All right, let's take our Bibles
and turn back to Genesis 35. The Lord had instructed Jacob in
verse one, Arise, he's been in a place called Shalem. His daughter has been defiled. His sons, at least two of them,
some of the others have killed many of the men, maybe all of
them in that city. And the Lord instructs Jacob,
I want you to now go to Bethel and dwell there. And you make there an altar. unto God, unto the true and living
God, the God that appeared unto you when Jacob fled from the
face of his brother Esau. So Jacob and his family, under
the protecting hand and eye of Almighty God, obeys. The Lord
had put, the scripture says, terror upon the cities that were
round about. family, and therefore they were
safe. I read that again and I thought,
how we need to remember. Lord, help us to remember where
our safety is. The Lord himself, the scripture
says that there's ministering spirits that are sent to those
who shall be heirs of the promise of God's salvation. But it's
the Lord that directs, the Lord that protects. And the scripture
says that he did it and he went on. And so in verse six, we pick
up. So Jacob came, and the correct pronunciation after I looked
it up is Luz. I was always saying Luz, but
it's pronounced actually Luz. Jacob came to Luz, which is in
the land of Canaan, that is Bethel. he and all the people that were
with him. And he built there an altar,
and he called the place El Bethel, the God of Bethel, the God of
the house of God, the God of the house of God. Because there, God appeared unto
him when he fled from the face of his brother. Jacob did as
the Lord commanded him. He came to this place, it was
Luz, a place that is interpreted, actually it's, you look at the
interpretation, it means almond tree. And many said that it was
probably because. That's what grew there. Some
say that it's actually a word that means, and I got this, I
read this, Some said that it was meant to turn aside or to
take refuge, and I couldn't find that until I found it in a Bible
dictionary, Erdman's Bible dictionary, and it did give that definition,
that actually the name of the city, Luz, means to turn aside
or to take refuge. But Jacob had renamed the city. He named it Bethel. That was stated in Genesis 28,
19. And he built an altar, and he
called it El, God, Bethel, the house of God. That's what Bethel
means, the house of God. Because there, God appeared to
him when he fled from the face of his brother. Now, I was noticing
he named it because their God appeared unto him. He had erected
an altar when he was in Shalem. When he had come to that city
after he had met his brother Esau, and they talked, and there
was reconciliation, and as I said before, his brother went back
to his city, Seir, and it seems as though that Jacob did make
good, he did go, but he comes back to this place, Shalem, And
that's where his daughter was defiled. And he built an altar
there. And it was called El Elohi Israel,
God the God of Israel. Now, Jacob is now back. He's left Shalem. And he's gone
now and he's come back to a place called Luz that he has named
Bethel. And he builds an altar there. And this altar that he builds,
he calls this altar, in verse 7, he calls this El Bethel. And again it says, because there
God appeared unto him when he fled from the face of his father.
Now, God Almighty was Jacob's security. He was Jacob's rest. He was Jacob's city of refuge.
