Our Identity

Good morning, everyone. Thank you for the warm welcome. It's always a privilege to open God's Word.

Special thanks to you for praying for us at Grace Mount. We need it.

And we much appreciate your partnership in the gospel in this kind of way.

So many thanks for that.

If you just keep your Bible open at Genesis 28, that's where we're going to be thinking this morning.

I'm going to pray and then we'll look at it together.

Father, your Word tells us that the person you esteem is humble and contrite and trembles at your Word.

We pray as we open up the Bible, you'll keep us from being self-deceived, carried away with ourselves or just plain lazy.

We pray.

Bring the Word of God into our lives today in a transforming kind of way.

We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Identity is a pressing issue today.

So there are young people who are confused about whether they're male or female.

That's our culture.

And if you switch the attention from individuals to countries,

we're living at a time when our past is described as shameful.

Because of our involvement in slavery or colonialism or empire,

you really ought to be ashamed of yourselves.

Confusion and shame are powerful emotions.

And they kind of circulate around people's lives today,

leaving them unsure of who they are

and what to put their trust in.

But what of the people of God?

What is it that should define our life?

How should we think of ourselves?

Genesis, as you will know, wasn't written for Noah or Abraham.

It wasn't written for Joseph or Isaac.

It was written by Moses for the benefit of the descendants of those people

to show them who they were,

to answer that question of identity.

So perhaps you can imagine Moses reading Genesis 28 to the people of his day.

And you'll see in verse 13 that God introduces himself as the God of Abraham and Isaac.

But of course, when he comes to Moses at the burning bush,

if you know the story, next book, chapter 3,

he doesn't simply say,

I'm the God of Abraham and Isaac.

He adds,

I'm the God of Jacob.

Now, I'm not the least surprised

that God would introduce himself as the God of Abraham.

He gets it wrong on occasions,

but he is a pretty impressive guy.

But the God of Jacob?

Really?

So my question is,

what does that add to our understanding of ourselves?

That our God

is the God of Jacob.

Now, the word that you would use to describe Jacob

at this point in his life,

Genesis 28,

is the word lost.

Now, I don't mean that necessarily

in a geographical sense.

He has those set out on a journey,

Beersheba there,

Haran,

somewhere up here in Mesopotamia,

480 miles

between these two places.

He's gone about 60 miles

to what will become known as Bethel.

He's isolated,

he's lonely,

he's vulnerable,

and all of it

is a consequence

of his bad choices.

He's got his brother's birthright

in his back pocket.

He's got the family blessing

that he persuaded his father,

his blind father,

to confer upon him,

but none of it will do him one bit of good

as he sets out on this journey.

He's heading for

Paddan Aram.

His mother's family home.

But nobody in Paddan Aram

is expecting him.

They don't even know he exists.

No one's looking for him.

No one's bothered.

Except God's waiting for him.

And here we discover

that God has things to say to him.

And it's plain to see

God doesn't meet him

and speak to him

because of qualities in his life.

Jacob doesn't prompt God

to relate to him in this way,

and yet he does.

The God of Jacob is,

we're being told here,

life-giving,

hope-creating,

mercy-expressing,

rescuer of lost people.

And we learn these things

by listening to the promises

that God makes to this man.

Now,

the gospel is a promise.

Jesus says,

in my Father's house

are many rooms.

If it were not so,

would I have told you

I'm going there

to prepare a place for you?

And you know the way

to the place where I'm going.

Thomas says,

Lord, we don't know

where you're going.

Never mind,

know the way.

Jesus says,

I am the way,

the truth,

and the life.

No one comes to the Father

except through me.

Now,

here's the thing

that you and I need to

put in as the kind of foundation.

I was reading the biography of a,

I think I described him

as a Christian adventurer,

just lots of daring do stuff.

And in his biography,

he says,

my favorite verse

is Philippians 4.13.

If you know the verse,

it says,

I can do all things,

at least in certain translations

it says this,

I can do all things

through Christ

who strengthens me.

And he is speaking specifically

about the occasion

that he was enabled

to summit on Everest.

God enabled me to summit.

Now,

when you stop

and think about that,

you realize that

it makes God out

to be the kind of

bank manager

kind of guy.

You know,

you go to him

with your plans.

I've got this business plan.

You say,

I'd like you to help me

fulfill it.

No.

The thing that people hate

is that there's only one truth,

there's only one purpose,

and there's only one agenda.

He's the God of Jacob.

But Jacob needs to get on

to his agenda.

