May it please Almighty God to
bless us together this morning as we meditate in His Word. Let
us turn to the book of Genesis, chapter 28, and we'll read verse
15. The book of Genesis, chapter
28, and we'll read verse 15. 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. I expect we are familiar with
the accounts of Jacob and we read a lot about him of course
in the Word of God and these characters that the Lord has
graciously given us a record of are encouraging to the people
of God even today of course we live in a very different environment
but we still need the same God that Jacob needed and perhaps
if you think of Jacob's situation that we read of in this chapter
here he was and told by his father to go a long way away and to
find a wife to receive a wife, told him where
to go, to Padaneram and to Laban, the son of Bethiel the Syrian,
the brother of Rebekah, Jacob's and Esau's mother. And so his
father told him to go to that place and to find a wife. you
know to us today of course travelling distances is no real problem
you know we have maps and we have transport and it's a very
simple process really but if you think of it in these days
he didn't have anything it would appear he went by himself he
didn't have a horse didn't have an ass he just went by himself
and he wandered for many many miles to come to this place. It was really an unknown journey. He didn't know whether his way
was going to be prosperous or not. It's really very similar
to that which we can read just in a few chapters previously
in Genesis chapter 24 where Abraham's servant was sent out to to find
a wife for Isaac and he had the unknown situation before him
but he was blessed and he found a suitable place and he found
a suitable wife the wife that God had ordained for Isaac and
so we have this account now that it's now the turn of Jacob to
go and to find a wife. And it's interesting, really,
as we read such accounts as this, that for you young people today
to just remember and to think God provides husbands and God
provides wives. You shouldn't just think, well,
I need a husband, you need a wife, no doubt. Some of you young people
are wondering what the future holds for you with regards to
a husband or a wife. Well, may you heed the examples
in the word of God to seek unto the Lord that he will provide
you with a husband and a wife. And the good news is that God
doesn't make any mistakes. You see, you and I can perhaps
go forth and think, oh, that's a nice person, that'll make a
wonderful husband or wife. But we don't really know very
much about them, and we may never know very much about them, perhaps. And yet the great thing is to
know that they are a person that God has provided. Because if
God has provided a husband or a wife for us, we know it'll
work out well. It may not always be a smooth
path, but we can be sure that it will work out well. And therefore,
we are, therefore, to commit our way unto the Lord. And young
people in this day and age, don't forget, to pray to God that he
will supply you with a husband and he will supply you with a
wife and perhaps he may not be the person that you want perhaps
he may not be the type of person you want but nonetheless if it's
God's choice it'll prove to be a good choice and prove to be
a right choice so therefore in one sense you needn't worry too
much because you can look to the Lord and the Lord will then
provide perhaps somebody you may never have met before in
your life and you may bring that person into your life you see
the Lord controls everyone's life and therefore don't be disappointed
if you set your heart on someone or you think someone will be
nice and good and they disappear and go somewhere else. The Lord
is in control. And therefore don't be disappointed
and pray your way along in these things. They are very important.
And be sure that the Lord will hear and answer prayer. Well,
we're thankful we have accounts in the Word of God that direct
us in this way. And may you be directed in this
way also. Here was Jacob then, setting
out on this journey. And he went from Beersheba and
went toward Haran. And we're told he'd been journeying,
you see, and he came to a certain place and tarried there. It means
he stopped there all night. because the sun was set and you
must remember in those days there weren't any street lights or
anything and it was pretty dark especially there's no moon it
would have been very dark and he would have had to have stopped
because he wouldn't have been able to see where he was going
at all and so we're told he stayed there all night because the sun
was set He took up the stones in that place and put them for
his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. It's interesting,
isn't it? You know, if you and I were going
today on a journey like that, we'd make sure we got all the
right gear, wouldn't we? So that we could sleep well at
night, a sleeping bag and perhaps something to rest our head on. But here was Jacob in this situation,
and there he was, he lay down on the hard ground and just put
stones for his pillow. But it didn't really matter because
the great blessing was that God was with him. And in that place,
by himself, lonely wasn't it? Didn't have anybody to come and
give him any food before he went to bed. He was just by himself.
