I'm going to ask you to take your Bibles and turn with me to Genesis chapter 49. Genesis 49. I'd like to look at the first two verses of this chapter. The sons of Jacob have been assembled together, they've gathered themselves together, that they might hear what their dad, Jacob, has to say to each one of them before he leaves this world, this physical world. And Jacob is very careful to make sure, having gathered them all together, that each one of them is going to hear what he has to say to them.

Now those things that he's going to actually say to them are recorded starting in verse 3. But Lord willing, I'm going to just look at the first two verses. is getting ready to die. And these things that he's got to say are things that need to be heard, not only by the twelve sons, but every one of us, because we're going to, Lord willing, see that everything that Jacob has to say as far as an admonition, a blessing, All of the things that are said to the 12 sons are things that each one, each believer, needs to hear concerning who God is and who they are. There are going to be some hard things to hear, some of them, but Jacob is going to be honest with them.

And I had at first thought that we would look at the things I was going to try to start on, the things that he was going to say. And the more I looked at it, I felt impressed to just look at the first two verses. Like I said, there's only two chapters left in this book of Genesis. And I want us to look at these first two verses when Jacob is actually calling them to himself. That's what is happening in these first two verses.

but he's old, and what he has to say is weighty. The scripture says, Proverbs 1131, the hoary head, the gray hair, is a crown of glory if it be found in the way of righteousness. Getting older, having heard some things, learned some things of the Lord. It's a true blessing whenever you hear someone that's been through the mill. They know something about it. It's not their first rodeo. They've been tried, they've been tested, they've been proven by God. Not by their own will, way, power. But by the Lord. And they've learned some things. And we would do well to hear what they've got to say.

Turn with me to Psalm 92. Hold your place in Genesis. Psalm 92. Psalm 92, I'd like to look at a couple of verses there, verses 13 to 15. Psalm 92, verse 13. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age. They shall be fat and flourishing. They're going to be green, Margin says, to show that the Lord is upright. He is my rock and there is no unrighteousness in him. It's always a real blessing to talk to somebody that the Lord has taught some things. I used to just love to sit and listen, listen to Brother Scott, Brother Henry, Maurice Montgomery, Don Fortner, these men that have been with us, the Lord has taken home. It was their time to go. But the things that God taught them were blessings to us. We needed to hear them.

Now here's Jacob. He's going to talk to his boys before he leaves. And he's going to speak to each one of them. But now listen to what you've got to say in here verses 1 and 2. Let's just read verses 1 and 2, Genesis 49, and then we'll look at a couple of things in them. who called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days. Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob, and hearken unto Israel your father." Now, Jacob is going to give some great instruction here. And he's going to give not only these These boys, as I said a moment ago, but he's going to have something by the grace of God, through the spirit of God, blessing the word of God, and he's going to say something, and I want us to listen for all of us. Now, this is an admonition not just to these 12 boys. This is to all of us, all of God's people. Listen to what he's got to say.

It says, again, in verse 1. Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days. Now, he said, Gather yourselves together. He said in verse 2, Gather yourselves together, And here, ye sons of Jacob, and hearken unto Israel your father."

He said, well, he said the same thing twice. No, he didn't. When he said, gather yourselves together, I looked this up. When he said, gather yourselves together, you take a concordance, and I always, I love to, check me out, just make sure, just make sure. Gather yourselves together. When you look that up in a concordance, the strongest concordance, it's always assigned a number so you can find out exactly what he said. You say, well, he said the same thing again. No, he didn't. Gather yourselves together. Strongest concordance. Number 622, if you want to look it up. What he was saying was when he said gather yourselves together, He was saying, gather yourselves together that I may tell you something. I want you to receive in your ears what I have to say. Gather yourselves together.

Then he said in verse 2, gather yourselves together. You look up that phrase, gather yourselves together. It's got a different number, not 622. That number right there is 6908, so I knew it meant something different. First time he said, I want you to come and I want you to hear something. I want you to hear what I have to say with this right here. I want you to hear what he's got to say with this. Gather yourselves together, 622, first time. Gather yourselves together the second time, 6908.

What did he mean by that? So that you can grasp what I'm saying. First time he told them, he said, I want you to gather yourselves together that you can hear. You hear these words. Now you hear what I'm saying. I'm using words. I get it. I may say a few of them differently, but you understand. You know what I'm talking about. You're hearing something. But for those that God's taught something, they're hearing it. There's a big difference between hearing it with this and hearing it with this.

