Address—S. Jacobsen
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Singing the 1St 4 verses of #2 in the appendix.
And then hopefully halfway through, we'll sing the 2nd 4.
O Lord, thy love is unbounded, so sweet, so full, so free. My soul is all transported whenever I think on thee. Yet, Lord, alas, what weakness within myself I find no infants changing pleasures like my wondering mind. And yet thy Love's unchanging and doth recall my heart to joy in all its brightness, the peace, its beams in part. Yet sure, if in thy presence my soul still constant were my and I would more familiar, it's brighter, glorious bear.
#2 in the appendix and for now the first four verses.
Oh Lord, I love.
Yeah.
It is like your glory.
Look to God for his blessing mass of water.
Let's turn First of all, though my prayer indicated we're going to go into the Old Testament, we hardly need justification for the Old Testament, but let's give an emphasis to it by turning to Romans, the 15th chapter.
And the fourth verse.
Thank you.
Romans 15 and verse 4.
Whatsoever things were written, a poor time were written for our learning that we through.
Patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
Without having it before me, I think that the JND translation reads Endurance and Encouragement. Endurance and Encouragement of the Scriptures might have Hope. Now let's turn to the 25th chapter of Genesis, which basically is the beginning of a very long and involved and very profitable story concerning 2 men.
The Old Testament book of Genesis has been often called the seed plot of the Bible, and starting with the 25th chapter through to the end of the book is the story. More or less. A little bit of Esau, a little bit of this and a little bit of that, but primarily the story of Jacob and one of his sons Joseph. Something like 60% and if we call Genesis the seed plot.
We could say that 60% of the seed plot of the book of Genesis is concerning Jacob and his son Joseph. And before we start and we're going to start with the 19th verse of the 25th chapter. But before we start, I would like to give a little summary of what I feel is true of Jacob and true of Joseph. There are two forces that the world recognizes.
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Is heredity in environment the third in which the believer alone?
Accepts and acknowledges and is thankful for is the power of the Spirit of God.
Now, I want to be careful in saying this, but I believe that primarily, primarily at the beginning of his life and much towards until the end, the first two were very prominent in determining Jacob's behavior, his attitude and what he did. It's heredity and environment. Now we turn, if we turn to Joseph exclusively, we see that the age of 17, he was neither.
Like his father. And thankfully he was not like his mother. He was under the hand of God.
What the Spirit of God, without it being mentioned, without us knowing exactly how God spoke to him, we see and are thankful for, if not thrilled to understand that Joseph was a man that was neither controlled or dictated to by heredity or environment. No environment changed his attitude. It was the power of the Spirit of God that gathered him.
That that directed him. And we're going to see as we develop through the story of Jacob that we come to the story of Joseph. And you say, well, is that the story of Jacob? Well, the two are so intertwined at that point that is very difficult to to unravel, as it were. But we're not going to take up about Joseph except for a few, very few points. Now let's turn, as I suggested, to the 25th chapter of Genesis and read a few verses.
Starting with the 19th verse. And these are the generations of Isaac Abrahams. Son Abraham begat Isaac, and Isaac was 40 years old when he took Rebecca to wife the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of A of Payton Arum and sister to Laban the Syrian And Isaac entreated the Lord for his wife because she was barren, and the Lord was entreated of him. And Rebecca's wife conceived, and the children struggled together within her. And she said, if it be so, why am I thus? And she went to inquire the Lord.
And the Lord said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, the two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels, and the one people shall be stronger than the other people. And the elder shall serve the younger. And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb. And the first came out red all over like a hairy garment, And they called his name Esau. And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau's heel. And his name was called Jacob. And Isaac was 60 years old when she bare with them.
And the boys grew. And Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field, and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents. And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison. But Rebecca loved Jacob.
Twins. You know, we could develop the story around Esau.
And contrast it with that of Jacob. And I'm sure that naturally, without any help from from the spirit of God or direction from above, we would classify Esau as a as a real man. We'd say that's the man that I think is due to respect and so on, but Jacob was.
In the book of Isaiah that he was a worm, he was a contriver. He he had difficulties in life. But you know, it's the God of Jacob beautiful. There are probably more references in the Old Testament to Jacob than there are practically than there are of Abraham and Isaac put together and now.
