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[0:00] Welcome. Thank you for choosing to listen to another word-filled message by David Entry. Preaching is the means by which God manifests His word and nourishes our spirits. May the life of God enter into you and you as you listen to this message. Be blessed.

[0:18] Oh, thank you, Lord Jesus. Genesis 33, verse... Now, from verse 1 was when Jacob... You know Jacob was afraid to meet Esau? And so, when he was about to go, he skimmed again.

[0:32] There in Genesis 28, he skimmed and then divided the people into two. And then he showed him how to go, go and please Esau and all that. None of them worked. And so Bible said that that night he prayed when God appeared to him and he said that, I'll bless you and keep you wherever you go.

[0:45] Now, when Jacob finished, he realized that he used the pillow, the stone he used for pillow. Bible said he erected it as a pillar and then he poured oil on it. And when he was pouring, do you know what he said?

[0:56] He said the things that God said, but he said that, God, if you keep me where I'm going and coming... But God has already spoken to him, I'm going to keep you. He said, God, if you keep me where I'm going and coming... And then he added something God didn't add.

[1:07] He said, and give me food to eat and rest to wear. God, when God is dealing with you, he's thinking about the bigger picture. You're also always thinking about, oh, my food and my shoe and my...

[1:20] We are thinking so much about our immediate need that sometimes it begins to interfere with God. Jacob, God said that, I'm going to keep you where you are going.

[1:31] He said, God knows what he was doing. It's his plan. Jacob said, okay, God, keep me where I'm going and come and give me food to eat. And give me clothing. And he said, when you bring me back, then I'll give you my tight.

[1:44] Hallelujah. Are you seeing yourself like Jacob? Amen. And so when he went to meet his brother, he prayed and did all that.

[1:55] He went to meet his brother. After he made that prayer, he prayed, God didn't show up. But after the prayer, he sent his wife and his wives in branches ahead.

[2:05] Then my book said, then God appeared and God, a man wrestled with him. Not when he was praying. When he was praying and that man rested with him.

[2:16] God comes in at a time sometimes you never, you didn't expect. God always shows, he comes in. The way he shows up to help you. That's why sometimes he also shows up to deal with you.

[2:26] Somebody said, God, teach me how to be humble. Teach me how to be humble. I want to be humble. And then some situation you never expect. This one, so what you do is, this one, I know I ask God to be humble.

[2:37] But this one, I have to deal with this one. Hey! Hey! God, teach me how to be humble. Teach me how to be patient. Teach me how to, and then the situation crops up and you, you, something, only God reminds you, but he said you wanted to be patient.

[2:50] You tell the only God, no, this is not one. This one, I'll deal with it. There's another patient, I hope God, not this one. You know what, you know, you know what I'm talking about. God, when we ask, see, we always want God to come from our own understanding.

[3:03] So, what we have cut for him, God, come this way. But, he said, your ways are not my ways. Neither your thoughts my thoughts. The way my, the heavens are higher than the, that's how my ways are higher than your ways.

[3:16] Just throw your hand, your life into his everlasting arms and relax, know that he will help you. Just obey him and he will do it. And so, when Jacob got there in Genesis chapter 33, he went to meet Esau and verse 5, verse 4, Bible says that Esau ran to him and embraced him.

[3:32] And when Esau embraced, the one who was coming to kill him, came and embraced him. And after he had embraced him and the extra few ways, now let's go to the verse and let me show you something there. They spoke and he showed him his children, his family, verse 10.

[3:45] And Jacob said, Jacob gave him a gift and Esau said, no, I don't, I don't want to take it. Keep it for yourself, verse 10. And Jacob said, nay, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand.

[4:01] For therefore I have seen thy face as though I have seen the face of God and was pleased with me. Now, you remember the meaning of Peniel?

[4:13] Peniel, last week, if you are listening to me on tape, get the previous message. You understand, Peniel just simply means, the original meaning, it's the face of God. Now, Jacob is saying here that, now I've seen your face, I'm pleased, I've seen your face as I've seen the face of God.

[4:27] Now, that Peniel experience affected him so much that the things that he was afraid of in life now, he was seeing them in the light of Peniel.

[4:38] In the light of his experience with God. So, that is why God seeks to affect you in a particular way, that every aspect of your life, you begin to interpret it in the light of your encounter.

[4:51] When you have an encounter with God, everything that happens after that encounter, you begin to deal with it, or handle it, or see it in the light of your encounter with God.

[5:03] Hallelujah. And that is how you begin to win with God. Praise the Lord. And so, Jacob, you realize that Peniel will affect you desperately and seriously.

