At the end of chapter 34 and in the beginning
verses of Genesis 35, we've seen how that God told Jacob, when Jacob was in trouble, to return to Bethel. and how
God had blessed him there. Jacob called the name of the
place Bethel. He said this is God's house because
of what had happened there. And we see by God's grace that where God's
people meet, where Christ is exalted, where people that are
in trouble come for comfort, where God reveals himself where
he reveals his son, the Lord Jesus Christ, as the ladder.
The one who said, I'm the door, appeared as a ladder. And Jacob
said, this is God's house and this is the gate of heaven. We
saw how that access came down from heaven to earth for sinners,
came right down to where God's child was. Access to his glory
and favor and presence by a mediator Came right down to where Jacob
was and God met with Jacob there Jacob said surely the Lord's
in this place And he renewed his covenant there with Jacob Identified himself to Jacob as
the covenant God of his fathers Abraham and Isaac and Renewed
his covenant with Jacob made that covenant with Jacob. We
also saw in chapter 35 that Bethel is a place of remembrance. God
said, you remember that place where when you was running for
your life, I met with you, comforted you, promised my blessings to
you. Go back there, go to that place. And when we meet in God's spiritual
house, He reminds us of what He's done for us and how His
covenant blessings are ours in Christ Jesus. In the crucified
Son of God, how we have access to God by the blood of His Son.
And as we dwell in Bethel, we're under His protection. In verse
6 of chapter 35, Jacob had said, now you boys have killed all
these people and their friends are going to kill us. But as
they traveled to Bethel, the fear of the Lord was upon all
the people of that land, so that they could not touch his children. Under the blood of Jesus, safe,
safe in the shepherd's fold, under the blood of the Lord Jesus
Christ, safe while the ages roll, safe though the worlds may crumble,
safe in his precious blood. And then in verse 6 of chapter
35, it says, Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan. That is Bethel. That's what it
was called before. But since the Lord met with him
there, this used to just be called Locust Ridge or College Grove,
you know, but this is God's house now. This is just a building
before, but now that the Lord has been pleased to meet with
us here. This is God's house. And it says that he, that is
Jacob and all the people that were with him, everybody that
was with him went to Bethel with him. Jacob didn't say, now I
don't want to influence anybody. I don't want, you know, I want
everybody to follow their conscience. You know, I'm going to go to
Bethel, but you, you know, I don't want to, Make my children go
to church. You know, I want them to find
their own way. No, he said, you put away your strange gods. We're
going to Bethel. If you're with me, we're going
to God's house. What a blessing that is. And
I remind you that Bethel is not just a church building. It's
not just even just the worship services. This is God's spiritual
house. It doesn't matter where it's
not location. The Lord said to that woman,
it's not in this mountain or anywhere. They that worship Him,
worship Him in spirit. And the worship of God obviously
is a big part of dwelling in Bethel. Those who live in Bethel
worship Him publicly, worship Him as a family. But this is
God's spiritual house. This is dwelling in the Lord
Jesus Christ and He in us. This is living wherever he is. And whoever is with me is going
there. You think about this now. Now,
all that were with Jacob, just because they went on that journey
with him and arrived at that destination with him, that didn't
mean they were included in that covenant that God established
with Jacob. Some of them were, and I'm sure
some of them weren't. But every one of them knew who Jacob's
God was. He said, if you're with me, you're
going to Bethel. And then the Lord will do whatever he's pleased
to do with you from there. But if you're with me, we're
going to Bethel. You see what happened here? This is what we do for our children,
our family, our friends. Whoever's with us, whoever's
with us, we can't get them saved. Don't you hate the way religion
is so flippant about the things of God? But if they're going
to be with us in any sense of the word, they're going to know
who our God is. They're going to know what it
is to dwell in the house of God. And they're going to know what
he's done for us. They're going to know about that
covenant he made with us and for us. They're going to know
who he is, what he did for us, and anything else they want to
know about him. Isn't that right? they're with us. Now look at
verse 10. And God said unto him, thy name is Jacob. Thy name is Jacob. Now back in chapter
32 when the Lord met with Jacob, Jacob was traveling to meet his
brother Esau and he was scared to death. He told the Lord I'm
afraid Esau's gonna kill me. Last time I saw him, that was
high on his list. And the Lord met with him and
wrestled with him and changed his name to Israel. But here
God reminds him who he was before, what his natural name is first. Your name is Jacob. But wait,
Lord, you changed my name. Don't ever forget who you are.
