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God
Fulfills His Promises Introduction: A. God’s Promises to Jacob (Genesis 28:15) 1.
The Purpose of His Blessing a)
So that we may be a blessing to others 2.
The Promises of His Message (Genesis 28:15) a)
I am with you b)
I will keep you c)
I will bring you back d)
I will not leave you I.
“Better Late Than Never”
(Genesis 28:10-29:13) A. A Poor Start 1.
Jacob made a bad name and a horrible life for himself when he
deceived his father (Genesis 27:35) and angered his brother (Genesis 27:45). a)
Jacob appeared to be leaving his problems behind, but he was
just taking his troubles elsewhere, transferring them to others, and
prolonging the agony. b)
Jacob’s mother had sent him 500 miles away to c)
Jacob had a lot of spare time to reconsider his ways. 2.
Though it took leaving his town, his family, and his past
behind for Jacob to mend his ways, he was a truly changed man by the time he
reached 3.
It was better late than never! 4.
What was different in his life? B. He Began to See God’s 1.
Jacob’s ladder was God’s deliberate disclosure of His
involvement in our lives. a)
God literally threw down a ladder of hope. b)
God promised His presence and providence to Jacob in a
powerful and unmistakable way. 2.
God is wise, righteous, and sovereign, and God spoke to Jacob
only in a dream, unlike His other appearances to Abraham and Isaac. 3.
From then on Jacob began to look for and see God’s provision
in his life. C. He Changed His Perspective of Life 1.
Jacob was a changed man, with a new perspective on life. a)
The way he saw things and the values he held were different. b)
Previously: “The LORD your God gave me success” (Genesis 27:20).
c)
God was in the second person and a second-hand experience to
him. 2.
Jacob vowed to make a change. a)
He offered to God an altar (Genesis 25:3), a tithe (v 22),
and a commitment. b)
He did not ask for what God was not willing to give. c)
Instead of relying on his abilities, brains, and charm, he
began to rely on God to supply His needs. 3.
He recognized that his life was in God’s hands and his
possessions were God’s to give (v 22). D. He Began to Care About Others Rather than Himself (29:4-11) 1.
The new Jacob was friendly, helpful, and more importantly,
real. a)
He addressed strangers as “my brothers” (Genesis 29:4),
politely asked about his uncle’s welfare, and was genuine in his interactions
with people. b)
He readily helped strangers and relatives without being
asked, worked for free. 2.
Jacob’s education was not complete, but it was off to a good start.
3.
From now on, his priorities were: God first, family and
others next, and himself last. 4.
Then God really began to work in Jacob’s life. II. Ways God Works in the Lives of His People A. God actively works in His people’s lives by guiding them. (Genesis
29:1-14) 1.
After the dream, Jacob continued on his journey. a)
Chapters 29-31 are a summary of the next 20 years of Jacob’s
life. b)
These chapters are more than a biography of Jacobs’ life;
they’re also a history of God’s presence and activity in Jacob’s life. c)
They are example to us of the way that God works in all of
his people’s lives. d)
The first way is found in 2.
The Lord is providentially directing His people’s lives so
that His plan is fulfilled. a)
Our lives are not controlled by fate, chance, or luck,
whether good or bad. b)
God’s active guidance of our lives may not always be obvious
but it is always there. c)
It is easy to see God’s guiding hand in Jacob’s life. 3.
Think about it, did Jacob just happen to arrive at the very
well where there were shepherds who were from a)
Was it just coincidence that Laban’s
daughter Rachel shows up at the very time Jacob is asking about the family?
(Genesis 29:6) b)
Was Jacob just lucky enough to have encountered lazy
shepherds who were unwilling to move the large stone from a well? (Genesis
29:8-11) c)
The answer to all of the questions above is “no.” d)
Clearly the circumstances were not coincidence but were
evidence of God actively working in Jacob’s life. 4.
