I want to let y'all know that
Ms. Shelby had sent a thank you note
and I left it there on the back for anybody like to read it and
I took a try to take a picture I was gonna send it like you
know email but that I couldn't it's always sideways I've said
to one of you young people you know figure it out but uh she
was so thankful for your gift and I wanted to thank you all
for your generosity and I think I thank everybody individually
but for the gifts to my family and myself and uh thank you I'm
thankful for the heart that the Lord's put in you to be so gracious
And I'm thankful for that. And then that bathroom gives
us more problems than anything. I went and put new toilet paper
in it yesterday. I was cleaning it and I broke it. But I think
I fixed it this morning. And if it messes up again, let
me know and I'll have someone put a new holder on there. Let's go to the Lord in prayer
before we look at this Bible study. Father, we're thankful
for this year that you've given us. We're thankful for this day. This has been determined before
eternity. That's your good pleasure and
will. Make us thankful, Lord. Give
us ears to hear. Not a man, but the message. Let's
allow us to hear about Christ this morning. Give us a heart
for him. Awaken us. Keep us and teach
us things. During this time, you've gathered
us together, Lord. Make it profitable and bless
it to our hearts through the week to come. As we're around
family and friends and the things of this world, Lord, make those
things anchor in us and we can remember our Redeemer, our Lord.
Thank you for this hour, Lord, and be with us. Because of Christ
we ask, amen. All right, brother, Genesis 49. Genesis chapter 49. I want to look at Judah's last
days. We're in the last days, ain't
we? As Papa Willie said, it ain't going to be as long as it has
been. Won't be long, a vapor, and our days will be over. But
Jacob gathers his son, he's an old man, 147, he's dying and
he knows it. And so he's gonna talk to his
children. This is prophetic. This isn't just an old man talking
to his horrible children. We're gonna learn something here,
I pray God will be with us. He says in verse one, Genesis
49, and Jacob 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."
That was a long time ago, wasn't it? Has anything changed? If the Lord picks to do something,
you know he's gonna do that forever, because there ain't no better
option that's gonna come up. Do you get that? That's amazing.
He said, this is the way I'm going to do it. There will never
throughout eternity be a better way to do it. That's that. That's
that way. His wisdom's infinite. And he
says, gather together. What are we doing right now?
We're gathered together, aren't we? Jacob told his sons, gather
yourselves together. We're gathered here together
today and here, here. God has to do that. He has to
give an ear to hear. I pray he gives me ears to hear,
every time that word goes out. Who? Who's supposed to hear?
Ye sons of Jacob, and hearken unto Israel, your father. He
says, I'm gonna tell you something, now listen to me. Well, it's
the old man just talking to his children. No, it ain't. This
is what happens every time. John said that, my little children. Listen to me. I pray God give
me something to tell you. I want to tell the sons of Jacob
about what shall befall them in their last day. Old Brother
Mahan had a wonderful article he wrote this week. He thanked
me for my bulletin, and as he, I guess, opened his email to
send out his bulletin, and I said, yours is better. Warn them. Warn them. That's a charge I
have. I might just come and say, behold
your God, and peaches and cream and dessert and ice cream. No,
all flesh is grass. If the Lord's laid something
on my heart and taught me something, I gotta tell folks. Well, Kevin,
you've been saying bad things. You're welcome. God did it, not
me. I don't have the spine to do
it. He has to make me that way. But hear it. Hear it. I wanna
tell all the sons of Jacob, your last days are coming, and if
you're his, I'm gonna tell you what's gonna happen. Don't you
tell me about those things. Well, yes, listen, I wanna know,
don't you? I wanna know what's gonna happen.
The Lord said, ye that receiveth you, receiveth me, and he that
receiveth me, receiveth him that sent me. This is a picture of
those sons of Jacob receiving what their father's telling them.
