turn to Genesis chapter 29. I
have a quite lengthy passage to read, but I want to read through
most of 29, or part of 29 and most of 30. And I want to speak about Jacob's
progeny. Jacob's progeny. These are, we
will read, and actually from another passage, we will see
the the birth of the 12 sons of Jacob. But before I read this
passage, let me say that this is probably not a passage that
you will hear read at the First Baptist or the First Presbyterian
Church downtown. Most people wouldn't read this
passage. Do you read it, Mason? I know, Paul. Genesis chapter 29. I'll begin
in verse 21. Remember, Jacob has went to Haran,
and that's where Abraham first went when he left for the Chaldees.
So there were still kinfolk left there when Abraham then traveled
on south into the Promised Land. So Jacob goes back to Laban.
And it says in verse 21, Jacob said unto Laban, Give me my wife,
for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in unto her. And Laban
gathered together all the men of the place and made a feast.
And it came to pass in the evening that he took Leah, his daughter,
and brought her to him, that is to Jacob. And he went in unto
her. And Laban gave unto his daughter,
Leah, Zilpah, his maid for a handmaid. And it came to pass that in the
morning, now what in the world Jacob was on when they had that
party, I don't know. No, it doesn't tell us. But behold,
it was Leah. He expected it to be Rachel.
And he said unto Laban, what is this that thou hast done unto
me? Did not I serve with thee for Rachel? And he did. That
was the agreement. Wherefore then hast thou beguiled
me? And Laban said, it must not be
so done in our country to give the younger before the firstborn.
Fulfill her week, and I will give thee this also for the service,
which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.' And Jacob
did so, and fulfilled her week, and he gave unto him Rachel his
daughter to wipe also. And Laban gave to Rachel his
daughter Bilhah, his handmaid, to be her maid. And he went in
also unto Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and
served with him that is for Laban, yet seven other years. When the
Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel
was barren. Leah conceived a barren son.
She called his name Reuben. For, she said, surely the Lord
hath looked upon my affliction. Now, therefore, my husband will
love me. And she conceived again of our
son, and said, Because the Lord hath heard that I was hated,
he hath therefore given me this son also. And she called his
name Simeon. And she conceived again of our
son, and said, Now this time will my husband be joined unto
me. This has got to be at least two years, three years. Joined
unto me, because I have borne him three sons, therefore was
his name called Levi. She conceived again. the fourth
one, and bear a son. And she said, Now will I praise
the Lord. Therefore she called his name Judah, or that is praise,
and left bearing. And when Rachel saw that she
bared Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister and said unto
Jacob, Give me children or else I die. Tall order. And Jacob's anger was kindled
against Rachel. And he said, am I in God's stead? Who hath withheld from thee the
fruit of thy womb? And she said, behold, my maid
Bilhah, go in unto her. And she shall bear upon my knees
that I may also have children by her. And she gave him Bilhah
her handmaid to wife, and Jacob went in unto her. And Bilhah
conceived and bared Jacob a son. And Rachel said, God hath judged
me. and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son. Therefore
she called his name Dan." This is through Bilhah. In Bilhah,
Rachel's maid conceived again, and bared Jacob a second son.
Jacob was a busy man, wasn't he? Bared a second son. Rachel said, with great wrestlings
have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed. And she
called his name Naphtali. When Leah saw that she had left
bearing, she took Zilpah, her maid, and gave her to Jacob.
to wife. Zilpah, Leah's maid, bared Jacob
a son. And Leah said, a troop cometh.
And she called his name Gad. In other words, God's filling
me up. Zilpah, Leah's maid, bared Jacob
a son. And Leah said, happy am I, for the daughters will call
me blessed. And she called his name Asher.
There's another one. And Reuben went in the days of
wheat harvest and found mandrakes in the field. It's all about
aphrodisiacs. And I know they're probably not
going to mention that in the First Baptist Church. I understand
that, but that's what this is talking about. Reuben went in
the days of wheat harvest and found mandrakes in the field.