God is the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. But isn't it special and that he's the God of Jacob? We find you and I find that, and that's why we have that hymn that says Yet Lord, alas, what weakness within myself I find that we're thankful that we have a God that loves us, it says in the last book of the Old Testament, after their lives have been manifested.
That Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated. Esau despised his birthright. And so whatever. Whatever we find in the rest of this chapter, starting with the 29th verse, the the divine commentary concerning Esau is not necessarily that he was tricked by his brother Jacob, which it tells us, but sort of the the spring of it was.
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That the last words of the 25th chapter. Esau despised his birthright.
But we're not taking up Esau, and Jacob sawed pottage the verse 29 and Esau came from the field, and he was faint. And Esau said to Jacob feed me, I pray thee with that same red pottage, for I'm faint. Therefore was his name called Edom.
And Jacob said, sell me this day that the birthright and Esau said, behold, I am at the point to die.
And what prophet shall this birthright do to me? And Jacob said, Swear to me this day, and he swear unto him, And he sold his birthright into Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils. And he did eat and drink, and rose up and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.
Regardless of natural causes, natural inclinations, the Christian, on the basis of the word of God, analyzes things according to God's perspective. Now with this beginning perspective, we would say, I don't like that man Jacob. He took advantage of his brother and we'll find that through his life, even though God and I think we could be able to connect seven different times.
That either God directly or through angels.
Interfered, as it were, came into Jacob's life to give him instruction and that regardless of them, except for a few at the end, he seemed to go on unheeding of all that God had given to him. Now let's go on to the 27th chapter.
In this chapter, Isaac wants to give a fatherly, patriarchal blessing to his two sons.
And we know the story that Jacob's mother loved him, and Isaac particularly loved Esau. But his mother was a contriver, and so was her son, and he went right along with it. Now notice in the 22nd verse. Let me put it this way before we get started any further. The subject is is large and deep and instructive, and we can only possibly give just a very cursory.
Survey of what? And some of you, I know, will be disappointed.
Oh, he left out that particular portion that I've enjoyed so much. But with due respect for your enjoyment, we'll have to avoid some portions of scripture. Now, with the deceit that his mother suggested to Jacob, he put on a garment that would make him feel like his brother Esau because his father was blind. We'll find that in the final days.
Of Jacob, that he was blind with two of his grandsons.
He felt him and said, Now notice this in the 22nd verse of the 27th chapter. And this is a word to my conscience and yours. The voice is Jacob's voice. But the hands or the hands of Esau?
He could not. He could could put skins on his on his arms, but he didn't try to disguise his voice. And you and I as believers, we have a certain voice. You, you hear it, you say, oh, I know who that is. And and so we understand. But the hands is the behavior pattern of me and you, you and me, such that there seems to be a difference between the voice and the hands. The two should should go together, shouldn't they, now?
Starting in the 27th verse.
It says he came near and kissed him and he smelled the smell of his raiment. See.
There's a verse in the 48th of Jeremiah and the 11Th verse. The last of that verse is that his scent was not changed. We're going to find that Esau, that we're not going to take him up, that his scent never changed. But the scent that Jacob had, which was deceit and and planning apart from the ways of God is going to be slowly, slowly changed.
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Changed by the circumstances.
That God is putting him through. He is going to be poured from vessel to vessel.
A very important technical operation in chemical engineering, they call it a unit operation and it's a very important one to mix things. And you see at Waterworks, you see a fountain, well, it aerates the water, it it, it helps to purify it and to get rid of certain things. And that's what God is going to do. As we go through the story of Jacob, we're going to find that he's being poured from vessel to vessel.
Because God wants for him and for you and for me, for our scent to be changed. That scent may be sweetness, you say. Well, it's certainly a lot better to have a brother that's sweet and one that isn't. But you know, there was no honey in the offerings, no honey in the offerings. However pleasing it is to to me and to you, and to live with someone that's sweet, it is no more pleasing to God than bitterness. And so we find.
That whatever we are by nature, God wants to change us. And let's quote from memory Romans 8 whatsoever thing no excuse me. All things work together for good to them that love God to them who are the called according to his purpose, for whom he didn't foreknow he did predestinate.
