Throwing Out a Fleece Before the Lord - Genesis Part 63

We are in a verse by verse study of the book of Genesis and for the last couple weeks we been looking at the story of Jacob and Esau how Jacob stole Esau's blessing, how you saw them plotted to murder Jacob and how Rebecca Jacobs mom urged him to get out of Dodge. And if you missed any of those messages. I urge you to pick him up on CD or go online and download a podcast and there was great spiritual fruit that we talked about but what were going to do today is move on. As Jacob now flees the wrath of Esau were going to go look and see what happened and there were going to bring all about home and talk about what difference it makes to our life so you ready are you ready thank you very much art here we go.

Genesis chapter 28 verse one so Isaac called Jacob.

Isaac his father. Of course, and bless them, and commanded him.

Do not marry a Canaanite woman arise and go to pajama Ron to the house about the well your mother Rebecca's father this is Jacob's grandfather and from there take a wife or yourself a woman obviously who knows and loves the Lord. Now we know from ancient text, found that the city of Garnet that pajama Ron was just another name for co-Ron. Ron was Rebecca's hometown where her father and her brother live and so let's show your map and you'll see how far Jacob had to go. He started Beersheba in the cell and he had to go all the way in the northern Mesopotamia. It is quite a journey all by himself. Well then Jacob left Beersheba.

The Bible says and he set out for co-Ron, and he came to a certain place where he stopped for the night, and he took one of the stones of the place and put it under his head and lay down to sleep and he had a dream in which he saw a ladder resting on the earth with its top reaching into heaven, and the Angels were going up and down on it, and behold, the Lord stood at the top and said to him, I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of your father, Isaac, and I will give you and your descendents the land upon which you are lying. Moreover, your descendents will be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread out to the west and the east and the north and the south and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. Now, folks, this is the very covenant that God gave Abraham way back in Genesis 12 and that he gave Isaac. Abraham's son in Genesis 26 and now he gives it to Abraham's grandson Jacob here in Genesis chapter 28 and this covenant had three primary provisions. Number one possession of the promised land. The land of Canaan. Number two.

A large number of descendents and number three from their lineage, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. A blessing would be given to the entire world and we know from the New Testament. Acts chapter 3 that this is a direct reference to the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, who was a blessing to the whole world. Verse 15 and God goes on to say to Jacob, and behold I am with you and I will keep you wherever you go and I will bring you back to this land. Now watch so Jacob arose early in the morning and took a stone that he put under his head and he set it up as a pillar and he poured oil on it and called on the place where you slap and recall the name of the place Bethel meeting the house of God. Look then Jacob made a vow, saying, if God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I'm taking and will give me food to eat and we'll give me close to where and will bring me back to my father's house in what safety then he says the Lord will be my God.

Now it's obvious that here in Genesis 28 that Jacob had not yet given his whole heart and life to the Lord, but he makes a deal with God that he would surrender his life to the Lord. If God will prove his reality and his faithfulness to Jacob and this is exactly what God did. Jacob was gone from his own land. The land of Canaan for 20 years. During that time living in Acheron, he became a wealthy man, yet she he had flocks. He had wives. He had children.

He had close to where and food to eat everything that he asked God to do God did for him, but there was still one thing he still was not living in his own land, where his father's live, but God's about the fix that folks Genesis 31 in a dream he gives to Jacob.

20 years later in Acheron God says I am the God of Bethel where you anointed a pillar and you made a vow to me, Jacob.