It ain't talking about a swan. He brought them unto his mother
Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, give me, I pray thee, of thy
son's mandrakes. She said unto her, is it a small
matter thou hast taken my husband, and wouldst thou also take away
my son's mandrakes? Rachel said, therefore, he shall
lie with thee tonight for thy son's mandrakes. Unassorted, eh? Jacob came out
of the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him
and said, thou must come in unto me, for surely I have hired thee
with my son's mandrakes. And he lay with her that night.
God hearkened unto Leah, and she conceived, and bared Jacob
a fifth son. And Leah said, God hath given
me my heir, because I have given my maid to my husband, and she
called his name Issachar. That is, heir. And Leah conceived
again, and bared Jacob a sixth son. And Leah said, God hath
endued me with a good dowry. Now will my husband dwell with
me, because I have borne him six sons, and she called his
name Zebulun. And afterwards, she bore a daughter
and called her name Dinah. God remembered Rachel. God hearkened
unto her and opened her womb. And she conceived and bore a
son and said, God hath taken away my reproach. She called
his name Joseph and said, the Lord shall add to me another
son. Then it comes to pass. You see
all this time. There's 11 sons born to Jacob. They're all his
sons. They're not all by the same woman. But they're all his
sons. Now turn over for the last one,
chapter 35. And verse 16, they journeyed
from Bethel. A lot of time has passed now.
They journeyed from Bethel and there was but a little way to
Ephra. And Rachel travailed and she had hard labor. And it came
to pass when she was in hard labor that the midwife said unto
her, fear not, thou shalt have this son also. And it came to
pass as her soul was in departing for she died. She died in childbirth,
giving birth. Then she called his name Benomi,
Benoni, sorry about that. But his father called him Benjamin.
Rachel died and was buried in the way of Ephra, which is Bethlehem. Jacob set a pillar upon her grave
that is the pillar of Rachel's grave until this day. But I want
to read a little bit more. There's the 12 sons. There's
the progeny of Jacob. But look what else it says. And
Israel journeyed and spread his tent beyond the tower of Edar.
And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in the land, that Reuben
went and lay with Bilhi, his father's concubine, and Israel
heard it. Now the sons of Jacob were dwelt. Do you think that's going to
be in the mid-level Sunday school lesson for all the kiddies today? Do you think they're going to
read that passage? No. No. What a happy, functional
family unit we find here, don't we? Uh-huh. I'm being tongue-in-cheek. You understand that. Oh, the glories and the union
of polygamy. Just brings everybody together, don't it? Uh-huh. No. No. Fallen man knows no bounds
to his depravity except God Himself restrains. That's what we see. That's what
this is here for. To remind us what we truly are by nature. We have here deception, hatred,
avarice, envy, one-upmanship, sexual slavery. Those two handmaids,
they got caught in the middle, didn't they? sexual slavery,
aphrodisiacs, and sexual manipulation. Don't we? Even trade and sex. Right? Oh, the corruption of
such archaic peoples and practices. No. Oh, the corruption of me. Oh, the corruption of you. Oh,
the corruption of us all by nature. Solomon was quite clear. Ecclesiastes
7 verse 8. There is not a just man upon
the face of the earth that doeth good and sinneth not. Sometimes men may do good things.
They may do good things. But they never do good things
and not sin. They never do good things and
not sin. I sin sometimes and I do good
at other times. Even when we try to do good,
maybe even do good, it's still shot full of hail. Because it
comes forth from us. I realize this is probably not
one of the most exciting passages in Scripture to read. Or maybe
it is. Did I say that? I meant to say that. You got
any skeletons in your closet? God's Word is brutally honest
even concerning His own people. I don't know whether everybody
involved here was saved or not. That's not the point. But these
people and these twelve sons who came about in the way that
you see, you read coming about, came about by the foreordination
of God Almighty. And Joseph says, well, you're
making God the author of sin. Don't be stupid. I won't be as
nice as Joe was. Don't be stupid. But our God
is in the heavens. He hath done whatsoever He hath
pleased. And there's a time to be born.