To be conformed to the image of his son.
God's ways are not followed to such an extent that first John 5 says.
There is a sin unto death, but we're not talking about that. We're talking now that God, in his dealings with you and with me, is making all things work together for good. And what is that good? It's conformity to his beloved Son. Now, we're not going to, we're going to have to bring that in as sort of an interpretation in the Old Testament. But believe me, if the Lord could.
On the way to Emmaus.
Could tell them all the things concerning himself. There must be many of them.
A multitude of things that are concerning the Blessed Lord. Because remember, Joseph was not influenced by heredity or environment which his Father was, but it was by the Spirit of God.
So he gets a blessing, and we're going to have to scurry on. He gets a blessing, and then Esau comes in, and he lifts up his voice and weeps in the 38th verse. And in the 39th Isaac, his father, answered and sent him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be with the fatness of the earth and the dew of heaven from above.
And so he gets a blessing.
Now let's turn.
The page my Bible, at least in the 43rd verse that his mother.
Thy brother Esau is going to kill you now. Therefore, my son, obey my voice, and arise, please out to labour my my, my brother to Heron and Terry with him a few days until thy brothers fury turn away. Well, he never saw his mother again, but he was at his father's burial, until thy brothers anger turn away from thee, and he forget that which thou hast done to him. Then I will send and fetch thee from fence. Why should I be deprived also of you both in one day? And Rebecca said to Isaac, I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heath. If Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heath, such as these, which are of the daughters of the land, what good shall my life be to me?
She was a manager.
She was a person that saw an advantage, and she could see now that she'd better do something very quickly for her favorite son, because her son that wasn't a favorite was going to deprive her of one of her sons. And so now in the 28th chapter, Isaac called Jacob and blessed him. Why? We want to emphasize the blessing of that was bestowed upon He has the birthright.
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He got a blessing from his father and now when he leaves he gets another blessing.
You would expect with all of the blessings that had been bestowed upon him by his Father and we're going to find that God is going to be stole some more upon him, that he would have been the most lighthearted and and faithful man. Suddenly he would have been turned from heredity and environment that he would have recognized in, in the terms of the Old Testament that indeed it's the power of the Spirit of God.
But we'll find that it's not so.
10th verse of the 28th chapter Jacob went out from Beresheba and went towards Heron. And he lighted upon a certain place and tarried their all night, because the sun was set. And he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed and behold, a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven, and behold, the angels of God ascending and descending on it.
What a picture of that last chapter of John that was spoken of descending upon the Son of Man. And so here is Jacob being introduced in his dream. And so often in the Old Testament dreams are the medium by which God conveys his mind that he's brought to see a millennial time far beyond even before he had.
Wasn't even married. He didn't have children. But here in in picture and type it's the the millennial blessing and the Christ and now the the first communication from God is in the 13th verse I believe.
Of the 28th chapter. And behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham, thy father, and the God of Isaac. The land were on the lias. To thee will I give it, and to thy seed. And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth. And thou shalt spread abroad to the West, and to the east, and to the north, and to the South. And in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land. For I will not leave thee until I've done that which I've spoken to thee of.
Isn't that conformable to many of the promises in the New Testament, that we could say, that we appropriate for ourselves? And we could, we could say, in the light of those Scriptures, as we can say for Jacob all what Peace of Mind, all what peace of heart, and what lightness of foot it would have given him in going to his to his relative Laban? But such is not the case.
God moves slowly, slowly, slowly. And the slowness with which He moves is only because of the hesitancy of your heart and mind in cash with responding to what He has for us. And so in the New Testament to think of the promises that we have and we worry, we're concerned, we're we're upset, we're we we think everything at home and the the marketplace and the assembly is going from bad to worse.
More or less.
The last chapter of Hebrews Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever, promise after promise after promise. Well, it didn't seem to have that effect upon Jacob, and I want to say it kindly. I don't think that often it has an effect upon us.
Now.
Here's the effect that it had upon Jacob in the 21St of the same chapter, the 28th And Jacob bowed A vow saying of God will be with me and I will keep me in this way that I go. He just didn't promise that that God would and will give me bread to eat and raiment to put on, so that I come again to my father's house in peace.
