'BACK TO BETHEL
"BACK TO BETHEL!"
GENESIS 35:1-15
INTRO: How far will you go to serve God? What kind of commitment do you have to seeing God's work carried out in and through your life? Would you be willing to forsake everything for Him? Someone has said, “The test of a man’s character is what it takes to stop him.” Too many Christians today are unwilling to commit their all to the LORD! That is why Christianity is in the state it is today! We need to somehow go back to that day we were saved! To feel afresh and anew that power and presence of God as we did then! That day of
commitment when we asked Jesus to be our Savior and our LORD! I want to title the message tonight, "Back To Bethel!"
As we study the life of Jacob, we see that his spiritual journey moved through one crisis after another until he returned to Bethel. His reluctance to go there immediately upon returning to Canaan cost him years of difficulty. (Gordon Talbot. A Study of Genesis. p. 210). When God appeared to Jacob in Haran and directed him to return to the land, He was instructing him to go once again to Bethel itself. Genesis 31:11-13 tells us, “And the angel of God spake unto me in a dream, saying, Jacob: And I said, Here am I. And he said, Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the rams which leap upon the cattle are ring-straked, speckled, and grisled: for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee. I am the God of Beth-el, where thou anointedst the pillar, and where thou vowest a vow unto me: now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred." It was at Jacob's first meeting with God at Bethel that God began to shape and mold Jacob. Because of his vision there, Jacob pledged himself and his possessions in thankful recognition of God's grace!
But as we read in Chapter 34, Jacob did not return immediately to Bethel as God instructed him! Instead we see the trouble he encountered. The trouble overtaking Jacob at Shechem marks the harvest he was forced to reap of the earlier years of his life (Galatians 6:7-8). After his vow (Genesis 28:20-22), Jacob should have gone directly to Bethel (Genesis 35:1), but, as with Lot, the surrounding country was very attractive to him, so he extended his stay, with dire results in His family life. (Herbert Lockyer. All The Books And Chapters of The Bible. p. 19).
Many times in our lives God has spoken to us by His providence, His Spirit or His Word, trying to get us to return to the place of lost blessing once again! But as Jacob, we have failed to return! Bethel in the Scripture is a picture of the place of blessing, fellowship, and commitment to God! We fail to be used greatly of God because we won't go back to Bethel! Let us note six things about Bethel tonight.
IT IS A:
(1) PLACE OF OBEDIENCE
GENESIS 35:l—“And God said unto Jacob, Arise go up to Beth-el,
and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeareth unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother"
A. THE REASON FOR GOD’S COMMAND. There was a specific reason why
the Lord called Jacob back to Bethel. Jacob had made a vow to the Lord at
that sacred place and God was holding Jacob to it. The Lord's Blessing
had rested on Jacob the whole twenty years he spent in Haran. Everything
Jacob had asked was fulfilled. But Jacob was slow to fulfill his promise to
God. There could be no sense of spiritual fulfillment until Jacob obeyed
God by paying his vow at Bethel. (Gordon Talbot. A Study of Genesis. p.
211). 1 Samuel 15:22b tells us—“To obey is better than sacrifice…". God
wants our obedience tonight! Not our acts of self-denial, but obedience
borne out of love for Him and out of our hearts! Jesus gives us in John
14:15 the true motive for Christian service—“ If ye love me, keep my
commandments.”
ILLUS: The secret of true obedience is the clear and close personal
relationship to God. All our attempts after full obedience will be
failures until we get access to his abiding fellowship. It is God's
holy presence consciously abiding with us that keeps us from
disobeying Him. I must consciously include the Lord in every
thought, activity, and conversation until the habit is established. –
- Andrew Murray (Bible Illustrator For Windows. Version 3.0f.
Copyright 1990-1998, by Parsons Technology, Inc. All Rights
Reserved).
B. THE REQUIREMENT OF GOD’S COMMAND. It tells us, “And God said
unto Jacob, Arise go up to Beth-el, and dwell there: and make there an altar
unto God…”. Until Jacob followed the command of God to "arise go to
Bethel," he would not experience the fullness of God's blessing in his life!
And until we are willing to obey His voice and return unto Him
wholeheartedly, we will never experience the fullness of God's blessing!
Jesus said in John 15:8-11—“ Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear
much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have
I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall
abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide
in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in
you, and that your joy might be full.” The Lord promised His disciples that
“If they obeyed him, it would continue to him to be a source of joy.” (Albert
Barnes’ Notes On The Bible. e-Sword. Version 7.6.1. Copyright 2000-2005.
