WEBVTT 00:00:00.580 --> 00:00:09.160 Genesis chapter 37, the Word of God blesses us by giving us 00:00:09.160 --> 00:00:15.960 so many different accounts of the lives of godly people, or 00:00:15.960 --> 00:00:21.600 will I say, people that God uses, sometimes godly, sometimes 00:00:21.600 --> 00:00:27.339 they're not godly in portions of their life. And he gives that 00:00:27.339 --> 00:00:31.519 to us to, I believe, to be a great help to us. One way they're 00:00:31.519 --> 00:00:34.179 such a great help is because none of them except Christ are 00:00:34.179 --> 00:00:39.840 perfect. And that means we got something in common with them 00:00:39.840 --> 00:00:44.840 because they all have problems and some are caused by other 00:00:44.840 --> 00:00:49.859 people and some are caused by themselves. Their lives have ups, 00:00:50.000 --> 00:00:55.159 their lives have downs. Lots of good happens in their life and 00:00:55.159 --> 00:00:58.319 lots of bad happens in their life. And yet in the midst of all 00:00:58.319 --> 00:01:04.879 of that, it's very real in their lives, is that God shines 00:01:04.879 --> 00:01:10.539 through. And when you look at the end of the book of Genesis, you'll 00:01:10.539 --> 00:01:15.000 find Joseph and that is the case in the life of Joseph as well. 00:01:15.140 --> 00:01:21.379 God shines through. His life is described in the last 14 chapters 00:01:21.379 --> 00:01:25.819 of Genesis. And I find that interesting because Genesis is 00:01:25.819 --> 00:01:28.979 the book of beginnings. It's what the title means. It is the 00:01:28.979 --> 00:01:34.799 book of foundations. It is written by Moses as well as the 00:01:34.799 --> 00:01:39.120 Torah. The first five books of the Bible were written by Moses. 00:01:39.120 --> 00:01:42.759 The only part that makes for an interesting conversation is in 00:01:42.759 --> 00:01:46.840 Deuteronomy chapter 34 when it records the death of Moses. And so, 00:01:46.840 --> 00:01:52.320 but I believe his authorship is one reason why so much time is spent 00:01:52.320 --> 00:01:57.560 on Joseph here at the end of Genesis. And I'll explain that in 00:01:57.560 --> 00:02:04.439 coming weeks. But for the first 11 chapters of Genesis, they cover 00:02:04.439 --> 00:02:11.939 a lot of primeval historical events. Begins with creation. It goes, 00:02:11.939 --> 00:02:16.539 that's the first three chapters. And just in the first three 00:02:16.539 --> 00:02:21.599 chapters of the Bible, we have what sets the groundwork for our 00:02:21.599 --> 00:02:26.319 doctrines. So many of them. The doctrine of creation is 00:02:26.319 --> 00:02:30.300 established in Genesis 1 through 30. The groundwork for the 00:02:30.300 --> 00:02:33.479 doctrine of God is placed there. The groundwork for the doctrine 00:02:33.479 --> 00:02:40.180 of man, for the doctrine of sin, for the doctrine of salvation, for the 00:02:40.180 --> 00:02:45.719 doctrine of Christ, for the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, for the 00:02:45.719 --> 00:02:51.219 doctrine of last things. All of them are found foundationally in 00:02:51.219 --> 00:02:55.099 Genesis 1 through 3. And that's just the first three chapters. When 00:02:55.099 --> 00:03:00.659 you follow that up with the flood and then the Tower of Babel, in 00:03:00.659 --> 00:03:05.580 response to that, God scattered the people. Then when you get to 00:03:05.580 --> 00:03:09.740 chapter 12 of Genesis, we're introduced to 12 chapters of 00:03:09.740 --> 00:03:14.880 Abraham. And the 12 chapters of Abraham are, it's huge. I mean, 00:03:14.939 --> 00:03:19.920 God's covenant with Abraham set the course for Israel. And after 00:03:19.920 --> 00:03:23.939 Abraham, there's his son Isaac. Isaac just gets three chapters. That's 00:03:23.939 --> 00:03:28.500 interesting. And then his son Jacob is next and he gets 10 chapters. 00:03:28.500 --> 00:03:35.500 Jacob would later be named Israel after a wrestling encounter with 00:03:35.500 --> 00:03:43.180 God. That's interesting. His 12 male offspring would form the nation 00:03:43.180 --> 00:03:48.879 of Israel. And one of his sons, his favorite sons, would be Joseph, 00:03:49.460 --> 00:03:55.800 whose life makes up the last 14 chapters of the book of Genesis. 