He told them the first time, gather yourselves together that I may tell you that which will befall you. Gather yourselves together and hear, you sons of Jacob. And hearken unto Israel, your father. We need instruction to hear, but we need God's spirit to hear, to understand, to perceive. You that know the Lord. How long did you hear? How long Bruce Scott preached to you? You heard what he was saying. A lot of people I know, they hear the gospel. And they understand. They get the concept of it. They can talk with the best of us. Because they hear. They hear it. But you get somebody to hear it. That takes a new heart. That takes understanding. That takes God doing something for somebody that they cannot do for themselves. Anybody can hear it. How many come and sit in this congregation right here, and they hear the words. They hear what I'm saying. They hear the words. They understand English. They get it. They know what I'm saying. But there's a few that hear it and perceive it. That's what he told them. He told them, he said, Jacob called his sons and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days. Gather yourselves together and hear, ye sons of Jacob, and hearken unto Israel your father.

We need instruction by God's Spirit to perceive, to hear the words spoken by one that's sent of God. to be made to understand. I can tell you and you can hear me talk about the frailty of the flesh. I've heard of the frailty of the flesh. I've heard of the fleetingness of this life. But the Lord's been pleased to cause some of us to hear of the fleetingness of this life and to experience it. And when they hear this life is but a vapor, they know it just a little bit more clearly than they did before. That's what he's done. He gathered his sons together. So he was going to talk to these boys. Here, ye sons of Jacob, hearken unto, obey Israel.

Now that was, that's another, that's another thing that I thought was so marvelous in this passage, in that verse too. Hear, ye sons of Jacob, and hearken unto Israel your father. Now he's talking about himself. Hear, you sons of Jacob, hear, listen, but obey. Hearken, obey Israel your father. Listen to the believer who's been made to hear to understand that he is a Jacob by nature, and to understand that he is an Israel by grace. What's your name? My name is Jacob. He said, your name shall no more be called Jacob. Israel shall be your name. Israel, man that God knows, an Israel before God. Jacob can hear with the natural ear, but it takes an Israel to hear with the heart and to obey with the heart.

But also, let us, I want to take another note of something else. This is after I got to looking at these two verses, I decided maybe I ought to just stay with these two verses for the night. There was something else I noticed to take notice. We, I see where Jacob told his sons, gather yourselves together. And he said in verse two, gather yourselves together. Now we've already looked at it. He was talking to them about telling them what they are by nature and what they are by grace. But the words that he used here were so needful. They're needful for us tonight. Gather yourselves together because the Lord has been pleased to especially bless the assembly of his people with his presence.

Gather yourselves together. Matthew 18, 20 says, for where two or three are gathered together in my name. Now there's another, there's another. statement, part of scripture that rested my heart. Those that are gathered together in my name, in my name, not merely meaning to gather together just to hear, not only just to hear with this ear, but to perceive, gather yourself together, come together, meet together, there is something gloriously wonderful about meeting together. I've entitled this message, The Blessing, I think, The Importance of Public Worship. When we come together, there is something that marvelously takes place when people come together, two or three, or two or three, or gather together in my name, listen to this promise, and realize the importance of it right now. I am in the midst of you.

Now you think of the blessing right now. You say, well, we're here as a congregation. Yes, we are. But according to his word, he said, I'm in the midst of you. I'm here. Doesn't that statement just sweeten this assembly tonight? Doesn't that just cause it to overflow with, Lord, thank you.

Now you think about this. He hears what's being said right now. He perceives, he knows it's frail effort. Here I am, a struggling lump of clay, trying to speak on behalf and to honor the Lord of glory. He who spoke this world into existence. He who opposed all things by the word of his power. He who speaks, and it is. He that's been pleased to show mercy to whomsoever he will, and compassion to whomsoever he will. He that has the power to speak, and it is.

He's here. He's here. And it makes me so cautious. I want to be cautious in what I say. I was looking at those two verses, and I saw a multitude of wondrous thought and truth that was found in those two verses. I first read it, and I just thought, well, Jacob was just talking to his 12 boys, and he just said, y'all come on, and I'm going to talk to you. But, oh, my. It was far beyond.

