• 41:25
  Speaker 1: not going to see it in this life. I don't
• 41:31
  Speaker 1: know how clearly you have seen these parallels between Jacob
• 41:36
  Speaker 1: and his multi-generational vision and ours. But let's see if
• 41:40
  Speaker 1: we can put a finer point on it. Jacob worships
• 41:44
  Speaker 1: the God of his fathers. Folks, you and I are
• 41:48
  Speaker 1: called to worship the God of our fathers, of Abraham
• 41:52
  Speaker 1: and of Isaac and of Jacob. Our multi-generational vision begins
• 41:59
  Speaker 1: with the vision of the generations who've gone before. We
• 42:03
  Speaker 1: are the fulfillment of someone else's multi-generational vision before we
• 42:07
  Speaker 1: can start thinking about our own, amen? By the way,
• 42:10
  Speaker 1: ultimately this multi-generational vision is about God who is calling
• 42:14
  Speaker 1: forth a people called by his own name for his
• 42:17
  Speaker 1: own praise and glory. Secondly, we remember the covenant. You
• 42:23
  Speaker 1: and I, as we walk through this perilous land, as
• 42:27
  Speaker 1: we walk through as sojourners, our hope is ultimately in
• 42:31
  Speaker 1: the covenant that God has made. This covenant that has
• 42:34
  Speaker 1: been ratified by Jesus Christ who shed his own blood
• 42:39
  Speaker 1: and gives us his blood. This is the cup of
• 42:44
  Speaker 1: the new covenant in my blood. Amen. Do this as
• 42:48
  Speaker 1: often as you drink it in remembrance of me. In
• 42:50
  Speaker 1: remembrance of what? In remembrance of the covenant that we
• 42:53
  Speaker 1: have with God. In remembrance that the God that we
• 42:56
  Speaker 1: worship is the God of the covenant and he is
• 42:59
  Speaker 1: and shall be true to his word. We also leave
• 43:04
  Speaker 1: our promised land. This earth is not our home. We
• 43:12
  Speaker 1: live here as sojourners. Our home is heaven. Our home
• 43:17
  Speaker 1: is the new city, the new Jerusalem. And that is
• 43:20
  Speaker 1: where our hope lies. So because of that, it doesn't
• 43:23
  Speaker 1: matter where God calls us to move in the here
• 43:26
  Speaker 1: and the now. Whatever routes that we set up are
• 43:30
  Speaker 1: always going to be temporary. We also play a part
• 43:34
  Speaker 1: in a drama that we don't even know is being written.
• 43:39
  Speaker 1: We can go and read the end of the book,
• 43:40
  Speaker 1: but we don't necessarily know how we get there from here. Amen? Amen.
• 43:44
  Speaker 1: There are things that God is doing in your life
• 43:46
  Speaker 1: and mine that are designed to bring maximum glory to
• 43:50
  Speaker 1: our master, savior, and Lord Jesus Christ. We don't know
• 43:56
  Speaker 1: what those things are, but we know that in God's providence,
• 44:02
  Speaker 1: he knows. And so we walk holding onto that. And finally,
• 44:08
  Speaker 1: we believe God for an inheritance that we can't see
• 44:12
  Speaker 1: or attain in this life. We believe God for an
• 44:16
  Speaker 1: inheritance that we can't see or attain in this life.
• 44:23
  Speaker 1: We only get glimpses here and there. We get foreshadowings.
• 44:29
  Speaker 1: We get pieces of the puzzles. We get types. We
• 44:33
  Speaker 1: get representations. But eye has not seen nor ear heard
• 44:40
  Speaker 1: nor has it entered into the mind of man what
• 44:43
  Speaker 1: he has in store for us. It's more than you
• 44:49
  Speaker 1: can fathom. It's more than you can imagine. And it's
• 44:53
  Speaker 1: way more than you deserve. Amen? So as we see
• 45:00
  Speaker 1: this picture here in this first half of Genesis chapter 46,
• 45:05
  Speaker 1: this beautiful portrait of a man older than anybody you
• 45:09
  Speaker 1: know who was willing to get up and move. Know
• 45:13
  Speaker 1: that it's not because he was just an exceptional older man.
• 45:18
  Speaker 1: because he wasn't, amen? If you've been reading, if you've
• 45:23
  Speaker 1: been with us for the rest of the book of Genesis,
• 45:25
  Speaker 1: you know Jacob is not an exceptional older man. He
• 45:28
  Speaker 1: may be exceptionally wicked, but other than that, he's not
• 45:31
  Speaker 1: an exceptional older man. This is about the power of God.
• 45:37
  Speaker 1: This is about the covenant God makes with his people,
• 45:40
  Speaker 1: and this is about the grace of God. You are
• 45:46
  Speaker 1: going to come to a moment in your life where
• 45:49
  Speaker 1: you have to let good and kindred go. Perhaps this
• 45:53
  Speaker 1: mortal life also. The question is, when you come to
• 46:00
  Speaker 1: that moment, will you hold on for dear life to
• 46:05
  Speaker 1: the stuff that you've acquired, believing that that is the
• 46:09
  Speaker 1: greatest good that your relationship with God could produce? But
• 46:13
  Speaker 1: wait a minute, God, I have houses. I have land.