14 00:03:55.800 --> 00:04:01.280 chapters. That's more than Abraham had. That's more than Isaac had. 00:04:01.860 --> 00:04:07.900 It's more than Jacob had. Even though God is often in the Bible 00:04:07.900 --> 00:04:11.380 described as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of 00:04:11.380 --> 00:04:16.259 Jacob. Joseph is discussed the most in this book and he's 00:04:16.259 --> 00:04:22.460 introduced in Genesis chapter 37. Beginning in verse 1, it says 00:04:22.459 --> 00:04:28.279 this, Jacob lived in the land of his father's sojourneys in the land 00:04:28.279 --> 00:04:34.579 of Canaan. These are the generations of Jacob. Now let me just 00:04:34.579 --> 00:04:39.699 stop there for a minute because that word generations there in the 00:04:39.699 --> 00:04:44.679 Hebrew is the word toldot. And you know what toldot is? It's 00:04:44.679 --> 00:04:48.759 generations. That's why it says that in scripture. But interestingly, 00:04:48.759 --> 00:04:56.539 that phrase there, the generations of, is used 11 times in Genesis. 00:04:57.839 --> 00:05:02.759 And when you go back and look at those, you'll see transitions along the 00:05:02.759 --> 00:05:08.579 way. It happens in Genesis chapter 2. It happens in Genesis chapter 5. It 00:05:08.579 --> 00:05:13.480 happens in Genesis chapter 6. It happens in Genesis chapter 10. That's just 00:05:13.480 --> 00:05:21.600 some examples. And it happens 11 times. And it shows, one, the appreciation for 00:05:21.600 --> 00:05:31.100 good writing. Because Moses is making his transitions in that. It's called the 00:05:31.100 --> 00:05:41.060 toldots. But it also speaks of how he chapters out how God worked in his 00:05:41.060 --> 00:05:49.139 people. And this is the final toldot of all of Genesis. The final transition is 00:05:49.139 --> 00:05:58.319 here. These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being 17 years old, was pastoring 00:05:58.319 --> 00:06:08.019 the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the, excuse me, he was a boy with the 00:06:08.019 --> 00:06:15.819 sons of the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives. And Joseph brought a bad report 00:06:15.819 --> 00:06:22.399 on them, speaking of his brothers, to their father. Now Israel loved Joseph more than any 00:06:22.399 --> 00:06:27.359 other of his sons because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many 00:06:27.359 --> 00:06:33.919 colors. But when his brothers saw that their father loved them, loved him more than all of 00:06:33.920 --> 00:06:42.740 his brothers. They hated him and could not speak peacefully to him. For the next several weeks, 00:06:42.780 --> 00:06:49.400 we're going to look at the life of Joseph. He begins here at the age of 17. And scripture 00:06:49.400 --> 00:06:55.759 will take us until he's about 30 years old. And I will tell you, if you're not familiar with 00:06:55.759 --> 00:07:05.579 the story of Joseph, it is a story of ups and downs. His life has amazingly high points. 00:07:06.399 --> 00:07:16.839 And his life has low points as well. And they get really low. But it is an absolute amazing life. 00:07:17.560 --> 00:07:23.579 And it speaks to much of what was happening in the world at that time. I call it a roller coaster 00:07:23.579 --> 00:07:31.500 ride because he was left for dead at one point. And then at another point, he's leading the world's 00:07:31.500 --> 00:07:40.819 powers. It's a topsy-turvy up and down kind of life. And do you know who else lives a roller coaster 00:07:40.819 --> 00:07:53.279 life? A topsy-turvy ups and downs kind of life? We do. We do. And I want to get one strong point 00:07:53.279 --> 00:08:00.319 across through weeks of sermons. I'm just going to go ahead and give you the thesis here. Whether up 00:08:00.319 --> 00:08:10.500 or whether down, God's in the midst of all of it. Even when it don't feel like it, God's still there. 00:08:11.500 --> 00:08:20.079 Even when you're in the middle of it, God's still there. So not only does he live a topsy-turvy 00:08:20.079 --> 00:08:26.300 life with God in the middle of it, but we live that kind of up and down kind of life. And I am 00:08:26.300 --> 00:08:33.240 thankful that God is in the midst of our ups and downs as well. Now part of what makes lives full 00:08:33.240 --> 00:08:42.240 of ups and downs, topsy-turvy, is that the people that God has planted around us to live with us and 00:08:42.240 --> 00:08:50.120 to live around us. Some of us have been blessed with wonderful parents. And they've marked our lives 00:08:50.120 --> 00:09:00.240 because of it. And some of us, not so much. We wouldn't think that Jacob, remember later named Israel 