He needs to get on

to this

roadmap

that God provides for him here

in this chapter

and shows him

the way ahead.

There is no plan B.

You and I need to

take a moment today

to ask ourselves

the question,

is this

the agenda

that we're on?

Are we

following God's

roadmap?

Is that

the direction

in which our life

is going?

Now,

he says three things,

which is very convenient

if you're a preacher.

We're always very grateful

for three things.

So,

here's the first of them.

these are a people

who are promised

a destination.

So,

look at verse 13.

God says to Jacob,

I will give you

and your descendants

the land

on which you're lying.

So,

obviously,

if you're going to be a people,

you need to have a place.

And Jacob

and his descendants

share this in common

at this point in time.

So,

you go to Jacob.

What's going on

in your life,

Jacob?

Well,

I'm a fugitive,

actually.

I'm running away

from home.

I don't have a home.

If you go to Israel,

what are they?

They're slaves

in Egypt.

And both

of these people,

whether it's Jacob

or it's Israel,

are people

whose lives

are characterized

by hopelessness.

Now,

our world

is full of

desperate people.

We understand that.

who are

moving around

the globe

and trying to find

a better future

for themselves.

And some of them

do so by means

of very courageous

and

ways

that involve

huge amounts

of endurance.

But that's not

what's going on here.

This is not a future

that will be

achieved

by

entrepreneurism

or

courage.

courage.

This is a future

that will be

given to them

by means

of this

great promise.

Canaan

will be a land

flowing with

milk and honey

where they will

inherit houses

that they hadn't

built and cities

that they hadn't

formed,

where God will

fight their battles.

No,

Joshua did not

fight the battle

of Jericho.

God did.

And this future

is disclosed

to Jacob

in this dream.

Now,

I don't know

what you think

when you hear

the word dream

but please

don't think

to yourself

that these

are kind of

ideas that

are kind of

surfacing

out of

Jacob's

subconscious.

No.

This is

about God

interrupting

this man's

sleep

to speak

specifically

into his life.

It is

no dream.

This is not

even Martin

Luther King.

I've had a

dream.

No.

This is

outside of

himself.

This is

God

communicating

with his

man

and giving

to him

a picture

of a

great

future.

Unexpected,

glorious,

and gracious.

And through

all that

will happen,

Bethel

will be

a special

place

in Jacob's

life.

He'll

mark it

with his

stone.

He'll

pour oil

in it.

He'll

give it

a name,

the house

of God.

He will

go back

there at

a later

stage.

And it

will just

be remembered.

It will

be a marker

in his

life.

It's not,

oh,

well,

we'll move

on now.

No.

This is a

significant

moment in

Jacob's

life.

Now,

our lives

are not

full of

these kind

of special

occasions.

But my

guess is if

you're a

Christian,

there will

be

significant

occasions

when God

has

specifically

and

personally

spoken

into

your

life.

My

wife was

brought up

in a

Christian

home,

heard the

gospel on

many

occasions.

But when

she was

17,

at an

SU camp

on the

Isle of

Aaron,

somebody

explained the

gospel in

such a

way that

it became

personal and

powerful in

a way it

had never

been before.

And that

became a

marker in

her life.

I heard

Sinclair

Ferguson,

you might

know his

name,

kind of

theologian,

preacher,

say that

he could

remember where

he was

sitting as

a 14-year-old

boy in

St.

George's,

Tron,

Glasgow.

It was a

big gallery.

It was a

Sunday evening.

He was

sitting on

the left-hand

side of

the preacher

who was

preaching

John 8,

John 8:12

verse 12,

Jesus'

words,

I am the

light of

the world.

Whoever

follows me

will never

walk in

darkness.

And

Ferguson

said,

it was

like

Jesus

was

speaking

to me.

And

I don't

know what

age he

is now,

but he

can remember

what happened

when he

was 14.

It was

a kind

of specific

sacred

moment in

his life.

Now,

it might

happen to

you in

times of

significant

illness.

God just

steps in

and does

stuff and

you think,

Almighty

God's just

intervened in

my life.

Remember

that.

Might be

bereavement.

Might be

some other

kind of

needs.

Remembering

is massively

important.

for people

of faith.

Bethel.

Market.

Why?

What's

the

alternative?

These

words

that we're

looking at

here,

Genesis

28,

are

directed

at the

Exodus

generation.

So,

here's the

Exodus

generation.

they're

promised.

God's

saying to

them,

I'll give

you a

land of

your own.

I'll give

you a

land of

richness,

fruitfulness,

milk and

honey.

And they

get to the

borders of

the promised

land.