the God who appeared unto him personally when he fled from
Esau. Now, without a doubt, that altar
that he built there in Shalem was an altar of sacrifice. When he built an altar, it was
to sacrifice on. So he built an altar to the true
and living God who rules in heaven and earth. God who is sovereign
in creation, providence, and salvation. But the altar he built
in Bethel, he named that altar in Shalem, he named it El Elohi,
Israel. God, the God of Israel. God of Israel. But he built this
altar in Bethel because this was the altar that he built because
the Lord appeared unto him. And as I read that, I thought,
you know, I know that the Lord has a people. I know that he
died for his people. I know he's coming back for his
people. But you know who I'm thankful for? He died for me. God, the God of Israel. He built this one. because this
is the one that appeared to Jacob. He appeared unto Jacob, the blessed
sweetness associated with the Lord of glory being my Lord. Now you that know him, you know
what I'm talking about. You're thankful. I'm so thankful
that God would show mercy to any of us. I'm thankful that
God shows mercy to a people unworthy, unworthy in themselves. but I
need him to save me. I want him to save me. Lord,
have mercy on me. The Lord, David said, is my shepherd. I know
he's the shepherd of his sheep, but he's my shepherd. So this
is what Jacob was expressing when he had come to that place,
he'd come to Bethel, came to Luz, which he named Bethel. And
the scripture says in verse eight, but Deborah, Rebecca's nurse,
died. and she was buried beneath Bethel,
under an oak, and the name of it was called Alon Bechuth. Now, we're not told any more
of the details of how Deborah, Rebecca's mother, now, Rebecca,
remember, Rebecca was Jacob's mama. He had left, and it's probably
at this point, it's now probably 30 years, 30, 31 years, He left his house. Rebecca, his
mama, was the one that had told him, you go in, you're going
to get the blessing. He did. His daddy told him, you go and
don't marry any of the women of Canaan. But Rebecca was his
mother's nurse. And we're not told any more of
the details. This is that one verse of scripture. And we're not told how she got
in the midst of Jacob's family. Obviously, she was a nurse of
his mother that knew Jacob. Jacob knew her, and we're not
told of Rebekah being there. And obviously, Rebekah, his mother,
has died, and her nurse now has come to be where Jacob is. He's close to home. While they're all in Bethel,
she dies. And the Spirit of God was pleased
to move the heart and the hand of Moses to make known the respect
that was shown this faithful lady. Her passing was noted to
be that of great sorrow. And so there was love and there
was compassion. And for this woman that obviously,
like I said, Jacob had not seen her. It had to have been over
30 years. And she's buried under a tree, an oak, and they call
it Alon Bechuth, the Oak of Weeping. We're not told any more about
this woman, but it made me think of those. It's so easy for me
to relate and to think back of those that the Lord has allowed
almost all of us here. I know. How many? have been here,
some that the Lord was pleased to take before I got here, but
faithful, faithful men and women that God had raised up and taught. And I told you Brother Henry
had said one of the greatest losses that this world suffers
is when the Lord removes an aged and taught believer, someone
that God has graciously, mercifully taken. and taught the gospel
and given some wisdom and the years and years and years of
struggles and struggles and struggles and trials of learning and learning
having to walk by faith and trust the Lord and just and just and
then God is pleased time of his choosing to take them And that
it's a great loss. The scripture revealed precious
in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. But for
us, I told you what Betty Groover told me. She said we rejoice
with a tear in our eye when the Lord takes one of our own, because
we miss him, we miss him. And here was this woman, Jacob
Haddon Senior, years and years and years. And I know it had
to have been a homecoming for her. to see her, but God took
her and buried her under that tree, and it was a tree of weeping,
of sadness. Well, verse nine says that God
appeared unto Jacob again when he came out of Pandanarum and
blessed him. And I hear again as these words,
as I read these scriptures, Certain words jump out at me. The word
that jumped out at me in verse 9 is the word again. And God
appeared unto Jacob again. You know that the Lord would
ever appear to anybody. It's a miracle of His grace.
But that He would appear again and appear in mercy and compassion
And then it says at the end of verse nine, and he blessed him,
that God would appear and bless an unworthy sinner. Oh, who is
a God like in our God? The Lord unsearchable is our
God. And listen how the Lord blessed
him. He's going to remind Jacob of something. Now here, here's
a blessing. Here's a blessing. It's stated
really in the next couple of verses. And God blessed him. How did he bless him? The scripture
says in verse 10, and God said unto him, thy name is Jacob. Thy name shall not be called
anymore Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name. called his name
Israel. I'll look at verse 10 just a
second. Let's just pause here for a minute. God said unto him,
thy name is Jacob. You know, the Lord wrestled with
Jacob back in chapter 32. And as the Lord wrestled with
Jacob, the Lord asked Jacob, What is your name? Jacob told
him in chapter 32, verse 27. My name is Jacob. And the Lord
said, thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel. For
as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. It's a miracle of God's grace
that God would reveal to any of us what we are by nature. Because it's only by the grace
of God that anybody knows themselves to be an unworthy, hell-deserving
sinner. Man by nature doesn't know that. The Lord asked him Back in 32,
what is your name? And Jacob said, Jacob, my name
is Jacob. But listen to what happens right
here. Verse 10, and God said unto him, thy name is Jacob. You know, the apostle Paul says
to say the same thing unto you, to me is not grievous. For you,
it's safe. Do you know what a blessing it
is for us to hear again and again and again what we are by nature? You know why it's such a blessing?