Rick Meyers. All Rights Reserved Worldwide). Friends, there is no JOY
apart from obeying the Lord! We need revival in our churches, our homes,
our classrooms, and our Country. But revival does not come from some new
spiritual experience but from a renewal of the old experience! Jacob had to
go back to Bethel-the house of God and renew his commitment to God! We
read in Malachi 3:7b—“Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the
LORD of hosts...". If there was ever a time for God’s people to return unto
the Lord and recommit their lives unto His will and purpose it is NOW!
(2) PLACE WHERE PURITY IS REQUIRED
GENESIS 35:2—“ Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that
were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and
be clean, and change your garments."
A. THE ESSENTIAL PRAISE. In v1 God gave Jacob clear-cut directions
regarding the building of an altar at Bethel. Jacob was to resume the
practice of worship, and was to do so properly. Evidently, the altar he had
erected at Shechem had not met the requirements of the LORD. Bethel
would be the place of God-directed Worship. (V. Paul Flint. Strangers And
Pilgrims: A Study of Genesis. p. 199). True Worship is always essential to
spiritual renewal! We have gotten away from God-directed worship in our
churches! God wants us to worship Him from our hearts! Jesus said in
John 4:24—“God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him
in spirit and in truth.” Our ancestors would walk an hour to jet to Church,
listen to a preacher preach for an hour, and then leave singing, "We'll work
till Jesus comes!" We ride to Church in air-conditioned cars, sing a few
songs, hear a 30 minute sermon, and leave complaining how dry and
lifeless the services was! God Help us! We must once again allow the Holy
Spirit to control our lives! We must get back to Worshipping God in spirit
and in truth!
ILLUS: Strange things are happening all around us in Christian circles
because we are truly not worshipers. For instance, any untrained,
unprepared, unspiritual empty rattletrap of a person can start
something "religious" and find plenty of followers who will listen
and promote it! Beyond that, it may become very evident that he
or she had never heard from God in the first place. ... Because we
are not truly worshipers, we spend a lot of time in the churches
just spinning our wheels; making a noise but not getting
anywhere. ... I would rather worship God than do any other thing I
know of in all this wide world! -- A. W. Tozer in Renewed Day by
Day. Christianity Today, Vol. 36, no. 7.
B. THE ESSENTIAL PURITY. I want you to note the words “…Put away the
strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments."
Before Jacob and those with him could worship God rightly first of all they
had to have purity of heart. Anything that would defile had to be put away!
The family of Jacob had to actually "change their garments." They had to be
purified from their old practices. The change of garments pictures, for us,
the putting on of the new self-an opportunity given to all Christians! (V.
Paul Flint. Strangers And Pilgrims: A Study of Genesis. p. 199). Ephesians
4:22-24 says—“ That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old
man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the
spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is
created in righteousness and true holiness.” The “old man” is the old sinful
life. It is our old sinful ways. The “old man” is “corrupt according to the
deceitful lusts.” We are to “put off” the “old man” and “put on the new man”.
The “new man” is our new life in Christ. Paul said in Romans 8:12—
“…brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.” Our
allegiance belongs to Christ! As the hymn writer wrote: “Jesus paid it all;
All to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.”
This is the second condition of revival—cleansing. Jacob requested his
household to put away all their idols The presence of idols had hindered
them in their walk with God! Idols in our lives will hinder our walk with
God also! Anything that would hinder our close walk with God must be put
away! Why? Jesus said in Matthew 6:24—“ No man can serve two
masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold
to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” Jacob
knew that Bethel was holy ground and only the sanctified heart could go
there. God wants purity in His people (1 Peter 1:15-16)! And if we will
dwell in unbroken fellowship with God there must be no other god among
us, no usurping thought or thing! 1 Thessalonians 4:7 tells us—“For God
hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.” The Christian
calling demands purity of life.
(3) PLACE OF PRAYER
GENESIS 35:3a, 7—“And let us arise, and go to Bethel; and I
WILL MAKE THERE AN ALTAR unto God…And he BUILT AN
ALTAR, and called the place El-Bethel: because there God appeared
unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother"
A. THE CONSEQUENCES OF PRAYERLESSNESS. During Jacob's twenty
years in Haran, there is no reference to prayer, fellowship, or the Altar.
There was nothing to distinguish Jacob from the world lings around him.
(Herbert Lockyer. All The Books And Chapters of The Bible. p. 18). One of
the greatest elements missing in many a believer's life is prevailing prayer.
Someone has said, Prayer is the greatest weapon in the Christian arsenal,
but many fail to use it!" We have many encouragements to pray found in
the Word of God (1 Thessalonians 5:17; Philippians 4:6-7). Someone has
said, “Prayer does not need proof, it needs practice.” (Bible Illustrator For
Windows. Version 3.0f. Copyright 1990-1998, by Parsons Technology, Inc.
All Rights Reserved).
