Title: Renewing Life/Genesis 35:1-15
Content (Title) Renewing Life/Genesis 35:1-15
Today is the first Sunday in 200 years. Last week seems to have been a very busy week. It was the last day of 2001 and the first day of 2002, so it was a busy week. Also, in our church, we had a special early morning prayer meeting to welcome the new year, and it was a week in which all the members of the church prayed diligently to start this year with faith. Perhaps last week, all of us members prayed hard and prepared to shake off all the mistakes and mistakes of the past year and welcome the new year with a new heart. In the old days, when we were young, we could see that when we met the Lunar New Year, we prepared new clothes, bought new shoes, and took a clean bath to welcome the new year with a new heart. But everyone! Can anyone be renewed only by outward appearance without a change of heart?
Jacob had to stay in Bethel on his way to Paddan-aram after leaving his hometown because he had stolen the blessing of the firstborn from his older brother. And there I met God. He made a vow to God. I made a vow to build the house of the Lord here and give tithes of my income if you would allow me to return home safely. However, as the 20 years passed, Jacob completely forgot this vow. When he left his life in Batdam-aram and went home, he did not go to the promised land, but stayed in Shechem.
Because Shechem was a good city to live in. While living there, he left God. As a result, great tribulation came upon the family. The daughter was raped and the sons murdered in retaliation for this. Jacob reflected on this great tribulation and decided to live a new life. How can I live a new life?
1, A broken altar must be built to make it new.
Jacob prayed to God when his life was difficult. How lonely and empty he must have been as he left the hometown of his beloved parents and brothers and went to Batdam Aram. It is estimated that the feeling of leaving a dear hometown, parents and siblings must have been very lonely. So he prayed to God. While I was shepherding at my uncle Laban's house, I had no choice but to pray. However, 20 years later, he became very rich and owned a lot of wealth. When he returned home, his faith became very sluggish. Finally, on his way home, he stayed in Shechem, who had to go to Bethel. I was trying to make a living there. He stayed in Shechem, where civilization was developed and conditions were good, to break the original promise and pursue the pleasures of the flesh.
When the altar collapses, that is, when faith is weakened, tribulation is coming. Therefore, to be renewed, we must live centered on God. Anyone who lives apart from God becomes like an animal. Dear saints, In the new year, let's rebuild the broken prayer platform and rebuild the loose worship platform. That is the only way to be renewed.
2, The yard must be clean to make it new.
Jacob told his companions to leave their idols and purify themselves. And he told them to throw away the dirty clothes. This means repentance. Saints must have a clean life in order to have a say in the world. Daniel was without blemish, so he helped him to survive even in the lion's den. Because Joseph was blameless, he was released from prison and became prime minister. Believers must be free from blemishes. In that case, we must repent cleanly of the ugliness of the past. The believer's yard should not become the hanafate or sinful yard. The yard of the believer should not be a yard where they can hang out by making a "system" Let's clean up the messy and filthy yard in the new year. Otherwise, if we repeat the same life over and over again, we cannot avoid failure like Jacob at Shechem.
3, the relationship must be restored to be new.
After cleaning the yard, the next thing to do is to restore the relationship. We are keeping our distance in many relationships. Distance from parents, distance from siblings, distance from neighbors, and distance from God. Above all else, our relationship with God must be restored and closer. To get closer to God, you need to draw close to the Bible. And we must draw near to the temple of God. And you must draw close to the servant of the Lord. Because your servant is God's representative (2 Corinthians 5:20).
Let's all live close to God in the new year. Not only that, but let's restore our relationship with our parents. Parents are the image of God. You cannot receive God's blessings without honoring your parents. Let's love and honor our parents more in the new year. In the new year, let's live with brotherly love. In the new year, the distance from God should be close, and the relationship with God should be heated. If we all cleanse our hearts and live a good relationship centered on the altar, the fire of the Holy Spirit will come upon us and we will be able to be renewed.