Don't ever forget the pit that he digged you out of. Don't ever
forget where he found you. Don't ever forget what you are
in yourself. Paul didn't. Did he? He said,
I know. I'm a child of God. I believe. I've forgotten those things which
are behind. I'm pressing toward the mark
for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ. But I know
that in me, that is in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing. I'm living
in a body of death. Oh, wretched man that I am. I
see another law warring in my members, warring against the
spirit. Don't ever forget who you are,
you're Jacob. The definition of his name is
supplanter, circumventer, and defrauder. And all three of these
words teach us a little something about it. To supplant means to
supersede and replace. That's what happened in the garden,
isn't it? We said the same thing Satan did, we'll be God. Satan
said, you'll be as God's. We wanted to supersede and replace
God Almighty. And we still do. Our name is
still Jacob, isn't it? You're Jacob. This is what happened
too with the blessing of his father Isaac. Isn't that what
he did? He superseded, he replaced the
one who was supposed to be blessed of God. And that's what religion
does. They put themselves in the place
of blessing in a dishonest way, by dishonest means. This is why
Jacob had been in trouble to begin with. That's why he was
fleeing when the Lord met him at Bethel. And this picture is
man's determination to do whatever is necessary to get what they
want. No matter what God said, no matter
what his claims upon us are, I want what I want, and I'll
do what I have to do to get it. I'm a supplanter, that's what
that is. To circumvent means to find another way around. The
Lord Jesus Christ said, anybody who enters in any other way but
by the door is a thief and a robber. That's religion, that's us again
by nature, isn't it? We'll do anything to get to heaven,
but we won't do nothing. We won't bow to the one whose
righteousness alone is acceptable before God. We'll do anything.
We'll find a way, won't we? Except go in by the door of the
Lord Jesus Christ. We will not submit to God's way
of salvation. To defraud means to obtain by
deception, to misrepresent yourself in order to get what you want.
This is what we do before God. Lord, haven't we preached in
your name and in your name done many wonderful works? We're somebody,
look, we've dedicated our lives to you. We've been going around
preaching and doing good works and earning heaven. The problem
is God's not deceived. He's not impressed. Does this
perhaps explain why God showed Christ to Jacob as a ladder from
heaven? Because Jacob was a defrauder.
Jacob was a supplanter. Jacob was a circumventor. And
God said, here's the way a sinner comes where I am. This is how
a sinner has access to me and fellowship with me in my favor.
There's got to be access brought down from heaven to right where
you are. There's got to be a door opened
and you can't go in any other way. There is none other name
under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. God
has exalted his son, the Lord Jesus Christ, whom you crucified
and made him both Lord and Christ. And it's by his name through
faith in his blood that a sinner saved no other way. You can't
circumvent him. God will kill you and put you
in hell. He's done it before. Access to God and covenant blessing
is not by man's deceptive, crafty, dishonest means, but by God coming
down from heaven right to where we are and saying, I'm going
to bless you. Making a covenant with us and
changing our name. Your name's Jacob. There's no
forgetting that. As long as you live on this earth,
you're not going to get away from it, are you? Your name's
Jacob. But also, Your name shall no
more be called Jacob, but Israel. What does Israel mean? Remember
what the Lord Jesus Christ said to Jacob when he first changed
his name to Israel in chapter 32 of Genesis, the 28th verse. Let me read it to you. And he
said, thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel. Well, what does that mean? Why
did he change his name to Israel? For as a prince hast thou power
with God and with men and hast prevailed. The Lord Jesus Christ
wrestled all night with Jacob. And then when he got ready, he
touched Jacob's thigh and rendered him unable to wrestle anymore.
