Are You a Son of Jacob?

Q: What does the Bible say about the sovereignty of God?

The Bible affirms God's sovereignty over all creation and salvation, notably in passages like Ephesians 1:11 and Proverbs 21:1. The sovereignty of God is a central theme throughout Scripture, indicating that He rules and controls all aspects of creation, including the hearts and decisions of people. Ephesians 1:11 states that God works all things according to the counsel of His will. This sovereignty extends to salvation, illustrating that God chooses whom He will save (Romans 9:15-16) and that His plans cannot be thwarted (Job 42:2). God's sovereignty brings comfort to believers, as seen in Proverbs 21:1, which tells us that the king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, affirming that no authority exists outside of God's control. Ultimately, God's sovereignty undergirds the believer's assurance in their salvation and in the unfolding of His divine plan.

Q: How do we know that Christ's atonement is sufficient for salvation?

Christ's atonement is sufficient as evidenced by His sacrifice on the cross, satisfying God's wrath and providing redemption for His elect (Isaiah 53:5). The sufficiency of Christ's atonement is affirmed in Scripture through numerous references that illustrate its completeness and effectiveness. In Isaiah 53:5, we read that He was pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, indicating that His sacrifice fully addresses the sinfulness of humanity. Additionally, Hebrews 10:10 proclaims that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. This reflects that Christ's atonement was a singular, complete act that does not require repetition or supplementation by human efforts. The belief in His atonement's sufficiency is foundational to the Reformed faith, emphasizing that salvation is wholly a work of grace and not based on human merit.

Q: Why is the new nature in Christ important for believers?

The new nature, granted by faith in Christ, represents a radical transformation, enabling believers to live according to God's will (2 Corinthians 5:17). The new nature in Christ, as described in 2 Corinthians 5:17, signifies that anyone who is in Christ is a new creation; the old has passed away, and the new has come. This transformation is important for believers as it liberates them from their former way of life dictated by the sinful nature. With the new nature comes the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, who empowers believers to live in accordance with God's will and to bear spiritual fruit (Galatians 5:22-23). This change is not merely behavioral; it affects the heart and mind of the believer, instilling a desire for holiness and communion with God. The new nature provides a framework for understanding one's identity in Christ and living out that identity in a way that glorifies God and reflects His grace.

Q: How do we find rest in Jesus according to Scripture?

Believers find rest in Jesus by coming to Him with their burdens, as He promises that His yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30). Scripture teaches that true rest is found in Jesus Christ, who invites all who are weary and burdened to come to Him for relief (Matthew 11:28). This invitation highlights the tender care Jesus has for His followers and the assurance that they can lay down their struggles at His feet. The promise that His yoke is easy and His burden is light further emphasizes that Jesus provides a path of peace and guidance, contrasting the heavy yoke of sin and legalism that may weigh down the soul. Believers are encouraged to trust in His power and sufficiency while navigating life's challenges, knowing they are anchored in His love and grace. As they rest in Him, they experience a profound transformation of heart, finding joy in following Him rather than succumbing to the pressures of the world.

