Oh, how good it is to be in the house of the Lord, to be able to be together. I'm going to ask you to take your Bibles and turn with me to the book of Genesis chapter 49. Genesis 49. I've entitled this message, Jacob's Word to Reuben.

Now, the 12 sons of Jacob are assembled together that they might be able to hear the words of their father, who soon is going to be taken home by the Lord. And we considered the first two verses of this chapter last time. And I would like to begin with the words that Jacob has to say to all 12 of his sons. And I want to begin with just today, just Reuben today.

I had first looked at it and I thought, You know, we'll try to take a quick look at all 12 sons, and I thought, no, no, don't do that. These 12 boys are representatives. They are Jacob's sons, without a doubt. But the words that Jacob is going to say to these 12 boys are words to every one of God's sheep. These boys, again, being representatives of God's elect, these words that we're going to hear are actually said to every believer. So as we listen to what is said to these boys, remember that. Remember that these are words to every one of us.

These boys are sinners. like all of us. We need to hear what God has to say. Now let's just read verses 3 and 4. And again, may all of us by the grace of God that know Him apply these words to ourselves. Let's don't look at these boys and think, well, I'm telling you, they had problems. No, we're all like this.

Genesis 49, verse 3 and 4. Thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, the excellency of power. Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel, because thou wentest up to thy father's bed and then defiled thou it." He went up to my couch.

Now, Jacob is talking. All of the boys are sitting there. Jacob wanted to make sure that all of the boys heard what everything was being said to all of them. He didn't want them to be talked to separately and then there be Any room for jealousy to say, well, dad told me, well, I didn't hear him say that. No, he's going to talk to all of them. So let's all listen to what he has to say.

Jacob told his firstborn. I can tell you this also. You can, we can see Adam in this too. You'll see that in just a minute, but I mean, all of us, this is the way we are. Jacob, he tells his firstborn, he says, Reuben, you're the first of my human strength. Now, that's what he told him. Reuben, back in Scripture. Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might. You're the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity and excellency of power. What he said is, you are the best. You're the best. that a man can produce. You're the beginning of my might, my strength, my dignity, my power, my ability. You're the best that a man can gender. You're the best. Because man by nature can only produce man. That's all he could do. He said all these wonderful things about him.

But you are unstable as water. Now let me ask you, you that believe. Can we not see ourselves here? We're going to do the best we can. I want to try to be as stable and as honorable unto the Lord, I want to. I want to. But I know this. I am in myself unstable as water.

John was moved to write these scriptures. I want you to hold your place. Turn with me. John chapter 1, verses 10 to 13. I want us to, with our children, let me encourage you to do this. Parents, do all you can to get your children under the gospel, under the sound of the gospel. Do all you can. Encourage them. By nature, they don't want to hear. They don't want to hear. But while you've got your little ones with you, keep them under the sound of the gospel. They're gonna give you every excuse in the world. Look, I know, I know this by experience and you do too. But the thing that we must do as parents for our kids them and keep them unto the sound of the Gospel. Why? Because we in ourselves can't do anything. We cannot do anything.

John chapter 1, John chapter 1 beginning in verse 10, He the Lord was in the world and the world was made by Him and the world knew Him not. He came unto His own and and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. Now here's a verse I want us to look at. Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Keep your children under the sound of the gospel and trust God to do what God can do. Don't try to pressure them into making some kind of a decision. If I can get you to walk down the aisle, if I can get you to... Let me tell you something. Wait on the Lord. What if they don't come? If they don't come, then God didn't draw them. God didn't pull him to himself, he didn't.

Jacob had so many things to say to Reuben. He said, you're my son, I love you. You're the first of my strength. You're my firstborn. But you are as unstable as water. And that's the way we all are by nature. If God's gonna do something for our kids, God's gonna do something for them. But whatever you do, don't give them a false hope. I can get somebody down the aisle if I want to. I can make you feel bad enough. I can do the best I can. I can make you feel guilty. But I can't do anything for your soul. Your parents can't either.