And then he said, Jacob, you win. You have prevailed. To win with God is to lose. To
lose the fight for supremacy is to win the blessing. And the
Lord wrestles with us when he saves us. He grabs a hold of
us, doesn't he? Have you wrestled with the Lord?
Has the Lord appeared to you and wrestled with you? He grabs
a hold of you and he restrains you. And he puts your face in
the dirt and he goads you like he did Saul, like an animal.
And in his good time, he brings us down. He takes all the fight
out of us. He knocks all the stuffing out
of us and leaves us in the dust at his feet and declares us the
winner. That's what Israel means. And
we are. We are, 1 Corinthians 15, 57,
but thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord
Jesus Christ. God showed himself supreme. God won the mastery, and he always
does. He always will. But God declared
Jacob the winner of the blessing. Jacob said, I can't let you go
until you bless me. And the Lord said, you've prevailed.
You've prevailed. That's what Israel means. Why? Why did he change his name? Because
he just flat loved him. You know, you can trace every
blessing back to that source. The love of God is greater far
than tongue or pen could ever tell. Oh, the love. God said, Jacob have I loved. And it's worth noticing now that
when he said that, when Rebecca conceived Jacob and Esau, And
God spoke to her. He knew that he was going to
change Jacob's name. He had done it from all eternity.
He had purposed it. But he didn't say to Rebekah,
Israel have I loved. He said, I love Jacob. Jacob
have I loved. He said in Isaiah 41, 14, fear
not thou worm Jacob and you men of Israel, all you worms just
like him. I will help thee saith the Lord and thy redeemer. the Holy One of Israel. Jacob
have I loved. Romans 5, 6, for when we were
yet without strength in due time, Christ died. For who? The ungodly. For scarcely for
a righteous man will one die. Yet peradventure for a good man,
somebody that you esteem to be good and worthy of it, you might
die for him. Peradventure for a good man,
some would even dare to die. but nobody gonna die for a wicked,
foul wretch like you. But God commendeth his love toward
us in that while we were yet Jacob, Christ died for us. The song of all of the saints
throughout all eternity, God commendeth his love toward us.
No more Jacob, but it was Jacob that he fell in love with. All
of the supplanting and the circumventing and the defrauding. All of the
mistakes in my life and just flat all of the out and out evil
that I've done. No more. You're not going to
be known for that anymore. That's not who you are anymore.
You're a prince with God. How in the world? You're a prince
with God because the prince of life has stood for you, lived
for you, died for you. You are a son of God because
the son of God is your representative, your substitute, your sin offering,
your mediator, your righteousness, your all in all. And look at
that last phrase of verse 10. Let's look at these words particularly now.
God said to him, thy name is Jacob. My name shall not be called
anymore Jacob. but Israel shall be thy name,
and he called his name Israel. Why is that last phrase there?
God already said your name's gonna be Israel from now on.
But it says particular that God called him Israel. I'm sure there
were some who still called him Jacob, don't you imagine? When
his wife told him, you know, dinner's ready later that night,
she probably said, Jacob, time to eat. I'm sure this world still
called him Jacob, that's all right. That's all right, this
world calls us some things too, don't they? Heretics, a cult. I've been called a cult leader
a few times. More than once, they said our Lord was crazy.
They said, you're beside yourself, that means you're crazy. They
said he was demon possessed in the text we looked at this morning.
He casts out devils by the prince of devils. They called him a
glutton and a drunk. But let me tell you something,
whatever this world calls me or you. They've called our Lord
before they ever called us that. He said they hated me and they'll
hate you. Don't marvel if the world hates
you. If you're identified with me, they will. Whatever they
call us, I'll tell you this, whatever the Lord says my name
is, that's my real name. But Chris, you don't look much
like a prince. Yeah, but God said I'm a prince.
Turn to Colossians chapter one. This is such a wonderful truth.