And we'll start tonight in verse
19 we'll We'll review some And let's let's talk about first
before we look at verse 19 What what Jacob has said about the
The other sons that we've already looked at just so that we get
our perspective back here and We saw how that the first three
sons of Jacob represent our flesh in verses four through seven.
They're described as unstable, double-minded. James said the
double-minded man is unstable in all of his ways. They're described
as cruel, angry, and in verse seven, cursed. That's us by nature. And then we saw Judah, that's
our Lord Jesus Christ, the lion of the tribe of Judah. Jacob
said, he's the one his brethren will praise. His hand is in the neck of his
enemies. He's going to make all of his
foes his footstool. He destroys all of his enemies
and ours. The last enemy, Paul said that
he shall destroy his death. And it says his brethren are
going to bow down to him. And we do. We acknowledge his
sovereign authority and gladly bow at his feet. He has the scepter in his hand.
The scepter of creation. He's the king of creation, the
king of the world, the king of the universe. He's the king of
providence. He rules all things after the
counsel of his own will, turns the heart of the king in his
hand, the lot is cast in the lap, and the whole disposing
thereof is of the Lord. And he has the scepter of salvation
in his hand. He said, I save whom I will.
I'll give life to whom I will. And his name is Shiloh. He's
the Prince of Peace. He's made peace by the blood
of his cross. It says, he shall gather his
people unto himself. And we read that in the prophets.
He said, I'll say to the North, give up and to the South, hold
my back. From every nation, tribe and
kindred and tongue under heaven, he'll call forth his people.
He said, if I be lifted up, I'll draw all men unto myself. the gathering of the people,
and he'll subdue their evil, their angry, cruel, rebellious
nature, and use them for his glory like a man breaking a rebellious,
stubborn, worthless mule." That's how we're described there. And
he's gonna tie them off to himself, Jacob said, and describes him
as the vine. As our Lord said to his disciples,
I'm the vine, and you're my branches, except you abide in me. You have
no life in you. And so he ties us off to himself. And then it says his eyes are
red, and we saw how that's from the drink in the cup of the wrath
of God, against my sin. He drank that cup dry. When his
teeth are white with the milk of fatness and satisfaction,
having seen of the travail of his soul, he's satisfied. We saw also how that the remaining
sons that we've seen so far represent the new nature, the new man,
the believer in Christ, the accomplishment of what Christ did when he drank
that cup. And when he suffered and died
for the sins of his people, when that, the virtue of his atonement
is applied to our hearts by God, given faith in him, there's a
radical change in us. We're not like these first three
sons anymore. We're like Zebulun. Zebulun now,
he dwells in the haven of rest. Our soul is anchored in the harbor
of His peace, and we're safe and secure and happy. And like
Issachar, we're that Assis cult that he subdued in verse 11,
but we're described here as calves between two burdens, and we talked
about that. We've grown in this flesh being
burdened, Paul said, being burdened. But also, we've taken His yoke
upon us. and found that his yoke is easy
and his burden is light. And so, as it says there, we've
seen in verse 15 that his rest is good. The green pastures in which he's
caused us to lie down are pleasant. His rest is good and the land
is pleasant. And we've willingly, as it says
there, we've bowed our shoulder to the Lord. We willingly are
his bond slaves, his servants. And like Dan, as Paul said in
1 Corinthians 2, 15, we judge all things. He that is spiritual
judgeth all things. And Dan is described as a wise
judge, wise as a serpent, and able to discern things. That's
what Paul said about us. We reckon things differently
than we used to, differently than this world does. We discern that which is spiritual.
The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God,
neither can he know them because they're foolishness unto him,
and they're spiritually discerned. But we, which are spiritual,
discern all things, Paul said. We discern the things of God,
the truth of God, the way things really are, God as He truly is,
ourselves as we truly are. and how he deals with our sin
and saves us and is just and yet justifier. The Lord not only instructed
us to be wise as serpents, as Dan has described as a serpent,
but Christ is that wisdom unto us. It's Christ in us that has
made us wise unto salvation by his word revealed. And then
in verse 18, he says, either as Dan's testimony, I'm not sure,
or perhaps this is just Jacob, just pause it in the middle of
this blessing to make this grand declaration. But what a marvelous
evidence of this grace of God in us of which we're speaking
now, this statement here. I've waited for your salvation.
That's what his people, that's what his sheep do. When his mercy
comes, we cease going about to establish our own righteousness
and we submit. We wait, we hang upon, we trust
in and have for the very hope and anchor of our soul God's
salvation brought in and by Christ. Not my righteousness, but His.
Not my doing my best to make up for my sin, but His blood
redemption. Paying for all my sin. Not my
ways, not my thoughts, not my will, not my works, but Christ