He's telling them things. Jacob goes through each one of
his sons here in Genesis 49, you can read it when you get
home. He goes to Reuben, he said, you're the firstborn and you're
strong. He said, but you're as unstable
as water. You get that? Daddy, how dare
you say something like that? You're like an intoxicated teenager. You're bouncing all over the
place, and you're stirred up at every little whim. You're
strong. You're my firstborn. I love you. You're as unstable
as water. Water's unstable. It pours all
over the place. He goes through Simeon and Levi. He said, you're
instruments of cruelty. Y'all killed a fellow. Zebulun. He said, you shall dwell at the
haven of the sea. You know what that means? There's
a lot of things that could mean. There's the correct way to preach
it on either side of the coin, but you're going to be in boundaries,
and your property ain't going to extend out that way. You ain't
going to go levitate on the sea. You're not going to grow any,
and nothing but storms is going to come off that to you. You
got days of trouble ahead of you. It's a car. It has a strong
ass crouching down between two burdens. Hmm it says that that's
I mean just you're so strong, but there's gonna be burdens
on you. That's just gonna crush you It's gonna make you crouch
down and it says and he saw that rest was good That's a curse,
isn't it? Like resting It's a bad thing
He's got something negative to say about everyone's children
Dan shall be a serpent by the way that bideth the horses healed
boy You're gonna be problems Gad Gad a troops gonna overcome
you A great multitude's gonna overwhelm you. Asher, your bread
is gonna be fat, and your royal, just as royal dainties, fancy
desserts. You know what that means? You're
gonna have your own food, and you ain't gonna need the food
that's gonna be provided by God to you. You'll think you're fine
all by yourself. I can read this, and I can sort
it out, and I can do that. What a warning. Naphtili, as
a hind let loose. But he talks a good game. You're
as wild as a deer, just running through the woods. But boy, he
says nice things, don't he? Joseph. Now remember, Joseph's
been a picture of Christ. We've been looking at it for
a long time now. He says, you're the fruitful bow. We might look
at that next week. Oh, the blessings that you are.
But the archers are going to chase you and sorely grieve you.
You're going to have a hard time, Joseph. Archers are going to
chase you, just shooting arrows every chance they get when you've
got something to do. Benjamin. Oh, he shall raven as a wolf. He shall tear apart, pull apart,
rip in little tiny pieces. In the morning he shall devour
the prey, and at night he shall divide the spool. What a man of destruction. That's
your last days. Is that right? Should we warn
people? Times are tough. Like Joseph
said, you've been in famine two years, you got five more, hold
on to your horses. We ought not say such things.
That's negative talk. Job said, man, it's born of woman's
a few days and full of trouble. We ought not be surprised. This
world is going just terrible. The children are disobedient
to parents and unruly and people won't, they're fighting authority
at every chance they get. And I won't do that. I won't
have some man, Lord said, that's what's gonna happen. We ought
not be surprised. And once that anxiety and that
surprise is gone, now we can go back and hope the Lord teach
us something we can worship God. We can thank him for it. That'd
be a good thing, wouldn't it? That's us, isn't it? Full of
trouble. But I left one of the sons out.
I went through 11 of them. This is what Jacob told us. And
this ain't just an old man talking to his children. We're gonna
learn something here. Judah. Look here in verse 8. Judah is
us. Did you know that? First, I want to look at this
real briefly as to us. This is our last days. This is
the life of a believer. Not of everybody. Not of corporations
or something. Of believers. Of God's children.
Judah. Where do we get that? Juden.
That's the German. Germanic of it, right? Jews.
He's not a Jew that's just one outwardly. He's a Jew that's
one inwardly. This is us. This is us. I'll teach us something. Look here, verse eight. Judah.
Thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise. That's his name. That's what Judah means, praise.
