1 00:00:01,640 --> 00:00:04,480 Well, today's Scripture reading is actually coming from Genesis 2 00:00:04,480 --> 00:00:07,240 30. It's on page 22. 3 00:00:07,480 --> 00:00:10,440 If you have the Bible under your chair, there are a couple of 4 00:00:10,440 --> 00:00:13,400 prints out there, so it might be a couple of pages off. 5 00:00:13,400 --> 00:00:17,320 But page 22, we're looking at Genesis chapter 30. 6 00:00:17,320 --> 00:00:18,560 I'll give you a second to turn there. 7 00:00:18,560 --> 00:00:24,960 We're going to pick it up in verse 25. 8 00:00:26,360 --> 00:00:32,200 Genesis 30 verse 25 says this. As soon as Rachel had borne 9 00:00:32,240 --> 00:00:35,840 Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, Send me a way that I may go to 10 00:00:35,840 --> 00:00:39,640 my own home and country. Give me my wives and my children 11 00:00:39,640 --> 00:00:42,760 for whom I have served you, that I may go for you know the 12 00:00:42,760 --> 00:00:46,400 service that I have given you. But Laban said to him, If I have 13 00:00:46,400 --> 00:00:50,440 found favor in your sight, I have learned by divination that 14 00:00:50,440 --> 00:00:53,160 the Lord has blessed me because of you. 15 00:00:54,200 --> 00:00:57,840 Name your wages and I will give it, Jacob said to him, You 16 00:00:57,840 --> 00:01:01,680 yourself know how I have served you, and how your livestock has 17 00:01:01,680 --> 00:01:04,720 fared with me. For you had little before I 18 00:01:04,720 --> 00:01:08,600 came, and it is increased abundantly, and the Lord has 19 00:01:08,600 --> 00:01:13,000 blessed you wherever I turned. But now when shall I provide for 20 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:17,000 my own household also? He said, What shall I give you? 21 00:01:17,320 --> 00:01:19,800 Jacob said, You shall not give me anything. 22 00:01:19,880 --> 00:01:23,440 If you will do this for me, I will again pasture your flock 23 00:01:23,440 --> 00:01:25,840 and keep it. Let me pass through all your 24 00:01:25,840 --> 00:01:29,360 flock today, removing from it every speckled and spotted sheep 25 00:01:29,360 --> 00:01:32,520 and every black lamb and the spotted and speckled among the 26 00:01:32,520 --> 00:01:34,560 goats, and they shall be my wages. 27 00:01:34,920 --> 00:01:38,640 So my honesty will answer me for later when you come to look into 28 00:01:38,640 --> 00:01:41,960 my wages with you. Everyone that is not speckled 29 00:01:41,960 --> 00:01:45,480 and spotted among the goats and black among the lambs, if if 30 00:01:45,480 --> 00:01:48,240 found with me, shall be counted stolen. 31 00:01:48,840 --> 00:01:52,120 Laban said. Good, let it be as you have 32 00:01:52,120 --> 00:01:54,680 said. But that day Laban removed the 33 00:01:54,680 --> 00:01:58,320 male goats that were striped and spotted, and all the female 34 00:01:58,320 --> 00:02:01,160 goats that were speckled and spotted, and everyone that had 35 00:02:01,160 --> 00:02:04,280 white on it, and every lamb that was black, and put them in the 36 00:02:04,280 --> 00:02:08,199 charge of his sons. And he set a distance of three 37 00:02:08,199 --> 00:02:11,920 days journey between himself and Jacob and Jacob pastor the rest 38 00:02:11,920 --> 00:02:15,360 of Laban's flock. And then Jacob took fresh sticks 39 00:02:15,360 --> 00:02:20,280 of Poplar and almond and plane trees and peeled white streaks 40 00:02:20,280 --> 00:02:23,440 in them, exposing the white of the of the sticks. 41 00:02:23,600 --> 00:02:26,120 And he set the sticks that he had peeled in front of the 42 00:02:26,120 --> 00:02:30,560 flocks in the troughs, and that that is the the watering places 43 00:02:30,680 --> 00:02:34,400 where the fox came to drink. And since they bred when they 44 00:02:34,400 --> 00:02:37,760 came to drink, the fox bred in front of the sticks. 45 00:02:37,760 --> 00:02:42,200 And so the fox brought a fourth striped, speckled, and spotted. 46 00:02:42,560 --> 00:02:46,200 And Jacob separate the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks 47 00:02:46,200 --> 00:02:49,200 toward the striped and all the black in the flock of the of 48 00:02:49,200 --> 00:02:52,480 Laban. He put his own droves apart, and 49 00:02:52,480 --> 00:02:54,480 did not put them with Laban's flock. 50 00:02:54,600 --> 00:02:58,200 And whenever the stronger of the flock were breeding, Jacob would 51 00:02:58,200 --> 00:03:01,120 lay the sticks in the troughs before the eyes of the flock, 52 00:03:01,360 --> 00:03:03,400 that they might breed among the sticks. 53 00:03:03,800 --> 00:03:07,880 But for the feebler of the flock he would not lay them there. 54 00:03:07,880 --> 00:03:11,680 So the feebler would be Laban's, and the stronger's Jacobs. 55 00:03:12,200 --> 00:03:16,160 Thus the man increased greatly, and had large flocks, female 56 00:03:16,160 --> 00:03:19,240 servants and male servants, and camels and donkeys. 57 00:03:19,760 --> 00:03:24,440 Now Jacob heard that the sons of Laban were saying, Jacob has 58 00:03:24,440 --> 00:03:27,960 taken all that was our fathers, and from what was our fathers, 59 00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:30,160 he has gained all his, all this wealth. 60 00:03:30,440 --> 00:03:36,400 And Jacob saw that Laban did not regard him with favor as before. 61 00:03:36,520 --> 00:03:40,920 And then the Lord said to Jacob, Return to the land of your 62 00:03:40,920 --> 00:03:43,560 father's, and to your kindred, and I will be with you. 63 00:03:45,040 --> 00:03:48,720 So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah into the field where 64 00:03:48,720 --> 00:03:53,160 his flock was, and said to them, I see that your father does not 65 00:03:53,160 --> 00:03:57,360 regard me with favor as he did before, but the God of my father 66 00:03:57,360 --> 00:04:00,320 has been with me. You know that I have served your 67 00:04:00,320 --> 00:04:03,720 father with all my strength, yet your father has cheated me and 68 00:04:03,720 --> 00:04:07,760 changed my wages 10 times. But God did not permit him to 69 00:04:07,760 --> 00:04:12,480 harm him, to harm me. If he said if he said the 70 00:04:12,480 --> 00:04:15,920 spotted shall be your wages, then all the flock bore spotted 71 00:04:15,920 --> 00:04:18,560 and if he said the stripe shall be your wages, then all the 72 00:04:18,560 --> 00:04:22,480 flock were were were striped. Thus God has taken away the 73 00:04:22,480 --> 00:04:25,960 livestock of your father and given them to me in the breeding 74 00:04:25,960 --> 00:04:28,960 season of the flock. I lifted up my eyes and saw in a 75 00:04:28,960 --> 00:04:32,080 dream that the goats that mat that made it with the flock were 76 00:04:32,080 --> 00:04:35,160 striped, spotted and malted, modeled. 77 00:04:35,560 --> 00:04:38,920 And then the Angel of the God said to me in the dream, Jacob 78 00:04:39,160 --> 00:04:43,280 and I said, here I am. And he said, lift up your eyes 79 00:04:43,280 --> 00:04:47,120 and see all the goats that mate with the flock are stripped, are 80 00:04:47,120 --> 00:04:51,600 striped, spotted and modeled. For I have seen all that Laban 81 00:04:51,600 --> 00:04:54,880 is doing to you. I am the God of Bethel, where 82 00:04:54,880 --> 00:04:57,800 you anointed a pillar and made a vow to me. 83 00:04:58,080 --> 00:05:02,040 Now arise, go out from this land, and return to the land of 84 00:05:02,040 --> 00:05:04,640 your kindred. And then Rachel and Leah 85 00:05:04,640 --> 00:05:08,520 answered and said to him, Is there any portion or inheritance 86 00:05:08,520 --> 00:05:10,440 left to us in our Father's house? 87 00:05:10,800 --> 00:05:13,560 Are we not regarded by him as foreigners? 88 00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:17,840 For He has sold us, and he has indeed devoured our money. 89 00:05:18,240 --> 00:05:21,000 All the wealth that God has taken away from our Father 90 00:05:21,000 --> 00:05:22,920 belongs to us and to our children. 91 00:05:23,360 --> 00:05:28,040 Now then, whatever God has said to you, do so Jacob arose and 92 00:05:28,040 --> 00:05:32,080 set his sons and his wives and camels, and he drove away all 93 00:05:32,080 --> 00:05:35,400 his living, his livestock, all his his property that he had 94 00:05:35,400 --> 00:05:38,840 gained, the livestock in his possession that he had acquired 95 00:05:38,840 --> 00:05:42,800 in Pat and Aram to go to the land of Canaan, to his father. 96 00:05:42,880 --> 00:05:47,480 Isaac Laban had gone, had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel 97 00:05:47,480 --> 00:05:49,760 stole her father's household. Gods. 98 00:05:50,320 --> 00:05:54,280 And Jacob tricked Laban the Aramean by not telling him that 99 00:05:54,280 --> 00:05:57,520 he intended to flee. He fled with all that he had, 100 00:05:57,520 --> 00:06:00,600 and rose and crossed the Euphrates, and set his face 101 00:06:00,600 --> 00:06:02,680 toward the Hill Country of Gilead. 