B. THE COMMITMENT TO PRAYERFULNESS. Jacob said, “I will make there
an altar unto God.” And v7 says—“And he built an altar…”. Folks, we need
to build up again the altars that have been broken down! We need to be a
praying people! We need the altar! The altar is a:
➢ PLACE OF PRAYER.
➢ PLACE OF WORSHIP.
➢ PLACE OF SACRIFICE.
If we want to enjoy the fellowship, power, and presence of God, we must get
back to regular praying! We need to get back to the altar and renew our
commitment of prayer, worship, and sacrifice to God! Folks, if God’s people
would make prayer a priority in their lives then God could do some
wonderful and miraculous things for us! It tells us in Acts 4:31 that after
Peter and John’s arrest and eventual release for preaching the Gospel that
the church came together to ask God to give His Word free course and
notice what happened—“ And when they had prayed, the place was shaken
where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy
Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.” Friend, have you
forsaken the altar? Each of us needs to get back to the altar of prayer,
worship, and sacrifice. We all need to examine our lives. Lamentations 3:
40 says—“Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD.”
We need to go BACK TO BETHEL. It is a PLACE OF OBEDIENCE, a PLACE WHERE PURITY IS REQUIRED, a PLACE OF PRAYER and it is a…
(4) PLACE OF POWER
GENESIS 35:5—“And they journeyed: and the terror of God was upon the
cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the
sons of Jacob"
A. THE PRESENCE OF GOD. When the people of God set their faces to seek
Him, and to be obedient to Him at any cost, it is impossible but the
ungodly will feel the power of God! Psalm 119:2 says—“Blessed are they
that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.” We are
to “seek Him with the whole heart,” that means “With a sincere desire to
know his will and to do it; without hypocrisy or guile; with no selfish or
sinister aims. As God knows the heart, all other modes of “seeking” him
must be in vain. It is impossible for man to impose on him by
appearances.” (Albert Barnes’ Notes On The Bible. e-Sword. Version 7.6.1.
Copyright 2000-2005. Rick Meyers. All Rights Reserved Worldwide).
B. THE PROTECTION OF GOD. The Lord has promised in Hebrews 13:5b-
6—“ I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say,
The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.” By
the grace of God, Jacob and his entourage were able to make the journey to
Bethel. The LORD protected them in their progress. God will take care of
us by His grace when we are obedient and pure in our walk with Him!
(Psalm 1:1-3). He is our protector and our friend!
ILLUS: During Operation Desert Storm we studied war as no generation
has studied war before us--live from the battle front every night.
One thing we learned was the importance of an army's ability to
re-supply its troops. Night after night we watched successful
attacks on supply routes from Iraq to the troops at the front. Soon
stories came in of Iraqi soldiers lacking food and water. Those
stories suddenly became very human as Iraqi soldiers ran to meet
coalition troops and Western news cameras, surrendering gleefully
in return for food, water, and even shoes. Keeping an army
supplied with the necessities is an awesome responsibility that
only the highest authorities would dare assume. When it comes to
the army of believers who make up His church, God is the supplier
of the needs. As we follow Him in spiritual conflict, we need not
fear that we will encounter a need beyond His ability to meet.
(Bible Illustrator For Windows. Version 3.0f. Copyright 1990-1998,
by Parsons Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved).
(5) PLACE OF BLESSING
GENESIS 35:6-7a, 9a—“So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of
Canaan, that is Bethel, he and all the people that were with him.
And he built there an altar...And God appeared unto Jacob again..."
A. FAITH REWARDED. When Jacob came to the appointed place he inherited
the promised blessing! God's Word will be fulfilled in us when by faith we
take our stand upon it! Our faith must be tested but when we pass the test
we will be rewarded! How would a person ever know whether his faith was
weak or strong unless it has been tried and tested? Friends, “All men need
a faith that will not shrink when washed in the waters of affliction and
adversity.” (Bible Illustrator For Windows. Version 3.0f. Copyright 1990-
1998, by Parsons Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved). Hebrews 11:6 tells
us—“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to
God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently
seek him.” Jacob returned to Bethel and God rewarded his faith. God will
bless us when we return to Him and walk in His ways! Deuteronomy
10:12 says—“And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee,
but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to
serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul.” What God
required of Israel is what He requires of us, His people. When we follow
God, God will bless us!
B. FELLOWSHIP ENJOYED. God said to Jacob in v10, "Thy name is Jacob:
thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name:
and he called his name Israel." This was Jacob's second blessing! A
breaking up of his self-seeking past spirit to a life consecrated to God! NO
man can dwell at Bethel and be a stranger to God, or remain unchanged.
Bethel is a place of fellowship and when we enjoy fellowship with Him we
will become more like Him! 1 John 2:6—“He that saith he abideth in him
ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.” We should be like Jesus
in our love, forgiveness, obedience, and service.