Did you know that? That's what his mommy named him. Thou art
he whom thy brethren shall praise, and he shall be Thy hand shall
be in the neck of thine enemies. The Lord says, we'll make us
kings and priests. That's so? I can't believe that
it's so. And thy hand shall be in the
neck of thy enemies. Every enemy we have that comes around us,
the Lord's in control of. Every one of them. Isn't he? Thy father's children shall bow
down before thee. That's true too. Solomon, David,
all those, they respected Judah. Judah is a lion's wealth, that
means a young cub, young, strong, able to move around. From the
prey, my son, thou art gone up. He stooped down, he crouched
as a lion, as an old lion. Who shall rouse him up, from
young to old? No one can touch us, nothing
can separate us from the love of God. The scepter shall not
depart from Judah. What's that? I was thinking this
morning, I was a guidon bearer in the military. And that's a
big old long pole with a flag on it for the unit. And so I
know a little bit about Nisi, Jehovah Nisi, Lord our banner.
That's what that meant, a guidon. That's where all the words, where
they come from, that's where they get that. And Jehovah Nisi
shall not depart from Judah. The Lord won't leave us to ourselves.
He won't leave you. Nor a lawgiver from between his
feet until Shiloh come. The Lord's with us until he's
with us. Face to face. That's a capital S there, Shiloh.
Shiloh. Christ our peace. Face to face. He's gonna keep us until faith's
done away with. We don't need faith, we see.
Till hope's done away with. We don't have an expected end.
He's our end, we're with him. He won't leave us, nor forsake
us. And unto him shall the gathering of the people be. Unto Shiloh,
Christ our Lord. Binding his foal into the vine,
and his ass's coat into the choice vine, he washed his garments
in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes. His eyes shall
be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk. In Judah, those
that are Judah's in the heart, that the Lord does, that new
creation he puts in us, we're washed in the blood of the lamb,
all the way until our eyes look like wine. What's that mean?
Everything I see is of the Lord. And everything, I was working
on a refrigerator one time, and I dropped a screw down in a really
hard place to get it. And I thought, well, the Lord
wanted me to drop that screw down there. Make me be patient and be a good example
in this restaurant so that way nobody sees me throwing wrenches
and all that and acting like a little child. Let me act like
somebody's got some sense, Lord. Thank you. You gave your son
for me. I think he'll get me through this work day. My eyes,
I see him throughout the day and my children and walking out
in the mailbox and the birds, hummingbirds. My teeth white with milk. That's
all that comes out of our mouths. Sweet milk of the gospel. Here's
what the Lord's done. Look to him. That's us. That's Jacob, or Judas, isn't
it? Us inwardly. But this old man Jacob, he's
talking to his sons. They're sitting there, some fella
talking. And I want to warn you, the man speak, let him speak
as like oracles of God. Jacob speaking as an oracle of
God to his children. We speak about God, we're speaking
on God's behalf. Better be right. And he's speaking
of Christ here. He's speaking of Christ here,
our greater Judah. Judah, verse eight, thou art
he whom thy brethren shall praise. Thy hand shall be in the neck
of thine enemies, thy father's children, all of them shall bow
down before thee. Over in Isaiah 42, it says, Look
unto me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth, for I
am God and there is none else. I have sworn by myself, the word
has gone out of my mouth in righteousness and shall not return. It won't
return to him for weep. That unto me, every knee shall
bow and every tongue shall swear unto him. This is speaking of
Christ, isn't it? Turn over Philippians chapter
two. Philippians chapter 2, verse
9. Speaking of Christ here, Philippians
2, 9. Wherefore God also hath highly
exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name, that
at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven
and things in earth and things under the earth. What's that
mean? A double L. Oh, does that mean
that the hummingbirds in the place is a bird saying to him,
I thank him. That means little beetles are
going to bow down. I'd say so. He's worthy of it. And that every tongue should
confess verse 11, that Jesus Christ is Lord. to the glory
of God the Father. They're gonna praise Him. Due
to all the Father's children, all that He purposed before time
to make just like Christ, they're gonna praise Christ, and we're
gonna call Him Lord. We're gonna call Him Lord. What
do y'all believe down here? What do we believe down here
at San Diego Grace Fellowship in Hamoul, California? Well,
there's a list of things we believe. No, it's a person. That's that
white milk on our teeth and that red wine in our eyes. He's our
Lord. I don't want to hear about somebody's
savior. Tell me about your Lord. I don't want to hear about somebody's
doctrine. Tell me about your Lord. I don't want to hear about
your preacher. And you know how good this fella is? Who cares?