And therefore God came to him and met with him in a most remarkable
way. 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. Well, that was marvellous in
itself, but more wonderful still was, and behold, the Lord stood
above it. And he said, he spoke to Jacob
in his sleep in the most powerful way. He said, I am the Lord God. And so that Jacob was well aware
of who it was, he said, I am the Lord God of Abraham, thy
father, and the God of Isaac, which, of course, was his father.
the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to
thy seed. And thy seed, that means his
children which would come, and his children's children, and
so on, and his children's children's children. 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. It was to be an innumerable number. I'm sure if you can visualize,
if you've got a handful of dust, perhaps, and you try and count
the grains of dust, you'll find it's virtually impossible. They're
so small, and there's so many. That's why there was an illustration
like this, so that Jacob would be quite aware that what God
was telling him was that he would have many, many, many children
which would come forth, not only by him and his own children,
but his children's children and so on, down through the ages. And having them, told Jacob this
great and wonderful truth. He now comes very personally
to Jacob and tells him. And he starts off and says, behold. And there are so many times we've
spoken recently on texts which begin with those words, behold. And when the Word of God tells
us to behold, it means we are to take notice of it very carefully. We're not to just pass it over
as something of no consequence. But we are to think and remember
what God is saying. And so he speaks here, he says,
behold, I am with thee. I am with thee. And there are
a few occasions in the Word of God where God is referred to
as I am. So here we have this statement.
I am. God is with thee. Now, you and I, my friends, cannot
want really any greater blessing than that. to know that God,
the almighty God, the great God, is with us. I am with thee. What a wonderful, wonderful blessing
that is, isn't it? And how good it is to meditate
on it and to think upon it and to realise the relevance of it
because it is indeed a very important and wonderful consideration to
have such a word. If we go to Exodus and Moses'
life, and God came to Moses, and Moses said in the third chapter
and the 11th verse, this is what we're told, and Moses said unto
God, who am I? that I should go unto Pharaoh,
and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of
Egypt. And he said, and again this is
God speaking to Moses, certainly I will be with thee. And this
shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee, when thou hast
brought forth a people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon
this mountain." Really it was quite a similar statement that
which God spoke to Jacob a good many years previously. And then
he says, And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto
the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your
fathers hath sent me unto you, And they shall say to me, what
is his name? What shall I say unto them? God
said unto Moses, I am that I am. And he said, that shalt thou
say unto the children of Israel, I am hath sent me unto you. Very simple, wasn't it? I am. hath sent me unto you. And here
we have this statement here then this morning. Behold, I am with
thee, and will keep thee. That was an amazing promise,
wasn't it, to Jacob. You can imagine, can't we, Jacob
lying down lonely in this place, not knowing what might happen
to him at night, because it's not like it is today. There were
many wild beasts roaming around. Perhaps he was fearful that he
might have been attacked while he was sleeping. And yet, you
see, God came and met with Jacob in this position, in this situation. Jacob would never have thought
it would have occurred like this. But here he was to receive A
wonderful promise and a wonderful encouragement. Now let us just
realise that God doesn't change. God is the same today. And God
knows all about us in our little lives. We may think we're very
insignificant. Jacob may have felt he was very
insignificant. And yet you see God came to Jacob
in this wonderful way and spoke to him such very powerful and
such very encouraging words. I am with thee. You think of that, you young
people, all of us, think of that. If God is for us, if God is with
us, who can be against us? If God's on our side, it doesn't
matter really if the whole world's against us. Because God is greater than the
whole world. He's in charge of everything.