and Him crucified. We wait for His salvation. Now
Gad's whole life, verse 19, this is where we breaking new ground
here, so to speak. Gad, notice in verse 19, a troop
shall overcome him, but he shall overcome at the last. His whole
life is described as a battle, a warfare. Does that ring any
bells with you? He's overcome at first. Can you
relate to that? We're just going to have to confess
this. We've sustained some losses. I don't know about you, but I've had my tail whooped in this
life and still am getting it whooped. Paul said, I can't do
what I want to do. And I can't help but do what
I don't want to do. And I can't reverse that. I can't
overcome that. I can't change that. He said,
my only hope is for somebody to deliver me from this body
of death. And you thank God that Christ
Jesus is going to do that very thing. We're getting stomped
daily as far as this flesh is concerned. I'm overcome now to
a great extent by my sin nature. Paul said, with the flesh I serve
the law of sin. How about you? I'm not able to reverse that. Paul said in 1st Corinthians
15 50 that as I am right now as you see me you're sitting
there looking at me right now as I am standing before you tonight
I cannot inherit the kingdom of God I'm not going like this I can't be with my Savior the
way I am now corruption doesn't inherit incorruption I must be changed but bless God
I will be changed We shall be changed. He's already accomplished
it. We just haven't experienced it
yet. I shall overcome in the end. That's what it says about
God here. He shall overcome at the last. Because of the victory
that my Lord Jesus won over my sin on Calvary. I shall overcome at the last.
I know how this whole thing ends because I've read the book. Sin loses, and we win. Christ has already won the victory
for us. We're just waiting to experience
it. Death will overcome me in a sense. My body will eventually succumb.
I'm fighting it now. And you are too. And as I've
said to you before, I just thank God for His grace when I hear
people say things like, I won my fight with this disease or
that disease. No, you didn't. No, the Lord
just didn't let it take you yet. But sooner or later, one of them
is going to take you. When somebody's real sick, people
say, well, he'll be all right. He's a fighter. I don't care
how good a fighter you are. You're going down. It's just
a matter of time. And I am too. We're going to
lose that battle. But God's people are overcome by death. But because
of what my Savior did for me, the death of this body is just
part of the victory. Paul said, death, where is your
victory? Where's your sting? Death is swallowed up in victory.
Christ is going to destroy that last enemy. One of these days,
my champion, my savior, is going to destroy my last enemy, which
is death. And death will be swallowed up
in victory. I'm losing right now. I know
that. I can feel it in my bones. There
was a time when I felt as though death could never take me. And
now it's different. And I feel fine tonight. I feel
great tonight. But there's a weakness in the
body that begins to bode of eventual failure. If you haven't started
feeling it yet, you will. But that's okay. I wouldn't have
it any other way. I don't want this body to live
forever. I don't want to be like I am now forever. We've talked
about this recently, but Paul said if we're going to have our
new clothing, our incorruptible, we've got to put off what we're
wearing now. That's alright with me. He said
in 2 Corinthians 5, 1, we know that if our earthly house of
this tabernacle were dissolved, and we know it's going to be
dissolved, if it were dissolved right now, he said, if it were
dissolved right now, we have a building of God. We have a
house not made with hand, eternal in the heavens. For in this we
groan earnestly, desiring to be clothed upon with our house,
which is from heaven. If so be that being clothed,
we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle
do groan, being burdened. Not for that we would be unclothed,
but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. I'm looking forward to that.
Now verse 20, Asher, he said, out of Asher, his bread shall
be fat and he shall yield royal deities. Everything he does. Now we eat bread in this life
by the sweat of our face. And so Asher, he's gonna have
to work if he's gonna have bread. But what this is saying here
is he's gonna have bread. He's gonna be fat with it. He's
gonna eat the best things there are to eat. And that's true of
physical things in this sense. That whatever happens to us,
everything we do is gonna prosper. Even when we fail, it's gonna
work for our good. Even when we're a miserable failure.
And especially, Paul said, when I'm weak, when I must declare
defeat, as far as the things of this world are concerned,
that's when I'm the strongest. because I'm leaning on him all
the more. Everything that we do, all things work together
for good to them that love God. We're going to be fat. We're
going to have bread. We're going to eat royal dainties.
And it doesn't matter how that looks in outward things. Job on the ash heap was eating
royal dainties, spiritually speaking. You see what I'm saying? He was
fat, he was prospering, he was being blessed of God there. Didn't
look like it outwardly, but that's true of all of God's people.
The wicked are just the opposite. Everything they do, even when
they succeed, their very successes in this life are going to be