I don't know who is telling. Who then shall the Lord be? My God? And this stone which I have set for a pillar shall be God's house. And of all that thou shalt give me, I will surely give the 10th unto thee. That was very big hearted of him, wasn't it? You know, here, here it was all given of God, and he's going to give back 10%. God wasn't asking him to have this little.
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Say he should have said, oh, I'm so thankful. In Old Testament terms, so thankful that what God has done.
And for me, here I am going to He was probably 75 years of age when he left home, went to Heron. He wasn't a youngster. He wasn't, you know, he lived to be 147, so that's about half of his age, but it seems that.
There's a problem in his life.
Well, let's skip over to the 29th chapter. In the 31St verse, he goes to to Heron. He meets his relative, he finds Rachel and Leah, and he has to serve longer than he had expected for his two wives.
And there's a statement that seems a bit abrupt.
And I want to be careful in saying this.
Has statements in scripture that are penetrating because it says the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than two edged sword. So what is the what is verse 31 of chapter 29 say? And when the Lord saw that Leah was?
Hated.
I would like to soften that word.
But I dare not. And when the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb. But Rachel was barren now.
Dear Leah, there is a progression in the rest of this chapter that is to me is exquisite. So let's read it. And Leah conceived and bear a son, and she called his name Ruben, for she said, Surely the Lord has looked upon my affliction Now, therefore my husband will love me.
And she conceived again, and bear a son, and said, Because the Lord hath heard me I was hated, Hath heard me because I was hated, He hath therefore given me this son also, And she called his name Simeon.
And she conceived again and bare a son, and said, Now this time will my husband?
Love me no be joined unto me. There's a bit of pathos in this, isn't there? Because I've born in three sons. Therefore was his name called Levi.
Brethren, you and I, before we read the last verse, I want to make this comment, you and I in the extremities of life.
Have disappointments. We have things that are difficult, but by God's grace we reach a mountain top, and this is a mountaintop in the experience of dear Leah. Now notice it's exquisite. And she conceived again, and bear a son, and she said, Now will I prays the Lord.
Therefore she called his name Judah, and left bearing. She started out with a desire to bear a child so that her husband would love her because she knew that he hated her.
And she ends up apart from from that earthly, quite proper experience and desire of heart to say, now will I praise the Lord, and you and I are completely apart from burying children, and that kind of thing find in in the extremities of life, that we we want something like down here at this level.
But he's trying to bring us to a higher level, to a mountaintop experience, if you will.
And what is the expression of that mountaintop experience now?
Well, I praise.
The Lord.
I didn't make that, did I, To say it again. Now will I praise the Lord, That is the desire of the heart of our Father, through the power of the Spirit, with Christ in our hearts, to find that the extremities of life may not be removed. But if there can be, now will I praise.
The Lord.
25th verse of the next chapter.
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Jacob is always is a bit premature.
He acted on his own to deceive his brother out of the birthright he had been told by. He had to be told by his mother to leave, which probably from a natural standpoint was was a good idea, but certainly not of God. And now it comes to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph that Jacob said unto Laban, send me away, that I may go into my own place, into my country. Well, we're going to find in the next chapter in the third verse.
That God told him to leave. But this is Jacob. Always premature, always impetuous, always thinking of himself. But in between, it's remarkable that that's where we find that he gained the favored position in Kingswood flocks and herds.
From him, his standpoint, he he was premature. But he certainly used the time that he spent after he thought he should leave to his advantage, didn't he? And that's Jacob. And so now they may go, no, Laban says. No, it's not the time.
And so now let's go down to the 31St chapter and the third verse. And there for the second time the Lord said unto Jacob. There there's a communication directly from from God the Lord, which is Jehovah. Jehovah unto Jacob. Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred, and I will be with thee now when you have a direction from the Lord.
You can act. I'm not going to ask you to to answer my question, and I don't want to even answer my own question, but has there been times in my life or yours when we decided that there was a course of action that needed to be taken and.
It wasn't of God. And we had to bear the bitterness of of an experience that only proved that it wasn't the mind of God. Well, that's the story. That's the value, if you will. As you can see, you know that plot of ground, as it were, which is the book of Genesis, the seed plot, you can see those seeds are planted so that you and I can have.