And each one of these boys were born, and even that girl was
born according to God Almighty's sovereign ordination. And every one of while these
peoples Deeds and innermost actions are exposed to the world by God. And mine may not be, but I've
got skeletons in my closet that I'm ashamed of. And I pray God
they don't ever come out of the closet. That's the big thing
today. They ought to come out of the
closet, ain't it? That's what they say. I come out of the closet. I think,
what are you living in the closet for? Again, I'm a bit of a smart
aleck. No, there are some things that
need to remain in the closet. But yet God is honest enough
to expose us all through these people right here. Through these
people. Look at our country. All of this
and much more. And I don't have to go any further.
I text most of you that I knew I could text. I told you yesterday,
Friday, that the Supreme Court had just spit in the face of
God. Mankind did that once before.
You remember? They hit Him and they spit on
Him, Joe. Look at our country. All of this
that we read right here and even much more. And apart from God's
restraining hand, these people would have done much more as
well. It's not just those ancient backward peoples that lived in
tents. The corruption of modern civilized
man knows no bounds other than the bounds that God Almighty
sovereignly decreed and holds in order. one of Job's friends, though
he misapplied what he said, what he said was still true. How abominable
and filthy is man that drinketh up iniquity like water. It's not just those old ancient
archaic people, it's me. I see me in this passage. I see you in this passage. Drink up iniquity like water.
And yet, in all this, back then, and even right now, what do we
see? Chapter 29, verse 31, we see
the Lord at work. See it? And when the Lord saw
that Leah was hated, He opened up her womb, but He kept Rachel's
womb shut. Do you see that? We see the Lord
at work right in the midst of all this. And in the midst of
all that we see happening in our country and all the things
that we see taking place, I am here to announce before this
little group and anyone else who hears it that God Almighty
is still at work doing His will amongst the armies of heaven
and amongst the inhabitants of the earth. Well, if they can do that, I
can. No, you probably have. Don't come and tell me about,
well, I can do that. No, you probably already have. Tim James
once said, people say, but what if? He said, what if? He says
you have. You have. But I can do that too. Yeah, you will do that. You're
giving me a license to sin. Let's see, I might have one.
Let me give it to you, that you take it before God at the judgment
bar. You think that's gonna work? What if I write out, here is
Walter Pendleton's license to, put your name on there, here's
your license to sin. Think that's gonna do you any
good? Don't be so nonsensical. Don't be so nonsensical. According
to the Apostle Paul in Romans chapter 9 and verse 18, God has
mercy on whom He will have mercy. And whom He will. What does He
do? He hardens! Well, if they can do that, I
can do that. No, we are doing that! And it's nothing but the
free, sovereign, absolutely free gift of God in compassion and
mercy that any of us are saved. Jacob before he was born and
his brother Esau before he was born and they were twins And
it said the children neither having done any good or evil
that the purpose of God according to election might stand It was
said unto the mother the elder shall serve the younger Jacob
I love Esau I hate You know what it says? Mercy and compassion is in God's
hand to give and not just withhold, but to harden. And that's exactly
what we see taking place in our country and around the world
today is God Almighty being sovereign and hardening some folks. When
they light up the White House with the rainbow colors, that's
men being hardened by God. I don't know about a God like that.
Yeah, you're exactly right. You don't know him. We don't
know Him. Not only do we see the Lord at
work, we see the Lord being praised. Chapter 29, verse 35. This is
Leah. She conceived again of our son,
and she said, now will I praise the Lord. I will call His name
Praise. Judah. But that's Leah. She was wrong, wasn't she? She
was wrong. I mean, her father was deceitful
when he gave her to Jacob. It's supposed to have been Rachel
to start with. But according to their custom, it shouldn't
have ever been offered to start with. It should have been Leah,
right? She'd done wrong. She'd been
wronged. Yeah, she'd been wronged, but
that's not the point. It's really not the point. Because
we see God answering prayer. And look at whose prayer He answered.