What is true Jacob is also true of all of us. a)
Whether we encounter good circumstances like Jacob did or bad
circumstances like Joseph does later in Genesis, we can be sure that God is
present and active in them to bring about his plan. b)
Sometimes life may seem out of control and it may seem that
were heading in the wrong direction. c)
Sometimes it may seem that we are all alone. d)
During those times we need to know by faith in God’s word
that God is guiding and directing our lives. B. God actively works in His people’s lives by disciplining
them. (Genesis 29:14b-30) 1.
Sometimes God brings about circumstances in our lives that
cause us pain and trouble in order to discipline us for sins we have
committed so that we can learn not to do them again. a)
He does this not to harm us or in anger but rather to shape
and develop us as his people. b)
We must learn that actions have consequences. c)
When we disobey God’s standards or act in distrust of him we’re
going to pay a price. d)
We’re going to be disciplined by our loving Father. 2.
God’s activity of disciplining is what this passage is
primarily about. a)
After seven years of hard work, Jacob was deceived by Laban. b)
He woke up to discover that he had married Leah and would
have to work another seven years for Rachel. 3.
This was not just a coincidence or bad luck. a)
It was God’s discipline of Jacob for his deception of his
father, Isaac. b)
Jacob had to see the similarities of Laban’s
deception of him to his own deception of his father. c)
Jacob pretended to be the oldest son in order to deceive
Isaac, now he is Leah pretending to be the youngest daughter. d)
Jacob deceived Isaac by the disguising himself and most
likely he himself was deceived because Leah was disguised by veils. e)
Laban specifically mentions the rights of the “firstborn”
as his reason for deceiving Jacob. 4.
Jacob had discovered a spiritual truth. a)
You reap what you sow. God’s people are no exception to this
spiritual principle. b)
God will work in our lives so that we take sin seriously. 5.
Illustration: Billy Graham once told following story. a)
I know a man who during the Great Depression lost a job, a
fortune, a wife, and a home. But he tenaciously held to his faith which was
the only thing he had left. One day he stopped to watch some men doing
stonework on a huge church. One of them was chiseling a triangular piece of
stone. The man asked “What are you going to do with that?” The workman said, “See
that little opening up there near the spire? Well, I’m shaping this down here
so that it will fit up there.” Tears filled the man’s eyes as he walked away,
for it seemed that God had used a workman to explain his ordeal. God was
shaping him down here so he would fit up there. 6.
This is what God’s purposes are in his correction of us
through the circumstances of life. C. God actively works in His people’s lives by prospering
them. (Genesis 29:31-30:23) 1.
In Chapter 30 we see that God prospered Jacob by providing
the two most important things that he lacked: children and flocks. 2.
God still does the same today for his people but it must be
kept in mind that the word “prosper” does not always mean money, wealth, or possessions.
a)
God prospers us by providing us with what we need to fulfill
God’s plan and promises. b)
Jacob needed offspring and flocks but the Christian today can
prosper in other ways. 3.
For example, a)
We can prosper in our ministries. b)
We can prosper in our relationship with the Lord. c)
We can prosper in our growth in Christian character. 4.
The point is that God is actively working to provide all that
we need. 5.
One positive stand-out in this story is Leah. a)
Even though she was not the most beautiful woman, God was
going to bless her tremendously. b)
God knew that Leah was not loved by Jacob as she should have
been, so he had compassion on her and blessed her with being the mother of
six of Jacob’s sons directly, including Levi and Judah, and two more sons
indirectly by her maidservant. c)
Even though she never won the affection of Jacob, she did
move from an attitude of pity to one of praising God. d)
In e)
6.
Jacob stands out in the story for his failure to exhibit
leadership in his family, the same as Abraham had done with Sarah and Hagar. a)
Jacob is directed by the ploys and plans of his wives
(Genesis 30:16) and the end result is a very messed
up family. b)
The same thing is true today. c)
When Christian husbands and fathers abdicate the leadership
role they have been given by God then the family will not function correctly.
7.