a curse to them. That's what the psalmist said. You put their
feet in slippery places. When you cause the wicked to
prosper, they're standing on a banana peel with one foot and
the other foot's in hell. And their very prosperity has
put them in that place. It shall be well with the righteous,
period. And it shall be ill with the
wicked, period. It doesn't matter what it looks
like outwardly. That man who said, look at all
my goods, my barns are just too small, I'm going to have to build
some bigger ones, you know. Oh, we've all said that at one
time or another, haven't we? Just look how good I'm doing. I guess I'm going to have to
build me some bigger barns with a big old grin on our face. I've
said that a few times in my life. Was he a blessed man or a cursed
man? God called him a fool. But Asher,
the believer, like Job, even when he's on the ash heap, he's
in the loving hand of his sovereign God. Everything he does is gonna
prosper. It don't matter what the temporal
consequences of it are. He's gonna come out smelling
like a rose every time. Even when he messes up, he's
gonna come out smelling like a rose. We saw, did that what
we saw with Abraham? When we looked at Abraham? Even
when he abysmally failed, God brought him out blessed and prosperous. And that's a picture, that's
a spiritual picture. David, we're going to say with
David, it's good for me that I've been afflicted. God taught me there by that thing. Now Naphthali verse 21 is a hind
let loose. Two things about him. He's a
hind let loose and he giveth goodly words. Oh boy. You see yourself here? What does
it mean that we're let loose? If the Son shall make you free,
you shall be free indeed. Paul said, stand fast now in
that liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free. We let loose. We let loose. And we're pictured
before as being tied. He harnesses us and ties us.
That's freedom. To be subdued and controlled
and ruled over and used for the glory of Christ is to be free. That don't make sense to this
world, but it does to the believer. To be his bond slave is to be
never more free. You can't be any freer than that. Free from the dominating power
of sin, sin shall not have dominion over you. We're free, we're free
from the penalty of sin. Free from the law, oh happy condition,
that's such a good song. Jesus hath bled and there is
remission. Religious taskmasters always
have to keep people under the bondage of the law. That's what
you hear. And if you hear them preach on TV or somewhere, that's
what you hear it. Oh, here's what you need to do.
And here's what you need to quit doing. They've always got to
keep them under that bondage of the law. But a believer is
let loose. I don't have to tell you what
to do. I just have to tell you who Christ is and what he did
for you. And if you hear the gospel, You let loose. You can do exactly
what you want to do. Exactly. And as we said this morning,
Brother D taught that. And you know, self-righteous
legalists, they just cringe when you talk about being free from
the law. Oh no, we got to set some boundaries.
We got to make some rules. You know, of course you're saved
by Christ, but you got to act like you're saved. If I gotta do anything to be
saved, I'm a goner. I'm a goner. And preaching of freedom from
the law and freedom from sin, it's not gonna lead to sin. Shall
we sin that grace may abound? God forbid. A child of God's
not gonna do that. Of course, we sin every moment
of every day, but we're not gonna live rebellious and evil and
openly wicked before God if we love him. We know Him. It just
doesn't happen that way. You say, well, Chris, you're
trusting the flesh. You're saying that, you know, that you could
just trust people to do what they want to do. No, I'm not
trusting the flesh. I'm trusting the Spirit of God, whose fruit
is born in the believer's soul and shows forth on the outside
in everything that they do. Everything. This is pictured by Bartimaeus.
You remember in Mark 10, 52, let me read it to you. And Jesus
said unto him, go thy way. Thy faith hath made thee whole.
Go thy way. Whatever your way is, take off. And immediately he received his
sight and followed Jesus in thee way. Bartimaeus' way is now thee way. Because Christ set him free.
Set him free. Why do you think he followed
Jesus in the way? Because he loved him. That's
why. He fell in love with him. That's
what Paul said. The love of Christ constrains
us. Not law. Love. And also, next to lies
described this way, he giveth goodly words. God's people do that because
we have been given goodly words, and so we give them. Was it Peter or John? I think it was John that said,
what we've seen and heard, that's what we preach. We've received
goodly words, so I've got some goodly words for you tonight
from the Master. Paul said in Colossians 4.2,
continue in prayer. Turn over there with me. I don't
have a whole, I've just got a couple more pages here tonight, but
I want you to look at this with me. Colossians 4.2. Goodly words. Colossians 4.2, continue in prayer
and watch in the same with thanksgiving. With all praying also for us. Pray for us. Pray for me, Paul
said. He said that a lot in the scripture,
didn't he? Pray for me. And he didn't say pray for me
if you're able. I know what people mean by that.
But he said, pray for me. God's people are going to pray.
And he said, when you do, pray for me. What do you want us to
pray about, Paul? That God would open unto us a