It's not really whether other people are for us or that. It's
whether God is on our side. And you see, if God is on our
side, we can be very encouraged and we can truly praise and bless
God for his goodness and mercy. We have a very beautiful word
in the 18th Psalm, 118th Psalm rather. And this is what God
says through the psalmist Psalm 118 and verse 6 The Lord is on
my side What a strength that was to the psalmist What a strength for us today
To know a truth like this The Lord
is on my side That's very strong, isn't it? That's very positive. And then he goes on to say, therefore,
because of that, David, this is what I'm saying, I will not
fear. What can man do unto me? You see, when God is on our side,
we have nothing to fear. Because we know our life is secure,
We know the Lord will watch over us. We know the Lord will be
with us. We know the Lord will bless us.
If he's on our side, he's not going to cast us off. He's not
going to say, well, I've had enough now. Off you go by yourself. No, he said, I am with thee. So there was Jacob by himself. And the Lord speaking to him
very clearly. It was a dream, but nonetheless the words to
Jacob were very clear. and therefore he was able to
recall it and to testify of it and obviously it was something
that he recalled and perhaps wrote down but it was passed
down through generations until Moses came to write this book
of Genesis many years afterwards and to write down such very firm
and strong and powerful words and so I am with thee And that
means what it says. Like it did with David. Like
it did with Moses. I am with thee. Yes, to think
that God is with us. And if God is with us, we have
nothing to fear. Isn't that a great blessing?
Isn't that a wonderful favour? If God is with us, I am with
thee. perhaps we need encouragement God knows what
we're walking, the path we're walking in perhaps we may just
need this morning a word like this to encourage us to know
that we're not walking in a way which is opposite to what God
will have us walk in but to realise that here we have a statement
to encourage us I am with thee and if you and I are able to
lay hold of such a word as this It must be, and it will be, a
great and glorious strength and encouragement to us. Again, that's
why the Apostle Paul was able to say, I can do all things through
Christ that strengtheneth me. It was because God was with the
Apostle Paul. And you think of the life the
Apostle had to lead and lived. Much, much opposition. So it
is with the saints of God. We're not promised an easy path. But here we have a promise that
should encourage us in our journey of life to know that God is with
us. I am with thee. And then he expands it a little. And he says, and will keep thee
in all places whither thou goest. Again, that's an encouraging
word, isn't it? To believe this great truth,
the Lord was going to be with him and to keep him. And that's important for us today,
isn't it? In our lives, Peter tells us, in his life, kept by
the power of God he would have proved perhaps many times this
was true he knew also that if he was not kept he would fall
he knew how he denied his Lord and Saviour remember when the
Lord Jesus was in that judgment hall and Peter who thought he
was so strong Such a great person would never deny his Lord and
Master. Never rely on your strength. Never rely on your ability. If you and I are left for a moment,
we'll commit all manner of sin. We'll do all manner of wrong.
We need continually to be kept by the power of God. and that's
why Peter was able to say such strong words kept by the power
of God he knew how needful it was kept by the power of God
and so here we have Jacob has this promise and will keep thee
yes, to think that therefore through his life the Lord will
be with him I am with thee and will keep thee it's a great encouragement
isn't it? it's a great blessing isn't it?
to know that God is in control and God watches over us he knows
where we are he knows every step that we take and sometimes perhaps
we forget those very wonderful words that Jesus instructed his
disciples to pray he wanted to know how to pray and the Lord
taught them and one of the things he said was this lead me not
into temptation and deliver me from evil they're perhaps very
familiar words they should be part of the Lord's Prayer but
they're good words to pray because they're personal lead me not
into temptation and deliver me from evil kept by the power of God, and
will keep thee. You see, again, a firm promise,
isn't it? God is speaking. God is telling
Jacob here these glorious words. I am with thee and will keep
thee. And he fulfills that by saying,
in all places whither thou goest. Day by day, this place, that
place. God will be with him. God will
keep him. Encouraging, isn't it? To know
that God does give promises like that still today, and God does
still fulfill his word like he did to Jacob. Yes, as we read,
he led him about. He instructed him. He kept him
as the apple of his eye. Somebody very dear and very precious. That's very humbling, isn't it?