Jacob's firstborn, whose name actually means behold a son. That's what Reuben means, behold a son. He was the one that, according to God's word, would traditionally receive the birthright of the family. He was the one that would possess the office, traditionally, of being the leader, the guide. He was the one that would receive the double portion of the family inheritance. This was the firstborn, and that's what Jacob told him. You're my dignity. You're my honor. He was the one who should have excelled, been the example of steadfastness to the brethren. But here's the truth of the matter. You are like water, trying to put water in an open hand. Try to hold it. You're just unstable.

He, as all men, was found to be one who could not be trusted. He could not be depended on. He could not maintain a right standing before God or men. What did he do? Hold your place right there. Turn back to Genesis chapter 35, Genesis 35. What did he do? Genesis 35, verse 21. And Israel journeyed, spread his tent beyond the tower of Edar. And it came to pass when Israel dwelt in that land that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah, his father's concubine, and Israel heard it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve, the sons of Leah, Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, and Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar.

What did he do? He laid with a woman that was his father's. This man was guilty of physical adultery. Guilty of what? This word, you've heard this word, lasciviousness. What does that mean, lasciviousness? Well, I looked it up. Here it is. One guilty of excessive indulgence in sensual pleasure. Reuben was found to be one physically, lascivious. But you know why he did? Because he was one already in heart. He died in Adam just like we all did. Someone would say, I'd never do anything like that. Don't tell me. We've done it in our hearts, and but for the grace of God, we would do it too.

Man may boast of his apparent or his supposed chastity before God. But we are all as an unclean thing, unfaithful, unfaithful. I'm standing right here as a prime one standing here trying to preach the gospel to a group of people and trying to set forth that which the Lord has said concerning us as we are. No one wants to, by nature, wants to hear that this is the way we are, but you all that know him know better.

This was Jacob's word. This was the first one out of the chute. Right here. You're my first. You ought to be the leader. You ought to be the example. But you're unstable as water. But for the grace of God, except we be kept by the mercy and power of God, there is no bottom to the depth of our depravity. We could go through the scriptures and track the lineage of every son or daughter of Adam, and the result would be the same. Here's the result. Listen, listen. All, Romans 3, 23. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

Whenever the apostle Peter was allowed by the Lord, hold your place right there, turn to Matthew 26. Matthew 26. You know, I got the reading Thinking over this, I thought, these are things that we've considered so many times. We know it. We know this truth. We know it. But I thought, you know what? In the wisdom of God, Almighty God, here's Jacob getting ready to die. And what did he do? The Spirit of God moved this man to tell his 12 sons, he said, I got some word of advice to you. I want you to remember something. I want to leave something with you, you know. Like old Brother Scott used to tell me, I've told you this before, whenever he'd come up to me and say, listen, I got something for you, the best thing for me to do, I told you before, shut up, just shut up and listen to what this man's got to say.

Here's Jacob, and he's got his 12 boys, and he says, I've got something for you. I want you to remember something. As we're going through this world, he said, you're my might, you're my pride and joy. I was thinking about I only have one son. I have four kids, one son. I love him. I love him. Somebody say, you talking about your pride and joy? Yeah, it's my son. I watched that little stinker grow up. All the stuff I had to, you know, tear him up for. But I loved him. I love him now. But I can tell you this. He's just like me. Unstable as water. Because we're all like that. This is what scripture's got to say.

Matthew 26. Matthew 26, starting 31. Then says Jesus unto them all, all ye shall be offended because of me this night. For it is written, I will smite the shepherd and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered. But after I'm risen again, I will go before you into Galilee. Peter answered and said unto him. Now listen to this. This is nothing but pure arrogance. Matthew 26, 33. Peter answered and said unto him, though all men, men is in italics, though all shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended. You can write this down, Lord. You can depend on me. If you need somebody that you can call on, I'm your man. Verse 34, Jesus saith unto him, Verily I say unto thee that this night before the cock crow thou shalt deny me thrice. And Peter saith unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee, likewise also said all the disciples. No, no Lord. Now we hear what you're saying. And you, you, I know you mean it. I know you think you know what you're talking about. But you can depend on us. We've been with you now.