You remember that thou now rise and leave this land. The land of Acheron and returned to the land of your birth. This is the last part of that. If you remember, if if if if if this is the last one so Jacob came say the next word say louder safely right to the town of Shechem in the land of said Canaan. This was the deal right that God would bring them back safely to his land right when that the deal so look what Jacob did. Then Jacob said to his family come now, let us go to Bethel and I will make an altar there to the Lord who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me where ever I have gone and from that day on, Jacob was a man whose whole life was totally given to God. Now that the stars were to go in the passage because it's time for us to ask our most important question you know what, this is the we all know all right all our campuses. We know so are you ready I come on now nice and loud here we go all together while Lutheran day so yeah you say lawn Isaac my story. I appreciate that. I'm glad God came through for Jacob. You know I have never's use the rock as a pillow and I will see what the story has to do with me are when I look it does have to do with you and me because what Jacob did here in Genesis 28 we call throwing out or putting out a fleece before the Lord. This expression this phraseology comes from a story in the Old Testament about a great man of God named Gideon in Judges chapter 6 Gideon was a godly man living through in a very ungodly time in Israel and look what happened. Judges 6 and the Lord said to Gideon go and deliver Israel from the hand of the Midianites, surely I will be with you that all the Midianites in the Amalekites and the other Eastern people join forces across the Jordan River and camped in the Valley of jazz real. Now, the Jezreel Valley. Also, your map is right in the heartland of Israel.

It's right in the breadbasket of Israel. There in upper Galilee and so you could leave all these enemies right there you had to deal with them and so Gideon said to God, if you indeed will save Israel by my hand. As you have spoken here comes. Behold, I will put a wall fleece on the threshing floor if there is due only on the fleece and all the ground is dry. Then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand. As you have said and it was so that's what happened.

Then Gideon said to God, please don't be angry with me, Lord, let me make just one more request, allow me one more test with this lease.

This time, make the fleece dry and the ground be covered with due and that night God did so only the fleece was dry. While the ground was covered with due then Gideon and his men rose. What's the next word.

Early that morning, early. They got up and noticed immediately. They obeyed God they rose early that morning and they camped by the spring of Corrado and the camp of the Midianites was just north of them in the Valley and if you read the rest of chapter 7 of the book of Judges, you'll find that God did just what he said he gave a great victory to Gideon and his army. So let's summarize here we see Gideon making a deal with God just like Jacob did, but the important thing that I want you to make sure you see, please notice is that in both cases, once God use that fleece to make his will clear.

Jacob and Gideon obeyed right away you see that immediately.

Jacob gave his life to Christ and immediately Gideon mustered his troops and went out to fight the we see that okay now you say will lawn you know I've always heard that throwing out a fleece like this is really not a very good way to discern God's will and it's really not a very good way to come to a salvation decision. I mean, I've always heard that doing this is an act of unbelief. Well friends that's not true. If you are totally committed to obeying God. Once he answers that fleece and shows you is will this is not an act of unbelief and you say will also always heard the God won't answer or honor these fleece things well obviously that's not true. He answered it once for Jacob. He answered it twice for Gideon. I want to say somebody else. He answered for. Remember Abraham's servant we studied this Genesis chapter 24 Abraham sent him to Qumran Rebecca city to look for a wife for his son Isaac, a godly woman now servant when he gets there he says this old Lord I'm standing by the spring of water in Acheron may be that when I say to a girl, please let down your jar that I may have a drink and she says drink and I will water your camels also let her be the warm on that you have chosen for your servant Isaac DC with the servant here's doing the stone out of fleece. He said all right. I want the first girl offers me a drink and says all warrior Tamils and by the way, remember we talked about how much water camel can bring, and he had 10 of them is a big deal to water these camels remember he said let that girl be the one you've chosen for Isaac, well look at the next person before he had even finished praying God's love that Rebecca came along with her jar and the servant hurried to meet her and said please give me a little water to drink from your jar and after she had given him a drink.

She said I'll draw water for your camels to bada bing. Bottom ballroom right yeah and Rebecca. After this took him to her house to meet her father that the well to meet her brother Laban and and the servant told them the story of how you thrown out this fleece and how God answered it exactly watch what her brother Laban and her father Beth well said. They said say the next five words with me this is from the Lord. They they had enough sense to see God answer displays then they turned to her brother and her father and said to Rebecca, will you go with this man Abraham servant, and she said I will go can I remind you. She hasn't even known this man for 24 hours.

She never met this guy before she doesn't know where he's from.

She doesn't know Abraham. She doesn't know Isaac.