door of utterance. He giveth goodly word. Pray that
God will make me able to give goodly words. Preach good tidings
of great joy. Glad tiding. To speak the mystery
of Christ. The truth of Christ. The mystery
of how God can be just and justify a sinner. Christ. for which I
am also in bonds, that I may make it manifest. When you pray
in for me, that God would give me a door of utterance. I want
to speak the gospel. I want to speak the mysteries
of Christ. And I want to make it clear. You know what that
word is? Obvious. I want to make it unmistakable. Pray for that for me, would you?
And I mean that from the bottom of my heart. Pray that. That
I would make it manifest. The mystery. It's a mystery.
But it's clear as a bell if God will give us grace to speak it
right and to hear it right. As I ought to speak, that's the
way it ought to be delivered, clear, plain, where even our
little children, don't hinder them, suffer them. How are you
going to not be a hindrance? Make it plain. as I ought to speak. And then
he says, then he exhorts them. He says, pray for me for that.
And then he exhorts them and say, you walk in wisdom toward
them that are without redeeming the time. Let your speech, I'm
concerned with what I say. I want to speak goodly word and
I want you to let your speech be all way with grace. seasoned with salt, that you
may know how you ought to answer every man." That goes right with
what we talked about this morning. When they ask, oh, may, by God's
grace, may His grace come out of our mouth when they do. Now in verses 22 through 26,
back in Genesis 49, Jacob speaks of his son Joseph. And it says
in verse 26 there that Joseph was separate from his brethren.
And so we will speak of him separately. For time's sake, we'll talk about
Joseph another night, Lord willing. But look at verse 27, Benjamin. He's the final one. He was the
youngest, I believe. Benjamin shall raven as a wolf. Now you think about this in gospel
terms. He's gonna be hungry as a wolf.
In the morning he shall devour the prey. Now you think about
what this means. He's gonna be hungry and he's not gonna stay
hungry though, he's gonna be satisfied. He's gonna be eating
some prey. And in the evening, in the night,
he shall divide the spoil. Oh my. Believers now are ravenous, with hunger and thirst. Christ
said, my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. And he that eateth my flesh and
drinketh my blood hath life. And we desire that. We desire
to feed upon him. He said, blessed are they that
hunger, that are ravenous. and thirst after righteousness. That's Christ. There's a big difference now
between wanting to go to heaven when you die and being hungry. Hungry for Christ and His righteousness. May God give us that. David said,
as the harp, the H-A-R-T, little deer, thirsts after the water
brooks, so my soul panteth after the living God. Well, I want that to be true of me. Thirsty after the living God. Did you notice, and Dee and I
both now for the last six months have quoted something from Philippians
3 every time we open our mouth. Did you notice the hunger though
in the language there? I'm not going to read it again.
I'm determined. We're not going to turn there. I'm not even going
to quote any of it. Yeah, I'm going to quote a little
bit of it. Did you notice the hunger there? I've got to have
him. I've got to have him. I press toward the mark that
I may win Christ. He's thirsty. Are we? Peter said as newborn babes desire
the sincere milk of the word. You know what that word means?
It means to long for. Are you ravenous? sons of Jacob are going to raven
as a wolf, that you may grow thereby. If
so be that you've tasted that the Lord is gracious. If you've
tasted how gracious he is, you will long for him. And they who hunger and thirst
after the person of Christ and the word of God because of him
Revealed there it says there in that text morning and night. They're gonna be satisfied Blessed
are they that hunger and thirst after righteous for they shall
be Filled in the morning. You're gonna have prey under
your feet. You're gonna be and at night
you're gonna divide the spoils You'll be satisfied with what
you desire if what you desire is Him. David said in Psalm 63, 5, My
soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth
shall praise thee with joyful lips when I remember thee upon
my bed, and when I meditate on thee in the night watches. He's not just talking about after
the sun goes down there. He's talking about when darkness
falls upon my very soul, God give me grace to remember Him. Are you a son of Jacob? If you are, then all these things
that are described in these verses describe you by the grace and power of God.
Let's bow in prayer together tonight.

Are You a Son of Jacob?

What does the Bible say about the sovereignty of God?

How do we know that Christ's atonement is sufficient for salvation?

Why is the new nature in Christ important for believers?

How do we find rest in Jesus according to Scripture?

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About Chris Cunningham

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Are You a Son of Jacob?

What does the Bible say about the sovereignty of God?

How do we know that Christ's atonement is sufficient for salvation?

Why is the new nature in Christ important for believers?

How do we find rest in Jesus according to Scripture?

Sermon Transcript

About Chris Cunningham

Comments

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