Episode Transcript
[00:00:03] When I first became a Christian, I had been reading the Bible a long time, but no one had taught me how to study the Bible. And so I thought to myself, well, you know, I know how to use a dictionary, praise God, and I know how clauses make up sentences, and I know that this is God's word, and he wants to not just have said it, he wants to be saying it to me. And that became my day two studying my Bible.
[00:00:40] Okay, I'm literate. Amen. Well, at least I can tell you I'm literate. I'll prove to you in a moment I'm literate. And I knew that I had come into fellowship with a living God and that I could take this gift of literacy that I'd been granted in growing up, and God would meet me and make this word his word to me. In other words, as one old theologian said, the glad tidings of old could become the glad tidings of today.
[00:01:12] Pretty early on, I developed this really, it seems now, like a crazy practice. Like, if some lady had said, oh, you're journaling, I would have been angry. No, I'm not journaling. I don't journal. I'm not a teenage girl. But I was buying these composition books. Who remembers the one where they sew them together down the spine? And I liked them because they didn't tear up very easily, and they had really wide lines. And I write big. And Carol tell you I would just sit down my Bible and fill up these notebooks studying, asking questions.
[00:01:46] I remember very early on is like, I sure would like a Bible dictionary. And then someone at our home, church says, you know, our library has several of them. And I was like, what? And people can just use them. And they're like, yeah, anybody? I'm like, what? And so I would go up to the church and pull out those tools that were there in the church library, and I would just study.
[00:02:11] Now, I said all that so that what I'll say next makes sense. These days, every once in a while, I will find one of those old notebooks.
[00:02:23] Clay is preparing to. We've been living in the same place almost 25 years. And for 25 years, I've been saying I was going to make this shed at my house into a little office. And Clay is finally helping us make that happen. And we were moving stuff. I shouldn't say we. His boys were moving stuff. And I pulled one of those old notebooks out of a box.
[00:02:46] And at once I was stricken with sentimentality and the wonderful memories of sitting at my kitchen table and trying to hear from the Lord and taking notes. And then I opened it and I started reading. I went, what an idiot.
[00:03:04] I mean, no joke, this one had the date on it. It was from the fall of 1997. And I wrote with the confidence of a Cambridge scholar.
[00:03:18] The confidence, not the knowledge. And I read some of the things I was writing then and I go, man, now I am thankful to say that I am much more thoughtful, reflective, I am more skilled, more intentional with digging into the whole counsel of the Word of God and careful about context in ways that I didn't even know how to be then. Amen. And so I see me there. Amen. I see the 1997, I see that 26 year old me and I am still here.
[00:03:57] I still want to open God's word and I want the glad tidings of old. I want the voice that is speaking to still speak to me. And I am so glad that young Christian boy still lives inside this older Christian man.
[00:04:15] At the same time, I am so thankful some parts of that me have grown up. Does anybody know what I'm talking about?
[00:04:25] Where we left Jacob last week.
[00:04:28] I've laughed about it like literally three times a day this entire week. He, he tells Pharaoh, yeah, I'm 130 years old and every day is stunk.
[00:04:38] And now we're going to see Jacob and it's 17 years later.
[00:04:44] And I dare say that if we could, if we could get Jacob's Bible study notes from 130 to 147, we would see some of that same Jacob in some very wonderful ways. And we would say a Jacob that was growing and growing and growing brothers and sisters, east rockers.
[00:05:07] I would say, this is my heart's desire for you as men and women of God.
[00:05:14] That the very you that is you, the image of God, the very unique you that God made you to be, that in some regards we always see that you standing with us.
[00:05:27] But in other regards, I think we all would say, I hope there's some parts of me that grows up and I hope there's some parts of me that grows away.
[00:05:37] And I hope there's some parts of God that grows into me that aren't present right now tonight.
[00:05:46] Sermon title Faith that has Learned the Ways of God. You know, if anybody really was impressed by sermon titles, we would have just called this one Be Mature.
[00:05:58] But no one would have liked that title. So we did this one, Faith that has Learned the Ways of God. And we're going to see a man who there's Plenty of evidence that he's been maturing in his faith. Let me pray for us, and then let's dive right into this not so lengthy as it looks passage. Father God, thank you for a chance to open your word.
[00:06:22] And indeed, may this glad tiding of old become a glad tiding tonight.