I want to hear about the Lord. That's who we bow to. That's
what every knee is going to bow to and every tongue is going
to confess. All of them. And I pray for every soul in
this county, in this state, in this continent, in this world,
I would that all men be saved. And every tongue's gonna confess
his Lord, every knee's gonna bow. I pray that that happens
now while we're alive on this earth, because that's called
salvation. He reveals himself to us as Lord, and not in that
final day. That was Paul. Paul, the apostle's
biggest worry, a false convert. They tell people all the time,
examine yourselves, examine yourself. Not examine me, that's doing
plenty examining him. They said, well, you ain't an
apostle, picked on him all the time. But he said, examine yourselves.
That's what I want to do. I don't want this to be here.
I grew up underneath the gospel, and that was a terrifying time.
You young people who grew up underneath the gospel, you're
going to go through this, and I'll be able to talk to you. I spent five years in misery,
worried to death that I had a head knowledge and not a heart knowledge.
Do I know this just because my grandpa did it, and that's what
my pastor said, that's what my dad said, and my mom and dad
said, and that's just what they're doing? And I'm just going along
with it? Or has God done a work in my heart? I examine me. Judah is a lion's whelp. From the prey, my son, thou art
gone up, he stooped down, he couched as a lion, as an old
lion, who shall rouse him? It says in our text, he's a young,
little, tiny lion that's full of energy and all this bounce
all over the place and he's an old lion, which is it? Proverbs,
Revelation five. Verse one. Revelation five verse one, I
saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne, a book
written within on the, and on the backside sealed with seven
seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice
who is worthy to open the book and to loose the seals thereof
and no man in heaven. Nor in earth, neither under the
earth. Didn't we just read that? Heaven
and earth and under the earth. Was able to open the book, neither
to look thereon. Couldn't even look at it. And
I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read
the book, neither to look thereon. That's a good place to be. is
to not be able to look to a man, and not be able to discern a
book, and to be in need. That Ethiopian eunuch was in
need, wasn't he? Philip said, you know what you're
reading there, buddy? He said, how can I let some man teach
me? John's here weeping. What are we going to do? There's
a need. Verse five, and one of the elders said to me, weep not. Preacher came to him, that's
what an elder is, a preacher. Weep not, behold the lion of the tribe
of Judah. Our text said Judah's gonna be
a lion's whelp. He couched as an old lion, who's gonna rouse
him? The lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, hath
prevailed to open the book and to loose the seven seals of their
hub. He did it. The Lion of the Tribe of Judah.
Well, they say he was young and they say he was old. What's that
mean? He's Alpha and Omega. He's the beginning and the end.
He has all strength. He has all wisdom. Isn't that
right? That's what old people say. I'm
just now getting into that. Where the energy's wasted on
youth or something like that. I'm finally to the age, I'm in
a midlife crisis. Right now is a time in my life I could work.
I finally got a little bit of head knowledge and my body's
still holding out some. I could be real productive, you
know. But it won't be long that I'm not going to be able to do
stuff. But then I know a lot more. Now I know how to do stuff. And I can't. I can't see nothing.
I got to get my glasses the other day. I was just trying to do
something. My eyes are going. Hearing's going. This is the
one. This ain't Judah. I mean, it's
him. You're going to be young. You're
going to be old. You'll never see the righteous for Satan or his people begging
bread. This is Christ, Alpha and Omega.
All strength, all wisdom. That's him, that's who he's talking
about. Remember he said his prey was in his hand? And then he
talks about a lion. You ever see a lion carrying
a gazelle by the neck, right? You take your prey by the neck,
and you can do anything you want with it. That's just one human
to another. If I get my hands on somebody,
you ain't gonna get my hands off of it. What about a lion?
