and eleven. The tune is Haverhill 343. When saint to saint in days of old, their sorrows sins and sufferings told, Jesus the friend of sinners dear, his saints to bless was present there. Hymn 911, tune Haverhill

Let us read together from the Holy Word of God in the book of Genesis and chapter 28. Genesis chapter 28. And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. Arise, go to Pandanarum, to the house of Bethuel thy mother's father. and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother's brother. And God Almighty bless thee and make thee fruitful and multiply thee that thou mayest be a multitude of people. And give thee the blessing of Abraham to thee and to thy seed with thee that thou mayest inherit the land were in the heart of stranger, which God gave unto Abraham. And Isaac sent away Jacob, and he went to Pandanarum unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob's and Esau's mother. When Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Pandanarum, to take him a wife from thence, and that as he blessed him, he gave him a charge, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. And that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Pandanarum. And Esau, seeing that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father, then went Esau unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had Mahalath, the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son, the sister of Nebaijoth to be his wife. And that Jacob went out from Beersheba and went towards Haran and he lighted on a certain place and tarried there 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. 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 whereon thou liest, 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 have done that which I have spoken to thee of.' And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place. And I knew it not, and he was afraid. and said, how dreadful is this place? This is none other but the house of God. This is the gate of heaven. And Jacob rose up early in the morning and took the stone that he had put for his pillows and set it up for a pillar and poured oil upon the top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel And the name of that city was called Lazarus the first. And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, if God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and raiment to put on, so that I come again to my father's house in peace, 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 tenth unto thee. May the Lord bless the reading of his own precious word and grant unto us a spirit of real prayer. Holy, holy, holy, Lord God almighty, It is an art, an art to come. We do desire to bow before thy glorious majesty. We desire to worship thee in spirit and in truth. And we desire that the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God our Father, and the sacred fellowship of the Holy Spirit, may rest and abide upon us as we gather round thy word at this evening hour. We think of that lovely promise, O Lord, that thou hast given to thy people, where two or three gather together in my name, there am I. Oh, we do pray then that we may feel thy presence, that we may worship in thy holy hill of Zion, that we may hear the voice of our beloved, skipping upon the mountains and over the hills, that we may be guided and directed by thee, that thy word may be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Oh, do hear us, O Lord, we pray thee, for thy great name's sake. Oh, we do pray that we may feel that blessed spirit of adoption whereby we cry, Abba Father, for God has sent forth the spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba Father. May that be our blessed portion tonight, to know that sacred spirit of adoption, my God, my Father, blissful name, O may I call thee mine, our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, O Lord, we beseech thee. We pray that we may be favoured, that with the divine presence and power of the Holy Ghost, nothing can be done without Thee, O Blessed Spirit of Truth. Without Thy heavenly power, O Lord, no sweets the Gospel can afford, no drops of heavenly love will fall. So we pray that the dew of heaven may be upon our branch, that the Blessed Spirit may grant His divine unction and His heavenly power, that we may truly worship Thee in spirit and in truth. Most blessed Spirit of truth, convince us of our sin and lead to Jesus' blood and to our wandering eyes reveal the secret love of God. Show us the secrets of thy covenant, show us thy ways, O Lord, and teach us thy paths. Enable us to commit our way unto the Lord, to trust also in him, and he will bring it to pass. Do hear us, Lord, we humbly pray thee. Guide us, O thou great Jehovah. We're pilgrims in a barren land. We are weak, but thou art mighty. Hold us with thy powerful hand, bread of heaven. Feed us now and evermore, we do humbly pray thee. We pray for that sacred presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in verity and in truth. Oh, we do pray that we may worship him, that we may hear his voice, that we may see his countenance, that we may worship in his holy hill of Zion. Gracious God. Heavenly Father, we thank Thee for that wonderful gift of Thine only begotten Son. We thank Thee for that profound mystery of godliness of God manifest in the flesh. Without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh. We thank Thee for that profound mystery and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. Lord, may it be so, we humbly pray Thee, that we may behold