Hope and see and experience of others what those problems were that people had, and we don't need to have to go through them, but we do return unto the land of thy fathers and to thy kindred. And I will be with thee much the same in the 11Th verse. And the Angel of God spake unto me now Jacob's calling, saying in a dream, saying, Jacob. And I said, Here am I. And he said, lift up now thine eyes, and see all the Rams which leap upon the cattle are rings straight.
Speckled and grizzled. For I have seen all that Laban did unto thee. I am the God of Bethel, where thou anointest the pillar, and where thou voust a vow unto me. Now arise, get the out from this land, and return into the land of thy kindred. So now it's God's time, and so he's going to go. Now if God had told him which he did, shouldn't there be a piece about the matter? You'd say, Oh, the Lord distinctly.
As much as I can say.
The Lord gave me a distinct indication that it was his mind. And so I come to you. Or you come to me and you say, brother, you seem to be edgy about it. You don't seem to be at peace. Well, I'm not just too sure how it's going to turn out. And you remind me. See, that's that's the language of what we're to learn here, isn't it? Well, in the 31St chapter in the 41St verse. Thus have I been 20 years in my house. I served the 14 years for my two daughters and six years for thy cattle. And thou has changed my wages.
10 times. Boy, he really was parted upon Laban. And I don't know who was the greatest Rascal. It probably was Jacob, because he had more communications from God than than Laban did. The only communication from God, and I hope I can say this properly, was an indication of Jacob's behavior. And you know, that's a a searching thought for me.
For you is that the people we work with, maybe even our brethren, you know, is what indication do they have that there is the work of the Spirit if we act in a way that isn't according to Christ. And so Jacob now is on his way.
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And in the 32nd chapter in the first verse, Jacob went on his way and the angels of God.
Met him. Isn't that beautiful? You know angels. I'm sure that some of us have had the intervention of angels in our lives and we may even have seen angels. I'm not going to get into that, but I think it's true. But here in the Old Testament, angels were a very significant part and sometimes it's the Angel with a capital A on Angel, which is rather obvious that it's pre incarnation, isn't it?
And so Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. Now let's go down to the 24th verse.
Most significant point in Jacob's life?
He got the birthright, his mother, and he deceived the father, and he got the blessing, got another blessing. He he had a word from God in connection with the way things were going to be. And now.
Let's read it verse 24 of chapter 33 and Jacob was.
Left alone.
Let me ask this. And you? I don't expect you to answer it out in the audience or even afterwards. Have you ever had an experience of being left alone with God?
They're welcome, aren't they? God is our Father. He loves us. He sent His only begotten Son. And if we want to think of it, being alone with the Lord, we we need times alone, don't we? Where the Lord as it were in an assembly. The Lord knows that you're there, and maybe I'm sitting over there and so it's individual, but there's nothing like being left.
Alone. And Jacob was left alone.
What happened? And there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh, And the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint as he wrestled with him. And he said, Let me go for the day Breakers. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. What blessing did he want? He'd already had so much, and he sent it to him. What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. And he said, thy name shall be called no more, Jacob, but Israel. For a Prince hast thou power with God and with men, And hath prevailed.
And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there, and he blessed him there, got another blessing, and he had his name changed to Israel. And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel. For I have seen God face to face in my life is preserved. And as he passed over Penuel, the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh.
Is there?
A deficit?
That might, we might say, is left in our lives if there is a.
Triumph.
And if our name, as it were, is changed to Israel?
So it seems.
Jacob, from now on we can trace whether it's according to nature or whether it's according to the power of the spirit of God, whether it's mentioned Jacob or Israel. And and if, if it comes to me real quick, like I can turn to one, well, we'll come to it.
When he when he's just about ready to go down to Egypt, it's mentioned both Jacob and Israel almost in the same verse, but it's a clue. It's a key.
That the spirit of God wants to give us that Jacob is by nature Israel is a Prince with God. Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew, which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh unto this day. Because he touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh in the sinew that shrank, he halted. Who's that man? He's a patriarch. He's halting. Tell me the story. It could well be.
