Title: Prosperous Days and Tough Days
Content Title: Prosperous Days and Tough Days
main text; Genesis 35:9-29 (Character Sermon Jacob NO14)
premature death; (Ecclesiastes 7:14) Rejoice in prosperous days, and look back in troubled days. God put these two things side by side, so that man could not fathom his future, so that he did not know it.
Sermon Theme: Let's discover the will of God who gives us both prosperous and difficult days.
introduction
Do you know the difference between 'embarrassed' and 'embarrassed'? There is a funny story that explains the difference. Carefully dig the snot. However, it is disconcerting when the snot that I was trying to dig out slides into my nose. However, if the snot that you were trying to dig out continues in a long line without breaking, it becomes absurd. I enjoy eating apples. However, it is disconcerting when a bug is found on the apple he was eating. However, after chewing the apple with a bite and swallowing it, you try to eat the apple again, but when you find that only half of the worms are found, it is absurd. I went to the bathroom to see the big one. I was expecting a big thing to come out and gave strength to my lower abdomen, but when the big thing didn't come out, I was embarrassed. However, after washing my hands and coming out of the bathroom, I thought it was gas and gave strength to my lower abdomen, but it is really absurd when the gas does not come out and there are ingredients. Finally, squat in the back of a big truck to do chores. It is disconcerting when the truck that is being covered up while you are doing your business 'flicks' forward. But it's absurd when a truck suddenly comes behind you while you're doing business.
You and I will experience embarrassing and absurd things in our lives. Last week, I was sitting in the shepherd's room and was concentrating on reading a book to prepare for a sermon. Then, suddenly, a man appeared in the shepherd's room. I was startled and asked, “Who are you?” What the man said was, “I came here because I was hungry.” If you look closely, you can see that the person who had been there recently came again. I was angry on the inside, but I couldn't let the man come because he was hungry, so I gave him some money. I went out to say thank you, then turned around and came back to me. He comes in front of me with the smell of alcohol and suddenly sings a strange song. When I listened closely, it sounded like a hymn. “Forgive me for my sins through the blood of the cross.” They proudly sing to a tune I've never heard before and say, "I'm a church member too." It was really crazy.
There are some embarrassing scenes in the text we read today. In Genesis 35, the first part of one chapter describes the part where Jacob received a blessing from God. But in the back part, things happen that suddenly Jacob's family is dying. Through this verse, we are going to look at what he is trying to say to us today.
Although the message was shared during the morning prayer meeting, the same gospel was preached in Thessalonica and Berea, but there was a huge difference between the two cities. “(Acts 17:11) The people in Berea were more generous than those in Thessalonica, and they received the word with all their heart, and searched the scriptures daily to see if this was the case.” They said there were a lot of people. The same message is being proclaimed here, but please remember that the results will vary greatly depending on which kind of heart you receive the word with. There are people who just say that it is so, and flow away, while there are people who want to receive the Word with earnest heart. Like the people of Berea, I hope you will listen to the Word with a desperate heart to receive the Word. Then I have no doubt that there will be new changes in your life.
1. Let's look at the blessings Jacob received.
Jacob made a vow to God. What is a ‘seowon’? It is a promise of devotion to God by saying, ‘I will live this way.’ “If God is with me, keeps my way, and allows me to return to my Father’s house in peace, I will live like this,” he makes several promises. What is that? It means to serve Jehovah as my God, to build a temple for God, and to pay tithes fully. But Jacob forgot that vow and did not go up to Bethel, but stayed in Shechem. Then God tells Jacob to go up to Bethel. Hearing these words, Jacob took his whole family and went up to Bethel to keep his vows.
At the height of the American Civil War, a fierce battle was taking place in the mountains near Atlanta. On the night of the battle, a twenty-one-year-old young officer of the Allied Forces was lying on the floor, seriously wounded. But the medic looked at the officer and said, "He's already dead. I'm not even breathing." He said and went away. His parents were very devout Christians who prayed every day for this son. However, this son was too radical and lived arrogantly in college, always calling himself an atheist. For this reason, he was the one who broke the hearts of his parents.