Verse 69 of this chapter. Now Peter sat without in the palace, and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee. But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest. And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him, and said unto them that were there, This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth. And again, he denied with an oath and said, I do not know the man. And after a while came unto him, they stood by and said unto Peter, surely thou art one of them, for thy speech bereath thee. Then began he to curse, to swear, saying, I know not the man, and immediately the cock crew. And Peter remembered. the word of Jesus, which said unto him, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out and wept bitterly.

The word of Jacob to his 12 sons started off with Reuben. And he said, Reuben, you are as unstable as water. No dependence can be put in you, not in yourself, You're weak. Peter said, Lord, everybody else will give you up. They'll turn their back on you. But you can rest assured I won't. And he did just exactly what the Lord told him he would do. Oh, again, what arrogance we all possess.

You know what we need this morning? We need two things, I'm gonna hit the second one here in just a second. First one I just touched on, we need to hear two things. There is no stability in any of us. There's none, not in ourselves. Apostle Paul, speaking in Romans chapter seven, here he is just under the spirit of God's leadership, Romans 7, 21. Paul was moved to say, I find then a law that when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man. I do. Paul said, I do. I delight in the law of God after that new man. But I see another law in myself warring against the law of my mind and bringing me into captivity. to the law of sin which is in me, O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death?"

Every believer knows what they are by nature. Well, how long is it going to be like this? As long as we're in this world, just exactly like this. Well, surely it'll get better. No, it won't. You'll just see more of it. And by the grace of God, admit it.

But oh, wonder of wonders. I don't want to leave on this, on what we're talking about right here. I know that part of it. I know it too well. I know it by experience. But the wonder that the Lord would not leave us in that place, in that position. Ephesians 2. Ephesians chapter 2, verse 4. Ephesians 2, verse 4. But God, oh, isn't that two precious words? But God, this is what I am. I know what I am. I'm proud. I'm arrogant. I think I'm capable. I'm talking about myself right here. There's nothing that is more repulsive than the arrogance I see in myself. I think I can handle it. What a lie. What a lie that I tell myself. Y'all need to move over. Let me handle this thing. I can handle it. What a lie.

But God, who is rich in mercy, For his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, by grace you're saved, and hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ, that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It's the gift of God, not of works. Lest any man should boast.

You leave us to ourselves, and we will tell ourselves, I've done a fantastic job. I really have excelled. That's what I'll tell me. If the Lord had left us all to ourselves, this would have been the end of it. Genesis, I'm wrapping this up right here. Genesis chapter six, Genesis chapter six, verse five. God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every imagination of the thought of his heart was only evil. continually.

Oh, Marvin, no, you don't understand. I don't think evil continually. Yes, we do. Yes, we do. You let God be true and let every man a liar.

Here's my last verse for this morning. Isaiah 1 9. Except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant. You that believe, we cannot fathom the depth of the mercy of God that has been pleased out of the mass of humanity to show mercy to any of us.

How many people are in this world? I don't have any idea. A bunch. But that I would be able to stand here and by the grace of God realize knowing what I am by nature that God's taught me I'm in unstable as water. I came up in false religion thinking that I had the ability to change my destiny by my decision. My free will decision, that is the biggest lie that anybody has ever told or believed. No, you can't.

Except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant. We should have been likened to Sodom and should have been likened to Gomorrah. Thank the Lord. that he has mercy and compassion on whomsoever he will.

If you have any heart, if you have any desire, if you have any thoughts of thankfulness that you're sitting under the gospel that speaks of mercy to unworthy sinners, this is what we are. If you have any thought of thankfulness, God has shown you some mercy. If he has given you an understanding that what the best you can do, you're my strength, you're my dignity, you're my firstborn, I love you, but you're unstable. And we all like that. I pray that the Lord give us a fresh look by faith of gratitude that he would show mercy to anybody.

Let me tell you what the old heart's gonna say right now. The old man's gonna say, you know, you ought to be proud of yourself that you were one of the elect. That's the very heart that Paul says, oh, that God would have mercy on me. Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I pray God bless this to our hearts for Christ's sake.