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And here it is the triumph. And you know, I say it with a bit of feeling of sympathy for you and for myself, that there are blessings that God has bestowed upon us in one of our finest hours, as it were, that may leave us with a halted thigh. The rest.
Of our life.
But we can be thankful for the being alone and the conquest that the Lord has given us to have by His grace.
Remember, we are in a struggle with an enemy, the world, The Flash and Satan.
And it's a formidable foe. But greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.
And sometimes we come through things with scars, and we have to admit it. We may not admit it to our brethren. We may not admit it to our wife as a husband, and maybe no necessity of it. But there is that struggle that goes on, and husband and wife share and and they get some kind of a deliverance. But it leaves you with something that may last the rest.
Of your life.
Let's skip over to the fifth time.
No, Let us read the 30th verse of the 34th chapter and there is an indication that.
Jacob is going to need some more pouring from vessel to vessel because his scent has not changed. It's difficult in the 34th chapter, which we've missed on purpose, but he's concerned concerning two of his sons, Simeon and Levi, and he says you have troubled me to make me distinct.
Well, he had his own odors, his own scent, And now he's saying that his sons make him distinct among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites, in the parasites. And I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me, and I shall be destroyed I in my house. How can it be possible for a thinking man?
To be able to say this no matter what the circumstances, in the light of what God had said to him.
That's why.
You and I are thankful that he's the God of Jacob, because he's our God too, and the circumstances in which we often act and respond. Now the fifth time that God spoke to him is in the first verse of the next chapter, which is chapter 35, verse one. And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there, and make there an altar unto God that appeared unto thee when thou fled us from the face of He saw thy brother.
I'm sorry for this commentary of the next verse, but it's true. Then Jacob said into his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments, and let us arise and go up to Bethel, and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in all.
Is he going to acknowledge this, And was with me in the way which I went? He had to. And you and I, brethren, must of both necessity experience in the word of God acknowledge.
He was with me in the way which I went.
Amazing the strange gods.
Down the ninth verse, and God appeared unto Jacob again.
When he came out of paid an Arab, and blessed him, and God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob. Thy name shall not be called anymore, Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name. And he called his name Israel. And God said unto him, I am God Almighty, be fruitful, and multiply a nation, and a company of nations shall be of thee, and king shall come out of thy loins. And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac to thee will I give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land. And God went up from him in the place where he talked with him.
Let's.
Go to. Let's see chapters 36. Let's go to chapter 37.
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And then we might say all of a sudden.
After hearing about.
Esau and his.
Descendants and so on in the 36th chapter. Now Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger in the land of Canaan.
These are the generations of Jacob.
Joseph, Joseph, we have already said, and we'll repeat it, that Jacob was dictated by and formed by heredity and environment. He what I mean by environment, he allowed the environment that he was in to dictate a behavior pattern that was not according to God. But if we were to take up the life of Joseph, starting here to the end of the story of Joseph we'd find.
That he was not influenced by his environment. He may have been discouraged, he was, but he was an overcomer and all by the grace of God, may you and I and be overcomers in the circumstances that God is using to mix us so that the scent is changed. You know, I'm not going to talk about the background of my family and I'm not going to talk about the background of your family and it's genes, but they all came from Adam and need to be changed the sense.
Needs to be changed, whether it's from 1 extreme of sarcasm and bitterness to to sweetness. It needs to be mixed and by the grace of God in our lives and changed so that there is that reflection of his beloved son in you and in Me. Now we know the story 24th verse of the 37th chapter. They took him and cast him into a pit and the pit was empty. There was no water in it.
33rd verse. Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces, the last of the 35th verse. Thus his father wept for him. Now let's turn to chapter 42. I see our time is far gone and we didn't sing the last half of that hymn, which is all right.
But let's turn now to the 42nd chapter.
And we find without going into the verses that.
Simeon seems to be in a problem down in Egypt because they had to go down to Egypt because of the famine.
And we find that he knows that Joseph is not. He's gone. He's he's off the register. And Benjamin, you know, is a problem with that man down there. The last line of in my Bible of chapter 42 and verse 36, once again, this is Jacob.
And if we were there with him under those circumstances, we'd have said exactly the same thing. What did Jacob say?
All these things.
Are against me.