Rachel may have been beautiful but she lacked the godly
characteristics of Leah. a)
Rachel blames Jacob for her barrenness instead of going to
the Lord for answers. (Genesis 30:1-3) b)
She also turns to superstition as a means of resolving her
barrenness instead of to prayer. c)
This is what this segment concerning the mandrake root in d)
Such plants were thought to magically induce pregnancy. e)
Later it is Rachel who steals idols of false gods from her
father’s house. (Genesis 31:19) f)
Nevertheless, God in his grace and mercy blessed Rachel with
two children her own, one in this chapter and one when they returned to the
Promised Land. g)
Keep in mind Rachel had these children as a result of her
praying instead of her plotting as it shows in D. God actively works in His people’s lives by prompting them in
the right direction. (Genesis 31:1-16) 1.
God will use various means to encourage us or prompt us to do
his will. 2.
He will open and close doors, put the pressure on, and remind
us of what His will is for our lives. 3.
God’s will for Jacob is to return to the Promised Land and every
sign Jacob gets prompts him to go where God wanted him. a)
Jacob learns that Laban’s sons are
angry. b)
Jacob notices Laban’s attitude has
become unfavorable toward him. c)
Jacob talks all this over with his wives and they agree that
their father has acted unfairly and that there’s no reason to stay (verse
14-16.) d)
Jacob also had a dream which God reminded him of his vow to
return to 4.
All these circumstances and revelations are God’s way of
prompting Jacob in the right direction to fulfill His will for Jacob’s life. E. God actively works in His people’s lives by protecting them. (Genesis
31:17-55) 1.
Leaving a)
There’s a strong chance that Laban
and his sons would interfere and forcefully take Jacob’s wives and children
or worse. b)
There was a chance that Esau was still angry and would kill
Jacob on his return to the Promised Land. c)
What we see in the rest of Chapter 31 is that God was the
only source of protection Jacob needed. d)
If we are doing God’s will, we can be confident that he will
protect us so that his work in us and through us is completed. e)
Unfortunately Jacob and Rachel’s faith that God would protect
them was not as strong as it should have been so they turn to their own devices
to provide protection and in the end this caused them more trouble. 2.
Rachel stole her father’s household idols. (v. 19) a)
She wanted something she could fall back on in case things
didn’t work out. b)
We too may find our security in other things besides God. c)
When may trust in our bank account, a relationship, a certain
job, etc. and because we trust in these things and find our security in them
we desperately try to hold on to them, but God wants us to trust in him
alone! 3.
Jacob does not put his trust in idols but doesn’t trust God
to protect him either. a)
He depends once again upon deception instead of God, as we
see in verses 20-21. b)
Did his scheme work? No! c)
Jacob’s deception and Rachel’s theft come from a lack of
faith and they only produced more hostility with Laban.
4.
There is a life lesson here - When we act in distrust of God
we only bring more trouble to ourselves. 5.
There is another life lesson in this text. a)
God protects His people despite their foolish choices. b)
We see this in verses 22-24. Laban
intends to harm Jacob but God intervened by warning him in a dream not to “say
anything to Jacob either good or bad” which is a Hebrew idiom which means:
Don’t mess with Jacob! c)
Jacob did not need to turn to his own resources or to
deception because God was watching over him just as he has promised and does
with us. F. Conclusion: 1.
In the story of Jacob’s journey we can all be encouraged
because we know that God is present and he is working to accomplish his will.
2.
Everyone of us are on a journey towards the
fulfillment of God’s will in our lives. a)
Trust His promises. (1)I am with you (2)I will keep you (3)I will bring you back (4)I will not leave you b)
Trust in Him alone. c)
Watch for God’s providence in your life. d)
Change your perspective to God’s perspective. e)
Care more about others than about yourself. 3.
Then you will see that: a)
God is guiding your life. b)
God is disciplining you when you sin. c)
God is prospering you so that you can accomplish His will in
your life. d)
God is prompting you in the right direction. e)
God is protecting you. |
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