[00:06:32] May this voice that has spoken be heard to us as the voice that is speaking.
[00:06:40] May the prophetic word be present tense that we are hearing from the Lord through your word. And God calls us to treasure your word in fresh ways that its value would be upon our mind and our hearts to such a way that we would treasure your thoughts to us through it. In Jesus I pray. Amen. And amen. Genesis, chapter number 47, beginning at verse 48. I do pray you have your Bible in front of you. In an event you don't, we have it on the screen for you beginning at verse 28. And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt 17 years.
[00:07:23] So the days of Jacob, the years of his life were 147 years. And when the time drew near that Israel must die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, if now I have found favor in your sight, put your hand under my thigh and promise to deal kindly and truly with me, do not bury me in Egypt, but let me lie with my fathers. Carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burying place. He answered, I will do as you have said. And he said, swear to me. And he swore to him. And Israel bowed himself upon the head of his bed. After this, Joseph was told, behold, your father is ill.
[00:08:08] So he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. And it was told to Jacob, your son Joseph has come to you. Then Israel summoned his strength and set up in bed. And Jacob said to Joseph, God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me and said to me, behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you. And I will make of you a company of peoples and will give this land to your offspring after you for an everlasting possession. And now your two sons who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine. Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are. And the children that you fathered after them shall be yours. They shall be called by the name of their brothers and their inheritance. As for me, when I came from Padan to my sorrow, Rachel died in the land of Canaan. On the way, when there was still some distance to go to Ephphroth. And I buried her there on the way to Ephroth, that is Bethlehem.
[00:09:17] When Israel saw Joseph's sons, he said, who are these? Joseph said to his father, they are my sons whom God has given me here. And he said, bring them to me, please, that I may bless them. Now the eyes of Israel were dim with aids, so he could not see. So Joseph brought them near, and he kissed them and embraced them. And Israel said to Joseph, I never expected to see your face.
[00:09:41] And behold, God has let me see your offspring also.
[00:09:45] Then Joseph removed them from his knees and he bowed himself with his face to the earth. And Joseph took them both. Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand and. And brought them near. And Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, crossing his hands. For Manasseh was the firstborn. And he blessed Joseph and said, the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day, the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys, and in them let my name be carried on in the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac. And let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth. When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him. It displeased Joseph. And he took his father's hand to move it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh. And Joseph said to his father, not this way, my father, since this one is the firstborn, put your right hand on his head. But the father refused and said, I know what I'm doing, boy.
[00:11:04] I just see him as y'all listening. What did he say verbatim? He said, I know my son.
[00:11:10] I know he also shall become a people, and he also shall become great. Nevertheless, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations. So he blessed them that day, saying, by you, Israel will pronounce blessings, saying, God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh. Thus he put Ephraim before Manasseh. Then Israel said to Joseph, behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you again to the land of your fathers. Moreover, I have given to you rather than to your brothers, one mountain slope that I took from the hand of The Amorites with my sword and with my bow.
[00:11:53] Brothers and sisters, on first reading, this is a very strange passage because we didn't live thousands of years ago. But on some explanation, I think it will come up before your eyes as clear as a bale. But as is my custom, I should preach one sermon before I preach a second one.
[00:12:09] Let me point you to something found in First Corinthians 3:1 through 3. And let me give you the point first. The point is this. Every believer is called to have a maturing faith. A mature. Not just a mature faith, a maturing faith. Now, what is the. What is the target for mature? Until you're just like Jesus. Amen. Okay, so raise your hand if you are, by this definition, fully mature.
[00:12:40] Right?
[00:12:43] But I pray we can say I am maturing. Amen. If you're a worrier that walking with Christ, becoming like Christ, you worry less.
[00:12:53] If you're wasteful that walking with Christ and becoming like Christ, you're less wasteful. If you're combative at walking with Christ and becoming more like Christ, you become less combative.
[00:13:06] If you have a big mouth that says stupid things, that walking with Christ and becoming like Christ, you say less stupid things, praise God, and also type less stupid things.
[00:13:22] Even if you type like this, am I making my point?
[00:13:27] Can we say that the likeness of Christ before our eyes and our commitment to abiding in him is directing us toward a maturing life? I think we should want to say that. Amen.