One year

after they've

left Egypt,

they stand

on the

brink of

promise,

of realizing

the promise

that God

has made

to them.

They're

right on

the border,

and guess

what?

They wheel

round,

elect a

leader,

and go

back in

the direction

of Egypt.

What is

going on

there?

this is

what the

New

Testament

says.

Listen to

this

carefully.

See to

it,

brothers and

sisters,

that none

of you has

a sinful,

unbelieving

heart that

turns away

from the

living God.

But encourage

one another

daily as long

as it's

called today,

so that none

of you may

be,

this is the

bit,

hardened

by sin's

deceitfulness.

Sin has

a voice.

It speaks.

Israel's

idolatry,

grumbling,

ingratitude,

spoke into

their heads

as they

stand on

the brink

of Canaan,

and they

look and

they see

big cities

and powerful

armies,

and they

say to

themselves,

God's not

going to

give us,

God's not

going to

give people

like us,

that world

over there.

He's just

brought us

out here

to kill

us.

That's

what the

Bible calls

the deceitfulness

of sin.

Okay.

And of

course,

they have

forgotten.

They've

forgotten that

God has

rescued them

from Egypt.

They've

forgotten that

God has

fought for

them against

the Amalekites.

All that

has been

sidelined.

And the

voice that

speaks powerfully

into their

lives is

their sin.

We all

have sin.

We all

get it

wrong.

It will

speak into

our lives.

We need

the promise

of God

to be

louder in

our lives

than the

deceitfulness

of sin.

Genesis 28

says that

he is the

God of

Jacob.

He delights

to show

mercy.

He brings

hope to

the hopeless.

He keeps

these great

promises.

Okay,

here's the

second thing

that defines

their identity

and sets

the direction

for their

lives.

So,

look at

verse 14.

your

offspring

will be

like the

dust of

the earth

and you

will spread

abroad to

the west

and the

east and

to the

north and

the south.

So,

there are

people who

are not

just promised

a destination,

they're

promised

expansion.

They're

going to

get big.

Now,

if you go

back to

Jacob and

you kind

of peer

into his

family life,

family life

for Jacob

was a

tough place.

Whether it's

Beersheba,

his home,

Esau,

Jacob,

not a

great place.

Or whether

it's

Paddan Aram

and the

tension

between his

wives

over

children

or his

sons as

they grow

up who

turn into

this kind

of,

oh,

this kind

of savage

gang

who buy

their,

who buy

their

ruthlessness,

put the

whole family

at risk.

Or,

or,

or Jacob's

eldest son,

Reuben,

who turns

out to be a

massive

disappointment.

Now,

what's,

what's Jacob's

response to

that?

What does

Jacob do

as a

consequence

of the,

the,

the trials

of his

family?

Answer,

he invests

in Joseph.

He puts

all his

affection

onto one

of his

sons.

And when

that son

will go,

he'll choose

another son

called

Benjamin,

and he'll

put all

his

affections

onto

Benjamin.

What would

you describe

that as?

Subtraction.

His world

just gets

smaller and

smaller,

and he

kind of

writes off

the rest

of his

values.

He's not

interested in

them.

His,

his,

his horizon

is

one son.

Subtraction.

Now,

the fulfillment

of these

words is

not kind

of the

nation of

Israel.

The fulfillment

of these

words is

the household

of God

or the

church

family.

I'm sure

that you,

I'm sure

you know

this.

We

certainly

know

this up

at

Grace

Mount.

There's

no shortage

of people

who've had

bad experiences

of family

life.

They've

got up in

the morning

not knowing

what kind

of mood

their

carers or

parents or

whoever happens

to be around

in the house

will be in.

Who,

who don't

know,

who don't

know whether

they're,

they're going

to meet

with indifference

or shouting

and fear.

Now,

the place

where they

ought to

encounter

something

better is

in the

church

family.

You come

out of that

world,

you come

into the

church,

you start

to experience

something

that's

better.

It's

where,

it's where

families learn

to share

their lives

with those

who've been

in that

place.

Where,

where,

where those

of us who

are able,

and not

everybody's

able,

make space

for people

to come

and live

with us.

Maybe

because

things have

broken up

with their

partners,

maybe because

their new

christians

and their

home's just

so violent,

maybe because

they're,

got an

injunction

on them

by the

courts and

they're not

allowed to

go back

home.

Room,

room.

Where our,

where our

table is a

place where

we welcome

not just

our pals,

yeah,

I guess,

there's room

for pals.