102 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:06,240 And when he was told Laban on the third day that Jacob had 103 00:06:06,240 --> 00:06:10,320 fled, he took his kinsmen with him and pursued him for seven 104 00:06:10,320 --> 00:06:13,640 days, and followed close after him into the Hill Country of 105 00:06:13,640 --> 00:06:16,200 Gilead. But God came to Laban the 106 00:06:16,200 --> 00:06:20,760 Aramean in a dream by night, and said to him, Be careful not to 107 00:06:20,760 --> 00:06:24,200 say anything to Jacob, either good or bad. 108 00:06:25,000 --> 00:06:28,160 And Laban overtook Jacob. And now Jacob had pitched his 109 00:06:28,160 --> 00:06:31,480 tent in the Hill Country, and Laban with his kinsmen pitched 110 00:06:31,480 --> 00:06:33,400 tents in the Hill Country of Gilead. 111 00:06:33,720 --> 00:06:38,240 And Laban said to Jacob, What have you done that you have 112 00:06:38,240 --> 00:06:41,480 tricked me and driven away my daughters like captives of the 113 00:06:41,480 --> 00:06:44,200 sword? Why did you flee secretly and 114 00:06:44,200 --> 00:06:47,720 trick me and did not tell me so that I might have sent you away 115 00:06:47,720 --> 00:06:51,000 with mirth and songs, with tambourine and liar? 116 00:06:51,800 --> 00:06:55,280 And why did you not permit me to kiss my sons and my daughter's 117 00:06:55,280 --> 00:06:57,840 farewell? Now you have done foolishly. 118 00:06:58,280 --> 00:07:00,360 It is in my power to do you harm. 119 00:07:00,560 --> 00:07:03,480 But the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying Be 120 00:07:03,480 --> 00:07:07,240 careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad. 121 00:07:07,520 --> 00:07:10,800 And now you have gone away because you longed greatly for 122 00:07:10,800 --> 00:07:14,200 your father's house. But why did you steal my gods? 123 00:07:14,520 --> 00:07:16,440 Jacob answered and said to Laban. 124 00:07:16,560 --> 00:07:19,880 Because I was afraid, for I thought that you would take your 125 00:07:19,880 --> 00:07:23,760 daughters from me by force. Anyone with whom you would find 126 00:07:23,760 --> 00:07:27,000 your God shall not live, and in the presence of your kinsmen 127 00:07:27,000 --> 00:07:29,680 point out what I have that is yours, and take it. 128 00:07:29,960 --> 00:07:33,440 Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them. 129 00:07:34,120 --> 00:07:38,040 So Laban went into to Jacob's tent and into Leah's tent and 130 00:07:38,040 --> 00:07:41,000 into the tent of the two female servants, but he did not find 131 00:07:41,000 --> 00:07:44,880 them, and he went out of Leah's tent and entered Rachel's. 132 00:07:45,360 --> 00:07:48,240 Now Rachel had taken the household gods and put them in 133 00:07:48,240 --> 00:07:50,120 the camel saddle and sat on them. 134 00:07:50,680 --> 00:07:53,840 Laban felt all about the tent, and he did not find them. 135 00:07:54,320 --> 00:07:57,680 And she said to her father, Let not my Lord be angry that I 136 00:07:57,680 --> 00:08:01,120 cannot rise before you, for the way of women is upon me. 137 00:08:01,440 --> 00:08:04,640 So he searched, but he did not find the household gods. 138 00:08:04,960 --> 00:08:08,000 And then Jacob became angry and berated Laban. 139 00:08:08,120 --> 00:08:11,280 Jacob said to Laban, What is my offense? 140 00:08:11,280 --> 00:08:14,240 What is my sin that you have hotly pursued me? 141 00:08:14,520 --> 00:08:17,000 For you have felt through all my goods. 142 00:08:17,080 --> 00:08:20,680 What have you found all of your household goods said it here 143 00:08:20,680 --> 00:08:23,280 before my kinsmen and your kinsmen, that they may decide 144 00:08:23,280 --> 00:08:26,880 between us. To these 2020 years I have been 145 00:08:26,880 --> 00:08:30,440 with you, you're using your female goats have not miscarried 146 00:08:30,440 --> 00:08:32,960 and I have not eaten the Rams of your flocks. 147 00:08:33,159 --> 00:08:36,000 What was torn by wild beasts I did not bring to you. 148 00:08:36,200 --> 00:08:39,200 I bore the loss of it myself from my hand. 149 00:08:39,200 --> 00:08:41,880 You required it. Whether stolen by day or stolen 150 00:08:41,880 --> 00:08:45,480 by night, there I was. By day the heat consumes me, and 151 00:08:45,480 --> 00:08:48,920 then cold by night and my sleep fled from my eyes. 152 00:08:49,160 --> 00:08:51,880 These 20 years I have been in your house. 153 00:08:51,880 --> 00:08:56,600 I served you 14 years for your two daughters and six years for 154 00:08:56,600 --> 00:08:59,920 your flock, and you have changed my wages 10 times. 155 00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:03,480 If the God of my father, the God of Abraham, in the fear of 156 00:09:03,480 --> 00:09:07,600 Isaac, had not been on my side, surely now you would have sent 157 00:09:07,600 --> 00:09:10,920 me away empty handed. God saw my affliction and the 158 00:09:10,920 --> 00:09:13,680 labor of my hands and rebuked you last night. 159 00:09:14,320 --> 00:09:17,880 And then label Laban answered and said to Jacob, The daughters 160 00:09:17,880 --> 00:09:21,040 of my daughters, the children of my children, the flocks are my 161 00:09:21,040 --> 00:09:23,560 flocks, and all that you see is mine. 162 00:09:23,760 --> 00:09:27,480 But what can I do this day for these my daughters, or for their 163 00:09:27,480 --> 00:09:31,080 children whom they have born? Come now, let us make a 164 00:09:31,080 --> 00:09:34,960 covenant, you and I, and let it be a witness between you and me. 165 00:09:35,160 --> 00:09:38,320 So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar. 166 00:09:38,600 --> 00:09:41,520 And Jacob said to his kinsmen, Gather stones. 167 00:09:41,520 --> 00:09:44,960 And they took stones and made a heap and there and they ate 168 00:09:44,960 --> 00:09:48,600 there by this heap. And Laban called it Jagar 169 00:09:48,600 --> 00:09:52,320 Siddarath, but Jacob called it Galid. 170 00:09:53,120 --> 00:09:56,640 Laban said this heap is a witness between you and me 171 00:09:56,640 --> 00:09:59,640 today. Therefore he named it Galid and 172 00:09:59,640 --> 00:10:02,840 Mizpah. For he said the Lord watch 173 00:10:02,840 --> 00:10:07,600 between you and me when we are out of the one another sight, if 174 00:10:07,600 --> 00:10:10,560 you oppress my daughters, or if you take wives beside my 175 00:10:10,560 --> 00:10:12,800 daughters, although no one is with us. 176 00:10:13,000 --> 00:10:15,960 See, God is witness between you and me. 177 00:10:16,520 --> 00:10:19,960 And then Laban said to Jacob, See this heap and pillar which I 178 00:10:19,960 --> 00:10:23,320 have set between you and me. This heap is a witness, and the 179 00:10:23,320 --> 00:10:27,080 pillar is a witness that I will not pass over this heap to you, 180 00:10:27,440 --> 00:10:30,560 and you will not pass over this heap and this pillar to me to do 181 00:10:30,560 --> 00:10:32,960 harm. The God of Abraham and the God 182 00:10:32,960 --> 00:10:36,160 of Nahor, the God of their father, judged between us. 183 00:10:36,400 --> 00:10:39,520 So Jacob swore by the fear of his father Isaac. 184 00:10:39,720 --> 00:10:43,120 And Jacob offered a sacrifice in the Hill Country and called his 185 00:10:43,120 --> 00:10:46,440 kinsmen to eat bread. And they ate bread and spent the 186 00:10:46,520 --> 00:10:50,160 the night in the Hill Country. Early in the morning Laban arose 187 00:10:50,160 --> 00:10:52,840 and kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them. 188 00:10:53,080 --> 00:10:55,360 And then Laban departed and returned home. 189 00:10:55,720 --> 00:10:59,200 And Jacob went on his way. And the angels of God met him. 190 00:10:59,280 --> 00:11:02,920 And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God's camp. 191 00:11:03,120 --> 00:11:06,920 And so he called the name of that place, Menhanaim. 192 00:11:07,480 --> 00:11:11,000 And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau, his brothers in the 193 00:11:11,000 --> 00:11:13,360 land of Seer, the country of Eden. 194 00:11:13,720 --> 00:11:21,880 This is the word of Lord. What's going on? 195 00:11:21,880 --> 00:11:24,440 Port City family and friends, you made it through that 196 00:11:24,440 --> 00:11:27,360 scripture reading. Praise God we can do hard 197 00:11:27,360 --> 00:11:29,920 things, you know, in the classroom. 198 00:11:29,920 --> 00:11:32,560 I would say let's give Pastor John 2 claps on 2. 199 00:11:32,560 --> 00:11:34,920 Y'all want to try it? So I'm going to say 1-2 and then 200 00:11:34,920 --> 00:11:38,040 you clap twice. You ready 1/2 That was awesome, 201 00:11:39,160 --> 00:11:40,520 y'all. We can do hard things. 202 00:11:40,560 --> 00:11:42,840 We don't want you to take our word for it when it comes from 203 00:11:42,840 --> 00:11:44,560 the Word. Hearing the word is the best 204 00:11:44,560 --> 00:11:48,440 part of our gathering, y'all. Yesterday we had the opportunity 205 00:11:48,440 --> 00:11:50,440 to play some kickball together. It was awesome. 206 00:11:50,520 --> 00:11:54,640 I'm sore everywhere, y'all. What I love about a day like 207 00:11:54,640 --> 00:11:58,280 yesterday is you had people, some of whom are a part of our 208 00:11:58,280 --> 00:12:00,160 church, some of whom are not. There were all kinds of 209 00:12:00,160 --> 00:12:03,440 languages being spoken. There are kids running around. 