[00:13:42] And like, if you're a kid and you're like, put this on my level, Pastor Tim. If you are a child or young person and you say, I love Jesus, is walking with Jesus making you a better son or daughter? Is it making you a better brother and sister? Is it making you a more thoughtful student? Is it making you a kinder friend? Am I making sense to anybody?
[00:14:08] Every believer is called to have a maturing faith. Now let me put just a couple of verses before you. From First Corinthians 3, Paul said this. But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ.
[00:14:23] That's very important. Do I have that? I thought I had that on screen. I might not. I might have failed.
[00:14:30] Help me. If I did, it's okay. If I failed, it's okay for me anyway.
[00:14:36] Now I want you guys to find verse one when you find to say Amen. Now altogether find the last two words in verse one and read it together.
[00:14:45] Okay? So there are these people who are in Christ. Does that Mean they're lost or found.
[00:14:52] Okay, but there's. There's an accusation against them. What is it?
[00:14:58] They're immature. They're people of the flesh. In other words, they have a fledgling faith in which they're operating more in the flesh than in spirit. Isn't that interesting? They've been delivered from the ultimate consequence of the flesh, but they've not yet grown into the immediate consequence of the spirit.
[00:15:22] Now, somebody should have said amen. I think I need to back up and say that again. They have been delivered.
[00:15:28] Let me speak. Just Roxburgh east, y'all. They go into heaven, but they still living like hell.
[00:15:35] Okay, I got y'all. Now let me see what I wrote in my notes here. Dadgummit, if you're a guest, it doesn't get better or worse. This is just what it is.
[00:15:47] Let me say it again in the technical way. You need to hear this. They have been delivered from the ultimate consequence of the flesh. What is the ultimate consequence of the flesh? Partner with Satan, cast into hell.
[00:15:59] But they aren't yet matured into the immediate, the temporal, the earthbound fruit of the spirit.
[00:16:08] So he's saying. He's like, I know you're my brothers and sisters, and I should be able to talk to you. You should have matured more by now.
[00:16:19] You should have, right? But you haven't.
[00:16:25] I fed you with milk, not solid food. Why? Tell me why. Church.
[00:16:31] Let me try that again. Y'all ain't with me yet. I fed you with milk, not with solid food. Why Church?
[00:16:39] And then here's the part that troubles me. And even now, you're not ready.
[00:16:45] All right? That's. That's an indicator to the church at Corinth. Like, you guys really should be more mature. Now, if you've ever read the letters to the church at Corinth, they had problems. And they had not invited Vanilla Ice or Jesus into most of them.
[00:17:03] But the Holy Spirit invited the Apostle Paul. And the Apostle Paul was addressing all these issues, okay? And look, he says you're still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, you are not of the flesh and behaving. I mean, excuse me, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? So he gets to that temptation. They might say, well, why aren't we good Christians? Why we mature? He's like, okay, look at how you're acting.
[00:17:31] Tisk. Tisk.
[00:17:34] That's how it sounds in the Greek brothers and sisters. We can look a lot of places in Scripture. I pull this place out because you can be walking in the Lord a few years as an infant. Even whole congregations can be infants in the Lord, right? But we're called to maturity. So what would God do? God would meet us in our maturity. Immaturity. And I would say it like this. God desires we face the facts if we are not embracing the reception to his word and leadership. God will send apostolic authority, prophetic teaching. He will send the weight of the commandments to the body of Christ so that we might confront where we are. But he will also send a beautiful vision of where we're going, going toward Christ likeness. So I just thought this one was a great example. Now if you back up into First Corinthians, chapter two, right before this, he gives some explanation. He says, the natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God. This is the problem, brothers and sisters.
[00:18:47] So they are not going to get the eternal consequence of the flesh, but they're operating in the temporal activity of the flesh, which means they ain't going to heaven. But they not letting it come down to them either.
[00:19:03] The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him. But we have the mind of Christ. And it's right after this. It's right after this where he says, you know, I wanted to feed y'all meat, but you couldn't even handle milk.
[00:19:34] So let me just. Again, this is a setup, but I think it's a necessary setup. Let me say a second thing about this. God's ordinary plan. Ordinary plan. His regular day to day plan is to move us from grace to grace and growth to growth, so that we might be bear much fruit. That's his ordinary plan. Like what's God up to every day? He wants to grow you.