[5:15] Now, Jacob was going to Bethel. When you read the text in Genesis chapter 35, God came to Jacob and he said, go back to Bethel. So, he was on his way to Bethel.

[5:28] Praise the Lord, Bethel. After he had met his brother and everything had been sorted out, he was on his way to Bethel. And then, he went through a place.

[5:38] When he met his brother, they had the chat and all that. He settled in a place called Shechem. That was still part of Canaan. Shechem, S-H-A, it's in the Bible. In Genesis chapter 33, the one we just read, 33 verse 20, or 18 to 20.

[5:53] You will see that Joseph settled there and he bought a piece of land there. That's not where God said he should go. But he went to settle there and bought a piece of land there. You know, he's always smart. He wants to do something. But that's not what I want to learn from here.

[6:07] Anytime God, God can deal with you in Peril. But then, there are still other things he still has to deal with. The discipline of God is in a process. Not all at once. So, God deals with us step by step.

[6:18] Little by little. Working on us. Somebody say, working on us. Say, work on me, Lord. Say it like you mean it. Say, work on me, Lord. And so, he went and bought a land in Shechem.

[6:29] And then, Bible says that when he bought the land, he erected an altar. And then, he called the place of the altar. It's there in the Bible. Genesis chapter 33, verse 20.

[6:41] And he erected an altar and called it El Elohi Israel. Which means, the God, the God of Israel. Now, who is Israel? His name is Israel.

[6:51] He called the place the God of Israel. He has always been saying, God of, we always know God of Abraham. God of Isaac. Isaac. Now, he was so confident. Because he had had an encounter with God.

[7:02] That he called the place the God of Israel. Now, that God, the God of Israel. Or El Elohi Israel. El Elohi Israel also means that the God of Israel is God indeed.

[7:16] My God is God. Somebody say, my God is God indeed. My God is God. Say it like you mean, my God is God indeed. My God is God indeed. Hallelujah. Or, it also means that God is indeed the God of Israel.

[7:29] Hallelujah. And so, he called the name there. And then, the verse 39. Go in the verse 35. And God appeared to him and told him that you are not supposed to be settling in Shechem. Move to Bethel. Somebody say, move to Bethel.

[7:41] And then, so verse 35. Genesis chapter 35. And God said unto Jacob, arise, go to Bethel and dwell there. And make there an altar unto God that appeared to thee when thou fled from the face of Esau thy brother.

[7:57] And then, when you read down, verse 2. Jacob told his people that put away the strange gods from amongst you. Now, what's the meaning of Bethel? Bethel means that the house of God.

[8:09] It's very important. Take note of that. The house of God. What's the house of God? The house of God means the body of Christ. The house of God. The body of Christ. The family of God. And so, God, he was going to Bethel.

[8:20] But from Shechem, she came to Bethel. He told everybody that was with him that put away the foreign gods. Because we are going to Bethel. We are going into the body of Christ.

[8:33] When you are in the body of Christ, the work of sin. Sin. Sin must be put away in order to be able to really enjoy the house of God fully.

[8:45] Shechem means the strength of the shoulder. You don't need to write it. You can write it if you want. Shechem means the strength of the shoulder. Now, the Bible, if you read Isaiah, it says that, and the government, unto us a child is born.

[8:59] Unto us a child is born. And to us a son is given. And his government shall be on his shoulder. Shoulder is a sign of strength.

[9:11] And Shechem means shoulder or the strength of shoulder. And so, the power in Christ is what gives you the ability to deal with the sin in your life. Not your own strength, but the power.

[9:24] That's why I said that the government shall be on the shoulder of Christ. The power in Christ is what gives you the ability to deal with your weakness. Or to deal with the sin in your life.

[9:35] Say the strength of God. And so, you have to deal with that. And then they get into Bethel. And so, they went. They got to Bethel. That's Genesis chapter 35, verse 1. They went to Bethel.

[9:47] Thank you, Jesus Christ. Verse 5 says that, and they journeyed. Say, and they journeyed. They journeyed. They moved on. You must move on from every state you are into...

[10:02] You see, Bethel means the house of God. The body of Christ means... The body of Christ is not one person. The body of Christ is not an individual. The body of Christ sends signals of cooperation.

[10:16] And so, you must move from God. God being just your personal... All about you. Into the house of God. Where it is our God.

[10:29] So that you think about God. And you relate to God. In the light of what he is doing... In the body of Christ. This is serious.

[10:40] Your relationship with God... Bethel means that... No more individuality. So it's not about individual testimonies... Or individual vessels. How God has done this for me.

[10:51] How God... But it is about the testimony of God's house. It's about the miracle of God's house. It's about God using his house as a vessel.