His glory, that we may touch the hem of His garment, that we may draw from that sacred fullness that is in Him. We come together, we feel like the dear apostle, that I might know him in the power of his resurrection, in the fellowship of his suffering. We come together, Lord, as the poor fallen sons and daughters of Adam, born in sin and shapen in iniquity. In sin did my mother conceive, Gracious God, we desire to come and confess our sins. And there are said in thy word, if you confess your sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Lord, we do pray that thou would deliver us from everything that would, as it were, divert our heart and our mind away from thee and from spiritual truth. and that our heart and our affections may be set upon things above and not on things of the earth. For Lord, we prove so often that we're earthbound and we think on earthly things, but we pray that tonight as we gather round thy word, we may think on heavenly things, that we may remember all the way the Lord our God hath led us to humble us and to prove us and to see what was in our heart And Lord, we know what is in our heart. We prove the truth of thy word day by day. The heart of man is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. And Lord, we verily prove the truth of that day by day. But thanks be unto God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ, through his glorious sacrifice we pray that as we come together our hearts may be filled with gratitude with thanksgiving and with adoration to think of that profound precious truth Jesus Christ God manifest in the flesh oh most gracious lord we thank thee for that mystery We thank Thee that the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. We thank Thee that He was made of a woman, made under the law, that He might redeem them that are under the law. We thank Thee, most gracious God, for those tender mercies of Thy lovingkindnesses that pour into the Church through our Lord Jesus Christ. The law fulfilled and honoured and magnified in his holy life. An everlasting righteousness brought in for thy people. For Lord, we have no righteousness of our own. All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. We are all as an unclean thing. But there is a righteousness to be obtained by faith. By faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. by faith in God manifest in the flesh, we thank Thee that He is Jehovah Sidkenu, the Lord our righteousness. We thank Thee then for the law fulfilled and honoured and magnified and everlasting righteousness brought in, in His glorious person. We thank Thee for that holy and precious sacrifice of Calvary where sin has been put away and divine justice has been satisfied and God and sinners are reconciled and peace is made between God and man. Gracious God, we bow in humble adoration and thanksgiving before Thee for the wonderful glory of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. for by one offering he hath sanctified forever all his people, delivered them from sin and Satan's power. Oh, we thank thee that he died for our sins and rose again for our justification. We bless thee for that dear Saviour, for that glorious Redeemer. We thank thee that death has been swallowed up in victory, and the believer sleeps because he's going to wake up again in eternal life and everlasting happiness. We thank thee then for the risen Saviour, we thank thee for the ascended Saviour, for such a high priest have we who is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God. We bow in humble awe and thanksgiving before the glory of thy majesty, Thou didst say, Lord Jesus, all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. And the hymn writer says, thou art coming to a king, large petitions with thee bring, for his grace and power are such none can ever ask too much. Lord, we thank thee that that is the case. We thank thee for that hope beyond the grave, that hope of eternal life, of heaven, of glory, where the bride does not her garments, but her dear bridegroom's face. I will not gaze on glory, but on my King of grace, not on the crown he giveth, but on those pierced hands where glory, glory dwelleth in Emmanuel's land. Gracious God. We do thank thee then for the glory of Christ. We thank that in him we know the love of our Heavenly Father and through him we receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Lord, we bless thee for these wonderful gifts and these profound blessings. We thank thee for every mercy of thy kind providence. We thank thee for our brethren, the deacons, bless them indeed. We thank thee for our brethren and sisters in church fellowship. May that fellowship and love increase more and more, and may there be many added unto us. We do humbly beseech thee. And the Lord added unto the church, such as should be said. And if there are those, O Lord, that through fear and unbelief they hold back, we pray that thou would overcome all that fear and all that unbelief. and grant them clear views of our Lord Jesus Christ and the way to follow him. Oh Lord, we do pray that those, bless the little ones and the children, bless them with light and understanding, with life, with the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom. Bless our young friends, we do humbly pray thee. Bless them with living faith in Jesus Christ, and make them true followers of Thee and of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Lord, we pray that Thou wouldst guide and direct them in all matters and help them to commit their way unto the Lord and trust also in Thee. And