210 00:12:03,440 --> 00:12:06,240 It is a little chaotic. It's like a family reunion type 211 00:12:06,240 --> 00:12:09,280 vibe. And in a lot of ways, y'all, we 212 00:12:09,280 --> 00:12:11,280 believe the Bible teaches that you were made to feel like you 213 00:12:11,280 --> 00:12:13,920 were part of a family reunion and you are part of a mission 214 00:12:13,920 --> 00:12:16,120 bigger than yourself, which is that we are a family. 215 00:12:16,360 --> 00:12:19,080 We can mess stuff up. We can, you know, say we're 216 00:12:19,080 --> 00:12:21,880 sorry to each other, have fun, compete all the things, be 217 00:12:21,880 --> 00:12:24,760 silly. And then also we are meant to be 218 00:12:24,760 --> 00:12:26,920 a part of something where we're aiming at something together, 219 00:12:26,920 --> 00:12:28,640 which is the glory of God and the good of Norfolk. 220 00:12:28,680 --> 00:12:32,080 OK. And so if you are not a part of 221 00:12:32,080 --> 00:12:34,560 a local church community, that's what you're invited to here is 222 00:12:34,560 --> 00:12:37,200 to be a part of a family where we're going to have your back 223 00:12:37,200 --> 00:12:39,440 and we're not perfect. We're going to mess up 224 00:12:39,440 --> 00:12:42,080 sometimes, but we're going to have fun together and we are 225 00:12:42,080 --> 00:12:44,160 seeking the good of Norfolk together. 226 00:12:44,240 --> 00:12:48,080 OK, so I want to pray over our time and then dive into the 227 00:12:48,240 --> 00:12:51,720 insanity that we just had read, which is a true story and it 228 00:12:51,720 --> 00:12:53,800 meant for our transformation. So let's pray. 229 00:12:54,680 --> 00:12:56,960 Our Father, we love you. Thank you for your church that 230 00:12:56,960 --> 00:12:59,520 you bought with your blood. God that we can be a 231 00:12:59,520 --> 00:13:02,800 dysfunctional family on mission together bringing you glory. 232 00:13:02,800 --> 00:13:06,760 God, I pray that our church will grow and reflecting Norfolk God 233 00:13:06,760 --> 00:13:09,320 just in every tribe and tongue and language and nation that's 234 00:13:09,320 --> 00:13:13,360 here God and we would we would just be reflective of that God 235 00:13:13,360 --> 00:13:16,160 that we would be a part of something bigger than ourselves. 236 00:13:16,160 --> 00:13:18,200 God you would get us outside of ourselves and we would be a 237 00:13:18,200 --> 00:13:21,120 family on mission together. So what we know not as we come 238 00:13:21,120 --> 00:13:23,160 to this text. Would you teach us what we have 239 00:13:23,160 --> 00:13:25,240 not Would you give us who we are not Would you make us let the 240 00:13:25,240 --> 00:13:27,520 words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be 241 00:13:27,520 --> 00:13:29,760 acceptable in your sight and everybody agree with that said 242 00:13:30,280 --> 00:13:34,640 Amen. We all I love the game Clue. 243 00:13:34,760 --> 00:13:36,960 Anybody there's a bunch of versions of Clue. 244 00:13:37,240 --> 00:13:40,480 And now I know that there are a lot of movies that are basically 245 00:13:40,480 --> 00:13:43,920 the game Clue made into a movie. And all of the movies have, you 246 00:13:43,920 --> 00:13:47,120 know, Knives Out series, the the murder mystery type. 247 00:13:47,120 --> 00:13:49,000 It could be funny, it could be silly, it could be serious. 248 00:13:49,280 --> 00:13:51,560 There's so many variations, but it's kind of the same thing. 249 00:13:51,560 --> 00:13:53,800 You're trying to like who did it, who done it right? 250 00:13:54,360 --> 00:13:58,480 And it's awesome and it's entertaining In today's text, 251 00:13:58,480 --> 00:14:00,080 we've kind of got that type vibe. 252 00:14:00,120 --> 00:14:04,400 OK, we've got a chess match between Laban and Jacob going 253 00:14:04,400 --> 00:14:07,120 on, and we've got just some dynamics and we know things as 254 00:14:07,120 --> 00:14:10,320 the observer that the characters don't know while they're in it. 255 00:14:10,840 --> 00:14:13,120 But the difference between watching those movies and 256 00:14:13,120 --> 00:14:15,760 playing that game and reading our text here is this is not for 257 00:14:15,760 --> 00:14:19,320 our entertainment. The reason this text was written 258 00:14:19,320 --> 00:14:22,760 is that the people of God starting in Moses's generation 259 00:14:22,760 --> 00:14:26,040 that left Egypt, they would be telling each other this story. 260 00:14:26,360 --> 00:14:29,880 So they're in the wilderness post exodus, post slavery from 261 00:14:29,880 --> 00:14:33,080 Egypt, and they're reminding themselves that no matter who is 262 00:14:33,080 --> 00:14:35,480 set against them and how much power they think they have, like 263 00:14:35,480 --> 00:14:38,800 a Laban, we can trust our God who won't even let the Laban's 264 00:14:38,800 --> 00:14:41,360 get a hold of us when we make rash dumb vows and all the 265 00:14:41,360 --> 00:14:43,120 things that go on in the story. Does that make sense? 266 00:14:43,520 --> 00:14:45,960 So the main character in our story isn't Laban, it isn't 267 00:14:45,960 --> 00:14:49,520 Jacob, it's God. OK, So what I want to do is 268 00:14:49,520 --> 00:14:52,640 similar to the Exodus generation that would be learning from the 269 00:14:52,640 --> 00:14:54,280 text. We, the church, are in the 270 00:14:54,280 --> 00:14:58,080 similar moment in history. We are on our way home, which is 271 00:14:58,080 --> 00:15:00,160 heaven with Christ, new heavens, new earth. 272 00:15:00,160 --> 00:15:03,680 God does not extract us, He keeps us in a broken place with 273 00:15:03,680 --> 00:15:05,240 the Laban's of the world. OK. 274 00:15:05,240 --> 00:15:08,920 And we have to learn how to trust Him, walk with him day by 275 00:15:08,920 --> 00:15:12,480 day and not take advantage of His Providence and how he does 276 00:15:12,480 --> 00:15:16,480 all things, but trust it as we take step after step after step. 277 00:15:16,480 --> 00:15:18,720 Are you all with me? So what we're going to look at 278 00:15:18,720 --> 00:15:21,720 is the way God brings his people home is he leads them, He 279 00:15:21,720 --> 00:15:23,400 protects them, and he delivers them. 280 00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:25,840 If y'all are ready, let me hear you say I'm ready. 281 00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:29,920 Point #1 Let's talk about this pilgrimage pattern. 282 00:15:29,920 --> 00:15:31,560 Let's talk about this pilgrimage pattern. 283 00:15:31,560 --> 00:15:35,840 God leads In chapter 30, verses 25 and 26. 284 00:15:35,840 --> 00:15:41,000 We read this as soon as Rachel had born, Joseph Jacob said to 285 00:15:41,000 --> 00:15:43,800 Laban, send me a way that I may go to my home and country. 286 00:15:43,800 --> 00:15:46,720 Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, that 287 00:15:46,720 --> 00:15:49,400 I may go for, you know, the service that I have given you. 288 00:15:50,200 --> 00:15:53,640 OK, So they concoct this plan. He's like, OK, and what's your 289 00:15:53,640 --> 00:15:55,280 wages? They have this discussion. 290 00:15:55,280 --> 00:15:57,640 We'll talk about that. And then in chapter 31, verses 291 00:15:57,640 --> 00:16:00,960 one through 3, we read now Jacob heard that the sons of Laban 292 00:16:00,960 --> 00:16:03,640 were saying, Jacob has taken away all that was our fathers 293 00:16:03,640 --> 00:16:06,680 and from what was our fathers, he has gained all of this 294 00:16:06,680 --> 00:16:08,400 wealth. And Jacob saw that Laban did not 295 00:16:08,400 --> 00:16:11,240 regard him with favor as before. Then the Lord said to Jacob, 296 00:16:11,240 --> 00:16:13,800 return to the land of your father's and to your kindred, I 297 00:16:13,800 --> 00:16:18,040 will be with you. OK, so there are two details in 298 00:16:18,040 --> 00:16:19,080 the text. I know there's a lot of 299 00:16:19,080 --> 00:16:21,440 explaining a long story that's going to be going on. 300 00:16:21,440 --> 00:16:23,520 I'm going to do it as seamlessly as I can. 301 00:16:23,520 --> 00:16:25,240 You'll stay with me. You're doing awesome. 302 00:16:25,760 --> 00:16:28,360 The two Nuggets of the pilgrimage you've got to see are 303 00:16:28,360 --> 00:16:30,960 the geography and the time. So let's start with geography. 304 00:16:31,480 --> 00:16:34,760 The geography in this story is telling a story. 305 00:16:34,960 --> 00:16:37,600 OK? So when he says, send me home, 306 00:16:37,600 --> 00:16:40,080 I'm going home. And then God says go home. 307 00:16:40,080 --> 00:16:43,600 We now know by the end of the story, I think that Jacob's 308 00:16:43,600 --> 00:16:46,280 saying, I want to go, Laban's saying name your wages. 309 00:16:46,280 --> 00:16:48,960 They do the goat stuff, the speckled spots. 310 00:16:48,960 --> 00:16:51,160 And Doctor Seuss must have been reading that before you wrote 311 00:16:51,160 --> 00:16:54,400 every book he ever wrote. The speckled spots in the lambs 312 00:16:54,400 --> 00:16:58,920 with the spots with the speckles somebody, well, I think that 313 00:16:59,000 --> 00:17:02,240 interchange is about 6 years because he says I worked for 314 00:17:02,240 --> 00:17:05,079 you, 7 for your first daughter, 7 for your second, and then six 315 00:17:05,079 --> 00:17:07,359 for the flocks. So I think God then saying go 316 00:17:07,359 --> 00:17:10,079 home is 6 years after Jacob saying I want to go home. 317 00:17:10,079 --> 00:17:12,240 Does that make sense? But what matters is home. 318 00:17:12,400 --> 00:17:15,760 OK, let me show you this map. Let me show you this map. 319 00:17:16,079 --> 00:17:19,640 OK? What Jacob did is he was born in 320 00:17:19,640 --> 00:17:21,400 the promised land, which is down to the left. 321 00:17:21,400 --> 00:17:23,079 Think Jerusalem, modern day Israel. 