[11:03] Not just really an individual. So Bethel is the house of God. Get to Bethel. Tell someone to get to Bethel. Get to Bethel. Tell them about him. Get to Bethel. Get to Bethel. Now, before you get to Bethel...

[11:14] Where you begin to think... Bethel. Where you begin to think about the... House of God. The body of Christ. Where Christ is... Who matters. What matters.

[11:25] You must definitely pass through Penel. He deals with your flesh. So that you can get to Bethel. Because... In... The flesh is not useful for Bethel.

[11:41] Say my flesh. The flesh is not useful for Bethel. Pastor, what are you saying? All these things... What I'm simply saying is that... For God to find you useful...

[11:52] And to get to where God... You have to come out of your individual life... And your individual mind... Individual mind... Or self-centered mind...

[12:02] And always say... I don't feel like this. I didn't like this. I don't like this. I don't like this. You must come out of that. But you see... You can't come out of it... If God has not touched...

[12:13] Your flesh. God hasn't touched your natural life. Where you realize that... Your natural life is your enemy... In the relation with God. So that... When people begin to think...

[12:23] It's always... The way... You know... I'm gifted. And my gifting is... I can't really sit down... And think... When somebody... When somebody is doing something... I can easily...

[12:33] Calculate and know that... This is where he's coming from. And then you are always... Intellectualizing. Sometimes... Let's say... Okay... Somebody saw you... He said... Oh, hello my sister. And he said... The way he even said... Hello... I'm sure that he has something on his mind.

[12:45] That's judgmentalism. Because you are so smart... In interpreting people's ways... Now you come to... In the house of God... You come in God... And you are still using that... Smartness.

[12:55] So everything somebody even does... In the house of God... So long as you walk with Christ... Is concerned... Anything... You interpret it with that... Smartness. So God has to break that... Smartness... So long as he's concerned...

[13:06] So that he can... Interpret things... For you... Or you interpret things... In the light of his word. Say... Divine interpretation. Divine interpretation. Say Bethel.

[13:16] Bethel. Bethel is very important... In our work with God. Many... Oh... I like where I'm coming to. I like where I'm coming to. I like where I'm coming to. I like where I'm coming to. But before I get there...

[13:27] Let's read the letter down... Because in Bethel... You know God didn't tell him his name... When he fought with him in Peniel. He asked... I didn't tell his name... But what Jacob did not hear...

[13:38] In Peniel... He heard... In Bethel. He told him his name. God told him. I said... Bethel is where you have a better picture of God.

[13:50] And if... You see... You cannot live your Christian life... In isolation. Now... Bethel was not the end. I'm going to end on something... But it's...

[14:00] You can't live your Christian life in isolation. Show me a Christian... Who is not committed... In any local assembly. And I'll show you somebody... Who doesn't really have any proper relation with God.

[14:11] If you are not committed in any local assembly... In relationship with God... How can you serve God? You must... You see... God is taking you into Bethel.

[14:22] Somebody say Bethel. So he told him... Get up and get to Bethel. But he knew that Bethel your flesh. How many of you understand that? The reason why most people leave churches... Or the reason why most people...

[14:33] Don't feel comfortable in churches... One of the major reasons... Is... Is they are all about their personalities... And how they think... And how somebody spoke to them... And how somebody did this like this...

[14:44] And how... You know... As for me... We were born... We were born... And we are always speaking in a particular way. So when I come and I meet some people... Who speak this way... I can't stand... God will deal with that natural flesh of...

[14:55] We are always speaking this way. He will deal... Hallelujah. You get where I'm coming from. And so it's the flesh that doesn't make people...

[15:05] People... You see people who once... We said that... Oh... This is the church I know God has sent me to be. This is the best. This is the best. In fact... There was a time somebody wrote a letter to me...

[15:16] He said that... You are the wisest man I've ever seen. And then... You know... But when you are a child of God... You don't let these things get into you. God should be your source...

[15:27] Your living should be for God. But... It happens. Sometimes people are so overwhelmed... In their emotions... With what God has done through you... That they feel that... As for you... You just dropped from heaven.

[15:37] You are an angel. So they visit... The gens with you... And they see that you also... I'm a Gentile. No, that's not what I mean. So they come to your house...

[15:50] And they see that you are eating... What they also have been eating. And then... You are not any different from me. You see... What makes a person different... Is his knowledge of God... And the experience he had in God.

[16:02] But we are all the same human beings. It's very important. And... This same person... There was a time... Something happened...

[16:12] And I had to... Use leadership... What I may think... That leadership... And I spoke in a... But the person... Ah! You! You! That is a very foolish thing to do! You know...