Chapter 30, verse 17. I'm sorry. We see God, not just answering
prayer, we see God, look at chapter 30, I'm sorry, verse 22. And
God remembered who? Rachel. Even after this episode
of verses 14 through 18. Even after selling out or selling
of mandrakes for sex. Right? We see God answering prayer in
chapter 30 verse 17, even after all this. Saved people are sinners
still. They're sinners still. But saved
sinners praise God in spite of themselves. You hear me? They praise God. because of Him,
not because of themselves. They praise God for His mercy
and compassion in spite of themselves. We see God answering prayer. We see God being mindful even
to a sinner. And God remembered Rachel. Oh,
to be remembered by God. to be remembered by God. But
that's at His sovereign discretion. Right? What had she done to be
remembered by God? Go back and read those verses
again. The truth of free grace still
shines bright today. The words were evidently common
amongst the believers of Paul's day because in 1 Timothy 1 and
verse 15, Paul says this is a faithful saying and worthy of all, all,
acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save who?
Sinners! And until God Almighty forces
you to take your place there, you won't know anything about
salvation. Because that's the only kind
God saves. Isn't it? Yeah. Faithful. It's a faithful saint. Worthy of all acceptation. That
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And even the
Apostle Paul being inspired writing that very moment. The exact words
that God intended to be pinned onto the page said, Of whom I
used to be chief. No. of whom I am chief. Paul still says, I know that
in me, that is in my flesh, dwells a lot of bad. No. That is in my flesh dwelleth
no good thing. My last point. In 15 til I can spread this out
a little. Sin. Now listen to me. I'm not pausing because I don't
know what to say. I'm pausing because I want you
to listen to what I say. Sin cannot compete with grace. Do you hear me? Sin cannot compete with grace. Turn to Romans chapter 5 and
we'll see that. There's one verse for right now.
Verse 19 of Romans 5. For as by one man's disobedience,
many were made sinners. You and I have no say in that
matter. When Adam rebelled in that garden, we were all then
made sinners. By one man's one act of disobedience,
we were made sinners. Oh, God just struggles with that
now, don't He? Oh, poor God. Oh, sin wasn't
just so bad. No. For as by one man's disobedience
many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many
be made righteous. You see that? Sin cannot compete
with grace. Well, you sent away your day
of grace. If you could send away grace, grace ain't worth having.
That kind of grace ain't worth having because it will do you
no good if you're a sinner. But pastor, those people didn't
have the law. They didn't. You're right. They
didn't have the law. Mason, there were a lot of things
that they were not directly instructed by God concerning yet. They, in a very large degree,
walked only according to conscience. Didn't they? That's all they
had. They didn't have any written Word of God even yet. There was
no Scripture, David, until Moses began to write. That's when Scripture
began to... Even Scripture began to... Everything
else was the promises of God passed down by what? Word of
mouth. And you know how we distort that. Never sat around the old
circle around the fire. Somebody tells the story, time
it gets back to you, it ain't nothing like what you started. And I know there's always one
or two in the middle somewhere that change it just on purpose.
And men still do that concerning the gospel today. Don't they? They lie on God just to lie on
God. Well, they didn't have the law. You're exactly right. But, Verse
20, moreover the law entered and man was just, now he's enlightened.
When the law came, man just got better, didn't he? Now we have
the instruction. Now we know what's right and
what's wrong. Now we see it in black and white. There it is. No, moreover the law entered
that the offense might abound. As Henry Mahan once said, Laws
make rebellious man even more rebellious. We break them just
to be able to break them. Tell your kid not to do something.