O Lord, we pray for all in the midst of the journey of life that Thou wouldst give wisdom and grace and guidance and direction in all matters O gracious God, do incline thine ear, we humbly beseech thee, and be gracious unto each one of us, and bless the families. We do pray. Remember all in the midst of the journey of life, and they know us where they are, they know us the condition they're found in. O Lord, we pray that thou would stretch out thy almighty arm, and cause the prodigals to return, and thy wonderful grace to be seen in this. how we long to see those prodigals returning. Give us hearts to receive them, to open our arms and to receive them among thy people. Lord, we pray that thou wouldst fulfil that wonderful promise, other sheep have I which are not of this fold, them I must bring. Lord, we pray that thou wouldst bring our sons from far and our daughters from the ends of the earth And we pray, most gracious Lord, that thou would remember those of us that are now in the evening time of life journey, and at the appointed time grant us an abundant entrance into thy heavenly kingdom. Remember all in trouble and trial and perplexity and sorrow and sadness and bereavement, and undertake for each one. Remember us with the favor that thou bearest unto thy people, and visit us with thy great salvation. Come and touch one's lips with a live coal from off the heavenly altar, we ask for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. Let us Sing together hymn 769 to the tune Mannheim 679. Jesus, all the billows steer me, be my pilot in each storm, hold me fast and keep me near thee, for thou know'st I'm but a worm. What concerns me, By thy power and love perform.
Greatly feeling to need the Lord's gracious help, I direct your attention to the chapter that we read, the book of Genesis in chapter 28, and we will read verse 15 for our text. Genesis chapter 28, verse 15. And behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest and will bring thee again to this land for I will not leave thee until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. As far as we can discern this was the conversion of Jacob. We do not read anything in previous chapters of any spiritual enlightenment of Jacob until we come to this place. And there is no doubt that the Lord revealed himself It's a little bit like what we read of Abram's servant when he went to fetch a wife. And he said, I being in the way, the Lord met me. You see, we find Isaac advising his son Jacob, arise, go to Pandanerim, to the house of Bethuel, thy mother's father, and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother's brother, and God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people. And then we read from verse 10, and Jacob went out from Beersheba, which is where Isaac dwelt, and went toward Haran. It was a long journey. And he lighted up on a certain place and tarried there all night because the sun was set. And he took up 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. This is what was revealed unto Jacob in this dream and as we say as far as we can see this is where the Lord began that spiritual work in the heart of Jacob. In this ladder that he dreamed and saw the top of it reach to heaven and it was set upon the earth, this is the revelation unto Jacob of Jesus Christ. The angels of God, the messengers of God, because that's what an angel is, a messenger. The messengers of God were ascending and descending on that ladder. In other words there was going on something between heaven and earth. So that ladder beautifully reveals to us and it would have done to Jacob that there is a way. The Lord communicates. This is what the Lord was doing with Jacob. he was communicating to his servant Jacob he was calling him just as he'd done his grandfather Abraham when he called him out of Ur of the Chaldees and we read that he went out not knowing whether he went and there's no doubt whatsoever that he revealed himself under Isaac Jacob's father and here see these patriarchs because that's what they're called Abraham Isaac and Jacob the patriarchs of the land and of the people of Israel of the Jewish nation and it says here in verse 13 and behold the Lord stood above it above this ladder Lord stood above him and said, so the Lord spoke to him from heaven and said I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father and the God of Isaac the land whereon thou liest to thee will I give it and to thy seed. You see these are the blessings of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the promise of the promised land, the land where he was, which after this time was called Bethel. Before it was called Luz, but now the name was changed to Bethel. Bethel is two parts to it, Beth-el. Beth means the house and el means Jehovah. the house of Jehovah see and Jacob said in verse 17 and he was afraid and said how dreadful is this place this is none other but the house of God and this is the gate of heaven you see we read a promise concerning Jesus Christ, but is relevant to each one of the Lord's children. The Lord Jesus said, are not there angels standing before your Father which is in heaven? And we read, principally concerning Jesus, but true of every child of God, he will give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. And that is true today. He will give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. And behold, the Lord stood above it. What a mercy. When we have that clear view by faith of the Lord standing above all our circumstances, and we see that He is God over all and blessed