322 00:17:23,119 --> 00:17:25,880 OK, where Laban lives is the top right. 323 00:17:25,880 --> 00:17:29,600 It's Haran. OK, so he's been living for 20 324 00:17:29,600 --> 00:17:31,600 years in Haran. He says send me back home. 325 00:17:31,600 --> 00:17:34,040 God says go back home, which means to go back where he came 326 00:17:34,040 --> 00:17:35,160 from. Are y'all with me? 327 00:17:35,520 --> 00:17:37,120 If y'all see that, give me a thumbs up. 328 00:17:37,480 --> 00:17:39,000 You see it? OK, you can put that down. 329 00:17:39,480 --> 00:17:40,720 Here's what you need to understand. 330 00:17:40,720 --> 00:17:46,880 You can write down Genesis 1131. When God called Abraham, he was 331 00:17:46,880 --> 00:17:51,520 in Haran. When God called Abraham, he was 332 00:17:51,560 --> 00:17:55,760 in Haran. Which means that her Haran to 333 00:17:55,760 --> 00:17:58,680 Jerusalem or Haran to the Promised Land was the first 334 00:17:58,680 --> 00:18:02,520 journey of trust ever, the first pilgrimage ever by the people of 335 00:18:02,520 --> 00:18:05,920 God in the person of Abraham. Abraham's trust of God was to 336 00:18:05,920 --> 00:18:09,160 make that journey. Now Jacob had been kicked out of 337 00:18:09,160 --> 00:18:11,840 his home because he was a schemer and he was in exile by 338 00:18:11,840 --> 00:18:14,560 going to Haran and told to go get a wife from there. 339 00:18:14,880 --> 00:18:18,560 OK, so he leaves and goes there. So now he's going to retrace the 340 00:18:18,560 --> 00:18:21,160 steps that his grandfather Abraham once did. 341 00:18:21,680 --> 00:18:25,120 Y'all with me? So think about it, on his walk 342 00:18:25,120 --> 00:18:30,640 back home, every single square inch that his foot steps on is 343 00:18:30,640 --> 00:18:33,440 based on the faithfulness of God to his grandfather Abraham. 344 00:18:33,440 --> 00:18:37,600 Do y'all see that literally the soles of his feet, every ounce 345 00:18:37,600 --> 00:18:41,080 of dirt that road had been walked by his grandfather who 346 00:18:41,080 --> 00:18:44,200 was a barren 75 year old man that got told you going to be 347 00:18:44,200 --> 00:18:46,520 the one through whom all nations on earth will be blessed. 348 00:18:47,560 --> 00:18:50,520 So we've got to remember the story and the location are 349 00:18:50,520 --> 00:18:52,720 linked kids. It'd be like if I told you about 350 00:18:52,720 --> 00:18:55,040 Pride Rock and I started talking about Pride Rock. 351 00:18:55,040 --> 00:18:58,520 You would have images of Lion King and scar and things of that 352 00:18:58,520 --> 00:18:59,360 nature. Are you with me? 353 00:18:59,480 --> 00:19:03,440 The place has a story in it. So in our case when he says her 354 00:19:03,440 --> 00:19:06,880 on and send me home, he'd be walking a journey that already 355 00:19:06,880 --> 00:19:09,800 been walked in church. That is us. 356 00:19:10,440 --> 00:19:13,400 We don't know where we're going, but this ground has been walked. 357 00:19:13,400 --> 00:19:16,120 Are you with me? We need to trust and we trust 358 00:19:16,120 --> 00:19:19,320 because we have a testimony. This road has been walked and 359 00:19:19,320 --> 00:19:21,040 it's not God has been good to you. 360 00:19:21,040 --> 00:19:24,240 Yes, through the temporal blessings that the good things, 361 00:19:24,240 --> 00:19:27,000 the jobs, the degrees, all the stuff, but it's the blood of 362 00:19:27,000 --> 00:19:29,960 Christ is what we standing on. We standing on business, we 363 00:19:29,960 --> 00:19:34,040 stand on Christ business. So the goal is I trust forward 364 00:19:34,040 --> 00:19:36,640 what I don't know because it's been walked by him. 365 00:19:37,040 --> 00:19:39,520 Does that make sense? So this road has already been 366 00:19:39,520 --> 00:19:41,240 walked. God has been faithful. 367 00:19:41,400 --> 00:19:44,200 So I will trust the unknown based on what I do know, which 368 00:19:44,200 --> 00:19:45,960 is that Christ shed his blood for me. 369 00:19:46,200 --> 00:19:49,720 So even though we're not walking from Haran to home, we are 370 00:19:49,720 --> 00:19:52,600 headed home on a road Jesus already paved. 371 00:19:52,600 --> 00:19:56,400 We are just walking in it. Not just copying him and trying 372 00:19:56,400 --> 00:20:00,440 to be good Christians, but we're literally standing in a victory. 373 00:20:00,520 --> 00:20:02,280 Y'all are y'all with me? OK? 374 00:20:02,640 --> 00:20:04,800 Secondly, the time tells the story. 375 00:20:05,920 --> 00:20:09,080 The time tells the story I already mentioned to you the the 376 00:20:09,080 --> 00:20:11,040 amount of time that had progressed. 377 00:20:11,040 --> 00:20:13,200 But if you're wondering where I got that from, it was in chapter 378 00:20:13,200 --> 00:20:17,640 31, verse 41 when he summarizes his time with Laban. 379 00:20:17,640 --> 00:20:20,760 He says these 20 years I've been in your house, I served you 14 380 00:20:20,760 --> 00:20:23,440 for your two daughters and six for your flocks and you have 381 00:20:23,440 --> 00:20:27,560 changed my wages 10 times. Y'all 20 years. 382 00:20:27,560 --> 00:20:33,240 He's been here 20 years, which helps us remember that his mom 383 00:20:33,320 --> 00:20:36,720 Rebecca was barren for at least 20 years and Isaac was praying 384 00:20:36,720 --> 00:20:40,520 that she would give birth and that his grandfather Abraham had 385 00:20:40,520 --> 00:20:44,160 25 years post promise before he had Isaac. 386 00:20:44,520 --> 00:20:46,880 Right? Time is sort of part of the 387 00:20:46,880 --> 00:20:48,680 story with God. It just is. 388 00:20:48,680 --> 00:20:52,240 The time is telling a story. That delay does not mean God's 389 00:20:52,240 --> 00:20:58,560 not involved and we have to keep hearing that delay doesn't mean 390 00:20:58,560 --> 00:21:01,480 he's not involved or whatever the conjunctions. 391 00:21:01,480 --> 00:21:03,600 If I said too many knots, be gracious with me. 392 00:21:04,160 --> 00:21:07,480 The delay doesn't mean he's not involved and we live in a 393 00:21:07,480 --> 00:21:13,720 culture of now, like now. Now guys, I heard it said early 394 00:21:13,720 --> 00:21:16,960 on in my Christian walk that God owns a crock pot and no 395 00:21:16,960 --> 00:21:21,160 microwave. OK, what needs to be updated 396 00:21:21,160 --> 00:21:22,160 about that? Illustrations. 397 00:21:22,160 --> 00:21:26,280 Now we got air fryers, you know y'all, it used to take about an 398 00:21:26,280 --> 00:21:28,080 hour to make some chicken Nuggets because you have to 399 00:21:28,080 --> 00:21:30,080 Preheat the oven. You put the chicken Nuggets in 400 00:21:30,080 --> 00:21:33,080 and then it take like 25 minutes from start to finish. 401 00:21:33,080 --> 00:21:36,600 I could cook some chicken Nuggets in like 11 minutes in an 402 00:21:36,600 --> 00:21:38,360 air fryer. That's insane. 403 00:21:38,640 --> 00:21:41,040 I was even thinking, guys, life's life's more like a 404 00:21:41,040 --> 00:21:43,320 marathon than a Sprint. But you can download an app 405 00:21:43,320 --> 00:21:46,440 right now, couch the marathon in nine months and just follow the 406 00:21:46,440 --> 00:21:49,400 steps. So even the hardest things that 407 00:21:49,400 --> 00:21:53,080 take the longest have been systematized. 408 00:21:53,080 --> 00:21:56,240 Rosetta Stone, 5 minutes a day. Like it makes us think 409 00:21:56,280 --> 00:22:01,760 everything's in our control and it's just not y'all. 410 00:22:01,760 --> 00:22:05,560 Walking with God is a pilgrimage of you don't know. 411 00:22:05,560 --> 00:22:09,640 You don't control the factors, the biggest of which is time. 412 00:22:09,960 --> 00:22:12,560 But God is faithful to his promises. 413 00:22:12,560 --> 00:22:15,360 He was to Abraham, he was to Isaac, he was to Jacob, and he 414 00:22:15,360 --> 00:22:17,520 is to you. And his promises are that he 415 00:22:17,520 --> 00:22:20,040 will conform you to the image of Christ. 416 00:22:20,320 --> 00:22:22,600 Does it ever feel like certain won't go away? 417 00:22:23,560 --> 00:22:25,920 Does it feel like you're still battling with the same stuff you 418 00:22:25,920 --> 00:22:28,160 were 10 years ago? Hello kickball tournament. 419 00:22:28,520 --> 00:22:31,880 You know, I'm still just like it's the same things. 420 00:22:31,880 --> 00:22:35,080 Like I got a journal from 10 years ago about certain things 421 00:22:35,080 --> 00:22:40,840 and I'm like, I, I see less like a lower version of what I once 422 00:22:40,840 --> 00:22:43,640 saw, but it's still some of the same dynamics, right? 