To think that Almighty God is so gracious and keeps us. Someone who is very special,
very precious to the Saviour. As you and I look at ourselves,
we might think we are very unworthy. We may feel perhaps like the
Apostle Paul, less than the least of all the saints. And yet, you
see, to know that God is with us and that God is keeping us
wherever we are, wherever we go. Well, Jacob was blessed indeed,
wasn't he? I am with thee and will keep
thee in all places whither thou goest. Every place. Every place. Sometimes, perhaps,
we may be fearful. I don't know what's before us,
before any of you. Perhaps there's a situation which
you're fearful of. You're fearful of going or fearful
of venturing. Well, if God is with you, who
can be against you? If it's a word like this, you
can go in the strength of the Lord God. But never rely on your
own strength. Never rely on your own ability. Never think that like poor old
Peter, He was able to be strong and to keep himself. Never forget
we have a great enemy, the devil, who is a great adversary. And
he will do everything he can to destroy our soul. Everything he can. And that's
why we will need continually the keeping power of Almighty
God. Never think you'll be able to
keep you. The Word of God tells us, no
man can keep alive his own soul. Sometimes we may think, perhaps
the Lord's been gracious and blessed us and well, it's all
going to be all right now. It's all going to be in plain
sailing. No, I don't rely on that. My friends, continually
commit your way unto the Lord. Trust also in Him. Depend on
Him. Thou canst not fail. don't depend on yourself depend
on him behold then such a word as this I am with thee and will
keep thee in all places whither thou goest and it doesn't stop
there it doesn't stop there you might think it might do no it
doesn't you see Jacob is therefore encouraged still further and
this is what he's told and will bring thee again into this land. Yes, he was going to be with
him, and he was coming back to this place. And when he came
back to this place, he would then remember. Oh, what a wonderful
time it would be of praising God for his promises being fulfilled. it's wonderful in our lives perhaps
sometimes when we find God's promise is fulfilled in our lives
the promise which is given to us and it may not seem to be
coming to pass we may wonder perhaps whether it was from God
well if it was from God it will come to pass it will come to pass, don't doubt
that it will be tempted it will be tried, of course it will but
if it is from God it will come to pass and when it does come
to pass you will have cause to praise and to thank God for his goodness for his loving
kindness for His mercy toward you insofar that you haven't
been forgotten you may sometimes think God's forgotten you He
hasn't forgotten you at all what's occurring is testing the reality of your
religion And that which God has given
will last, will come through the fire. Yes, what a mercy that
is. And you'll prove then, just like
Jacob proved in his life. It was a long time, wasn't it?
Coming to pass when he would come back here. He had to serve
all those years for Laban. Many years he was there, but
you see, it came to pass. What God promises comes to pass. Don't give up. Press on. Hold fast that which
is good. That's the great message, isn't
it? To hold fast that which is good. The devil will try and wrest
it from you. He doesn't want you to believe a promise of God. He wants you to cast it aside
as something which is irrelevant. No, God tests it, but God will
bring it to pass. And that's why We have a word
like this, and will bring thee again into this land. Yes? There you are, Jacob. And Jacob proved it to be true.
My friends, today, by the grace of God, we prove God's word to
be true. And how good that is for us. And how it strengthens our faith. and how we can thank God for
it, and how we can rejoice in the glorious Word of God. And so he tells them, and will
bring thee again into this land. And then he says, for I will
not leave thee. No, Jacob, you won't be left. You won't be left. I will be
with thee in all the path that you are to take. And it's a path
which is ordained for you. God knew where he would lead
Jacob and how he would deal with Jacob. And my friends, that's
true for you and me today. God knows about us. He knows the path that we take. Because it's his path. Sometimes
we think, well, I can't be walking in a path that God has ordained.