ILLUS: J. Stuart Holden was being shown through a large factory where
hundreds of looms were spinning very fine linen thread. The
manager of the mill said to Mr. Holden, "So delicate is this
machinery that if a single thread of the entire 30,000, which at this
moment are being woven, should break, all of these looms would
instantly stop." He stepped to one of the machines and broke a
single thread. Suddenly every loom was still and remained so until
the thread was rejoined, whereupon the machinery was again in
motion. The mechanical wonder exhibited in the factory that day
clearly illustrates that which is spiritual. It is through one act of
disobedience, one departure from the will and fear of God, that the
blessings of our fellowship with Him are stopped. Not until that
thread is rejoined will the joy of the Lord flow again in our hearts. –
Good News Broadcaster
Friends, you can only enjoy fellowship with God when you are obedient
unto Him!
We must go BACK TO BETHEL because it is a PLACE OF OBEDIENCE, a PLACE WHERE PURITY IS REQUIRED, a PLACE OF PRAYER, a PLACE OF POWER, a PLACE OF BLESSING, and finally it is a…
(6) PLACE OF SACRIFICE
GENESIS 35:14—“And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he talked
with him, even a pillar of stone: and he poured a drink-offering
thereon, and he poured oil thereon"
A. THE CONSECRATION. After returning to Bethel, building an altar, and
talking to God, Jacob offered a sacrifice to the Lord. Jacob publicly
acknowledged before his family his commitment to walk with the LORD in
a close relationship by erecting a pillar to Him and then pouring the Drink-
offering and oil upon it! God wants His people to offer spiritual sacrifices to
Him! 1 Peter 2:5 says—“ Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual
house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God
by Jesus Christ.” To offer these spiritual sacrifices we must be consecrated
to the Lord. Not long ago I heard a story about a young man and an old
preacher. The young man had lost his job and didn't know which way to
turn. So he went to see the old preacher.
Pacing about the preacher's study, the young man ranted about his
problem. Finally he clenched his fist and shouted, "I've begged God to say
something to help me. Tell me, Preacher, why doesn't God answer?"
The old preacher, who sat across the room, spoke something in reply—
something so hushed it was indistinguishable. The young man stepped
across the room. "What did you say?" he asked.
The preacher repeated himself, but again in a tone as soft as a whisper. So
the young man moved closer until he was leaning on the preacher's chair.
"Sorry," he said. "I still didn't hear you." With their heads bent together, the
old preacher spoke once more. "God sometimes whispers," he said, "so we
will move closer to hear Him."
This time the young man heard and he understood. We all want God's
voice to thunder through the air with the answer to our problem. But God's
is the still, small voice. . .the gentle whisper.
Perhaps there's a reason. Nothing draws human focus quite like a whisper.
God's whisper means I must stop my ranting and move close to Him, until
my head is bent together with His. And then, as I listen, I will find my
answer. Better still, I find myself closer to God. --Author Unknown
B. THE COMMITMENT. Commitment seems to be a thing of the past. And
sadly, the lack of commitment is not only seen in our world outside the
church but also within the church. We seem to be unwilling these days to
sacrifice anything to God! We are willing to give anything as long as it
doesn't cost us anything! But sacrifice involves loss! Jesus said in Luke
14:33—“ whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he
cannot be my disciple.” Jacob publicly acknowledged before his family his
commitment to walk with the LORD in a close relationship by erecting a
pillar to Him and then pouring the drink-offering and oil upon it! He was
willing to offer a sacrifice to God. What is a sacrifice? The dictionary
defines "sacrifice" as "to give up, yield, or relinquish something valued for the
sake of someone else." (Funk & Wagnall’s Stand Desk Dictionary. Volume 2,
N-Z. p. 587). God wants the sacrifice of:
➢ Person (Romans 12:1-2).
➢ Praise (Hebrews 13:15).
➢ Time (Psalm. 90: 12).
Are you willing to give something precious to the LORD? YOURSELF? 1
Chronicles 29:5b—“And WHO THEN IS WILLING to CONSECRATE HIS
SERVICE this day UNTO THE LORD?”
CLOSING: It was when Jacob went "Back to Bethel" that he felt the presence,
power and fellowship of God in His life! Do you need to go "Back
to Bethel"? BETHEL is a PLACE OF OBEDIENCE, a PLACE
WHERE PURITY IS REQUIRED, a PLACE OF PRAYER, a PLACE
OF POWER, a PLACE OF BLESSING, and a PLACE OF SACRIFICE.
Have we such a vision of God that every idol has been buried, the
altar of complete consecration has been erected and our character
so entirely transformed that we have become dead to a self-serving
spirit and alive unto God? If not, "Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell
there” !
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