• 46:16
  Speaker 1: I have money. I have this. I have that. I
• 46:19
  Speaker 1: have the other. How could you possibly be calling me
• 46:22
  Speaker 1: to that place when you are the God who exists
• 46:25
  Speaker 1: to give me this stuff? I have this stuff now.
• 46:28
  Speaker 1: Why would you want me to go somewhere else away
• 46:30
  Speaker 1: from this stuff that my relationship with you is designed
• 46:33
  Speaker 1: to produce? That's not biblical Christianity. That's not biblical Christianity.
• 46:43
  Speaker 1: That's one of the greatest problems with the Word of
• 46:45
  Speaker 1: Faith movement, by the way. When you come to that place,
• 46:53
  Speaker 1: make sure that you already hold the blessings that God
• 46:56
  Speaker 1: has given you with an open hand. Because they're not
• 47:02
  Speaker 1: yours anyway. And there is something for which we live
• 47:08
  Speaker 1: that is far greater than houses and land livestock and
• 47:14
  Speaker 1: money and wealth and fame and fortune, children, wives, husbands,
• 47:22
  Speaker 1: or anything else. That's what we live for. But here's
• 47:27
  Speaker 1: the beauty. Does that mean that our attitude is negative
• 47:30
  Speaker 1: and nasty toward all that stuff? No. It means that
• 47:34
  Speaker 1: we appreciate those things all the more as gifts from
• 47:39
  Speaker 1: the hand of Almighty God. that he didn't have to
• 47:42
  Speaker 1: give us in the first place. That's what it means.
• 47:48
  Speaker 1: It means that we hold on to all those things loosely,
• 47:51
  Speaker 1: recognizing that we are part of something greater than ourselves,
• 47:57
  Speaker 1: that we belong to a kingdom that is ever advancing,
• 48:01
  Speaker 1: and that we serve a soon-coming king who is going
• 48:05
  Speaker 1: to make all things right and put all things under
• 48:09
  Speaker 1: his feet. We have that perspective. Then perhaps we too
• 48:17
  Speaker 1: would be willing at a ripe old age to get
• 48:22
  Speaker 1: up and move if God said so. Because one day
• 48:28
  Speaker 1: we're all going to relocate for good. Amen? Let's pray. Father,
• 48:44
  Speaker 1: we bow before you as a people who hold on
• 48:47
  Speaker 1: desperately to things. We bow before you recognizing that more
• 49:03
  Speaker 1: often than not, we cringe at the idea of you
• 49:07
  Speaker 1: calling us to faith and obedience and sacrifice. But thank
• 49:18
  Speaker 1: you for reminding us today. that we do not live
• 49:21
  Speaker 1: for the here and now. We do not live for ourselves.
• 49:29
  Speaker 1: But we live for something greater. We live for something more.
• 49:35
  Speaker 1: We live for something lasting. We live for something eternal.
• 49:45
  Speaker 1: Thank you for the testimony of our fathers who walked
• 49:50
  Speaker 1: with you, who by your grace finished well in spite
• 50:01
  Speaker 1: of their frailties and faults. May their testimonies cause us
• 50:08
  Speaker 1: to trust all the more. I pray for those under
• 50:19
  Speaker 1: the sound of my voice who are wrestling with your calling.
• 50:27
  Speaker 1: And ask that by your grace, they may be granted
• 50:31
  Speaker 1: an extra measure. That we all may be granted hearts
• 50:39
  Speaker 1: willing to serve you and obey you. And we thank
• 50:50
  Speaker 1: you for our Lord and our Master and King, Jesus Christ,
• 50:58
  Speaker 1: to whom all glory belongs, because it is only him
• 51:02
  Speaker 1: working in us that allows us to will, let alone
• 51:07
  Speaker 1: to work for your good pleasure. Grant that we might
• 51:13
  Speaker 1: prize him above all else. Grant that we might hold
• 51:20
  Speaker 1: him so dear, so close, and so tight that all
• 51:28
  Speaker 1: other things pale in comparison. Grant that we might remember
• 51:35
  Speaker 1: that he left his home in glory, suffered the humiliation
• 51:42
  Speaker 1: of wrapping himself in flesh, having not only seen but
• 51:50
  Speaker 1: been the creator, master, and lord of the promise that
• 51:53
  Speaker 1: we look forward to, humbled himself, took on human form,
• 52:02
  Speaker 1: became a human baby, submitted to human parents, and ultimately
• 52:09
  Speaker 1: died at the hands of human sinners, all in obedience
• 52:14
  Speaker 1: to his father who said, go. Go. May we, as
• 52:25
  Speaker 1: those redeemed by your obedient son, reflect the image of
• 52:33
  Speaker 1: his glory in our obedience to him. This is our prayer.
• 52:42
  Speaker 1: We ask it because we believe it's in accordance with
• 52:44
  Speaker 1: the will and the nature and the authority of Jesus,
• 52:48
  Speaker 1: who is the Christ. Amen. Amen. I drove up with
• 52:55
  Speaker 1: the kids in August. Well, if you come to Genesis
• 53:01
  Speaker 1: chapter 46, and we'll look at the first half of