Gather yourselves, ye sons of Jacob, and hear the words of Israel. Hear what God has to say, who he is, who we are. There am I. There am I. He is personally, spiritually in the midst of his people. Nowhere else do we find such assuredness of the presence of God. Where can you be assured that God is in a place? I can tell you where, according to the scriptures, where I can be assured of God's presence. He said, where two or three are gathered together in my name. I'm there. I'm there. the omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient God. He is in every place where people have assembled themselves together in His name, in His name. There where all things that are said of Him are so. There where all of His glory and all of his authority and all of his interests, all of his pleasures, all of his commands, his excellencies, his deeds are set forth.

Where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am in that place. And if his gospel is not being preached, If the glorious gospel of God's free and sovereign grace is not being proclaimed, if Christ is not being honored, we have no promise that he's there. Men can go through all the rigmarole they want to, all the hoopla and shouting and this, that and the other and saying all this kind of stuff, but I'm telling you where the gospel of God's free grace is not being preached according to the Word of God, we have no promise of His presence. No promise.

His presence afford us great rest and comfort in time of trials, His presence. He said, when thou passest through the waters. There's a lot of us tonight are going through the waters. When thou passest through the waters. Now listen to this. Believer, listen. I need to hear this. You need to hear this. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee. I'll be with you. Oh, what a word of assuredness. And through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee. When thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned. Neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

all we would do well to remember the blessed promises of his presence. I'm telling you to just muse upon the fact it's enough. It's enough just to be made to remember the Lord is here. Somebody said, do you really believe that? By God's grace, yes, I do. Yes, I do. Can I see him with my natural eye? No, I cannot. But what gives you any assurance that he's here? I've got his word. I've got his word. He's promised.

Let us not forget the means by which God has been pleased to mercifully relate His promises. Let's don't forget the means. How do we know about these things? Jacob is going to talk to his boys. He's going to tell them. He's going to tell them what's going to befall them. What's the means? Well, Hebrews 10, 24, 25 says this, let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works Here it is, listen. Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another and so much the more as you see the day approaching.

Let me tell you what we need. We need to hear the gospel. What is the gospel again? Oh, don't we forget so quickly. Yeah. The good news of salvation by God's grace through faith in Christ Jesus, electing, redeeming, regenerating, calling, keeping grace with no works of man included. We're saved by grace. Through faith.

Oh, we need the fellowship of God's people. We need the fellowship. I need to be with you. You need to be with us. Oh, we need to be together. Let me tell you the hearing of the truth as it is in Christ Jesus. The hearing of the truth. what we're doing right here. Now here we are, we're gathered together in the name of the Lord. We're hearing his word. We've sung praises unto his name. We've asked his presence in prayer. We've met, gathered together.

What we're doing right here, right now, this right here, is the closest thing that we in this life will ever behold of the experience of heaven until we're in that place. What we're doing right here, this is as close as we will ever come while we're struggling in this body of death, consistently worshiping together Doing what we're doing. This is the closest that we can come in this world of flesh to being with Him in glory. We'll leave this world. Where will we be? We'll be with Him. Who will be there? All of His people. What will they be doing? Praising Him. Exalting Him. What are we doing tonight? We're doing the closest thing, Chuck, that we'll do until we leave this world. This is as close as we're gonna get right here. This is a precious, precious thing.

In closing, King David was moved by God's Spirit to say concerning public worship, Psalm 122.1, I was glad when they said to me, let us go into the house of the Lord. Let's go together. Let's go, let's go here. Let's go to the place where God's worshipped. Let's go, let's be together with God's people. Let's sing the Psalms of Zion. David expressed his heart's desire of meeting together with the saints. Psalm 27, 4. One thing, he said, have I desired of the Lord that will I seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord, all the days of my life to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.

Brethren, I pray that the Lord enliven, quicken, refresh our hearts to be thankful for the blessing of worshiping together. Isn't it good? Isn't it good to be able to come together and meet together Don't tell me something. Don't tell me something new. Tell me the old, old story. Tell me the story again of God's grace and God's mercy to save sinners. If there's a sinner in this building tonight, I got some good news for you. God came into this world, the Lord Jesus Christ came into this world to save sinners. Paul said, of whom I'm chief, I think I am. I pray the Lord bless this. here.