Let's go back to Romans, the chapter. All things work together for good to them that love God.
To them.
Who are the called, according to his purpose, for whom he did foreknow, those he did predestinate?
To be conformed to the image of his son and our time belays the time that we need. But so let's hasten, Let's go on to the 45th chapter and the 25th verse.
He's called to go down into Egypt and meet his son.
Joseph.
28th verse It is enough. Joseph my son is yet alive. I will go and see him before I die.
Now the last time, I believe, if I kept track of it properly, in the 46th chapter and the second verse, God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night. And said Jacob, Jacob, and he said.
God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob, That's interesting, isn't it? And he said, Here am I. And he said, I am God, the God of thy Father. Fear not to go down into Egypt, for I will there make of thee a great nation. I will go down with thee into Egypt, and I will also surely bring thee up again. His father been told distinctly from God not to go to Egypt, And Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes. And Jacob rose up from Beersheba.
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Beautiful 29th verse Joseph made ready his chariot went up to meet.
Israel his father to Goshen, and presented himself unto him, And he fell on his neck.
Wept on his neck a good while.
Beautiful. All these things are against me. He didn't realize it, but there were things that God was working behind the scenes. We know it, but Jacob didn't. And there are circumstances that God is working in your life and mine.
Impossible.
Don't tell me I can't see it. I don't believe it. And that's sort of like Jacob and that's like us. But now he's going to see now to hurry because our time is about gone.
47th chapter One of the most amazing things about Jacob.
I think at this time.
His scent was changed. He had gone through, being poured from vessel to vessel. All things are working together for good. And what does he do in the first part of this chapter, The last four words of verse seven of chapter 47, And Jacob Blessed Farrell.
Do we have this straight, you say, Stanley? Just read it. And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh. And Jacob blessed Pharaoh 10th verse. And Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from before Pharaoh. Now one of the concluding comments that we want to make is that in the 48th chapter he blesses the two sons of Joseph.
And according to.
Hebrews 11.
When he died, he blessed both the sons of Joseph and worshipped leaning upon the top of his staff.
The mixing being poured from vessel to vessel, The scent has been changed, and now it seems to be nothing but Israel. And he and he blesses properly. He crosses his hands and he blesses properly the two sons of of Joseph, and he worships leaning upon the top of his staff. What a story, what a story. All things work together for good to them that love God to them who are the called according to his purpose.
For whom he did foreknow, them he did.
Predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son.
Brethren, you and I can see in this seed plot.
Of which about 60% of the book of Genesis is taken up with Jacob and Joseph, the seed plot, all so many things that weren't mentioned, so many seeds that that are there, that sprout elsewhere in the word of God and New Testament light is brought upon them so that we see them in a richer and fuller way, but they're there in that seed plot and so in conclusion.
Let's simply say.
All things work together for good to them that love God, for whom He did foreknow them, He did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son. There is no circumstance in your life or mine.
Unless it's an absolute opposition to the word of God and and he takes us home like in first John 5. And that God is working in your life and mine. That image God is working the image of His beloved Son. And I think it was said during the conference I have no desire to to think it was original with me is that God is so delighted with his son, He wants all of his children even now.
To be conformed to that image and to think of what it will be in that coming day.
That I remember Brother Clem quoted that verse.
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Let me think it's passed from me. Just give me a second.
One John 3, let's turn to it.
And then we'll be through.
Yes, first John 32 Beloved, now are we the children of God, And it does not yet appear what we shall be.
But we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him.
For we shall see him as he is, I believe, for the enjoyment of my own soul. Maybe not doctrinally, but I I enjoy it is that when we see him that that that look, that vision, is going to change us into his image, and that's the desire of the Spirit of God now.
The more that you and I in the circumstances of life.
See the Blessed Lord, We're changed into His image as from glory to glory. Let's sing what we didn't sing halfway through the.
Last four verses of #2 and we'll be through just about on time, but in other words, him too, in the appendix starting with the fifth verse.
And the.
Thy gracious.
Favor.
Made to my soul in law.
And were extinct in my God.
That's my horse. I don't know.
Beloved, now are we the children of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be.
But we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him.
For we shall see him as he is, and every man that hath this hope in him purifies himself, even as he is pure, our God and.