423 00:22:43,640 --> 00:22:46,640 Or your anxiety or your depression or your sadness or 424 00:22:46,640 --> 00:22:48,840 the littlest set back just rattling you. 425 00:22:48,840 --> 00:22:50,600 And you're like, I should be beyond this. 426 00:22:50,600 --> 00:22:52,400 I should be able to trust God right here. 427 00:22:52,560 --> 00:22:55,520 It just feels sometimes like we're still just as simple as 428 00:22:55,520 --> 00:23:01,000 when we first started, but God is faithful, so we could trust 429 00:23:01,000 --> 00:23:02,880 the Lord. We live in a culture of now, but 430 00:23:02,880 --> 00:23:07,360 the whole idea is that God is leading through time and His way 431 00:23:07,360 --> 00:23:10,240 for his purposes. We don't know how it's going to 432 00:23:10,240 --> 00:23:12,920 go, but we know that we're standing on the faithfulness of 433 00:23:12,920 --> 00:23:13,680 Christ. Amen. 434 00:23:14,360 --> 00:23:17,600 And if you are not a Christian, they're going to be weeks here 435 00:23:17,600 --> 00:23:21,040 where I'm going to speak. And the Bible speaks with very 436 00:23:21,040 --> 00:23:26,160 clear authority that your life changes instantaneously when you 437 00:23:26,160 --> 00:23:28,320 follow Jesus. And it is the abundant, 438 00:23:28,320 --> 00:23:30,080 flourishing life. And it's better than you living 439 00:23:30,080 --> 00:23:31,760 life your way, I can assure you that. 440 00:23:32,360 --> 00:23:35,400 But let this story also be a testimony that doesn't make it 441 00:23:35,400 --> 00:23:40,080 easy or quick or fast. We still are a crock pot people. 442 00:23:40,080 --> 00:23:42,680 OK, so don't hear why I started following Jesus. 443 00:23:42,680 --> 00:23:44,840 And I'm still sad this week. Yeah. 444 00:23:45,760 --> 00:23:48,800 And you will be next week too. So don't hear us telling you 445 00:23:48,800 --> 00:23:51,840 that life gets sanitized. Does that make sense? 446 00:23:51,840 --> 00:23:54,360 We're we're dealing with the same circumstances you are, 447 00:23:54,360 --> 00:23:57,840 setbacks, all the things. But just hear that life with God 448 00:23:57,840 --> 00:24:00,040 is worth it, even though it's a pilgrimage and we're not in 449 00:24:00,040 --> 00:24:02,640 control. OK #2 let's talk about the 450 00:24:02,640 --> 00:24:07,400 Providence pattern. God protects, God protects. 451 00:24:07,840 --> 00:24:10,800 So the dynamic here is you got Laban and Jacob, you got Jacob 452 00:24:10,800 --> 00:24:13,640 and Laban, and then you got God and Jacob and Laban. 453 00:24:13,640 --> 00:24:15,560 So I want to look at all three angles of that. 454 00:24:15,560 --> 00:24:17,440 Let's start with Laban and Jacob. 455 00:24:17,440 --> 00:24:22,160 How Laban intends for this to go OK in chapter 30. 456 00:24:22,160 --> 00:24:25,240 This is how verses 25 through 28 describe it. 457 00:24:25,440 --> 00:24:27,760 So Jacob comes to him and he's like send me away. 458 00:24:27,760 --> 00:24:31,400 I've served you and Laban says him, if I found favor in your 459 00:24:31,400 --> 00:24:33,560 sight, I have learned by divination that the Lord has 460 00:24:33,560 --> 00:24:35,760 blessed me because of you. Name your wages and I will give 461 00:24:35,760 --> 00:24:39,160 it y'all. Jacob declares his intent. 462 00:24:39,160 --> 00:24:42,000 I want to leave. Laban ain't no fool. 463 00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:46,520 This is his cash cow. This is the guy that has brought 464 00:24:46,520 --> 00:24:48,360 him everything. You're my workforce. 465 00:24:48,360 --> 00:24:51,520 Everything that you touch goes well and I get a piece of the 466 00:24:51,520 --> 00:24:55,320 pie so you can't leave. Are y'all with me? 467 00:24:55,600 --> 00:24:57,560 Laban don't want to lose this man at all. 468 00:24:57,920 --> 00:25:00,480 He don't really care about his daughters, but they're a part of 469 00:25:00,480 --> 00:25:02,760 the package, you know? So he's like, I can't lose 470 00:25:02,760 --> 00:25:04,040 Jacob. Name your wages. 471 00:25:04,040 --> 00:25:05,920 So he frames it like what can I give you? 472 00:25:06,240 --> 00:25:09,120 But in reality he is self-serving and he says I've 473 00:25:09,120 --> 00:25:11,480 learned by divination. Do y'all ever have one of those 474 00:25:11,480 --> 00:25:13,080 moments? Like it don't take a genius to 475 00:25:13,080 --> 00:25:15,640 figure that out bro. I don't know what divination is, 476 00:25:15,640 --> 00:25:17,960 but anybody can tell that it's because of him. 477 00:25:17,960 --> 00:25:20,880 That's going well for you, but I guess divination did the trick 478 00:25:20,880 --> 00:25:23,080 for you. Divination means some sort of 479 00:25:23,080 --> 00:25:26,600 spiritual, religious ritual of some kind where he's seeking out 480 00:25:26,600 --> 00:25:29,680 information. Laban will be very comfortable 481 00:25:29,680 --> 00:25:33,280 in our spiritual but not religious climate of 2026. 482 00:25:33,280 --> 00:25:35,840 Amen. Where we do spiritual practices. 483 00:25:35,840 --> 00:25:37,960 But Laban is always in control, isn't he? 484 00:25:38,400 --> 00:25:41,160 The fact that he has household gods, as we see in the story, 485 00:25:41,160 --> 00:25:45,800 shows that Laban, the mindset of the ancient Near Eastern Time 486 00:25:45,800 --> 00:25:49,640 period was that the gods were territorial, very superstitious. 487 00:25:49,640 --> 00:25:52,160 If the flock is going well that year, you must be doing 488 00:25:52,160 --> 00:25:54,160 something right? So whatever practices you're 489 00:25:54,160 --> 00:25:56,560 sacrificing, whatever divination you're doing, just keep it 490 00:25:56,560 --> 00:25:58,840 going. And it's all kind of string 491 00:25:58,840 --> 00:26:01,080 together to create the system that you're in control of. 492 00:26:01,080 --> 00:26:03,960 Does that make sense? And Laban was thriving in that 493 00:26:03,960 --> 00:26:07,960 that headspace. But Laban's intent is to hold on 494 00:26:07,960 --> 00:26:12,680 to Jacob Forever. We see in verses 34 to 36 it 495 00:26:12,680 --> 00:26:15,080 says the second that they agreed on this verse 34. 496 00:26:15,080 --> 00:26:18,080 Laban said good, let it be as you have said, let's do this 497 00:26:18,080 --> 00:26:21,160 flock arrangement. But that day Laban removed the 498 00:26:21,160 --> 00:26:23,280 male goats that were striped as spotted and all the female goats 499 00:26:23,280 --> 00:26:25,360 that were speckled and spotted everyone that had white on it 500 00:26:25,360 --> 00:26:27,320 and every land that was black and put them in the charge of 501 00:26:27,320 --> 00:26:28,920 his sons. And he said a distance of three 502 00:26:28,920 --> 00:26:32,160 days journey between himself and Jacob and Jacob pastor the rest 503 00:26:32,160 --> 00:26:35,800 of Laban's flock. He said, hey man, I want you to 504 00:26:35,800 --> 00:26:37,680 I want you to get a piece of the action. 505 00:26:37,680 --> 00:26:39,440 I don't want to do wrong by you name your wages. 506 00:26:39,440 --> 00:26:41,920 They make a deal and then he immediately schemes to make it 507 00:26:41,920 --> 00:26:45,440 as awful for Jacob and prosperous for him as possible. 508 00:26:45,760 --> 00:26:50,880 Laban is a manipulative, snake like deceptive figure in this 509 00:26:50,880 --> 00:26:52,640 text. He's intentionally set up 510 00:26:52,640 --> 00:26:55,600 against the Lord's chosen one. If you remember, the blessing to 511 00:26:55,600 --> 00:26:59,000 Abraham was those who bless you I will bless and those who curse 512 00:26:59,000 --> 00:27:00,920 you I will curse. The question of the book of 513 00:27:00,920 --> 00:27:03,600 Genesis is are you for God's chosen one or against them? 514 00:27:04,080 --> 00:27:09,760 And Laban is clearly just set up as somebody opposite of Jacob. 515 00:27:10,800 --> 00:27:13,360 Now let's look at it from the Jacob and Laban angle. 516 00:27:13,360 --> 00:27:15,680 What is Jacob doing all this time? 517 00:27:16,320 --> 00:27:18,760 Chapter 30, verses 41 through 43. 518 00:27:19,960 --> 00:27:22,320 Whenever the stronger the flock were breeding, Jacob would lay 519 00:27:22,320 --> 00:27:24,440 the sticks on the troughs before the eyes of the flock, that they 520 00:27:24,440 --> 00:27:27,520 may breed among the sticks. But for the feebler of the flock 521 00:27:27,520 --> 00:27:30,280 he would not lay them there. So the feebler would be Laban's 522 00:27:30,280 --> 00:27:33,080 and the stronger Jacobs. Thus the man increased greatly 523 00:27:33,080 --> 00:27:35,320 and had large flocks, female servants, and male servants, and 524 00:27:35,320 --> 00:27:38,680 camels and donkeys. And later chapter 31 verses 4 525 00:27:38,680 --> 00:27:40,040 through 9, he calls a family meeting. 526 00:27:40,720 --> 00:27:42,800 So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah into the field where 527 00:27:42,800 --> 00:27:45,000 the flock was and said to them, I see that your father does not 528 00:27:45,000 --> 00:27:47,560 regard me with favor as he did before, but the God of my father 529 00:27:47,560 --> 00:27:49,600 has been with me. You know that I've served your 530 00:27:49,600 --> 00:27:51,680 father with all my strength, yet your father has cheated me and 531 00:27:51,680 --> 00:27:54,600 changed my wages 10 times. But God did not permit him to 532 00:27:54,600 --> 00:27:56,320 harm me. If you said the spot, it shall 533 00:27:56,320 --> 00:27:58,000 be your wages, then all the flock bore spotted. 534 00:27:58,000 --> 00:28:00,080 If you said the stripe should be your wages, then all the flock 535 00:28:00,120 --> 00:28:02,400 blower striped. Thus God has taken away the 536 00:28:02,400 --> 00:28:04,600 livestock of your father and given them to me. 537 00:28:05,880 --> 00:28:08,720 Y'all, we named this series Saints and Scoundrels. 