Sermon Summary: Spiritual Renewal (Genesis 35)

This sermon by Nick explores the theme of spiritual renewal, drawing from the biblical account in Genesis 35. It follows the narrative of Jacob and his family, who are facing a crisis after a tragic event.

The Context:

Desperation and Defeat: Jacob, at 97 years old, is deeply distressed. His daughter, Dinah, has been raped, and his sons, Simeon and Levi, have violently retaliated, causing further chaos and endangering the entire family.
Loss of Direction: The family, once blessed by God, is now living in disarray. They have strayed from their faith and are driven by emotions and circumstances rather than God's guidance.
A Call to Return: In the midst of this despair, God intervenes. He instructs Jacob to return to Bethel, the place where he first encountered God and received his blessings.

Key Messages:

The Importance of Remembering: When life presents challenges, disappointments, and betrayals, it's crucial to remember God's past promises and experiences. These memories serve as foundational stones for our faith and provide hope and strength.
The Need for Simplification: Just as Jacob was instructed to "get rid of all your pagan idols," we too need to declutter our lives. This involves removing distractions, negative influences, and anything that hinders our relationship with God.
God's Unfailing Presence: Despite Jacob's failures and the family's struggles, God's presence remained constant. This emphasizes that God's love and grace are not dependent on our own righteousness but on His unwavering faithfulness.
Transformation and Identity: God changes Jacob's name from "Jacob" (deceiver) to "Israel" (God fights), signifying a shift from focusing on his own shortcomings to recognizing God's work in his life. This highlights the transformative power of God's grace.
The Long Game: God works over time, often in ways that we cannot fully understand. We are encouraged to trust in God's plan, even when circumstances seem hopeless or confusing.

Practical Applications:

Reflect on past encounters with God: Spend time remembering those moments when you experienced God's presence and felt His guidance.
Identify and remove distractions: Declutter your life from anything that hinders your spiritual growth.
Focus on God's character: Shift your focus from your own weaknesses to God's strength and faithfulness.
Trust in God's timing: Remember that God works over time and has a greater purpose for your life.

Bible References:

Genesis 35:1-29
Isaiah 41

This sermon encourages listeners to return to their spiritual roots, to remember God's promises, and to trust in His guidance through life's challenges. It emphasizes the importance of simplifying their lives, focusing on God's character, and embracing the transformative power of His grace.

Note: This summary aims to capture the essence of the sermon. For a complete understanding, please listen to the full audio recording.

Transcript

Thank you. Good morning. We're on Genesis again, Genesis 35. I first prepared to speak this message way back when it snowed. We've learned to take everything as from God. So you prepare a message and then it snows and we cancel the church, and you think, well, what's my life all about then if I can't preach? But take it as from God, and I believe that this is the message God has for us. So we are hurtling, hurtling through Genesis towards the conclusion, but buckle up because there's plenty still to come. And you will, if you, one of those people that goes ahead to read the chapters ahead, you'll know there's going to be some interesting and challenging ones in the next few weeks. But we're on Genesis 35, and the title I've got is Spiritual Renewal. And the passage is set against the background of the passage that Johnny spoke about way back. We were away, and it was back in November. That was the last time we were in Genesis. And he talked about where Dinah, Jacob's daughter, had been raped and abused by some of the men that lived in the area there. And Simeon and Levi, Jacob's sons, had gone and wreaked a revenge on these men. And it was just an absolute brutal mess. Jacob, you can imagine how he felt. He was 97 years old at this time. 74 years earlier, at the age of 23, he had deceived his brother into giving up his birthright and taking the blessing from his father. 74 years, and he's thinking, I'm sure no doubt he's thinking, well, okay, if this is the blessing, I don't really want to live under the curse, because this doesn't look great. He must have looked on all of these tragic turn of events and wonder, what is this all about? His response at the end is one of desperation. Simeon and Levi have done all of this. They've taken revenge. This is at the end of chapter 34. Afterward, Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, you have ruined me. You've made me stink among all the people of this land, among all the Canaanites and Perizzites. We are so few that they will join forces and crush us. I will be ruined, and my entire household will be wiped out. And then they simply said, but why should we let him treat our sister like a prostitute? They retorted angrily. And that's the state that this family had got into. His response appears to be like that of a father, taking his head in his hands and wondering, what is it all about? What has come out? 97 years old. This has happened to my daughter. My sons have lost control. We've been completely ruined in the eyes of the people we live in. We're going to be crushed. We are finished. We are going to be wiped out. We are the blessed family, people and the blessing of God, and yet we are going to be wiped out. You have ruined me. You have made me stink among all the people of this land. They were all living their own way, far from the foundations that were laid in their lives. The encounters with God their father had, they all seemed to mean nothing. Now they were just, the circumstances had overtaken them, instincts had overtaken them. They were just living according to how they felt. This happened, so we're going to do that. Why should this happen? Why shouldn't we do this? And it just seems to be it's like the wheels have come off. They don't look like a family that is a family of destiny. They look more like a family that is being governed by the circumstances that happened to them. 74 years after their uncle Esau had said, what use is a blessing to me if I'm hungry? And he sold his birthright for a bowl of soup. This family now were in danger of letting go of all that God had put in them, all that God had said to them, all that God had blessed them with, and they were being thrown around as if in a washing machine from one disaster to another. And the chapter ends abruptly with that sense of desperation and hopelessness. There's nothing more said. You have ruined me. You have made me stink, and now we're going to be wiped out. And they simply said, why should we let him treat our sister like a prostitute? End of chapter. Nothing else to be said. Nothing that had happened to them up to this point was actually going to help them, was going to increase their blessing. It was actually going to contribute to their decline. And then we move into 35. Don't ever be tempted to separate these chapters out as standalone things. These chapters and verses obviously are an invention that have come in over the years and over the generations to help us, and they do help us because we wouldn't know where to start, would we? If I'd said we're going to just go to there, we wouldn't know what page to go to or whatever. But here we are in Genesis 35, but the link cannot be missed. It ended, it was just left hanging. Why should this happen? Why should we not? Then God said, chapter 35 verse 1, then God said to Jacob, get ready and move to Bethel and settle there. Build an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau. Go back, Jacob. Like God has waited until they've got to this point of absolute disaster, of absolute desperation, and then he comes in. He doesn't say, right, I'm going to help you. We're going to clean up this mess. We're going to pick this apart. We're going to get this sorted out. He says, simply go back. Go back to where I first spoke to you. Go back to where you first met me. Go back to where you first heard the promise. Go back to when it really mattered. Go back to when you realized that you had encountered God. Go back to that place. Come back with me, Jacob. And that is the route to restoration and renewal in all our lives. When life disappoints us, ...

Sunday Gathering – Genesis – Spiritual Renewal