forevermore, and we see that with God nothing shall be impossible and we can say alleluia for the Lord God omnipotent reign. Jacob had many trials to go through, he had many perplexities, he speaks here of when he returns to this place of Bethel and he would return but It would be 20 years before he returned. It wasn't like it was when Eliezer went and fetched Rebecca and took her to Isaac. This would be 20 years. And we notice in these things, in the life of Jacob, Jacob The actual name means supplanter, deceiver. That's the meaning of the name Jacob. I think it was Esau that said, well, they are called Jacob. He deceived his father. He stole his brother's birthright. He wasn't a nice man. Let's be clear on that. We read in Holy Scripture, as ye sow, so shall ye also reap. And Jacob was to prove that with Laban. Laban deceived him. It was agreed that he would serve seven years for Rachel. His heart was set on Rachel. She was a very beautiful woman. But Laban got Jacob married with wine. on the day of their marriage. And instead of giving him Rachel, he gave him Leah, who was older than Rachel. He said, the oldest daughter must be given first. So he deceived him. And then he had to serve a further seven years for Rachel. And we read that Laban, he didn't treat Jacob very well. He changed his wages 10 times. So Jacob had to prove painfully, as ye sow, so shall ye also reap. But the blessing of the Lord was upon him. I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac, the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it. And two, I see. You know, this place where he was was a desert place. And we have those very beautiful words in the book of Deuteronomy concerning the Lord's servant, Jacob, and how the Lord found him. The Lord found him. It says in Deuteronomy 32 verse 9, for the Lord's portion is his people. Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. He found him. Notice that. He found him. And I believe that that is what we're reading of here in Genesis chapter 28, when the Lord found him. He found him in a desert land. and in the waste howling wilderness. He led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings. So the Lord alone did lead him. And there was no strange God with him. The Lord alone did lead him. You know, this illustration here of the eagle stirring up her nest. The eagle is given that instinct of nature that when she builds her nest she puts the long thorns in the bottom of it and then she covers that with grass and moss to make a lovely soft bed for her little chicks. And when the time comes when she feels the need that these little chicks should fly the nest. Remember an eagle always has a nest right up high in the mountains. And so she then uncovers the thorns and so those little birds can find no rest, can find no rest. So in the end they fly the nest fly the nest and the Lord is using this as illustration here of the way he deals with his people. As an eagle stirreth up a nest the Lord you see we settle down in this world but the Lord will stir up your nest. Says I think is in the prophet Micah this is not your rest It is polluted. This is not your rest. And so he'll stir up your nest, where you're comfortable, where you're reclining. And then it says, fluttereth over her young. Why? Because those young, then at the top of that mountain, they fly from the nest and they're very fearful. And she flutters over them. She goes under them. taketh them, bears them on her wings. And what the Lord is saying here is this is what the Lord does with his children. He stirs up our nest. He makes us fly the nest. But he doesn't just leave us. It says in our text how the Lord would be with him. He doesn't just leave us. He flies underneath and he catches them. That eagle flies under the little ones and catches them. eagle is a very big bird and he catches the little one on her wings and taketh them and bareth them on her wings. So the Lord alone did lead him and there was no strange God with him. He made him ride on the high places of the earth that he might eat the increase of the fields and he made him to suck honey out of the rock and oil out of the flinty rock. See the Lord's blessing that was upon his servant Jacob. But you know that that point that is made in that scripture, he found him. And you know friends that is true of every single child of God. He found him. He finds each one of his children in the wilderness of this world and he calls them by divine grace and he draws them out of this world unto himself. He does it by his sweet resistless grace, he does. Now in these wonderful blessings that the Lord speaks of to Jacob is the promise of the coming of Christ. It says in verse 14 and thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth and thou shalt spread aboard to the west to the east to the north and to the south and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed and in thee this is the promise of the coming messiah and in thee and in thy seed right go right back to the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve fell into sin and it speaks of the seed of the woman shall bruise his head. The seed of the woman is Christ and from that time there was a looking for it and now it's revealed in Abraham, Isaac, Jacob that to each one of them the Lord appeared and spoke to them and he said to them in thy seed Shall all the nations of the earth be blessed See when when Christ came upon earth It wasn't just to save the Jews. That's what the Jews thought That it would be just to establish the kingdom of Israel just as it was in