[00:19:57] Unmerited favor to unmerited favor, growth to growth. Did you know that's God's plan for you? Did you know that's his plan for this congregation? Remember, the letter was written to a written to a congregation. The letter in what we call first and Second Corinthians, it was written to a congregation and it named some persons.
[00:20:16] Like I'm only going to pick on. Just to make an example, I'm only going to pick on people I know I'm safe with. Like, say wrote that letter and he's saying something to the whole congregation. And he say, but listen, I need to address Brett specifically.
[00:20:30] You know, I need to. I need to also address John specifically. That's the way that letter is structured. God's commitment to the body of Christ. God's commitment to the bodies of Christ.
[00:20:41] The body has local churches. A lot of people refuse to see that. It's just all over the Scriptures. And he deals with local churches, and often he deals within those local churches, points to individuals to commend or to condemn.
[00:20:58] So his commitment is that we grow. We have to ask ourselves, right, Are we maturing? Are we still acting infantile?
[00:21:09] And if not, in general, is there a specific area in your life where you act infantile?
[00:21:17] Now, where's Matthew? I saw him earlier. Matthew. Oh, he's in the back. Hey, Matthew.
[00:21:25] We. We went to an Arena League football game Friday night. It. It was fun. And at one point, the opposing quarterback, which gave me a lot of hope, he was. The opposing quarterback, was. Was fat.
[00:21:36] And I was like, if this is the standard, I think I can suit up.
[00:21:41] And at one point, he made a. I think he threw an interception, and he literally fell on his face and kicked like a toddler.
[00:21:51] And if you know Matthew Acree, that delighted him. He was doing that weird laugh of his.
[00:21:57] That sort of frightens me a little bit.
[00:22:00] He's like, that guy. And so we got in the car. He said, my favorite part of the night was that quarterback doing like a child. I was like, yeah, that's pretty neat. It was pretty ne, Right? I. I bet that guy knows how to pay his taxes and change the oil in his car. Right? But in that moment, in that situation, he was being infantile, so. So we can be generally infantile, which is very dangerous, or we can be categorically infantile.
[00:22:26] Now, just bring from memory the whole life of Jacob up before your mind. My gracious. He could be infantile. Amen. In so many ways.
[00:22:36] Now, I won't get into it, but, you know, I think I put this up there, too. Shannon. I think. John 15. God's ordinary plan is to move us from grace to grace. He says, jesus says, I'm the true vine, my father's vinedresser. In other words, the vinedresser has given the sun from which he grafts in branches. And the father in the son tends to his garden. This is the church. Isn't that interesting?
[00:23:07] And he says, every branch of me that does not bear fruit, he takes away. Now, that translation is arguable. Every other place that word is used In Scripture, except here they translate the word Iroh into lift up. But here they translate it take away. Why? I believe it's a brilliant use of language by the Holy Spirit through John's recording of what Jesus said. In other words, he explains, if it isn't bearing fruit, it's not of me. So I'm going to burn that branch.
[00:23:42] If it is of me and it's not bearing fruit, I'm going to position it for fruit. I believe the entendre is intentional.
[00:23:53] Or as JT Jonathan Taylor said this morning, it's doubly redundant.
[00:24:01] I believe God wants this local church to be a maturing local church.
[00:24:07] And I believe he wants every household in it to be a maturing household. I believe he wants every person to be a maturing believer. Amen.
[00:24:17] I believe fruitfulness and fellowships are tests for saving faith. You have to know him and bear fruit.
[00:24:28] You have to know him and bear fruit. I won't take time to prove that by Scripture, but I believe I can. I believe fruit is twofold. There's inner fruit growing in the inner person, into the cry, into the likeness of Christ, and through the outer person, pursuing the works and proclaiming the person of Jesus.
[00:24:51] So with that as a pre sermon, brothers and sisters, let me ask you again. Do you have a maturing faith? Are you a maturing believer? I'll pick on Casey. Casey, I'm going to put you on the spot. By my earlier definition, are you a mature Christian?
[00:25:08] Why not? Because you're not. Just like Jesus. Do you believe his promise that that is not only his goal, but that's exactly what he's going to do in your life. Lean into it. Amen. Be maturing.
[00:25:20] I'm making sense to you, church.
