THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO GENESIS I. Introduction The Birth of a Nation Genesis 29:1-30:24 a. READ TEXT Genesis 29:1-30:24 b.pray c. Opener God told me that we should date. i. First question, You mean God mentioned me in the Bible?!? That s awesome! ii. Second question, If God told you we should date, why didn t he tell me? d.comments i. I went against my better judgment and the warnings of others and dated her anyway. ii. Our relationship was volatile from the start and sinfully unhealthy. iii. Yet, looking back I can see God s providential hand at work to bring about His good purposes for me and for His glory. God used that part of my life to get me to where I am today. Does that make my choices any less sinful? No! Absolutely not. But in Christ, those
bad choices, those sinful behaviors that defined me are redeemable. e. Comments Some of you have made some really bad decisions in your life, even sinful decisions. If you are converted, that is if you have been saved by God s grace through faith in Jesus, then every sin before your conversion has been redeemed and every sin after your conversion has been redeemed. In fact, I can assure you that in spite of your sin, God s providential hand was at work to bring about your good and His glory in your life. f. Transition. This is what we see in the life of Jacob. g. M.P.T. God s providential hand governs the affairs of Jacob during his exile from the promised land, securing for him victory over his enemy and a host of children who would grow up to become the twelve tribes of Israel. i. Key #1: God shows grace to Jacob according to his sovereign choice before Jacob s birth and without regard to any good or bad on Jacob s part (Romans 9:10-13). ii. Key #2: God shows grace to Jacob according to his sovereign promise to Abraham and Isaac and then to him (Genesis 12, 13, 15, 17, 26, 28). iii. Key #3: God shows grace to Jacob according to Jacob s faith in him (28:20-22).
h.m. P. S. God s providential hand governed the affairs of Christ during His exile from the promised land, securing for Him victory over the enemy and a host of children destined to inherit the kingdom. i. Purpose: God s providential hand governs the affairs of your life. j. Verse to live by Psalm 139:16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them. a. Transition statement. So, taking the three basic truths laid out a moment ago, we ll start up close and personal by taking a look at how the providence of God governs the affairs of Jacob. Then, slowly, we ll zoom out to see how God governs the affairs of the church and even its members, you and me. II. TRUTH #1 GOD S PROVIDENTIAL HAND GOVERNS THE AFFAIRS OF JACOB a. EXPLANATION i. God s providential hand governs the pattern (text). 1. The pattern is defined thematically.
a. Birthright/blessing (heir) b.promise c. Deception/plunder d.sojourn/exile e. Wilderness f. Jealousy g. Jumping the gun (so to speak) h.warring sons i. Marriage j. Water (wells) 2. The pattern ties Jacob to his father, Isaac, and grandfather, Abraham. a. Birthright/blessing (heir) i. Abraham 1. Ishmael 2. Isaac ii. Isaac 1. Esau 2. Jacob b.promise i. Abraham Genesis 12, 13, 15, 17 1. Kingdom 2. Land 3. People 4. Blessing a. Received b.bestowed
ii. Isaac Genesis 26 1. Kingdom 2. Land 3. People 4. Blessing a. Received b.bestowed 5. Jacob Genesis 28 Kingdom a. Land b.people c. Blessing i. Received ii. Bestowed c. Deception/plunder i. Abraham deceives and plunders Pharaoh of Egypt in Genesis 12 ii. Abraham deceives and plunders Abimelech, King of the Philistines, in Genesis 20. iii. Isaac deceives and plunders Abimelech in Genesis 26. iv. Jacob deceives and plunders his brother in Genesis 27. d.sojourn/exile with the enemy i. Abraham (Abram) sojourns among the Egyptians ii. Isaac sojourns among the Philistines
iii. Jacob sojourns with Laban 1. Family 2. BUT 3. History of a. Detaining b.withstanding God s plan e. Wilderness i. Abraham (Abram) leaves Egypt for the Negev. ii. Isaac leaves Gerar for the valley of Gerar (in the western Negev) (www.bibleplaces.com). iii. Jacob leaves the promised land for the land of the sons of the east 1. Ishmael s people Genesis 16 f. Jealousy (wives) i. Sarah and Hagar ii. Leah and Rachel g. Jumping the gun (so to speak) i. Sarah takes matters into her own hand when she tells Abraham to take Hagar and produce offspring Gen. 16 ii. Rebekah takes matters into her own hand when she helps Jacob steal the blessing from Esau Genesis 28 h.sons set against one another i. Ishmael and Isaac (abstract sense)
ii. Jacob and Esau (literal sense) i. Marriage i. Isaac and Rebekah Genesis 24 ii. Jacob and Leah/Rachel Genesis 29 j. Water (wells) sign of blessing i. Abraham and Abimelech covenant over the wells of Philistia Genesis 21 ii. Hagar seeks refuge by a well and is blessed by God Genesis 21 iii. Abraham s servant finds a bride for Isaac by a well Genesis 24 iv. Isaac and Abimelech covenant over the wells of Philistia Genesis 26 v. Jacob meets Rachel by a well Genesis 29 3. The pattern ties Jacob to the nation of Israel. a. Birthright/Blessing (heir) Israel is the heir, the firstborn of God Jeremiah 31:9 b.promise Dt. 6 c. Deception/plunder of Pharaoh in Egypt d.sojourn/exile Egypt e. Wilderness wilderness wanderings, 40 years f. Jealousy (wives) possibly the Lord s jealousy over his wayward wife, Israel g. Sons set against one another