But those

who have

needs,

maybe because

their marriages

are struggling,

do you want

to come

around,

talk,

have some

food,

see if we

can be

of help

to each

other.

That's the

picture,

isn't it?

Now,

for sure,

there's a

cost involved

in that

prospect.

It's a

place of

inconvenience

and intrusion.

Listen to

what Jesus

said.

No one

who has

left

brothers

or sisters,

fathers

or mothers

or children

for me

and the

gospel

will fail

to receive

a hundred

times as

much

in this

present age

and in the

age to

come,

eternal

life.

if you

go to

the end

of Romans,

Paul's

speaking to

the house

churches in

Rome,

14 and

15,

he's

speaking into

the lives

of some

with strong

views about

what you can

eat and what

you can't

eat or what

special days

should be

kept,

and those

are a

completely

different

view,

Jews and

Gentiles that

make up

these churches.

And he's

saying to

them,

yeah,

there are

right answers

to these

things.

I'm pretty

clear in my

mind you

can.

All food

is clean.

But he

says being

loving is

more important

than being

right in

these secondary

matters.

Accept one

another as

Christ has

accepted you.

And then you

go to chapter

16, you

know the one

of all the

list of

names at

the end

of it?

What's that

there for?

But it just

lets you see

the kind of

rich network

of friends

and relationships

that this

man has.

There are

people on

the list

who have

risked their

lives for

him,

people who

have been

in prison

with him,

people who

have worked

hard alongside

him.

There's a

woman mentioned

who he

describes as

having been

a mother to

me.

I'm not

quite sure

what would

be involved

in that,

but presumably

she looked

after him

in some

way.

just a

richness.

It's a

great picture.

But it

comes with a

cost,

obviously.

But it is

a picture of

multiplication.

There's no

lack of

subtraction

around today.

You watch

churches,

you're just

getting smaller.

Now, it's a

complicated question.

I'm sure it's

not just one

reason,

but one

aspect to

it is for

sure where

we make

our biological

families more

important than

the church

family.

Let me say

one more

thing and

then we're

pretty much

finished.

Okay.

So there's a

third element

in this

description of

our identity.

We have a

place,

there's a

future,

we have a

people that's

expanding,

and we have

a purpose.

And the

purpose is

stated as

this mission.

So end of

verse 14,

and all

people on

earth will

be blessed

through you

and your

offspring.

In other

words,

what are we

here for?

What do we

exist for?

For others

is the

answer.

for the

good of

others.

Now what

this statement

does is two

things.

Number one,

it makes

clear that

the promised

land cannot

be the

ultimate

destination.

Right?

I mean,

the whole

world is not

going to move

to that little

bit of land

at the far

end of the

Mediterranean

and end

up there.

No,

it's not.

Okay.

That's not

the future.

Jacob provides

the clue in

his reference

to the

house of

God and

the ladder

resting on

the earth

and rising

to heaven.

It's pointing

to the place

where heaven

and earth

are reunited

as they were

back in that

perfect world

in the

garden of

Eden.

Heaven and

earth in

perfect harmony.

the

construction

of the

temple,

which is

still 500

years away

at least

from these

events.

We'll have

within it,

visually,

as you just

enter the

temple,

it's got

these reminders.

It's got

palm trees

and flowers.

It's got

a lamp

stand

with flower-like

cups and

buds and

blossoms.

It's got

this curtain

with fierce

angels on

it,

with big

swords,

that are

all reminders

of that

garden that

they once

enjoyed

fellowship with

God in.

And in the

middle of it

all,

there's a

little glimpse

of hope

that one

man once a

year gets

to go

through the

curtain and

do what

Adam did

back in the

beginning and

as it were,

walk with

God.

Eden was a

sanctuary.

It's a

place where

God and

people lived

in perfect

harmony,

where they

enjoyed,

they just

enjoyed each

other.

They delighted

in each

other.

God and

his creatures,

people in

their God.

God.

That's this

new creation

that God is

in the

business of.

Now the

New Testament

when you get

to it,

shifts the

emphasis from

this temple

to a

person.

So Jesus

clears the

traders out of

the temple.

They say to

him,

what right

have you got

to do

that?

And he

says,

destroy this

temple and

I will

rebuild it

again in

three days.

The temple

that he

spoke of

was his

own body.

Here's

the place

of life

that brings

about this

future.

And the

question that

people were

asking was,

can Jesus

deliver on

this future?

Can he

bring in

this perfect

world,

this new

creation?

Can he do

that?

Can he

create a

people who

are fit

to live

in this

world?