538 00:28:09,680 --> 00:28:12,120 There's a Latin phrase that is coming to my mind. 539 00:28:12,160 --> 00:28:14,200 I don't know how exactly to say it. 540 00:28:14,200 --> 00:28:18,680 I'm sure Pastor John does. Is it simel, Simelist. 541 00:28:19,280 --> 00:28:20,680 Simultaneously Center. Insane. 542 00:28:20,680 --> 00:28:23,400 How do you say that? Anybody know the Latin phrase? 543 00:28:23,400 --> 00:28:25,720 Somebody. Thank you. 544 00:28:25,720 --> 00:28:28,480 What is it? Yeah, yeah, yeah. 545 00:28:28,480 --> 00:28:30,760 Some symbolist just as a precator. 546 00:28:31,200 --> 00:28:33,600 It's the idea that you are simultaneously A Sinner and a 547 00:28:33,600 --> 00:28:35,760 St. if you are in Christ. It's a it's rooted in the 548 00:28:35,760 --> 00:28:37,040 Lutheran tradition. OK. 549 00:28:37,480 --> 00:28:41,360 And Jacob, the is the perfect kind of example of that. 550 00:28:41,600 --> 00:28:45,040 And this is once you are a follower of Jesus, that is true 551 00:28:45,040 --> 00:28:47,760 of you, not before. There's some good and some bad 552 00:28:47,760 --> 00:28:49,040 in you. That's not the doctrine. 553 00:28:49,040 --> 00:28:52,120 It's this idea that you are saved, justified by the blood of 554 00:28:52,120 --> 00:28:55,400 Christ, but there's still a lot of villain in you. 555 00:28:55,480 --> 00:28:58,120 Does that make sense? And Jacob is the perfect 556 00:28:58,400 --> 00:29:01,120 representation of this idea. OK. 557 00:29:01,480 --> 00:29:03,920 And for those who have been following the story, Jacob has 558 00:29:03,920 --> 00:29:06,400 shown some growth in today's text, but he's still got a long 559 00:29:06,400 --> 00:29:08,080 way to go. Let me point some things out, 560 00:29:08,080 --> 00:29:10,640 OK? I think that Jacob is being 561 00:29:10,640 --> 00:29:13,760 contrasted with the servant in Genesis 24. 562 00:29:13,760 --> 00:29:17,160 So if tonight you want to go read Genesis 24, how the servant 563 00:29:17,160 --> 00:29:20,800 of Abraham handled Laban is how you're supposed to handle Laban. 564 00:29:20,960 --> 00:29:23,960 I don't know if you remember this, but Abraham says, go get a 565 00:29:24,480 --> 00:29:27,680 go get a wife for my son from this family. 566 00:29:27,680 --> 00:29:29,400 And it happens to be Laban's family. 567 00:29:29,400 --> 00:29:33,440 And this servant who has no name goes and shows up, meets Rebecca 568 00:29:33,720 --> 00:29:35,920 and dictates terms to Laban at every term. 569 00:29:35,920 --> 00:29:38,280 He says, hey, I need to tell y'all something, come eat first. 570 00:29:38,280 --> 00:29:40,240 He says, I'm telling you now because God told me to tell you 571 00:29:40,240 --> 00:29:40,960 now. And he goes, OK. 572 00:29:41,680 --> 00:29:44,600 And he has such resolve. He speaks, Laban listens. 573 00:29:44,880 --> 00:29:47,760 And then when it's time to go, Laban says, stay another day, 574 00:29:47,760 --> 00:29:50,480 stay another 10 days. And he goes, I'm leaving now. 575 00:29:51,480 --> 00:29:54,560 So I think that what that servant did is being contrasted 576 00:29:54,560 --> 00:29:55,960 with Jacob who says I want to leave. 577 00:29:55,960 --> 00:29:58,440 And he goes name your wages. And he goes, well, I guess I'll 578 00:29:58,440 --> 00:30:01,080 take some flock. And six years pass. 579 00:30:01,400 --> 00:30:03,920 Then the Lord gives him a dream and says go. 580 00:30:04,280 --> 00:30:07,840 Then he goes, So it's like Jacob would still be in Haran if the 581 00:30:07,840 --> 00:30:10,160 Lord had not intervened miraculously. 582 00:30:10,160 --> 00:30:13,080 Are you all seeing that? The idea is that God got his 583 00:30:13,080 --> 00:30:14,960 brother out of there as we going to talk about in a second. 584 00:30:15,440 --> 00:30:18,520 But the good news is, so just to be clear, with the whole 585 00:30:18,520 --> 00:30:23,120 speckled spots, flotted flocks, whatever, nothing Jacob did did 586 00:30:23,120 --> 00:30:24,600 anything. I just want to be clear. 587 00:30:24,600 --> 00:30:28,160 There's no like eugenics trick. They thought that in that time 588 00:30:28,160 --> 00:30:31,480 period that he could control. But everything I've read says 589 00:30:31,520 --> 00:30:34,800 God miraculously turned the flocks from Laban to Jacob. 590 00:30:35,400 --> 00:30:38,520 But on the front end, I do think Jacob was scheming a little bit. 591 00:30:38,520 --> 00:30:40,920 Does that make sense? But then when he has the family 592 00:30:40,920 --> 00:30:42,840 meeting six years later, what does he tell them? 593 00:30:43,160 --> 00:30:46,360 He says, thus God has given me the flocks and taken them from 594 00:30:46,360 --> 00:30:48,440 your father. So that's what I mean by the the 595 00:30:48,440 --> 00:30:51,960 simultaneously center and St. He's blowing it and he knows 596 00:30:51,960 --> 00:30:55,480 it's God doing it. So like he's struggling, but I'm 597 00:30:55,480 --> 00:30:57,680 seeing some growth. Are you all with me? 598 00:30:58,360 --> 00:31:01,520 The other thing I noticed in Jacob is at the end when Laban 599 00:31:01,520 --> 00:31:03,160 corners him and says, Why'd you leave? 600 00:31:03,160 --> 00:31:05,040 Why'd you leave? This is his opportunity to say 601 00:31:05,040 --> 00:31:07,560 what? Because God told me to leave and 602 00:31:07,560 --> 00:31:09,480 God is this good because of my grandfather? 603 00:31:09,480 --> 00:31:12,840 Do y'all know what he says? Let's find it. 604 00:31:13,680 --> 00:31:18,840 Chapter 31, verse 31. Look at this. 605 00:31:19,320 --> 00:31:20,600 So why'd you do it? Why'd you do it? 606 00:31:20,600 --> 00:31:22,520 Why'd you take my God? Jacob answered and said to 607 00:31:22,520 --> 00:31:26,320 Laban, Because I was afraid for I thought that you would take 608 00:31:26,320 --> 00:31:30,560 your daughters from me by force. So at his moment where he could 609 00:31:30,560 --> 00:31:33,280 say because God is good, because even though I'm a bum, he's 610 00:31:33,280 --> 00:31:34,800 great. He said because I was afraid. 611 00:31:35,720 --> 00:31:37,800 So we see some struggle in Jacob. 612 00:31:37,800 --> 00:31:41,240 He just doesn't quite have it. But thankfully he's the chosen 1 613 00:31:41,240 --> 00:31:42,440 and God's going to do it anyways. 614 00:31:42,440 --> 00:31:46,400 OK, so let's look at this from the angle of God and Laban and 615 00:31:46,400 --> 00:31:50,160 Jacob. Oh, God moves this story forward 616 00:31:50,480 --> 00:31:53,960 through dreams telling Jacob to go through the flock 617 00:31:54,000 --> 00:31:57,800 intervention. Then as Laban has I'll intent 618 00:31:57,800 --> 00:32:00,920 towards them, he gives Laban a dream that says don't do 619 00:32:01,120 --> 00:32:04,080 anything, neither good or bad. Even if you think it's good, 620 00:32:04,080 --> 00:32:05,600 don't do it. I think that's his way of saying 621 00:32:05,600 --> 00:32:07,280 Laban stop. OK. 622 00:32:08,560 --> 00:32:11,120 He intervenes with the dream to protect him as he had done at 623 00:32:11,120 --> 00:32:13,600 other times in the book of Genesis so far with the the 624 00:32:13,600 --> 00:32:17,120 Pharaohs and the the the wife scandal stuff that was going on. 625 00:32:17,760 --> 00:32:21,680 God is all up in the story ensuring that it keeps moving 626 00:32:21,680 --> 00:32:25,600 despite Jacob's struggle. Are y'all with me despite 627 00:32:25,760 --> 00:32:30,000 Laban's I'll intent y'all, which is why I'm using the word 628 00:32:30,000 --> 00:32:32,640 Providence. I love John Piper's definition 629 00:32:32,640 --> 00:32:35,240 of Providence is purposeful sovereignty. 630 00:32:35,560 --> 00:32:39,720 The idea is it's moving it forward on purpose for a 631 00:32:39,720 --> 00:32:43,040 purpose. It's not just general power. 632 00:32:43,040 --> 00:32:46,520 It's in a direction, and he's not moving this forward because 633 00:32:46,520 --> 00:32:49,720 Jacob is handling everything well or because Labia is just a 634 00:32:49,720 --> 00:32:52,080 bad guy. It's for his covenant purposes. 635 00:32:52,520 --> 00:32:56,600 And we have told you over and over and over in this story that 636 00:32:56,880 --> 00:33:00,000 sovereignty is not a concept. And we get into philosophical 637 00:33:00,000 --> 00:33:02,600 discussions. It's who God is as a person. 638 00:33:02,600 --> 00:33:06,560 You can't contain this God. You can't put him in a box. 639 00:33:06,560 --> 00:33:10,400 He does what he wants to do. He's free and he has purposes 640 00:33:10,600 --> 00:33:14,280 for which he will move things. And he is providing for Jacob. 641 00:33:14,280 --> 00:33:18,000 He is intervening. He is the most powerful person 642 00:33:18,000 --> 00:33:21,720 in the story, y'all. And what I want you to hear is 643 00:33:21,720 --> 00:33:27,040 that this God is your God. If you're in Christ, y'all, all 644 00:33:27,040 --> 00:33:28,800 of heaven's armies are at your disposal. 645 00:33:29,440 --> 00:33:33,120 All of the riches everywhere. As Paul would tell the 646 00:33:33,120 --> 00:33:36,960 Corinthians, one day he would say all things are yours. 