[00:25:24] So now let's preach on Jacob. And I'll do this much quicker because I believe with that set up, we'll see. We'll see how Jacob, his faith had grown in a tremendous way.
[00:25:37] Secondly, but actually, first from the passage, mature faith lives in actual hope. Believing the promise. Mature faith lives in actual hope. See, hope is not wishful thinking. Somebody say Amen. Hope is fixed expectation.
[00:25:59] You know, this is probably funny to you, but I'm dead serious.
[00:26:08] I could go to a restaurant with my brother David anytime and I could walk out and say, I hope David pays.
[00:26:19] Now, to some brothers that that could be translated, I, I, I, I kind of want David to pay. And I'm, and I wish he does. That's not what I mean at all. Right.
[00:26:31] I, I can say I have a fixed expectation that David's going to get my bill right. Half the time, even when I take it, he takes it from me.
[00:26:41] Right. So I have this built in expectation that at least if my brother has the capacity, he certainly has the willingness. Amen.
[00:26:51] So there's this fixed expectation in actual hope. What does that mean? It means God has said something and I believe he has the capacity and the willingness to follow through with it.
[00:27:01] So what had happened is God had given Abram a land and a promise and he had passed that on to Isaac and he had passed that on to Jacob. And now Jacob's out of that land. And he says, man, I know I'm going to die, but I believe my future physical position is directly connected to the promise of God's eternal provision. So I don't want my bones to stay in Egypt. Amen.
[00:27:23] He is letting actual hope direct daily life.
[00:27:28] He actually believes God. Amen.
[00:27:33] Now what's funny here is if you go look at the story of Abraham, there's this point when his name changes from Abram to Abraham. After that, he's always referred to as Abraham. Always. Well, there was a point when Jacob's name changed to Israel, but it was only used sparingly here.
[00:27:54] The Bible says Israel says, in other words, I believe he's grown into the shift.
[00:28:01] I believe this is simple evidence that he has grown into the shift.
[00:28:08] And this is also reminiscent of Abraham's demand to his servant in Genesis 24, we won't go there just but to mention it, where he tells his servant to go find a wife for Isaac. And he says, put your hand under my thigh. And it's how I've made every agreement with Casey ever since Genesis 24, which is why we've made no agreements.
[00:28:40] But the point here, and I tell you because it reads so not like our culture, you might can miss it, Jacob is done wrestling. He believes God.
[00:28:52] Like, can I put it in language that might be more pertinent to the church? Now, if you really believe that, you will be seated in the heavenlies part of the bride of Christ at the feast table.
[00:29:10] Made into the image of him, every tear wiped away, all unholiness, cast out of the sight of God, robed in righteousness and prospering with God through eternity. That thing off in the distance ought to inform decisions in the moment.
[00:29:32] Jacob hadn't always been real good at that.
[00:29:36] You know, his mom got an oracle. Do you remember his mom?
[00:29:42] And she pondered that thing in her heart and she acted on it. She kind of acted like in knucklehead Ways and taught Jacob some knucklehead ways. But she believed God so much about her second born that she acted on it, but she acted striving.
[00:29:58] And so Jacob learned to act striving rather than to act trusting. I maintain he's learning how to act trusting, not striving. Son, promise me. Promise me you'll take my bones to the promised land. I will, Daddy. No promise. There is something very powerful about giving your word.
[00:30:23] I think we see that every time we go over our church covenant. There's something very powerful about giving your word. And there's a shift in Jacob's conversation to Joseph. He says, hey, do this. Okay, Daddy, no. Give me your word.
[00:30:41] Make an oath, be serious. Put your name on the line.
[00:30:47] And he did.
[00:30:51] And then what does Jacob do? He rests. He's like, oh, my bones are going there. Hallelujah.
[00:31:00] Secondly or secondly in the passage. Thirdly, in the points, mature faith looks to God's faithfulness in the past to make plans to align with present activities with God's promises for the future. Now, just let that hang up there for a little bit because it's a long quote. Last week, Pastor Ben Duran, as you guys have heard me say many times, I'm working with our association on a revitalization team. And we've been going to churches not to try to fix anything, but to be servants and encouragers. And we were at a local church last week, and I had done my part and I was sitting there paying attention, but I had gotten my brain out of teaching mode. And then Ben just suddenly calls me on the spot. Someone asked this question. He goes, why don't we let Tim answer that?