Can he

make his

church a

blessing to

the world

so that it

will be a

place that

is populated

by others?

Now,

the reason

they crucify

him is

because they

say,

no,

you can't

do that.

You're not

able to do

that.

But of

course,

it is that

very place,

that very

event,

the cross

of Jesus

Christ,

that causes

life to

flow to

the world.

We are

called the

body of

Christ

Christ.

Because we're

those who

are meant

to put on

display the

life of the

cross as

well as to

proclaim the

cross.

Life flows

from the

cross.

So,

here are some

of the ways

that that

happens.

The cross

brings about

atonement.

words that

have

m-e-n-t

at the

end mean

to make.

So,

contentment,

to make

content.

Resentment,

to make

resentful.

Atonement,

quite obviously,

at one

meant,

is to make

at one.

So,

the cross

creates that

oneness between

God and

man,

but also

a oneness

among

people.

The church

is a

community

that puts

that oneness

on display.

But it's

also a

community

where people

get hurt

and relationships

break down.

Now,

what's your

natural reaction

when things

don't work

out too

well?

Answer,

we want

to take

a step

back.

And

the obvious

place,

that you

head for,

is your

own family.

My

natural reaction

is to

withdraw,

it's to

make sure

that it

never

happens

again.

The cross

calls us

to bear

with one

another

and forgive

one another

as Christ

has forgiven

us.

Put it

on display,

let people

see.

That's

what we're

about.

The cross

is a

source of

justification.

Justification

is about

God

declaring

us

righteous,

righteous.

In other

words,

it's

nothing to

do with

the core

of public

opinion.

It's not

about looking

good in

people's

eyes,

it's about

standing

right before

God.

And what

that should

do for

us is it

freezes up

from having

to pretend

that

hide our

sin,

play the

hypocrite,

pretend

we're

sorted.

it.

I don't

know if

you've

noticed

this as

you read

the

Psalms.

It's

one of

the

remarkable

things about

the

Psalms,

isn't it?

Particularly

the Psalms

of David.

David

doesn't

just

confess

his sin.

David

writes

songs about

his sin

for people

to sing.

Can you

imagine

that?

All right,

I'll write

a song.

That'll be

about my

sin.

That's what

he does.

We have

people in

our church

who come

from pretty

broken

backgrounds.

Sometimes

they'll fall

and it's

very easy

for them

as they

look around

to think,

oh, you

guys are

all sorted.

And I

need to

own up

to what

I guess

you might

call my

more

respectable

sins.

I need

to let

people

say that

my marriage

is sometimes

very clunky

like gear

wheels.

reacting to

one another.

Sometimes

my fuse

is sadly

too short.

Sometimes

my prayer

life is

distracted

and disordered.

I need

to own

up to

that.

Because

I've been

justified.

I'm

right because

of the

cross in

God's eyes.

And that's

what matters.

The cross

obviously is

an outpouring

of God's

love.

This is

love,

not that

we love

God,

but that

he loved

us and

sent his

son as

a propitiation

for our

sins.

There are

people that

you and I

will never

meet,

people who

we have

little in

common with,

people who

contribute

nothing to

our lives,

but just

because of

where they

live,

because of

the culture

they're part

of,

they will

never hear

the gospel

unless

somebody

takes

steps to

make that

happen,

to give

money,

to pray,

to give

time to

invest in

those

situations.

It's part

of the

loving,

the engaging,

the interest

in other

people.

Now,

Jacob will

never see

the fulfillment

of these

promises.

And yet,

when he

dies,

he will

give instructions

to his

family and

say,

don't

bury me

in Egypt,

take me

back to

Canaan,

and bury

me in

the cave

where Abraham

and his

family are

buried.

Now,

that is

not

sentimentality.

That is

Jacob saying,

not even

death is

going to

stop me

entering

into that

future that

God's

promised.

Christ,

this is

our

identity.

This is

who we

are.

And it's

because that

destiny is

secure that

we can live

this kind

of life

that is

a life of

cost and

sacrifice

and

involvement

in other

people.

I'm going

to pray

and then

Ali's going

to take

over again.

Heavenly

Father,

we thank

you for

your

kindness

to us.

We're

so glad

to know

that you're

the God

of Jacob.

So

grateful

for

being

a

merciful,

gracious,

generous

Heavenly

Father.

Pray,

Lord,

that your

character

would be

reflected in

ours.

For

Jesus'

sake,

Amen.

for

a

blessing,

even

faire

aside.

We're

so glad

that you're

doing

yourself.