Well, God ordains our path. And sometimes it's a path that
we never expected. But we will prove it is the right
way. It is. the way that God has ordained
for us. And he said, therefore, I will
not leave thee. We don't always feel and know
that God is with us. But you know, the word tells
us he led them forth by the right way. that they should go to a
city of habitation there was no doubt in the way that God
led the Israelites 40 years they wandered around but God brought
them at last into Canaan I know there were all those who disobeyed
God that fell in the wilderness but nonetheless His promise was
fulfilled and His promise today is fulfilled to those whom He
has loved with everlasting love The blessing is that he instructs
us in the way. Jake had learned a lot, didn't
he, in his journey. God didn't leave him. God tested
him. God tried him. But he brought
him back to this place to praise and to honor and to glorify his
God. I will not leave thee. Sometimes
we just need that just to as a strength for us so that in
our journey When things don't seem to be going right And I
say that because God's way is perfect When it seems not to
be going right Just remember That God is with us in it Because
in our little journey of life We have a lot that we need God
to do for us. We're often pretty unruly. And we need to be tamed. God knows how to tame us. And God's the best trainer. And
God does train us. And what is that training? I'll
tell you what that training is. That training is to make us more
like the Saviour. Yes. I will not leave thee. It may sometimes seem that God
has perhaps left us. No, he hasn't. He's perhaps leaving
us to show how sinful we are, how weak we are, how feeble we
are, how evil we are, how sinful we are, and to make us cleave
under Him. Make us cast all our care upon
Him, to deliver us from our own strength. and to bring us into that gracious
and glorious path of fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ. We then prove, you see, I will
not leave you. No, we might think, God's left
me. No, He hasn't left us. He's with
us. And we're being taught, we're
being shown what we are by nature. We're being shown how gracious
God is, how kind and merciful that he hasn't cast us off. He's looking upon us and he's
instructing us and he's preparing us in our life, what for? Our eternal home. Glory at last,
the preparation by Almighty God. I will not leave thee until I
have done that which I have spoken to thee of. The blessing is that God never
leaves his people until they come home to glory. He never leaves us. Yes, until
we come to the inheritance which is incorruptible and undefiled
and that fadeth not away. Until I've done that which I've
spoken to thee of. Yes, says the Lord I will. Never
leave thee, nor forsake thee. Indeed, the Apostle Paul speaks,
doesn't he, so very beautifully in the Hebrews, and in the 13th
chapter, in the 5th verse, he says, let your conversation be
without covetousness And be content with such things as you have.
Just to pause there, I wasn't going to mention that, but just
think about it really. It's good isn't it? Let your
conversation be without covetousness. and be content with such things
as ye have. This is the gift of God, and
it's a great blessing. Godliness with contentment is
great gain. For we brought nothing into this
world, and it is certain we shall carry nothing out. And then he
goes on to say, For he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor
forsake thee. What a promise that is, isn't
it? to think that God has said that. We may not always feel
the presence of God with us, and yet this promise is sure
and certain, as he says, I will never leave thee, nor forsake
thee. And he goes on, so that we may
boldly say, boldly say, the Lord is my helper. I will not fear
what man shall do unto me. very similar words aren't they
to the 103rd psalm 118th psalm which we just referred to well,
may we lay hold of words like this I will never leave thee
nor forsake thee here's the promise to Jacob many years ago I will
not leave thee and my friends it's true to every believer God
does not leave us sometimes we may think He has But no, He's
teaching us. Teaching us to show us how weak
we are in and of ourselves. And to show us how great and
glorious is our Saviour. What a God we have then. What
a merciful God we have. For I will not leave thee, nor
forsake thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee
of. You see, the Lord has a work
to do in our lives. Yes, we spoke recently, didn't
we, like the potter and the clay. How God deals in that way, like
the potter takes a lump of clay and moulds it exactly as he wants
to. And my friend, God does that
with us. We're moulded by the gracious, glorious, loving-kindness
of Almighty God. He knows what you and I need.