She's never been away from home she's traveling halfway across the Middle East with a stranger and yet she said I'll go why because she looked at that fleece and she said this is obviously God's will for me and I will obey God's will praise the Lord for her just like Jacob.

Just like Gideon.

She obeyed God right away as soon as he made his will clear.

They save a lot of you ever use the fleece before in your life.

We have lots of times I mean I use the fleece when I was coming to Christ. I remember I was reading the Bible that this man had given me and I was in my room and the I did know for sure. I mean I I was almost convinced Jesus was.

We said he was but I was not what I didn't know I was confused so I got on my knees and I had my dog Noah next to me and yet the main unit with the manges when the hair falls off the dog and I've been putting Sabol over the vet had given me and it wouldn't get any better. In fact, it was get worse and I got on my knees and I said okay God if you are real and if Jesus is really Louis says he is that I want you to heal my dog, stop using the medicine and I want you to heal my dog. If you're God you are big enough to heal my dog. Then I thought later well you know maybe I should ask a God like to levitate the better. Some because I put my dogs life in danger, but I said no deal. The deal, I said heal my dog, will you believe what you want to believe, but I'm here to tell you, stop using that medicine and three days later my dogs hair was all back. He was completely healed and that dog.

That dog lived for 10 more years. Are you will lawn.

I'm very sorry for my theology does not allow me to believe God heals dogs well that I don't know what to tell you about your theology that your problem. I'm telling you God heal my dog what you want with that and I saw it with my own eyes and that very week I got on my knees and gave my life to Jesus because he made his will clear and for me not to do that would be disobedience to God, and I remember when I was trying to decide about marrying Brenda use the fleece. I asked her to marry me and I said, but before we get married to really know this is God's will. I want us to make a trip and meet all my relatives are all Jewish. You're not doing so, let's go see and and if they if they if if they have problems if they don't agree that we should get married. They don't like you they were not going to do it. This is my fleece before God, my parents, my grandparents or body. They've got to agree and we went to see and we went to my parents with you. My grandparents and after we met him every time I said what you think of me marrying Brenda what he think of Brenda. My grandfather said to me he said honestly.

I like her more and I like you. Escrow is that if I had my way out. Adopt target radio on the line. So I knew I needed to marry this woman friends.

I was 40 years ago. Praise the Lord and I got the right one.

And finally, I use the fleece and trying to decide whether to come be the pastor of this church in April 1980. I was teaching Hebrew and Greek over capital Bible seminary, but I knew God wanted me to be a pastor.

I just did know where. And on a Monday morning in April 1980, someone walked into the seminary and said hey did you hear the pastor McLean Bible church resigned yesterday and I went all my gosh and so I prayed and I said I Lord I would love to go to that church, but I need to know for sure you want me to bill Poston was one of the elders here at that time and was for many many years. He just passed away. I believe last year but he was working there capital with me on phenomena go by. Want to wander by Bill's office and I want to tell them I heard that the pastor resigned and if he says to me, lawn, would you have any interest in being the pastor I'm going to take that from you God that this is the church I'm supposed to go to why walk by's office peaked my head in the door, went in and sat down.

Told him I heard this in the first words out of his mouth were long would you have any interest in coming to McLean Bible church is the pastor I got goosebumps up and down my back sit there and I said I would and then as I was in the process I think I told you pastor friend from Northern Virginia called me and he said lawn. I heard you think about going to McLean Bible church and I said I am and he said all man.

He said that church has more problems and you can shake a stick at peace that I have been in the past 20 years and I wouldn't touch that church would attend football and bring cannot take some he didn't know the half of it, not the half of it, but I said to him I called you by name and I said you know what if I don't go to that church. I am going to be out of the will of God. And I'm going out there.

What problems are. How did I get that assurance. How did I have that surety will I'm telling you a key part of it was that fleece throughout were. Bill Poston said to me would you like to come to this church.

Once that happened, I knew God wanted me here, praise the Lord been here 35 years. Praise the Lord listen to me you say so.