What are they probably going to do? The very thing you tell
them not to do. I remember my grandfather years
ago we were having a family reunion and it rained quite heavy I guess
that morning or maybe the night before. There was a lot of kids
there, young ones. People would say, well, oh, I
hope they don't get out there and get in that mud hole. Don't
go get it. I hope they don't get it. They'll
get theirself filthy. They'll track all this filth into our
kinfolks' home. So you know what my grandpa did?
He went out and told every one of them, I want you all to go play in
that mud hole. Go down there and jump around it. You know
what? Not one of them wanted to go near it once he said that. Not one of them wanted to go
near it when he said, don't do it. Why? Because we want to rebel
just for rebellion's sake. That's exactly right. I I me
me me and that's what we read over there in Genesis chapter
29 30 don't with a lot of iron and me and License to sin no look moreover
the law entered that defense might abound but where sin abounded
grace did super abound It did much more abound. I'm here to
say sin cannot compete with grace. But some people die and go to
hell. That's right, because God purposed
that. That's right, because God foreordained
that. That's why. It ain't because
God couldn't save them. It's because God didn't purpose
to save them. Is that clear enough? That's what this book teaches.
He has mercy on whom He will have mercy, and whom He will,
He'll do what? He hardens. It's not God making a good person
bad. No, it's God hardening the bad
to start with. And we're all bad to start with. I see me in Rachel. I see me
in Leah. I see me in Bilhah. I see me
in Zilpah. I see me in Jacob. I see me all
over the place. Don't you? You see yourself there? Licensed to sin? No, look at
what he says. Verse 21, that as sin hath reigned
unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness whenever
you do it. Whenever you are righteous. Is
that what it says? No. Through righteousness unto eternal life.
By who? Jesus Christ our Lord. What shall we say then? Shall
we continue in sin that grace may abound? It will. If God Almighty's
purpose is grace. Listen to me. If God Almighty's
purpose is grace, you cannot sin and compete with that grace. You can't do it. But shall we
that are... No. What shall we say then? Shall
we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall
we that are dead to sin? And that has to be positional.
Because it's not practical in my life. And read it. You'll see it. God
forbid. How shall we that are dead to
sin live any longer therein? Now listen to me. continue in
sin, those who are dead to it cannot. You understand that? In this context, look at what
He actually teaches there. To continue in sin, those that
are dead to sin cannot, but continue to sin, they do. You see the difference? You hear
what I'm saying? Now anybody doubts that, then
you've never at least, you've evidently not read, you certainly
haven't heeded what John wrote, 1 John chapter 1. Right? All this, you can't take
one passage to play against another in Scripture. They all stand
right where they stand, meaning exactly what the writer meant
when he wrote it down. This is what John says, John
1 verse 8, if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves,
the truth's not in us. If we confess our sins, He is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness. Confession is necessary because
I still continue to sin even though I don't live in sin. I
don't understand that. If God saved you, you understand
that. Because you know it to be a reality in your life, whether
you can theologically expound upon it or not. You know it's
the reality. Look, and I do like, I remember
every time I read that verse, I'll think of Art Neuenswander.
He said, notice in verse 9, there's only one thing we do. That's
confess. God does everything else. You
see that? I like that. If we confess our
sins, He's what? Just and faithful to forgive
us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness if we
say we have not sinned. Well, I'm done with that. It's
all over with me. I don't sin anymore. If we say
we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His Word is not in
us. My little children, these things right under you that you
sin not. I'm not giving you license to sin. That's what He's saying,
right? I write to you telling you don't
sin. And if any man sin, we have an advocate. Oh, thank God. That didn't make me want to pull
out my license, David. It makes me want to thank God
for His free, sovereign mercy and compassion. If only I could truly live the
way that inspires my mind and heart to live. If only I could. But I can't. Look, and if any man, what? Sin! Not if any man confess. But if
any man sin, we have an advocate. We confess because the advocate
is there already. You see that? I know most people,
they turn that right around and lie on God. Now if you'll just
confess, then Christ will be your advocate. When God's people sin, Christ
is already their advocate. He's already been advocating
for them, He is advocating for them, and He shall advocate for
them. Well, that ain't fair. No, that's grace. It ain't about
fairness. If it's fair, we all go to hell.