647 00:33:37,320 --> 00:33:40,080 The Corinthians were arguing over some of us follow Peter, 648 00:33:40,080 --> 00:33:43,480 some of us follow Paul and he's like what are y'all talking 649 00:33:43,480 --> 00:33:45,680 about? Y'all got King Jesus. 650 00:33:45,680 --> 00:33:47,960 Everything's yours, everything's his, so it's yours. 651 00:33:48,280 --> 00:33:50,720 The idea is, could God bless you? 652 00:33:50,720 --> 00:33:52,800 Does God want to bless you? Is God blessing you? 653 00:33:53,200 --> 00:33:58,080 Yes and the material nature of this text leads us to ask the 654 00:33:58,080 --> 00:34:01,640 question how does God bless you listen to me and the Old 655 00:34:01,640 --> 00:34:06,320 Testament was primarily a common see era of showcasing how when 656 00:34:06,320 --> 00:34:09,920 Yahweh is your God, things are different than the other nations 657 00:34:09,920 --> 00:34:12,600 where it's tribal warfare and it's the gods are blessing us 658 00:34:12,600 --> 00:34:15,120 because I did these sacrifices and it was just chaos. 659 00:34:15,120 --> 00:34:18,960 OK, so the clarity provided was through the anointed people of 660 00:34:18,960 --> 00:34:21,520 God, through their living of the law, which would eventually come 661 00:34:21,520 --> 00:34:24,159 through Torah, the 10 commandments, that this God is 662 00:34:24,159 --> 00:34:26,639 unlike any other and you could just tell by how well they have 663 00:34:26,639 --> 00:34:27,400 it off. OK. 664 00:34:27,679 --> 00:34:31,760 In the New Testament era, God's plan is different. 665 00:34:32,040 --> 00:34:36,239 It's in Christ you have everything you need and every 666 00:34:36,239 --> 00:34:40,120 tribe, tongue, people on earth, race, ethnicity, whether you're 667 00:34:40,120 --> 00:34:45,840 in South Sudan or South Norfolk, you have Christ and that's all 668 00:34:45,840 --> 00:34:49,880 you need. And he is so valuable and he so 669 00:34:49,880 --> 00:34:53,920 alters the value system of your soul that actually you will give 670 00:34:53,920 --> 00:34:57,640 up all to have him. So those who have much now give 671 00:34:57,640 --> 00:35:00,880 it up for him. All of his apostles end up dying 672 00:35:00,880 --> 00:35:03,200 with very little to their name. So don't hear me saying in the 673 00:35:03,200 --> 00:35:06,400 Old Testament he was pro physical resource and now he's 674 00:35:06,400 --> 00:35:08,840 anti. It's a reorientation of what the 675 00:35:08,840 --> 00:35:11,080 physical is for. Does that make sense? 676 00:35:11,480 --> 00:35:16,480 So yes, God wants to bless you and you are blessed in Christ. 677 00:35:17,160 --> 00:35:21,440 I just want to be clear that the blessing is Christ. 678 00:35:21,640 --> 00:35:25,040 He is the treasure. He is the one we chase. 679 00:35:25,280 --> 00:35:29,360 He is the one that we're after. And God is not anti money and 680 00:35:29,360 --> 00:35:33,840 anti prosperous stuff, but that is not why He exists to give you 681 00:35:33,840 --> 00:35:36,200 that. He is the treasure. 682 00:35:37,440 --> 00:35:40,800 And the church glorifies God by leveraging our treasure to make 683 00:35:40,800 --> 00:35:43,080 much of Him instead of leveraging God to get a bunch of 684 00:35:43,080 --> 00:35:44,240 treasure. Do you see how that works? 685 00:35:44,800 --> 00:35:46,840 So I just want to be clear because when we read the Old 686 00:35:46,840 --> 00:35:49,040 Testament Saints, sometimes we can be like, why? 687 00:35:49,040 --> 00:35:51,200 Why does Job? Why is part of the evidence that 688 00:35:51,200 --> 00:35:52,800 God loves Job? At the end of the book, He gives 689 00:35:52,800 --> 00:35:54,160 them back flocks and daughters and sons. 690 00:35:54,160 --> 00:35:57,040 Are you all with me? That is part of how you restored 691 00:35:57,040 --> 00:35:58,880 His favor upon them and their kindness. 692 00:35:58,880 --> 00:36:01,920 But if yours is not increasing, that does not mean God is 693 00:36:01,920 --> 00:36:04,320 against you. We live in an era where the 694 00:36:04,320 --> 00:36:08,520 value of God is displayed in and through and sometimes despite 695 00:36:08,560 --> 00:36:11,600 your prosperity circumstances. Does that make sense? 696 00:36:12,120 --> 00:36:15,080 You all with me? OK, so God provides for His 697 00:36:15,080 --> 00:36:19,280 purposes, which in our day and age is to exalt Christ. 698 00:36:19,280 --> 00:36:22,560 You are a part of the people of God from all across the globe 699 00:36:22,600 --> 00:36:26,040 and He is getting glory right now from South Sudan all the way 700 00:36:26,040 --> 00:36:27,440 to South Norfolk. Amen. 701 00:36:27,440 --> 00:36:30,160 Somebody. OK, third pattern, this is the 702 00:36:30,160 --> 00:36:32,320 dopest stuff is the deliverance pattern. 703 00:36:32,880 --> 00:36:34,920 The deliverance pattern. Let's talk about this. 704 00:36:38,840 --> 00:36:41,640 I'm going to try to narrate it. We're running a little lower on 705 00:36:41,640 --> 00:36:44,400 time, but y'all just think about the dynamics in this text. 706 00:36:44,840 --> 00:36:51,120 You've got somebody living in a foreign land with a ruler who 707 00:36:51,120 --> 00:36:55,640 says you will work for me. Then once he leaves, the ruler 708 00:36:55,640 --> 00:36:58,720 thinks I just lost my cash cow, let me go chase him down. 709 00:36:58,880 --> 00:37:01,000 Hello, Hello. Hello. 710 00:37:01,680 --> 00:37:06,000 The 1st is the exodus pattern. Y'all, It's this idea of a 711 00:37:06,040 --> 00:37:10,320 foreign oppressive ruler taking advantage of the servant they 712 00:37:10,320 --> 00:37:14,040 have. And the only way that that 713 00:37:14,200 --> 00:37:16,760 system was broken was through God's intervention. 714 00:37:16,760 --> 00:37:20,520 You know, this is the Exodus pattern that Moses and his 715 00:37:20,520 --> 00:37:23,440 people would have just walked through with Egypt, right? 716 00:37:23,800 --> 00:37:27,240 In Egypt they're under an oppressive ruler and God does 717 00:37:27,240 --> 00:37:30,160 the 10 plagues and miraculously gets them out through the shed 718 00:37:30,160 --> 00:37:31,600 blood of a lamb. Hello. 719 00:37:31,800 --> 00:37:35,120 They pass through the Red Sea, they walk through, and then part 720 00:37:35,120 --> 00:37:38,760 of that is that Pharaoh realizes he's losing out and he schemes 721 00:37:38,760 --> 00:37:42,320 to go get them back and God intervenes and they are washed 722 00:37:42,320 --> 00:37:43,960 away and the people of God walk through. 723 00:37:44,320 --> 00:37:48,880 Y'all, the Exodus pattern isn't just for Jacob with Laban. 724 00:37:48,880 --> 00:37:51,560 It isn't just for the people of God in Egypt, y'all. 725 00:37:51,560 --> 00:37:54,760 This is for us. The Exodus pattern is the 726 00:37:54,760 --> 00:38:00,720 pattern of the Bible, y'all. Let me tell 2026 secular people 727 00:38:00,720 --> 00:38:02,960 like you and me the most offensive thing I could ever 728 00:38:02,960 --> 00:38:03,760 tell you. You ready? 729 00:38:04,720 --> 00:38:07,160 You are not a free agent. Let me explain to you what I 730 00:38:07,160 --> 00:38:08,720 mean. You have a master. 731 00:38:09,440 --> 00:38:13,200 You either follow Jacob's God or Laban's false gods. 732 00:38:14,360 --> 00:38:17,680 Let me get more plain. There is a Laban at work in our 733 00:38:17,680 --> 00:38:21,160 world. We are not slaves in Egypt. 734 00:38:21,280 --> 00:38:22,880 We are not slaves to Laban you all. 735 00:38:22,880 --> 00:38:27,760 The story of the Bible is that to be fallen is to be sinful. 736 00:38:28,320 --> 00:38:31,160 You are going to die. That is evidence of our slavery. 737 00:38:31,520 --> 00:38:35,480 It is undefeated, right? Except for one, we are held 738 00:38:35,480 --> 00:38:41,440 captive by sin, death and Satan. That is so hard to tell people. 739 00:38:41,680 --> 00:38:44,440 But the story of the Bible is that there is a great deceiver, 740 00:38:44,440 --> 00:38:49,360 a great person who is against us, who does not want your 741 00:38:49,360 --> 00:38:52,160 welfare, who is taking advantage of you. 742 00:38:52,440 --> 00:38:55,680 And you might not think of yourself as a Satan servant, but 743 00:38:55,680 --> 00:38:58,320 the idea is if you're not with the Lord, that's sort of the 744 00:38:58,320 --> 00:39:00,080 side you're on. That is so offensive. 745 00:39:00,080 --> 00:39:03,320 I understand, but what happens as you hear the story of 746 00:39:03,320 --> 00:39:06,080 scripture over and over and over is y'all the the big deceiver in 747 00:39:06,080 --> 00:39:08,160 the world is not a political figure. 748 00:39:08,520 --> 00:39:11,280 It is not the right or the left. It's not some world government 749 00:39:11,280 --> 00:39:12,880 power. Everybody's got a bad guy in 750 00:39:12,880 --> 00:39:15,880 their story, right? Everybody think there's some 751 00:39:15,880 --> 00:39:18,760 villain either in your life, maybe it's a boss or it's it's 752 00:39:19,200 --> 00:39:20,480 bigger than that. It's someplace. 753 00:39:20,480 --> 00:39:22,560 I'm telling you there is a villain, OK? 754 00:39:22,760 --> 00:39:24,480 It's sin. It's Satan and his death. 