00:09:00.240 --> 00:09:09.000 for God's people, we would think he'd be wonderful. But I got news for you, he's not. 00:09:10.600 --> 00:09:14.740 The reality is I'm not preaching through the life of Jacob because I can't clean it up good enough 00:09:14.740 --> 00:09:22.180 for Sunday mornings. It's a mess. And I want us to understand that the background that led Joseph 00:09:22.179 --> 00:09:30.179 down the path, I want to go back to his roots because you're going to see the evidence of it 00:09:30.179 --> 00:09:37.239 come forth in his life again and again as we look through the life of Joseph. To be blunt, Jacob was a 00:09:37.239 --> 00:09:46.839 mess. He's a mess. I preached on Genesis 1 through 11 last year. The first full year I was here, I preached 00:09:46.840 --> 00:09:55.960 on Abraham. And we'll look at Joseph this year, but not so much Jacob, who is the father of the 12 tribes. 00:09:58.000 --> 00:10:03.600 God is identified in the Old Testament, as I said earlier, as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 00:10:03.759 --> 00:10:11.420 And Jacob, it's mentioned 12 times in Scripture just like that. But we'll get an overview of Jacob in just 00:10:11.419 --> 00:10:22.579 one message. And it's about as messy as a sidewalk in the shade this morning. His 10 chapters are messy. 00:10:23.839 --> 00:10:31.699 His life begins with him coming out right behind his twin brother with his hand gripped on his brother's 00:10:31.699 --> 00:10:40.980 heel. He was trying to get out first. And when he didn't get out first, I don't know that 00:10:40.980 --> 00:10:45.779 as a baby he understood all this. But when he didn't come out first, he didn't get the birthright 00:10:45.779 --> 00:10:54.060 to be the first son. And the first son received two-thirds of the estate, was the privileged one 00:10:54.060 --> 00:11:01.920 in that atmosphere. He didn't get that. And so later, his brother, who was rough around the edges to say 00:11:01.919 --> 00:11:16.139 the least, was really hungry one day. And Jacob was eaten. And Esau wanted what he was eating 00:11:16.139 --> 00:11:23.779 and must have been famished, quite honestly, because Jacob said, I'll give you this stew for 00:11:23.779 --> 00:11:29.459 your birthright. And Esau said, whatever, and ate the stew and gave up his birthright. 00:11:29.460 --> 00:11:39.120 He was country. Esau was. He was rough. He could fight. He could hunt. I don't think he was that 00:11:39.120 --> 00:11:48.480 sharp, but he could do those things. And Jacob was a home dweller. Where I'm from, we'd call him a mama's 00:11:48.480 --> 00:11:58.900 boy. He, Rebecca favored him over the rest of the children in our house. And so did his dad, Isaac. 00:11:59.460 --> 00:12:06.560 Jacob not only took his brother's birthright, but he also stole his blessing as well, because when 00:12:06.560 --> 00:12:17.700 they were older, Isaac brought Esau in and told him to go and kill some game and make him a meal and 00:12:17.700 --> 00:12:35.980 bring it back to him, he'd bless him. And when Rebecca heard what he said, she told Jacob to go get some 00:12:35.980 --> 00:12:45.740 of the flock and let her prepare a meal. And he bought. He said, there's no way I can pretend to 00:12:45.740 --> 00:12:51.840 be my brother. For one scripture says that when his brother came out, he was covered with hair. He was a 00:12:51.840 --> 00:12:59.940 hairy guy. And Jacob was not. And he said, I can't, I can't pretend that. And, and my daddy, even though he, 00:12:59.940 --> 00:13:06.440 he was old when they were born and he had poor sight at the time of all this happening, he said, 00:13:06.540 --> 00:13:12.920 my daddy's going to know the difference. I'm not doing that. And my interpretation is, is mama told 00:13:12.920 --> 00:13:19.880 him to hush and do what she told him to do, that she'd take care of it. And she went in and got some 00:13:19.879 --> 00:13:32.980 of Esau's clothes and put it on Jacob and took the skins of some goats and put them in strategic places on the 00:13:32.980 --> 00:13:49.700 skin of Jacob to fool his daddy. And on his hands and on his neck, scripture speaks of. And Isaac was old, he 00:13:49.700 --> 00:13:56.560 couldn't see well. And he, he took the stew in and he picked up on something wasn't right. 