the glorious days of King Solomon But if we read carefully the promises, see, in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth. The Lord Jesus, when he came, and it said several times in the New Testament that the gospel shall be preached in every nation, kindred, tongue, and tribe, and people. In thee and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth. Or it says here, all the families of the earth be blessed and behold what a word here you know when we read and behold it's because the Lord is going to say something that is very important and it certainly was to Jacob and it's certainly to his people today and behold I and will keep thee in all places where thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land. For I will not leave thee until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of." You know, it's certainly a checkered pathway, isn't it? We know that, and this is what probably set the precedent, we know that when Abraham and Sarah waiting for the promised seed of Isaac that Sarah gave unto Abraham her maid that he might have seed of her that was the flesh and Ishmael was born and Abraham pleaded with the Lord let Ishmael live before them but the Lord Said no, it's in the seed of promise through Sarah. That's where the promise was made. We see them trying to, as it were, fulfill the work of God in the flesh. This is what poor sinful man is like. As far as we can see, Isaac only married Rebecca and lived with Rebecca. But now, when it comes to Jacob, as I was reading through the life of Jacob today, we find that yes, there were 11 children born to Jacob, but they were from four different women. And they were the children of Israel. And their names are given to the children of Israel. Jacob's name was changed to Israel, For as a princess thou prevailed with God, but they were born of four different women. They were all the promised seed. Very profound things that we find in Holy Scripture. And behold, I am with thee. I am with thee. We have that lovely promise in the Isaiah chapter 41 and verse 10. Fear not, for I am with thee. Be not dismayed, for I am thy God. I will help thee, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Fear not, I am with thee. And the Lord promises to be with his people. I am with thee. We sing in one of the hymns, with Christ in the vessel, we smile at the store, I am with thee. We read, and I wonder if it actually comes from this promise, what we have before us as a text, but we read in the Hebrews, that hath he not said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee, in Hebrews 13. See, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee, And behold, I am with thee. The Lord Jesus Christ, speaking obviously of the economy of grace in the New Testament days, and how the Spirit of God would dwell in the hearts of the Lord's people. And what did he say? And he will dwell with you forever. Not only in time, but in eternity. The Holy Ghost will dwell with you forever. I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. He that hath begun a good work in you shall perform it unto the day of Jesus Christ. I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. And behold, I am with thee. And just I realise that this is not essentially the meaning here, but when the Lord sent Moses to recover the children of Israel from the land of Egypt, and Moses said, who shall I say that thou wilt send with me? Or who has sent me? And the Lord said, thou shalt say, I am, written in capital letters, I am. has sent thee. Say, I am that I am. I am the eternal God. I am the almighty God. I am the Lord God, the omnipotent reign. And as we look at it in New Testament life, I am Jesus Christ, the same yesterday and today and forever. I can never change. Whom once he loves, he never leaves. Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love. Therefore, with loving kindness have I drawn thee. And the evidence that you're loved with an everlasting love is that you're drawn to Christ. You see a beauty in Christ. You see a loveliness in Christ. You're hungry and thirsting after Christ. You long to touch the hem of his garment. You long to hear his voice. You long to see his countenance. You long to worship in his holy hill of Zion. Why? Because the Lord is drawing you. I will draw thee with the cords of a man, with the bands of love. That man is Christ and that is what the poor needy sinner is seeking after. That they might know him in the power of his resurrection, in the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable unto his death and behold I am with thee and will keep thee. You see that that word I am is the great and the eternal. Essentially it means Jehovah. The Lord Jehovah. And essentially that is also the meaning of the verse we quoted from Hebrews concerning Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ the same yesterday yesterday eternal and today and forever That's a paraphrase of the name Jehovah It's Jehovah Jesus And then we we read the Lord or Jehovah is that spirit of speaking of the Holy Ghost And we read of our Heavenly Father as being the Lord Jehovah in whom is everlasting strength You see, he will give strength unto his people. And behold, I am with thee and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest. It was going to be a difficult path. It was going to be 20 years of trial. when Jacob speaks to Laban and he speaks to him how that he spent whole nights in the frost and the cold looking after the sheep, shepherding the sheep. Thou hast changed my wages ten times. It was a very difficult