[00:31:49] And this one, I said in my brain, I'm going, why, I oughta.
[00:31:54] But the question was, you know, the local church was basically asking is, is what do you. What. What. What do. What do they see? What should their goals be in the next three to five years? That's what they're.
[00:32:10] And I, you know, oh, by the way, we should be praying for Mary Lou.
[00:32:15] The things are happening.
[00:32:19] Yeah, but Mary Lou. Mary Lou asked me questions all the time. And she, she says I frustrate her by not giving her answers.
[00:32:26] Well, I did that thing. If Mary Lou had been there last Sunday, she would have started rolling her eyes. Here. Tim goes, because I said to that church member, I'm going to look at Grant because I got a role play with somebody like, you're the person who asked me. And I said, listen, two things here, okay? First, you're not looking back far enough in your church's history.
[00:32:46] You want the full experience of the church. When you think about your church, you need to go back to the full cross and the empty tomb, to the ascended, received, seated and reigning Lord. You need to see that all of what Christ did in his earthly ministry and through the cross means something for the church today. You need to come to the communion table. You need to go to the Baptistry.
[00:33:09] You need to think about the whole history of the church, not just the history of your experience in your church. And I said, secondly, your horizons are so low that you're overwhelmed by three to five years. You need to look into the full promise of the church. What, what is God? And you know, it was, I grant, bro, I was feeling so smart to be put on the spot. And like, I felt like I was in one of those moments where the Holy Ghost was helping me, you know, And I said, I said, so this is not an accusation, it's actually a challenge. I want you to look all the way back.
[00:33:43] I want you to, if you can, go back to the garden, but I definitely want you to go back to the cross. And I want you to think about the history of the church through the lens of what God did to give us the church.
[00:33:56] And don't have any. Any expectations in God, not founded in God. And I want you to think about your church and then, you know, when you come back to think about the next three to five years, ask do these three to five year plans reflect God's eternal promises?
[00:34:15] Are we leaning in the next three to five years into where we're headed into forever?
[00:34:24] And I was sitting there saying, I was like, man, I need to say, this is esro.
[00:34:28] So are we thinking about in our church growth plan and how uncomfortable it makes us that God plans to make for himself a wider raid? Beautifully adorned bride for his son. And are we interested in making her the tallest, biggest girl we can for her, for him? I believe Jesus likes big women.
[00:34:52] He wants the biggest bride he can get. Amen.
[00:34:57] See, y'all mind went somewhere different than mine. Hallelujah.
[00:35:01] So if you pay attention to this passage when he begins in chapter 48, verses 1 through 7, as he begins, he summons his son and he begins to talk about these things. He's looking back, he goes, he goes, hey, man, I want you to bring your sons. And he gets his strength and he sets up and he starts to talk about Ephraim and Manasseh with Reuben and Simeon.
[00:35:28] He's going back to not only where his family started, but where the Promises of God started his family.
[00:35:37] And that matters to the things he is saying today. In other words, what has God said about our family? What has God promised our family? And we need to ask those questions about our church, about our family. What has God promised us? And is the promises of God made? And the promises of God coming? Are we aligning our present activities according to his promises?
[00:36:10] Now, the funny story I always. I've always believed like this. I just didn't apply it to my walk with God. The funny story I always tell because it'll be funny to me to the day I die.
[00:36:20] I love this little girl in elementary and junior high school. And she, she just hated me.
[00:36:27] It was helpful. It made me strong.
[00:36:31] But I was a slick operator.
[00:36:33] I did this, I don't know, at least a dozen times. I would write her a note. Do you like me one box? Yes.
[00:36:42] There's no other options.
[00:36:47] And she would do things like draw a next box and write things like ew beside it.
[00:36:54] You know what I'm saying?
[00:36:56] Then the next time she literally might scratch through the whole thing, ball it up and throw it at me. And I'd be like, we're making progress.
[00:37:06] Our senior year, she asked me out and I said no because that ship is sail, baby.
[00:37:15] And I had graduated to store brand cologne.
[00:37:23] It's funny to think I had so much confidence that it felt like to me that if I just give her the answer I want, I'll get the answer I want.
[00:37:35] Brothers and sisters, God wants us to have the answer he's given. And he wants the answer he's given to be the answer we want. Because that's where he's taking his church.