Because we're so prone to forget. We're so prone to start to think,
you know, I've been around for a while. I've picked up a few
things. Pride cometh before fall. Be
careful. Oh, be careful. Your name is
Jacob. Jacob's not gonna hear anything
that the Lord hadn't revealed to him before. Listen to what
the Lord says to him next. Thy name shall not be called
any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name. Here, the Lord who changed Jacob's
name to Israel, the Lord did that. And then he blesses Jacob
by reminding him that though he is truly in the Lord Jesus
Christ, a prince with God, being found in Christ Jesus, he's still
in this world. Here we are, God's people, justified
by the grace of God. Justified by God's grace. Justified by the blood of the
Lord Jesus Christ. The evidence to us is that we
believe it. We believe it. That's the evidence
to us. So we're justified by faith. You can't see faith in
me. I don't see it in you. But I'll
tell you what I do see. I see the evidence of it, so
we're justified, the scripture says, by works. That's what James
says. We're not justified because of works, but there's an evidence
of it. There's an evidence of God's
justification. We're justified. I'm gonna tell
you something that you've heard before. Heard before. But again,
just like this. It's wonderful to hear it again.
Do you know what justified means? No record. No record. You're justified. No record. Justified by the grace
of God, by the blood of Christ, by faith we believe it. By works,
God Almighty. Justified. Justified. Your name is Jacob. that you're not gonna be called
Jacob anymore. Your name is Israel. And then look what that last
part of verse 10 says. And he called his name Israel. God called him that. God Almighty,
who cannot lie. God Almighty, who knows what
we are in ourselves, and we know what we are. in ourselves. Paul the Apostle, a man that
God Almighty had taught, here's what the Spirit of God moved. Paul the Apostle, Romans 7, 22,
25, for, now if I do, I'm sorry, 22, for I delight in the law
of God, after the inward man, but I see another law in my members,
warring against the law of my mind and bringing me into captivity
of the law of sin which is in my members, O wretched man that
I am. My name is Jacob. The Lord said
to him, your name's Jacob. That's your name. But your name's
not gonna be called Jacob anymore. Your name will be called Israel.
And then God called him Israel. God called him. Thy name shall
not be called anymore Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name. Same thing he told him. Chapter
32. Oh, how we need to hear again
and again of the blessing that the Lord has been pleased to
bestow upon us, who in ourselves see no good thing. We know what
we are in Adam. And by faith, we bless God and
believe that God has made us accepted. In the beloved, the
Lord says of all his people, your name is Israel. These things are too high for
me. The Lord reminds him that his
name is a prince with God, and God called him Israel. And if
almighty God calls one of his own, Israel What difference does
it make what anybody else calls? If Almighty God who is eternally
loved Me in Christ if he's loved any man anyone in Christ if he's
chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world That
we should be holy and without blame before him in love. I If
Christ has redeemed me, if He's redeemed you by His blood and
called us by His Spirit unto Himself and has given us a new
nature and a new name and washed us in the blood of His precious
Son and robed us in His righteousness, if He's done that, then who shall
lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. If God has justified us, if God
says there's no charge, there's no record, Christ being made
sin for us who knew no sin, we might be made the righteousness
of God in Him. If Christ has borne all of our
guilt, I'm talking about past, I'm talking about right now while
I'm standing here, I'm talking about if God allows me to live
another day. If He's taken all of the sin and borne all of the
guilt, He bore it all. even what I shall commit, and
I know I will. If he leaves me here, I will
do it, I know I will. But if he's born it, born the
guilt of it, born the sin of it, and paid the debt, and he's
cast as far as the east is from the west, your name's Israel. Your name is Israel. And then
the Lord blessed Jacob by revealing that which is only lovingly and
obediently known unto God's people. And let me tell you something,
here's a secret right here. You know that prayer when the
Lord prayed in Matthew 11? And he says, Father, I thank
you that you've hid these things from the wise and proved it.