pathway. But the Lord was with him. When Laban pursued after him, the Lord appeared to Laban in a dream and told him not to touch Jacob. We read in Holy Scripture, touch not thine anointed nor do my prophets harm. And the Lord warned him not to touch him. So the Lord was with him and is with his people now. I am with thee and will keep thee. in all places whither thou goest. We read in the first epistle of Peter, the Lord through his servant Peter speaking there of the wonderful promises of God to his people in his son Jesus Christ. We read in the first chapter of the first epistle of Peter concerning how that the Lord would keep his people. And Peter says in chapter 1, Peter chapter 1 verse 3, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively, that's a living hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away reserved in heaven for you who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last days. He kept by the power of God. The late Mr. Wood, he often used to speak, I think, meeting Mr. Brooks, on one of the big London railway stations and they passed each other. One was going to preach, one was coming home. They passed each other on the steps in the station. And they obviously just passed the time of day. And he asked her how he was, kept. That's what he said, that's all he said, kept. What a mercy to be kept. The Lord will keep his people. The Lord will preserve his people. He will discipline his people. He will chastise his people. He will humble his people. That's exactly what happened to Jacob in his checkered pathway. It was to humble him. It was to bring him to the end of self. It was to bring him to trust in the Lord. Lead not to thine own understanding. That's what the word of God advises. Left to ourselves, we will lean to our own understanding, but the Lord brings you to the end of your own wisdom, the end of your own strength, and so that you're brought to trust in the Lord. We read here, and Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, surely the Lord is in this place. And I knew it not, but he was afraid, and said, how dreadful is this place. This is none other but the house of God. This is the gate of heaven. So the Lord had revealed himself. Now the other promise here, part of it, and will bring thee again into this land. He was going into a foreign land, but the Lord promised that he would bring him again. into this land, he would return. That was the promise of God to him, that though he had to go out, he would come back 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. I will not leave thee. The Lord has promised that he will never leave His people. I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. He's promised to dwell with His people. He's promised to watch over His people. He's promised to keep His people. One of the hymn writers says, doesn't he, how true it is. Myself I cannot keep. Myself I cannot save. Myself I cannot keep. But faith In thee I fame would have whose eyelids never sleep. We know that we can't keep ourselves. We know that we have a heart deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. We know that we have a heart that would lead us astray in wrong paths. The Lord knows that. But he has said, I will not leave thee. until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. I will not leave thee. And we read that Jacob rose early in the morning and took the stone that he had put for his pillows and set it up for a pillar and poured oil upon the top of it and he called the name of that place Bethel. but the name of that city was called Luz at the first. And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, if God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and raiment to put on, so that I come again to my father's house in peace, then shall the Lord be my God.

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 tenth unto thee you see he vowed unto the lord maybe there's one here that has vowed unto the lord have you kept your vow have you kept your vow we we read in Holy Scripture, vow and pay thy vows unto the Lord.

You see, I think it's Psalm 116, we read of the vows made in a time of trouble, in a time of affliction, a promise, a vow unto God. We read in Psalm 116, Return unto thy rest, O my soul, for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee. For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. See, I will keep thee. I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living. I believed, you see this act of faith, faith given. I believed, therefore have I spoken. I was greatly afflicted. I said in my haste, O men of Elias, what shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me? I will take the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people.

You see, and it says the same in verse 18. I will pay my vows unto the Lord now, in the presence of all his people, in the courts of the Lord's house, in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem, praise ye the Lord. 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 have done that which I have spoken to thee of. May the Lord add his blessing. Let us now sing together hymn number 329. to the tune, To God be the Glory, 1011. How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith in his excellent Word! What more can he say than to you he has said, You who unto Jesus for refuge have fled?

Hymn 329, Tune, To God be the Glory, 1011.

Now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, the sacred fellowship of the Holy Spirit, rest and abide with us each both now and forevermore. Amen.