[00:37:45] Jacob, finally, he is not striving. He is seeking to align his walk with what God has promised. I see the time. There's so much to be said here. This passage is far richer than we have time to unfold here tonight. Let me just say one more thing about these last, whatever verses, 8 to 22, how many ever verses? That is 14 verses.
[00:38:12] Mature faith longs to discern God's way from him, not demand our wants from him.
[00:38:20] Now, without getting into all of it, because I know most of you won't have any problem believing this. I have pages and pages of notes. You see the scene? He says, bring these boys. And he says, they're going to be my boys. And now if you go look in most any place, not quite everywhere, but if you go look in most places, you'll see the 12 tribes of Israel and you'll see Joseph's name will either be there and one of his sons, or Joseph's name won't be there and both of his sons, you'll know him as the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. And if you pull up Wikipedia and you look at a map of the tribes, they were granted the largest land. And later on when the, when the, when the kingdom divided for a while, they, they, they, you know, they called Israel Israel or they called Israel Ephraim.
[00:39:09] In other words, this, this thing is pretty big and it looms out into Israel's future, the nation, the people, right? And, and he blesses these sons and Joseph wants to correct him, right?
[00:39:25] But what does Jacob say? Nah, boy.
[00:39:29] And Jacob is discerning something from God and leading his sons not to strive. His mom had heard something from God and, and led her sons to strive.
[00:39:43] This is a sign of maturity.
[00:39:46] She had pitted one son against the other and tried to pit them against their father. And you know the story.
[00:39:54] You know, y'all do remember the story, right? Jacob dressed up in the hairy thing and went in and presented himself like Esau. And Esau, he had a great response to it. He said, as soon as your dead or die, I'm going to kill you.
[00:40:06] You could tell this happened somewhere around West Virginia.
[00:40:12] Dale, all offense, wherever you are, full offense. Happy birthday, Dale. Full offense.
[00:40:19] Just kidding. It could have happened in Yansenville, to tell you the truth.
[00:40:24] Full offense.
[00:40:30] Are y'all picking up what I'm putting down?
[00:40:32] See, Rebecca had gotten a word from God, say amen. But her application of it was to create striving and discord.
[00:40:42] Now Jacob has learned something from God and his son is misunderstanding it, and he goes, no, I know what I'm doing, okay? This isn't the first time. The second has become first, and it won't be the last time.
[00:40:55] Who's the chronological first son of God, y'all? Who's the chronological first son of God?
[00:41:01] Adam. Who's the preeminent first son of God?
[00:41:05] The second gets put first.
[00:41:08] He's painting pictures.
[00:41:10] So we understand prophecy, but in this case, right, Jacob has finally learned, I need to learn to listen to God. And I need to learn to listen to God in such a way that lives in alignment, that sows peace, that. That looks to obey. I don't, I don't need to be rebellious, right? And when it pops up around me, I need to be an agent of peace.
[00:41:39] So he actually, he, he loves Joseph so much, but Joseph says, no, Daddy, don't do this. He said, boy, I know what I'm doing.
[00:41:47] He leads his son to trust him because he's learned to trust his Father.
[00:41:54] Now there's so much more. I mean, some of the things they say here reach all the way into the Revelation. No joke. This is far reaching. The blessings here. The. The way in. In verse 16, that. That verse 15 and 16, that when he blessed Joseph, he says, listen, God has been my shepherd. And, you know, what did King David say about a shepherd? He has to carry a rod and a staff. Amen.
[00:42:19] He said, he makes me lie down. But we. We always take that to mean it's very passive. I think it's a no tendre. He. Sometimes you got to make him lay down. Amen.
[00:42:31] Sometimes you make him lie down by providing a space to lay down. And sometimes you make them lie down because they, you know, they won't lie down.
[00:42:43] There's a lot here, and I've only scratched the surface because I believe one of the. One of the main things, if not the main thing we need to see is, is Israel had really learned to walk with God, and it only took him 147 years.
[00:43:03] Way to go, David. You got 10 years left. Don't blow it.
[00:43:17] Could he have learned to walk with God younger? Sure. Is this about numbers? No, they're just part of the story.
[00:43:26] Brothers and sisters, are you maturing?
[00:43:33] Are you maturing?
[00:43:36] Are you maturing?
[00:43:40] I can't answer that.