[16:23] No... Don't take it... It doesn't matter. That's the person's opinion. But what I'm trying to say is that... The flesh will come in... At a place... Where you never expected. When Peter told Jesus Christ...

[16:35] That I will die with you... Jesus, I know you. And when they said... Peter is one of them... He began to swear. He began to swear. I'm sure he was guessing them all.

[16:47] He was swearing. But he was not sure... I'm going to do it. So for you to be successful... In... The body of Christ... As... You know... A corporate thing...

[16:58] God needs to constantly... Deal with the flesh. How many of you understand that... When you get involved in church... That's when you realize... Sometimes you get offended. It's easy to... It's easy to be offended...

[17:09] When you are more involved. When you come and sit down... Like... You guys come... And then you close... Hallelujah... You close and go... You won't be offended. But... Pastor... Or... What your leader says that...

[17:19] Or... Maybe you are in the... Usher department... The leader said... Let's meet here at 4. And you went through... Kinds of... Difficult... And you come and meet here... And then... 4. 38...

[17:30] The leader of the... Of the usher is now coming... And... It happens like that... You get offended... Sometimes you feel like... I won't even do it again... Hello... So...

[17:40] That is where... Your feelings... The issues... That are in your flesh... Somebody can say... Hey... Let's say... Three people are here...

[17:51] I say... Hey... One person can be offended... Two will not be offended... So... Why is it not... I say... Hey... No... It's the way... Their flesh react to issues... The way they... They are... Not... When I say flesh...

[18:01] Not... Personality... The way you handle things... And so the things that interfere... With... Our getting successful... Into the house of God... Into Bethel... Is... Personal... I say personality...

[18:11] I don't need to... Dread too much on that... Because I have to... Bring it to a... So... The flesh... God will always target... On dealing with the flesh... Because it's taking you some way... He's taking you some way...

[18:22] God is taking you some way... God is taking you some way... And so look at verse 11... And... And God said unto him... I am the God almighty...

[18:34] He told him his name now... What he didn't hear in Peniel... He heard in... Bethel... God said... I am the God almighty...

[18:44] Praise God... Now... What I want you to notice that is... God then... Took him further... And then when you read the scriptures... Very carefully... You realize that God took him...

[18:55] He had to end up in Hebron... Verse 27... And Jacob came... Unto his father... And he... Um... Yeah... He came unto his father...

[19:05] Unto Mamre... Unto the city of Abba... Which is Hebron... Say Hebron... And so... Abraham... God took him to seek him... Bethel...

[19:15] And Hebron... Hebron was where Abraham lived his life... Hebron was where Isaac lived... In fact... He was alive when Jacob got there... And Jacob had to go and join them... The God of Abraham...

[19:26] Isaac and Jacob... What is Hebron? Hebron... In the original word means... Fellowship... Say fellowship... And so... Bethel is not enough... You must go forward to Hebron...

[19:38] Where fellowship takes place... Now... The Greek word for fellowship... Is koinonia... That's one of the names... For the... Giving to the church... The name... One of the words... The Greek words...

[19:49] That was translated as church... In the Bible... Somebody said koinonia... Wednesday... We will be dealing with... Very much on that... Koinonia... So he says that... The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ... The love of God... And the...

[19:59] Fellowship of the Holy Ghost... Jacob realized that... He could do nothing... Of his... So he said... When you get to Hebron... You realize that... You can't do anything of your own... On your own... You need the fellowship...

[20:11] With the others... God doesn't just work in isolation... Watch this... You can never be a Christian... Without Christ... You can't be a Christian...

[20:21] Without Christ... Or outside of Christ... Like what you can't be a Christian... Outside the body of Christ... There needs to be an... Integration fellowship... Say fellowship...

[20:32] God is not just interested... In helping you... Or dealing with your flesh... He has to deal with your flesh... In order to get you to Bethel... Then when you see Bethel... You can have fellowship... Everything...

[20:43] Had to... End up in fellowship... Everything God is doing... Have to... And what is the fellowship... Fellowship is when God becomes... Hmm... Thank you Lord... He becomes our main supplier...

[20:55] Then... So when I'm fellowshipping with her... God... She begins to... God uses her to supply me with Christ... Christ is our life supply... But I begin to receive Christ... Through her...

[21:06] So we begin to enjoy Christ... Through one another... That is what God has marked for us... Thank you for listening to this message... By David Entry... To hear more from David Entry...

[21:16] Follow him on Facebook... Instagram... Twitter... And LinkedIn... You can also subscribe... To Carish Church on YouTube... Don't forget to share... And subscribe to our podcast... So you're always up to date...

[21:27]  Be blessed...