“(Genesis 35:6-7) And Jacob and all who were with him came to Luz, that is, Bethel, in the land of Canaan, (7) And he built an altar there, and called the place El-Bethel, because when he escaped from his brother, God for there he appeared to him.” What did Jacob do when he went up to Bethel with his whole family? He built an altar there and called the name of the place ‘El Bethel’. In other words, they worshiped God by calling on God's name. He kept his vows to God. “(Genesis 35:9) When Jacob returned from Paddan-aram, God appeared to Jacob again and blessed him.” What blessings did Jacob receive?
1) Jacob received the blessing of being recognized by God.
“(Genesis 35:10) And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob, but your name will never be Jacob again, and Israel will be your name.” And he called his name Israel.”
Already, while wrestling with an angel at the Jabbok River naval, Jacob received the name ‘Israel’ from the angel. They changed the name of ‘Jacob’ from the deceiver to ‘Israel’ to mean that he has overcome God. However, Jacob was still living as “Jacob,” a deceiver. However, at the moment when Jacob fulfilled the vow he promised to God and lived as a worshiper of God according to the dream that God had for Jacob, God appeared to Jacob again and blessed him and made him call his name ‘Israel. “Now you are Israel. Live as Israel, live as the father of faith.” He called Jacob's name Israel. The name ‘Israel’ means ‘overcome God’, but it does not mean that Jacob overcame God. It means that Jacob was approved by God from that time on.
A lot of people these days are trying to change their name. Among the younger brothers I know, there is a person named ‘Pilnam Lee’. Since I only had a daughter, I named it ‘Pil (必) Nam (男)’ with the heart that I would definitely ask for a son next time. It's like a man's name. There is also a person called “Lee Hospital”. “Go to that hospital, not this hospital.” It's always being teased. Also, if I live with that name, I try to change it to a different name by going to a naming place because the seller is fierce. But just changing the name doesn't do much for that person's life. Because the name was created and changed by him. In order to really change our lives, God must change that name.
In the Bible, there are names that God has changed. He changed 'Abram' to 'Abraham'. ‘Abraham’ means ‘father of the nations’ and is the name given to Abraham to become the father of faith. He also changed ‘Sarai’ to ‘Sarah’. ‘Sarah’ means ‘mother of nations’. It is the name that gave Sarah a son, who had no son, so that she would be blessed as a mother of many nations. He changed the name of ‘Simon’ to ‘Peter’. The name ‘Peter’ means ‘rock’. Simon confessed to Jesus, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Then Jesus gave Simon the name “Peter.” “I will build my church upon the rock,” he said. In the end, Peter became the rock upon which the church, the body of the Lord, was built, and he enjoyed the glory and blessing of establishing the church of the Lord on this earth.
All of these names were changed by God, so their lives became a blessing. God told him not to use the name ‘Jacob’ again and called him ‘Israel’. God says that Jacob is not a deceiver, but a person who acknowledges that he is God's people and has received God's blessing. In the end, with many people watching, Jacob was officially recognized as the patriarch after Isaac and became a channel of blessing.
Dear saints,
You and I must become people that God approves of. Of course, the moment we believed in Jesus Christ, God called me and you, who are “sinners,” “righteous.” We have become righteous people who should no longer go down the path of sinners. Even so, if you are still living as a sinner, your name has changed but your life is not recognized by the Lord. Like Jacob, those who go up to Bethel and live the life of worshipers of God will be recognized by God as His people and will be recognized as those who will be blessed. This time, let's take a look at yourself. Is your name ‘Jacob’? Or is it ‘Israel’? The person who is approved by God and lives is ‘Israel’. As you live the life of worshipers that the Lord wants, I hope that you will be blessed with the blessings of Israel.
2) Jacob received the blessing of descendants.
“(Genesis 35:11) And God said to him, I am the Almighty God; be fruitful and multiply, and out of you will come a people and a council of peoples, and kings will come out of your loins.”
God blessed Jacob to be fruitful and multiply. It is the blessing of descendants. Most people like to do well, but they prefer their children to do well. That is why most people consider it a blessing to have their children prosper and do well. God introduced you as “God Almighty” and said that the descendants of Jacob would surely be fruitful and multiply to form a nation.