You've revealed them unto babes. Here's something that's hidden,
hidden from the world. The Lord and God said unto him,
verse 11, I am God Almighty. I am God Almighty. And there's
another thing that man by nature don't know. Man does not know,
does not know, he does not know. This is life eternal, that they
might know thee, that they might know thee. And to know this,
it takes divine revelation, power to teach, I am God Almighty. Now here's a marvelous thing. God, God, who is pleased to show
mercy and compassion to helpless, hell-deserving sinners. God who is pleased to show mercy
and compassion. That's what he told Moses. I
will have mercy on whom I'll have mercy. I'll have compassion
on whom I'll have compassion. God who's pleased to show mercy,
compassion. God who spoke this world into
existence. He told me, he said, I am God
almighty. God who upholds all things by
the word of his power. God who rules in heaven and earth. He rules, he rules. he worketh
all things after the counsel of his own will. Nebuchadnezzar
says, he doeth as he will in the army of heaven and among
the inhabitants of the earth, and no man can stay his hand.
God, God Almighty, who's pleased to take Jacob's, like us, and
make them to be, in Christ, Israels. God, who was pleased to be made
flesh and come into this world, that He might, as a man, bear
the sins of His people in His own body and suffer the wrath
of His own law and finish the work of redemption on their behalf. Salvation is of the Lord. Salvation
is all of grace, not of works. God Almighty is pleased to come
when He pleases Him. But Paul said, when it pleased
God, who separated me from my mother's womb, call me by His
grace. When He's pleased to come to
one of His own, one of the objects of His affection, and wrestle
with His own, wrestle with Him, and touch the hollow of their
thighs and cause them to halt for the rest of their lives.
And that's what God's people, every blood-bought, blood-redeemed,
Spirit called sinner. They halt. Every one of them
knows what that is. Every one of them halts spiritually,
making them to remember what they are. As long as they live
on this earth, nothing more than just spiritual beggars at the
door of His mercy, God Almighty has done everything, everything,
according to grace and mercy. And then tell them, after He's
wrestled with them and touched the hollow of their spiritual
thighs and they halt, knowing what they are by nature, and
then telling them, after He's wrestled with them, they have
power with Him. Your name is Israel. You're a
prince with God. You have power to God. And you've
prevailed to tell them that they in Christ are the victors. The
overcomers. Only God could do that. Is anything
too hard for God? For God to do everything and
say, you prevailed with God. I think, Lord, how can this be?
How can this be? And the Lord told him. He said,
be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations
shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins. The Lord told Jacob, first he told Abraham, then he
told Jacob's daddy, Isaac, and he told Jacob, be fruitful. I'm gonna bless you. But you
know that everything the Lord told Jacob that Jacob was gonna
do? Did that. Who did that? The scripture declares that the
Lord said to his disciples, I am the vine. You are the branches. He that abideth in me and I in
him, the same bringeth forth much fruit. And he said, for
without me, you can do nothing. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations
shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. David was one
of them. Solomon was one of them. And the land which I gave Abraham
and Isaac to thee, I will 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. And Jacob set up a pillar in
the place where he talked with him, even a pillar of stone. And he poured a drink offering
thereon, and he poured oil thereon. And Jacob called the name of
the place where God spake with him, the house of God. House of God. This is where God speaks to his
people. Not in this wood and in those
stones out there. Right here. Right here. Here's
the house of God. Know ye not that ye are the temple
of the living God? God speaks to his people as his
people assemble themselves together. There's something that's special
about the assembly of God's people, public worship. I grew up hearing
people say, I can be out in the woods, and I can be out doing
this or doing that, and I can worship. No, you can't. No, you
can't. No, you can't. Not according to the Lord. Not
according to the Lord. God is pleased to meet with his
people. Two or three gathered together
here. And he called the name of that place. God met with,
and the Lord met with him there, and he called it, Bethel, the
house of God. I'm so thankful that we've had
one more time to meet together. If this is the last time we ever
meet together just like this, I'm thankful we had this one.
I pray God bless it to the glory of the Lord Jesus and to the
good of his people. Amen.