You ain't got a chance. What about the lion of the tribe
of Judah? His praise in His hand. What's His praise? Sin's His
praise. Sin was. He killed it. He put it away. It says in 1
Corinthians 15, O death, where's thy sting? O grave, where's thy
victory? The sting of death is sin. The strength of sin's the
law, but thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through
our Lord Jesus Christ. He done away with sin. That's
an enemy. That's something going against
us, but it's his prey. He destroyed it. Death. Aaron
Hosea 13 said, I will ransom them from the power of the grave.
I will redeem them from death. I'm gonna buy them. From what? From death. How? Pay them for
their sins and that blood. I want that to be in my eyes.
I want that to be on my teeth. Oh, death, I will be thy plagues. I'm going to be over you, death,
just as a lion is over its prey. O grave, I will be thy destruction.
Repentance shall be hid from mine eyes. He conquered Satan,
didn't he? Was that his prey? That's what
was declared in Genesis 3. He said, I will put enmity between
thee and the woman. There's war between serpents,
the serpent, and the woman, the seed of the offspring of Adam. And between thy seed and her
seed, it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
That's his prey that he destroyed. He destroyed sin, he destroyed
death, he destroyed the accuser of the bread. Turn over Hebrews
2. Back a few pages there, Hebrews 2. Verse 14. Hebrews 2.14, for as much then
as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself
likewise took part of the same. He was made like us, that through
death he might destroy him that had power, the power of death,
that is the devil, and deliver them who through fear of death
were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily he took
not on him the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed of
Abraham, that offspring of Judah. the line of the tribe of Judah.
That branch of David, rod of Jesse, isn't it? He overcame
the law. Look here in Colossians 2. Colossians
chapter 2, verse 13. And you, Colossians 2.13, and
you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your
flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you
all trespasses, blotting out the handwriting of ordinances
that was against us." There was a war going on. That was his
prey, he came and conquered it. Which was contrary to us, and
took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross. And having spoiled
principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing
over them in it. All those things, this great
line, that's so able and so wise, he came and conquered his prey
in his hand. sin, death, the grave, Satan,
the law, anything that's against us, anything, anything. It said in Matthew 5, think not
that I'm come to destroy the law of the prophets. I'm not
coming to destroy, but to fulfill, to conquer, to complete. For
verily I say unto you, until heaven and earth pass, not one
jot nor one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till it
all be fulfilled. He completely conquered it. Now
who's going to arouse him? You won't wake that lion up?
Who art thou, old man? Question God. We're gonna come
to him and say, well, who gave you the right to do these things?
Did anybody run that past me? Who's gonna rouse him? Nobody
was, really. In Numbers 24, it said, he couched,
he lay down as a lion, as a great lion, who shall stir him up?
Blessed is he that blessed thee, and cursed is he that cursed
thee. Psalm 2, it says, serve the Lord with fear and rejoice
with trembling. Kiss the son lest he be angry
and he perish from the way when his wrath is kindled but a little.
Lest are they all, lest are all they that put their trust in
him. Who's gonna rouse him? Don't rouse him, rejoice in him.
Is that what we do? Don't poke him with a stick,
praise him. Don't mock God. Bow to the master, bow to him. Back in our text in Genesis 49
verse 10. It says, the scepter shall not
depart from Judah nor a lawgiver from between his feet until Shiloh
come. Unto him shall the gathering
of the people be. Unto him, unto him. That's promised
to us too, right? We're those that are Jews inwardly.
And the Lord ain't gonna depart from us, this great line of the
tribe of Judah that's wise and capable and has defeated all
for us, there's praise in His hand. He ain't gonna leave us
until Shiloh come. And all's gonna be gathered to
Him. All's gonna be gathered to Him. Turn over to John 12
and leave a marker there. John chapter 12. Look here in verse 27. John 12,
27. Now as my soul troubled, and
what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour.
But for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy
name. Then came there a voice from
heaven saying, I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.
And the people therefore that stood by heard and said it thundered. Others said an angel spake to
him. And Jesus answered and said, this voice came not because of
me, but for your sakes. Now is the judgment of this world.
Now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if
I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. Just
like that serpent in the wilderness. Christ lifted up for our sakes
and now exalted. the right hand of the Father.