It's about grace. And sin, I'll say it again, sin
cannot compete with grace. Aren't you glad? Aren't you glad? Think of it. Every time a young
boy's name was called, It's a car. It's a car. Where you at? It's
dinner time. It's a car. You know what the
name It's a car means, don't you? Turn back to it. Higher. Higher. Every time his name was called
was a remembrance of what? Give me some mandrakes. What
do you mean? I ain't giving you my mandrakes.
Well, I'll tell you what. I'll let you have sex with our husband.
You could give me a mandrake's. You can go first tonight. You
hear it? He called his name Issachar,
my hire. How'd you like your name to mean
that? You know what? It does. It does. Whether you know it or I know
it or not, it does. Think of it, Issachar! Come change your
clothes, get ready for supper. Now go read the 12 sons of Jacob's
names. Let it remind you every time
that you say your own name, I'm nothing but a corrupt wretch
in God's sight apart from His sovereign grace in Christ Jesus. A remembrance of sin. When I
see me, you know what I see? Every time I begin to take a
good look at me, you know what I see? Oh, I believe God. I have to repent all the time. I'm ashamed of myself most of
the time. Oh yeah, those are good things.
But you know what? When I see me, you know what I see? Sin. Corruption. Unbelief. Even that nasty, foul bird infests
my cage called unbelief. But when I see Christ, You know
what I see? You know what I see? Absolute
sanctification for me. Go read Hebrews chapter 10. Absolute
perfection for me. When I see Him. He is the Lord
our righteousness. He don't just give. He does give.
But David, He is my righteousness. Apart from that kind of righteousness,
even what God does to me and in me, I would still be damned
forever. Sin has to be dealt with. And
it was in my substitute. Every one of these sins, these
people did. All of this avarice and corruption, sexual manipulation,
it all was suffered by Jesus Christ. He suffered for it. He was punished for it. It is
no marvel that God says, I am a just God and a Savior and there's
nobody else like Me. How can God be just and a Savior
at the same time? In the substitute. That's the
only way. A just God and a Savior and it is no wonder that He says
in Isaiah 45, 21-25, those very words, then He says, look unto
Me and be ye saved. all the ends of the earth. I don't care who you are. David,
whether your skin is black or white or green, it doesn't matter.
Look to Him. Look to Him and be saved. What
about all that election stuff? Don't worry about all that. Look
unto Me and be you saved. Right? That's what it says. Look unto Me. Oh sinner. How
many of you are sinners this morning? Old sinner, when you sin, look
to Christ. You hear me? When you sin, look
to Christ. When you do good, especially
then, look to Christ. You hear me? Even when you do
good, especially then, don't look to that. Look to Christ. Look to Christ. Listen to Isaiah
64. Turn there if you would. That
and I'll close. Isaiah 64. But we all are as an unclean
thing. Are. You see that? Even Isaiah
was including himself when he wrote that. Was he not? Wasn't
he, Mason? But we are all as an unclean
thing and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags." I don't
believe he's being metaphorical or anything. He means exactly,
my best deeds are filthy rags in God's sight. And most of you
all here know what that really means, filthy rags. Filthy rags in God's sight and
our iniquities like the wind have taken us away. There is
none that calleth upon thy name that stirreth up himself. Shoot
free will into head right now. Well, wait a minute, you can't
because it don't really exist, so you can't do that. There's none that calleth upon
thy name that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee. For thou
hast hid thy face from us and has consumed us because of our
iniquities. But now, aren't you thankful
for that? As Tim James often says, that's
small but mighty conjunction. But now, O Lord, thou art our
Father. We are the clay. Thou our potter. And we all are the work of thy
hand. You see that? O sinner, look to Christ. Period. Father, as we continue
here, May it be with hope and joy in our Lord Jesus Christ. I thank you in his name. Amen.