755 00:39:24,560 --> 00:39:28,480 That's the villain, OK, The story of the world, the story 756 00:39:28,480 --> 00:39:31,640 that your soul knows to be true, and this is like historical 757 00:39:31,640 --> 00:39:35,360 stuff, is that there is a battle of good and evil, and it's been 758 00:39:35,360 --> 00:39:37,200 won. And the way it was won is 759 00:39:37,200 --> 00:39:41,760 through this exodus pattern that Jesus stepped into time to 760 00:39:41,760 --> 00:39:45,160 deliver us from those powers that hold us captive, from sin, 761 00:39:45,160 --> 00:39:48,840 from Satan, from death. And the way he delivers you is 762 00:39:48,840 --> 00:39:51,440 by walking the road that you fail to walk. 763 00:39:51,440 --> 00:39:53,520 He is the truer and greater Jacob. 764 00:39:54,080 --> 00:39:56,640 We needed somebody to come defeat Laban. 765 00:39:56,640 --> 00:39:59,720 And as the way the great Pastor John Sheets might say, be a 766 00:39:59,720 --> 00:40:02,560 Laban without becoming a Laban. We need somebody who can beat a 767 00:40:02,560 --> 00:40:06,000 schemer without being a schemer. Jesus came and defeated Laban. 768 00:40:06,000 --> 00:40:08,760 Did you y'all listen? Did you notice that Jacob, when 769 00:40:08,760 --> 00:40:13,040 he gets his moment with Laban, he rattles off all the ways he's 770 00:40:13,040 --> 00:40:15,640 innocent. He gets his moment on trial and 771 00:40:15,640 --> 00:40:17,440 he says I'm innocent. This is your fault. 772 00:40:17,440 --> 00:40:19,800 And we know he's guilty and his wife's got the gods. 773 00:40:20,360 --> 00:40:23,360 Y'all Jesus, when his moment came and he stood on trial 774 00:40:23,520 --> 00:40:26,600 before the ones who had the power but didn't really have the 775 00:40:26,600 --> 00:40:28,040 power to kill him, what did he say? 776 00:40:28,480 --> 00:40:31,800 Not a word, though he was innocent. 777 00:40:32,200 --> 00:40:34,400 No, just do you sense the resentment in Jacob? 778 00:40:34,400 --> 00:40:37,800 20 years built up? Y'all, we serve a king who 779 00:40:37,800 --> 00:40:41,800 ransoms us from sin and Satan and death, not by showcasing how 780 00:40:41,800 --> 00:40:44,280 he was perfect and then whining and demanding that you give him 781 00:40:44,280 --> 00:40:48,840 what he's owed, but who dies as if he was the schemer. 782 00:40:49,440 --> 00:40:52,280 That's the gospel. That's the Exodus pattern is 783 00:40:52,280 --> 00:40:56,080 that there's somebody who enters in and takes what we deserve, 784 00:40:56,520 --> 00:41:00,600 who takes the scheming death, who takes the the just the pain 785 00:41:00,600 --> 00:41:04,200 and the brutality that are just failing to walk what the Lord 786 00:41:04,240 --> 00:41:08,080 deserves. That's the story of the Bible. 787 00:41:08,240 --> 00:41:11,640 It's not going to be a good person is that a rescue has 788 00:41:11,680 --> 00:41:15,200 occurred that you don't have to serve sin and Satan and death no 789 00:41:15,200 --> 00:41:17,440 more that you can be liberated from that. 790 00:41:17,440 --> 00:41:19,520 I understand it's offensive to be told you are serving them. 791 00:41:19,880 --> 00:41:23,240 God bless you, but it's true and it's liberating to hear the 792 00:41:23,240 --> 00:41:28,760 truth that there is a kinder master that you are can serve 793 00:41:28,760 --> 00:41:31,960 and follow and know and you don't get to just trade sides. 794 00:41:32,120 --> 00:41:34,680 He brings you over through his shed blood. 795 00:41:34,840 --> 00:41:37,640 It's a gift. That's the Exodus pattern. 796 00:41:38,000 --> 00:41:42,240 Second pattern in the text is the from and to pattern. 797 00:41:43,080 --> 00:41:45,320 I just want to be clear that God isn't just saving you from 798 00:41:45,320 --> 00:41:48,600 something, but to something. He's saving you from sin and 799 00:41:48,600 --> 00:41:52,120 Satan and death to himself. I love how the the covenant goes 800 00:41:52,120 --> 00:41:54,680 down. They eat food, fellowship, 801 00:41:54,680 --> 00:41:57,560 breaking bread. Chapter 32 Jacob went on his way 802 00:41:57,560 --> 00:42:00,320 in the angels of God met him and when Jacob saw them, he said 803 00:42:00,320 --> 00:42:04,880 this is God's camp. I love that this idea that God 804 00:42:04,880 --> 00:42:07,120 isn't just delivering you from sin and Satan and death. 805 00:42:07,120 --> 00:42:12,080 He's drawing you to himself. He's drawing you to himself on 806 00:42:12,080 --> 00:42:15,280 the cross, y'all. What Jesus is doing is he's 807 00:42:15,280 --> 00:42:19,240 defeating the powers that hold us so that he can have 808 00:42:19,240 --> 00:42:20,800 fellowship with us. Are you with me? 809 00:42:21,600 --> 00:42:24,560 There's a line out right now by our guy KB. 810 00:42:24,560 --> 00:42:27,720 He's got this song where he says because, you know, Laban is like 811 00:42:27,720 --> 00:42:30,840 the Satan figure in this text. As I was telling you, he says 812 00:42:30,840 --> 00:42:34,120 Satan had a plan, didn't work out how he intended to. 813 00:42:34,120 --> 00:42:36,880 Jesus took the wheel, must have had his hands at 10 and two. 814 00:42:36,880 --> 00:42:40,600 OK, the idea isn't he so good? He's great. 815 00:42:41,000 --> 00:42:45,840 The idea is that Jesus defeated those powers by taking the 816 00:42:45,840 --> 00:42:49,320 defeat on the cross, and he's drawing us to himself. 817 00:42:49,320 --> 00:42:51,640 He's like, they're mine, not yours. 818 00:42:52,240 --> 00:42:55,840 God wants to pull you away from the Laban and draw you into 819 00:42:55,840 --> 00:42:58,720 fellowship with himself. He wants intimacy with you, a 820 00:42:58,720 --> 00:43:03,520 relationship with you, life with you, and believers in the room. 821 00:43:03,520 --> 00:43:06,280 God wants to bring you home. He wants to finish what He 822 00:43:06,280 --> 00:43:09,440 started. If the Spirit indwells you, He's 823 00:43:09,440 --> 00:43:11,720 going to bring you home. He's drawing you to Himself. 824 00:43:11,720 --> 00:43:15,880 His victory is finished. Do not give up. 825 00:43:15,960 --> 00:43:18,440 All the powers of heaven are on your side. 826 00:43:18,440 --> 00:43:22,840 And if you are not in Christ, hear this more than God wants to 827 00:43:22,840 --> 00:43:25,640 be able to say you're on team Christian or put you apart of 828 00:43:25,640 --> 00:43:29,640 something like what he wants is to deliver you from these powers 829 00:43:29,640 --> 00:43:33,040 that hold us all and bring you into relationship with himself 830 00:43:33,120 --> 00:43:35,600 so that you can walk with him all your days and then he brings 831 00:43:35,600 --> 00:43:37,640 you home. Y'all, the best days are yet to 832 00:43:37,640 --> 00:43:39,600 come. Always with the Lord, always the 833 00:43:39,600 --> 00:43:42,440 future is better. We've got billions of years to 834 00:43:42,440 --> 00:43:45,120 go, friends, billions. You believe that? 835 00:43:45,320 --> 00:43:47,000 It's called eternity. That's the truth. 836 00:43:47,560 --> 00:43:51,080 And the goal of this era is that God might convince you that he's 837 00:43:51,080 --> 00:43:53,640 right and that he wants to deliver you so he can walk with 838 00:43:53,640 --> 00:43:55,840 you. You made it through this long 839 00:43:55,840 --> 00:43:56,680 story. Praise God. 840 00:43:56,680 --> 00:44:03,000 Will you pray with me? Our Father, we love you, God. 841 00:44:04,600 --> 00:44:08,320 Help us to see the truth in this God that you want to deliver us, 842 00:44:08,320 --> 00:44:10,800 that you want to walk with us, that you want to provide for us, 843 00:44:11,080 --> 00:44:14,400 that you want to protect us. Yeah. 844 00:44:14,400 --> 00:44:18,320 We are not a free agent. We didn't make ourselves. 845 00:44:18,960 --> 00:44:21,280 Nobody in here made themselves God. 846 00:44:22,200 --> 00:44:25,880 You made them and you are the rightful master and king and 847 00:44:25,880 --> 00:44:28,080 God. In our sin we just default into 848 00:44:28,080 --> 00:44:30,920 a way of thinking normal where we're our own God and we run 849 00:44:30,920 --> 00:44:32,880 things and we think we're calling the shots. 850 00:44:32,880 --> 00:44:36,120 But behind that there is a puppet master and sin and Satan 851 00:44:36,120 --> 00:44:37,920 and death are at work. God, I pray for anybody who 852 00:44:37,920 --> 00:44:40,200 doesn't know Jesus. God, I pray that the offense of 853 00:44:40,200 --> 00:44:43,320 that would settle in as true and they would be liberated. 854 00:44:43,640 --> 00:44:45,960 God, that you would save somebody, that you would bring 855 00:44:45,960 --> 00:44:48,200 them to the other side through your shed blood. 856 00:44:48,200 --> 00:44:51,120 God on the cross. God, that this is the testimony 857 00:44:51,760 --> 00:44:54,360 of, of how far you were willing to go to make things right. 858 00:44:54,360 --> 00:44:57,040 And God, we praise you that the best is yet to come for those 859 00:44:57,040 --> 00:44:59,400 who are in Christ. So I pray for anybody who's just 860 00:44:59,400 --> 00:45:01,800 struggling today, help them to know that you will lead them. 861 00:45:01,800 --> 00:45:04,480 You will protect them God, and you will bring them home. 862 00:45:04,480 --> 00:45:06,480 That you're going to finish what you started in us. 863 00:45:06,520 --> 00:45:10,080 God, we need your help. Be glorified in this time. 864 00:45:10,160 --> 00:45:12,480 Work in our hearts. We pray in Jesus name, Amen.