He draws all his people to him. All of those sons of Jacob are
going to hear. Now gather around and listen.
They're going to hear. The Lord says, come. He draws
them, don't he? He gives them ears to hear, and
he says, hear. And they speak plainly. Shiloh. That's when
he's going to come and be lifted up. That means tranquility, peace. And that root word of that is
secure and successful. This is a secured peace. This
is a successful peace. It's going to happen. It's gonna
happen. The Lord said, if I'll be lifted
up the earth, hide and watch it. Keep your doubt, you'll learn
it in a little while. Now leave a mark there in John
12, look back at Genesis 49, verse 11. Jacob's speaking to Judah here,
and he says, binding his foe unto the vine, and his ass's
coat unto the choice vine. He washed his garments in wine,
and his clothes in the blood of grapes. His eyes shall be
red with wine, and his teeth white with milk. Zechariah 9.9
says, Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of
Jerusalem! Behold, thy king cometh unto
thee. He is just, and having salvation, lowly, and riding
upon an ass, and upon a colt, the foal of an ass. We remember
looking at that too when they cried Hosanna. Look here in John
12, verse 12. Back in John 12. Go back a little bit to verse
12. It's been a while since we looked here. John 12, 12. On the next day, much people
that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was
coming to Jerusalem, they took branches of palm trees and went
forth to meet him and cried Hosanna. Blessed is the king of Israel
that cometh in the name of the Lord. And Jesus, when he had
found a young ass sat there on, as it is written, fear not, daughter
of Zion, behold, thy king cometh, sitting on an ass's coat. These
things understood not his disciples at first, but when Jesus was
glorified. He was lifted up. He was seated. Resurrected. Then remembered
they that these things were written of him and that they had done
these things unto him. Now they remember. Now they remember.
Jacob's telling Judah, he said, this ain't gonna depart from
you. This scepter ain't going nowhere until Shiloh come and
this is a certain peace. He shall come. he shall come. He said, bind his foal to the
vines, ass his colt into the choice vine. He washed his garments
in wine, his clothes in the blood of grapes, and his eyes shall
be red with wine and his teeth white with milk. Over in Revelation
7, it says, one of the elders answered, saying to him, what
are these which are arrayed in white robes? And whence came
they? Where do all these people in
white come from? Clean, pure, holy, asked John. And John said, Sir, thou knowest.
You tell me. And he said, These are they which
came out of great tribulation, great tribulation, and have washed
their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. That's us too, isn't it? That's
us. How's that? It says in Revelation 1.5, and
from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness and the first
begotten of the dead and the prince of the kings of the earth
unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood. And hath made us kings and priests
unto God and to his father, to him be glory and dominion forever
and ever. Amen. Amen. How did I get washed in that
blow? You better get down there, go down to the river. That's
a real common phrase where I'm from. Everywhere on the Bible
Belt is the buckle, go ask them. And that's, we gotta go down
to the river. That means you've been doing something bad and
you need to go to church. That's a common practice. Well, I'm taking you
to church. Wash yourself, you can't. This line, that's magnificent. This is our last days. He shall
wash us in his own blood. Isn't that good? Isn't that good? What will be our last days? Hmm. I pray watch this. Those angels
talked to Mary and said she shall bring forth the son. Speaking
of Joseph, they should bring forth the son and now shall call his
name Jesus for he shall save his people from their sins. That's
Shiloh. That's a guaranteed peace. From
what? From all the prey. You know, if you got a prey and
a predator, there's a war going on. You ever seen that draw on
that frog, a duck sitting in it, but the frog's trying to
choke it. They don't just give up. They fight back, don't they?
We ain't no match for those things. He is, and it's done. We'll take
a break, and then we'll look at it. It's finished next hour,
but I'll try not to keep going for you, but it's finished. It's
done. So what's left for us to do?
Thank him. Thank him, and rejoice in him, and praise him, Being
all, wow, look at what he's done. That's what it says. He did it.
He did it. All right. Well, you're dismissed. We'll meet back at 1030.