That's why Paul said, this world is dead to me and I'm dead to
this world. I don't mean anything to this world and this world
means nothing to me but by God's grace. Colossians 119, for it
pleased the father that in him, that in his son, the Lord Jesus
Christ, should all fullness dwell. All fullness. and having made
peace through the blood of his cross by him to reconcile all
things unto himself. If there's going to be reconciliation
with God, you see, the natural man is enmity against God. We're born hating God and spitting
in his face, despising him. We crucified the prince of life
and laughed at him while he died. That's all of us by nature. there's
going to be reconciliation with God. There's going to have to
be the blood of his cross. He made peace between me and
God by that blood, by his precious sin, cleansing blood by him. I say, whether they be things
in earth or things in heaven and you that were sometime or
at one time alienated and enemies in your mind, my wicked works,
we were enemies by our actions. We were avowed enemies and we
were enemies in our mind, but did you know in God's mind you
never were his enemy? That's why he said it that way
right there. You've always been his son, his
child, his beloved, his little lamb. Yet now, by wicked works,
yet now hath he reconciled. How did he do it? In the body
of his flesh through death. That's how. He died for me. What was the result of his death
for me? To present you holy and unblameable
and unreprovable three beautiful words in his sight. I'm not that way in your sight.
And you're not that way in my sight either. I got news for
you. Oh, but that doesn't much matter, does it? Didn't really
matter you look like Jacob to me, but God said your name shall
be no more Jacob Your name's Israel And then look at verse
11 back in our text Oh And everything that he said now everything that
God has done in Jacob's life and everything that he's promised
him He promised him some covenant blessing. He told him this land
Make yourself at home because I'm gonna give it to you I gave
it, I promised it to your father, Abraham. I promised it to your
father, Isaac, and I'm going to give it to you. And then he
said unto him, I am God almighty. That's who blessed you today.
That's who made a covenant with you. That's who told you to go
back to Bethel and said, I'll be with you. And I'm going to
bless you every step of the way. Every step you take, I'm going
to be there with you and bless you and prosper you and give
you the promised land. I'm making my covenant with you.
God Almighty, that's it. Sometimes I think we need to
back up and learn what we think we already know. This is the
very beginning of all wisdom and knowledge. When you find
out who it is that you're dealing with. The Lord said that's the
beginning right there. The fear of the Lord. When you
find out who he is. When he says, I am God Almighty. And you hear that and you know
that and you understand that and you see him as who he is
and you tremble. And you fall on your face as
a dead man in your heart, like those who saw him in the word
of God. He said, that's the beginning.
And the knowledge of the holy is understanding. Turn to Psalm
46. Let's look at it. May the Lord teach us something
tonight that we probably pretty sure we already knew, but maybe
we don't know it like we ought to know it. You reckon? The one
that promised you his blessing. The one that revealed himself
to you and came in mercy where you were and revealed his son
to you. He said, I'm God Almighty. Psalm
46. Listen to what David said. I
think he knew something of who it was that had made a covenant
with him. He said he didn't make a covenant
with my family, but he He made one with me. I think David had
some idea who it was. Look at what he said. God is
our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore,
because it's God that's on our side, if God be with us now,
who can be against us? Therefore will we not fear. Though the earth be removed,
Safe though the world may crumble. Why? Because it's God. It's God
Almighty. Though the mountains be carried
into the midst of the sea, though the waters thereof roar and be
troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof,
there is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city
of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of who? The Most High. God is in the
midst of her. She shall not be moved. God shall
help her in that right early. The heathen raged, the kingdoms
were moved. He uttered his voice, the earth
melted. The Lord of hosts is with us. Do you see that? The God of Jacob,
the one who said to Jacob, I'm gonna bless you. The one who
said, Jacob have I loved. He's God almighty. The God of
Jacob is our refuge. Come behold the works of the
Lord. What desolations he hath made
in the earth. He maketh wars to cease under
the end of the earth. He breaketh the bow and cutteth
the spear in sunder. He burneth the chariot in the
fire. Be still. Oh, I wish that God would make
us to be still and to know something. Job, what did he learn on the
ash heap? I know that you're God Almighty,
he said. He said, I know you can do anything
and that nobody can stop you. Be still and know that I am God. We just take for granted that
we know that, don't we? I will be exalted among the heathens.
I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us.