The message today is about throwing out polices no that is not what the messages about the message today is about obeying God. That's what the messages about when God answered Jacob's fleas in Genesis 28 Jacob obeyed God and gave his life to him. When God answered Gideon's fleas in Judges 6 Gideon obeyed God and mustered his troops when God answered Abraham's servants. Fleas in Genesis 24 Rebecca obeyed God and left home to go marry Isaac. And when God answered my fleece is about my dog and about my marriage and about my Christian service. I obeyed God. That's what the messages about if I had to conclude and give you one sentence summary of what I'm saying to you today. It's this, no matter how God shows us his will. I don't care if it's a fleas or prayer or to the Bible or through circumstances or through the advice of godly friends or through the inner conviction of the Holy Spirit. I don't care how God shows you his will. Once he does, the critical issue is that we obey God instantly and fully. That's the point, you got it man, I listen to what God said in Jeremiah thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel.

He says I did not speak to your father's Jeremiah or command them on the day that I brought them out of Egypt concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices that all came as part of the Mosaic covenant a year later at Mount Sinai look what God says this is what I commanded them say the next two words out loud obey me, obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people, but they did not obey.

They followed their stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts and went backwards instead of forwards, folks. The most important thing in your life is not attending church put money in the offering plate being a church member. Being a nice person trying to serve the Lord. Teaching Sunday school. These are all great things to do, but those are not the most important thing in your life are my life rent. The most important thing in your life in my life is to obey God, pure and simple. This is why he said to Samuel, the Lord did to obey is better than sacrifice for Samuel 15 to obey is better than church membership to obey is better to put money in the offering plate to obey is better than to serve the Lord by teaching Sunday school to obey is better. Nothing wrong with these other things. But God said the thing I want the most.

I want obedience.

Malachi chapter 1. If I am a father, then where is my obedience, God's sense of folks don't kid yourself into thinking that you can disobey God and that everything is going to go great in the God just going to overlook it and that it really doesn't matter all that much to it. Please don't think that because that is not you want God's blessing on your life you want to see God's power in your life you want to go forward instead of backwards in your Christian life with God.

Obey God with spring dear Lord Jesus with our heads bowed and our eyes closed. I want to ask that each of us allow the Holy Spirit to search our hearts. The question I want us to ask his Lord, where am I not obeying you fully and completely, and you can be sure folks, wherever that is. You've not surrendered your life to him in that area because 100% surrender leads to 100% obedience.

And if God shows you something folks. I want you to deal with it right here and now.

Jeremiah God says now therefore amend your ways and obey the voice of the Lord amend your ways, repent some of us here are sleeping with her boyfriend and her girlfriend. Some of us here are committing adultery. Some of us here are involved in pornography. Some of us here or lusting over people and we know were doing it and were incorrigible. Some of us here have dirty malls at work and home.

Some of us here refuse to forgive people, even though the Lords told us to were not going to do it. Some of us here of malice in our heart towards people.

Some of us here have damage people to gossip.

Some of us here have been prayerless and hardhearted towards the Lord. I mean I could go on. Charles Finney, the great evangelist edge can't preach against sin in the abstract swamp name and amount for your folks. Whatever it is that God chose amend your ways he's with. Repent today stick a moment to Lord, you know, this week you showed me something to forget in my life that I needed to amend my ways.

You were telling me to do something. I just flat didn't want to do it but I did. And the reason is because I told you you were Lord of my life one day and I still mean that my surrender to you, Lord, I want to be 100%. And if you're not Lord of all, you're not Lord at all and so was because of that surrender that I gave you obedience and I pray father today that you would help us here to understand that the core of the problem is our surrender to Christ as the full was a complete the obedience is an outgrowth of our surrender. So God bring us to the point of full surrender that we might have full obedience that we might have full blessing of God for people who have prayed about things and said, Lord, I'm willing to repent, give them your help today, Lord if they need to make a call to a boyfriend or girlfriend if they need to knock off a relationship if they need to go get some help with pornography addiction if they need to go to someone and say I'm God to give whatever it is. Help us, we pray these things in Jesus name God's people said