to make us conformable unto his image. My friends, God never
fails. Perhaps it takes more with one
or another. It will take all our life. But
by the grace of God, we shall come to that day ready then to
leave this world and to enter into that glorious kingdom of
heaven, as a vessel of mercy, as a prepared person, prepared
by our God to enter into heaven itself. And what will we say? Praise God. His work, His blessed work upon such and
unworthy person as I am. Well, this was the word for Jacob. The unknown was before him. He
didn't know what it was. And up to a certain extent, that's
the same with all of us, isn't it? The unknown is before us. We don't know what it contains,
but God knows. And may we therefore be strengthened
to realise that the Lord is moulding us, leading us, directing us,
blessing us, to make us more like Him. Let us all be quite
sure of this. The Lord is dealing with us.
He'll bring us, by faith, to see what the Saviour has done
in order to redeem our soul. And that will put everything
in the right perspective. You're there and you won't complain.
You won't say, well, God's got it all wrong. You'll realize
God's got it all right because he leads us to the cross. And what do we see there? A suffering
Savior. And what do we see there? A glorious
Savior giving his life so that you and I might possess the wonderful
gift of eternal life. You see, and that will never
be, can never be taken away. Oh, what a thing it is to ponder
and to meditate upon. And so today, think upon these
words, think upon the life of Jacob, think upon the gracious
fulfillment of these words. And behold, I am with thee and
will keep thee in all places with an egoist, 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. Amen. Closing hymn in worship this
morning, hymn 932. Hymn 932 to the tune Olivet 681. Hymn 932.
Sea from Zion's sacred mountain, streams of living water flow. God has opened there a fountain
that supplies the plains below. They are blessed who his sovereign
virtues know. Through ten thousand channels
flowing, streams of mercy find their way, life and health and
joy bestowing, making all around look gay. O believer, all thy
sins are washed away. Hymn 932. Lord, have mercy upon us. Lord,
have mercy upon us. ? And when you come to Jesus' place
? ? He shall bless you from the grave ? ? Hark, the herald angels sing
? ? Glory to the newborn King ? ? Glory to the newborn King
? Thou, Lord God of glory, Christian,
Lord at which we have sinned most, Heaven and earth and stars in
exultation, God's love, God's love, God's love, God's love, God's love, God's love,
God's love, God's love, God's love, God's love, God's love, God's love, God's love, God's love,
God's love, God's love, God's love, God's love, God's love, God's love, God's love, God's
love, God's love, God's love, God's love, God's love, God's love, God's love,
God's love, God's love, God's love, God's love, God's love, God's love, God's love,
God's love, God's love, God's love, God's love, God's love, God's love, God's love, God's love, God's
love, God's love, God's love, God's love, God's love, God's love, God's love, God's love,
God's love, God's love, ? Tilt your head and look to God
above ? ? He hath brought you from on high ? ? Not to be forsaken, not to be forsaken
? Now may the grace of our Lord
and Saviour Jesus Christ and the love of God our Father and
the fellowship and communion of the Eternal Spirit rest and
abide with us each, now and for evermore. Amen. Jesus, Jesus. Yes. Yes. I'm not too well-known, but you
are. Come cheer yourself up here.
Yes, it's good to hear. Yes, yes, I hope to be. It's good, very good. How are you, John? Oh, yeah, almost there, aren't
they? Yeah, I was over there. It looks like mine was here. Did they leave them in here? Yes, they found it and changed
the way it was. Oh, what was that? John, John, his brother. It's good to see you. Yes. Yes, welcome. Thank you very
much. Thank you. What's that? Yeah, you were at the LTV the
other time. Oh yeah, yeah. It was really
nice. Yeah, good spread. Oh, good spread. He looks like an old man. Oh, okay.