Does that sink in at all tonight? The one who has called us to
his house and given us refuge in his house said, I'm God Almighty. The God of Jacob is our refuge.
Last week we talked about those two blind men, you remember?
And the Lord had gone about blessing and healing and two blind men
followed him. And the Lord sat down with him
and spoke with him. And you remember what he said
to them? Do you believe that I'm able to do this? I am God Almighty. Do you believe
that? Do you believe that he's able?
Hebrews 1.1, let me read you this. You've probably memorized
this, but think about this. God, who at sundry times and
in diverse manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the
prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son,
whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made
the worlds. I am God Almighty. being the
brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person,
and upholding all things by the word of his power." Peter said,
we're kept by the power of God, by faith unto salvation. That's
who it is that keeps you. That's who said you're in my
hand and nobody can pluck you out. God Almighty, kept by the
power of God. When he had by himself purged
our sins, he sat down on the right hand of the, could you
quote the rest of it? Who in the world are we dealing
with? Who is it that died for me? Who is it that purged my
sins? He was upholding all things by
the word of his power when he did it. The one upon whose word
and upon whose power the universe hung said, Father, forgive them. And he sat down on the right
hand of the majesty on high. That word majesty means great. We use that word in common language,
don't we? That's great. Nah, it ain't. Nah. It means highly esteemed
and preeminent. Excellent. Eminent for ability,
authority, virtue, and power. That's where my Lord Jesus Christ
sits. in the majesty on high, his eminence. Paul said in Romans 11, 33, Oh,
the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of
God. How unsearchable are his judgments
and his ways past finding out for who hath known the mind of
the Lord or who hath been his counselor or who hath first given
to him and it shall be recompensed unto him again. Religion talks
about, well, I gave my heart to Jesus, I gave my life to the
Lord. Not to God Almighty, you didn't. You have never given
him anything. For of him and through him and
to him are all things. If you ever want to feel like
a peanut rolling down a hill, try preaching this sometime.
Try talking about God Almighty with a mouth like mine. To whom
be glory forever. Amen. In glory they know who he is.
We may forget down here. But they know him there. Revelation
4, 8. They see him as he is up yonder.
Revelation 4, 8. And the four beasts had each
of them six wings about him. And they were full of eyes within.
And they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord
God Almighty. That's what was happening when
Isaiah saw him. Which was and which is and is
to come. And when those beasts give glory
and honor and thanks to Him that sat on the throne, who liveth
forever and ever, the four and twenty elders fall down before
Him that sat on the throne, and worship Him that liveth forever
and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou
art worthy, O Lord. to receive glory and honor and
power, for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure
they are and were created." I'm God Almighty. Who was it that
calmed the seas with a command? So that the disciples said, what
manner of man is this? Who was it that said, Lazarus,
come forth. And he that was four days stinking
dead came forth from the grave. That's God Almighty. Who fed the multitudes with a
little boy's lunch? 5,000 men plus women and children. Who was it that cursed that fig
tree? You remember? They came up there and the Lord
looked at that tree and there wasn't any fig, it was just leaves
on it, there wasn't any figs on it. And he cursed it and it
withered right there before their eyes. Who was that? Who was it
that said, I am? And a band of officers fell backwards
to the ground. Who was it that took that little
dead girl's hand And said, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise. Who was it that turned to that
thief on the next cross and said, today thou shalt be with me in
paradise? And here's a question that I
love to keep asking. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect It is God That said they're just Who is he that condemneth it's
Christ that died Who in the world would dare call
me Jacob when God said your name's Israel I'm gonna go home tonight And
like last night and the night before, unless God lets me go,
I'm going to lay my head down on my pillow. And after just
a few happy moments of happy thoughts, I'm going to drift
off and sleep in peace. And it ain't because I don't
have troubles. It's not because I'm not an accomplished worrier,
because I am. But I'll tell you why. It's because God Almighty, God
Almighty said to me, I go to prepare a place for you. Don't let your heart be troubled. And if I go to prepare a place
for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that
where I am, there you may be also. Let's bow in prayer.