i. Ishmael an enemy (associated with Assyria in the text) ii. Esau an enemy (Edom) iii. Kingdom divided 1. Leah s sons 2. Rachel s son (Joseph) h.marriage God s marriage to Israel Jeremiah 2:2 i. Water i. Red sea ii. Jordan iii. Water from the rock ii. God s providential hand governs the people (story). 1. Jacob right place, right time 2. The Shepherds right place, right time 3. Rachel right place, right time a. You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan. Arise, go to Paddanaram, to the house of Bethuel your mother s father; and from there take to yourself a wife from the daughters of Laban your mother s brother (Genesis 28:1-2). b.genesis 24 characters introduced c. Shepherdess 4. Laban the detainer
a. Genesis 24 5. Leah a. God honors her marriage to Jacob b.god blesses her with children (8 of the twelve tribes of Israel) i. Naturally 1. Reuben 2. Simeon 3. Levi 4. Judah ii. Surrogate!! 1. Gad 2. Asher 3. Issachar 4. Zebulun 6. The Offspring iii. God s providential hand governs the plan (purpose). 1. By Leah a. Levi priesthood, atonement b.judah Christ 2. By Rachel Joseph b.the Point i. God s providential hand governs the affairs of Jacob to bring about His good purposes in redemption, his good purposes in Christ.
1. Christ is the true and better Jacob who leaves the promise land and battles the enemy to secure for himself the bride he loves and a people for His own glory. He is the lion of the tribe of Judah descended from Jacob through Leah and the great high priest who atones for our sins but from an order greater than that of Levi. And like Joseph born of Rachel, he is the son whose birth removes the reproach of his people. 2. God s providential hand governed all that happened to Christ as well. a. this man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death (Acts 2:23). b. But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled (Acts 3:18). c. For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur (Acts 4:28).
ii. In spite of sin 1. With regard to Jacob and the lot a. Polygamy b.adultery c. Deception 2. With regard to Christ a. Deception b.murder III. APPLICATION (stored) God s providential hand governs all of your affairs as well. a. Acts 17:25- The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation b. Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them (Psalm 139:16). IV. APPLICATION (specific) a. Believer
i. Your salvation was no accident. 1. For the ones He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified (Romans 8:29-30). ii. Your sins were no surprise. 1. God did not cause you to sin. 2. God works in spite of your sin. 3. God s providence governs your sin. a. Laws Boice b.discipline iii. Your sins are redeemable. 1. Divorce 2. Adultery 3. Fornication 4. Unequally yoked iv. Your sins have been redeemed already! 1. For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He
did once for all when He offered up Himself (Hebrews 7:26-27). v. This does not give you a license to sin. vi. The call is still to repentance. 1. Divorce 2. Adultery 3. Fornication 4. Unequally yoked 5. Repentance Michael Horton, We basically have a medieval view of repentance today in a lot of Protestant churches. If I just rededicate my life, if I just promise to do better, if I just show God that I really mean business this time. Instead of saying, you know what, no. Actually, it s going to be harder than this. Your whole life, you re going to be dying daily. It s not going to be this extraordinary moment where you re going to cry your sins away. You re going to have this big moment of repentance and flush all of your garbage down the toilet and start all over again. No, every day you re going to have to die to yourself and live to Christ. And this repentance is going to be a daily, very hard, very difficult task b.unbeliever i. Your birth was no accident. ii. Your life has been no accident.
1. It has purpose and meaning. 2. The bad parts are redeemable. 3. The bad parts were bad because of sin. 4. The bad parts are redeemable. iii. Your sins were no surprise to God. iv. Your sins are redeemable ALL of them. 1. I Co. 6:9-11 Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such WERE some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. v. You are not here by accident. vi. You did not hear this gospel by accident. 1. Harden to damnation 2. Soften to repentance and faith vii. Repent and believe the gospel. c. To all of us i. J. Vernon McGee says, Providence is the means by which God directs all things both animate and inanimate, seen and unsee, good and evil toward a worthy purpose, which means His will must finally prevail. Or as the psalmist said, his kingdom ruleth
over all (Psalm 103:19). In Ephesians 1:11 Paul tells us that God worketh all things after the counsel of his own will. Our God is running the universe today, friends, even though there are some who think that it has slipped out from under Him.