[00:43:42] I can't answer that in the way the Holy Spirit can.
[00:43:46] I think I see some ways I am maturing, and I think I'm blind to some of the ways I'm not maturing. It's probably true of all of us. Amen.
[00:43:56] Like Friday, some of my co workers said some very nice things about me, and Michaela and Mary Lou took pains to say several times, I'm not perfect.
[00:44:07] And at one point I'm like, I know, shut it, right?
[00:44:16] But toward the end, I kind of. I kind of wanted them to make a list.
[00:44:21] Is it. Do they mean some ways that I see clearly and. And am wrestling with those things with God? Or could they mean some ways that I'm oblivious to? And God might. God might make them as Nathan's to my David, you know, that he might make them as Elijah's to my Ahab, you know, and I think we need that in the body of Christ.
[00:44:45] We need people who will help us see where we're not maturing. And a lot of times we're so. We're so afraid to be offended. I'm not very convinced we're afraid to offend because we'll offend somebody over politics in a skinny minute, but we won't offend them over the cross. So I'm not sure we're afraid to offend, but we're afraid to be offended, so we don't open ourselves to people. Well, God would not give Jacob that courtesy.
[00:45:14] He kept dealing with Jacob, exposing him to himself, often by exposing him to others.
[00:45:25] He wrestled with his brother in law. I mean, excuse me, his father in law. Forgive me.
[00:45:31] He wrestled with his brother, he wrestled with his mom, he wrestled with his dad. Do you remember that whole episode where his sons circumcised and murdered a whole group of people?
[00:45:45] That was cheerful.
[00:45:53] God.
[00:45:55] God only will expose us in these ways that he might grow us in all ways.
[00:46:01] So I ask you one final time. Are you maturing now? Don't think about the Christian that you wish would grow up a lot faster than they are.
[00:46:15] Like, you know, Christina's probably wanted to elbow Casey eight times ago. Are you listening?
[00:46:21] I need you to grow up, Casey, fast.
[00:46:25] Right? Don't we have that temptation to want other people to grow up fast?
[00:46:34] I'm asking you, are you maturing?
[00:46:37] Are there areas in your life where you're infantile?
[00:46:44] I don't have one loving word for that. Repent.
[00:46:50] Have you crossed out of the ultimate end of the flesh?
[00:46:57] I'm not asking you, are you a perfect believer? I'm asking you, have you even crossed out of the ultimate end of the. What do I mean? Have you yielded your life to Christ? Have you repented, trusting in yourself and believed on Jesus? You will in that moment become an infant Christian.
[00:47:14] But you will be delivered from being a mature fool.
[00:47:19] You will be an infant in the nursery of heaven in that moment. But that's better than being a grown up in the throne room of hell.
[00:47:31] Have you believed on the Lord Jesus?
[00:47:35] Well, I urge you tonight to believe, brothers and sisters, if there's an area that you need to grow and you know it, wrestle with God with it. He'll wrestle you to growth. He loves that. And if you have any notion that you're blind to some areas, get with a trusted brother and sister and say, hold me accountable. Help me grow.
[00:48:01] God will expose it.
[00:48:03] He just will. Would you pray with me?
[00:48:07] Father, thank you for this passage.
[00:48:11] Thank you for the opportunity to unfold it before this sweet and good people. We believe your ordinary work is to move us from grace to grace, to make us like your son.
[00:48:26] Father, we probably in our weakness in the Russian business of life.
[00:48:32] While we probably failed to connect with this reality many days.
[00:48:38] So help us connect with it in a fresh way and join Jacob's journey. A journey of growth, a journey of confrontation that leads to increasing and deepening surrender.
[00:48:52] Grow the men and women and boys of girls. Boys and girls in East Rock Community Church. Grow our families. Grow this local church. Make us a maturing people day by day, week by week, year by year that you might be pleased that at your coming you might find us soberly and excitingly excitedly embracing the call to sanctification, growth and service. Grow your people.
[00:49:25] Make us love your word and to be people of your word and people who give our word and it matters.
[00:49:38] Thank you for this moment. There's a single soul that is yet to yield to you.
[00:49:44] Regenerate their spirit. Rip out their heart of flesh. Give them a heart sensitive to you. Cause them to repent of trusting anything other than you and to believe on the finished work of Jesus in Christ. I pray. Amen.