00:14:00.140 --> 00:14:10.740 He said, you don't sound like Esau. You smell like him. You feel like him, but you don't sound like him. 00:14:10.740 --> 00:14:24.740 But he blessed him. Now, thinking that he was blessing Esau. Now, that blessing there is not really a, 00:14:24.740 --> 00:14:35.019 a territorial, inherited rights kind of situation. It was really ceremonial more than anything else. 00:14:35.019 --> 00:14:50.480 Jacob already owned the birthright. And so, but to receive the blessing from his father was huge. 00:14:51.980 --> 00:14:57.360 It was huge. And it was wrong for him to take it. 00:14:57.360 --> 00:15:08.560 Later, Isaac wanted to make sure that Jacob did not marry a worldly pagan woman. 00:15:10.399 --> 00:15:20.379 And so, he sent Isaac to his uncle's house to marry a cousin. And his uncle had two daughters. 00:15:20.379 --> 00:15:30.379 And one knew how to make a great impression. Right out the bat. Met her at the well. And she made a great 00:15:30.379 --> 00:15:38.559 impression. She did. And Jacob fell in love instantly. He served her at the spot right there at the well. 00:15:39.159 --> 00:15:41.419 He kissed her on the first date. Shouldn't have done that. 00:15:41.419 --> 00:15:50.339 He took care of her flock. Went home with her and was welcomed by her dad. 00:15:52.379 --> 00:15:57.539 He stayed with them for about a month and just fell in love with Rachel. 00:15:57.539 --> 00:16:13.019 And he offered to work for seven years on Laban's farm to have the opportunity to marry Rachel. 00:16:15.139 --> 00:16:21.360 And I guarantee you, as a man with a farm, looking at a boy like that, said, sure. 00:16:21.360 --> 00:16:27.039 Seven years? Jacob went to work for seven years. 00:16:28.360 --> 00:16:31.620 Seven years later, he married a veiled woman. 00:16:33.080 --> 00:16:34.240 Took her home. 00:16:35.720 --> 00:16:40.919 And in the morning light, found out it was her ugly sister. 00:16:42.980 --> 00:16:44.879 Now, I'm not being mean this morning. 00:16:45.320 --> 00:16:46.800 I'm preaching scripture, okay? 00:16:47.700 --> 00:16:49.159 She's ugly, all right? 00:16:49.159 --> 00:16:51.240 I'm being truthful. 00:16:51.379 --> 00:16:53.879 Scripture says, what a euphemism. 00:16:54.000 --> 00:16:57.059 Scripture says, she was weak in the eyes. 00:16:58.039 --> 00:16:58.659 All right? 00:16:59.240 --> 00:17:01.839 Now, look, that don't mean she couldn't see. 00:17:03.059 --> 00:17:04.500 That's not at all what it means. 00:17:05.220 --> 00:17:08.579 Tell you what it means, literally what it means, is she didn't have a sparkle in her eye. 00:17:11.180 --> 00:17:12.619 She didn't have a sparkle in her eye. 00:17:12.619 --> 00:17:19.419 She was less than desirable. 00:17:21.819 --> 00:17:23.059 But he was married to her. 00:17:23.199 --> 00:17:26.119 Sounded like a country song to me, but I'm not going there. 00:17:28.799 --> 00:17:31.159 His uncle had messed him over is what he had done. 00:17:32.479 --> 00:17:33.719 And now he's married. 00:17:33.720 --> 00:17:47.079 And he wanted to marry Rachel, so he was willing to work for another seven years in order to receive Rachel's hand. 00:17:49.079 --> 00:17:50.360 14 years. 00:17:51.440 --> 00:17:52.480 That's love, folks. 00:17:52.480 --> 00:17:58.599 I mean, lust wears off after that, but love lasts. 00:17:59.640 --> 00:18:10.519 And Jacob had children with both of his wives and two of their handmaids. 00:18:12.920 --> 00:18:16.339 Now, scripture just states stuff like that. 00:18:16.339 --> 00:18:19.819 But I want to be clear about something. 00:18:21.740 --> 00:18:25.859 That was culturally appropriate in that day. 00:18:26.159 --> 00:18:26.899 Culture did that. 00:18:26.980 --> 00:18:28.259 Didn't think much about it, okay? 00:18:29.159 --> 00:18:36.759 But that does not mean that God's people were to be doing that even at the time they did it. 00:18:38.659 --> 00:18:40.179 God didn't justify that. 00:18:40.279 --> 00:18:41.339 God didn't amen that. 00:18:41.439 --> 00:18:42.519 He didn't okay that. 00:18:42.519 --> 00:18:45.319 It was not right to do it. 00:18:45.579 --> 00:18:45.899 Period. 00:18:46.339 --> 00:18:49.899 So I don't ever want you to read the Old Testament because you ought to be about here. 00:18:50.559 --> 00:18:53.639 You're getting to Joseph by now if you're reading your Bible this year, okay? 00:18:53.939 --> 00:18:59.699 So, I mean, when you get there, I don't want you to think, well, I guess there's nothing wrong with that. 00:19:00.159 --> 00:19:01.679 There's a Greek word for that. 00:19:01.799 --> 00:19:02.159 Baloney. 00:19:02.480 --> 00:19:03.879 There is something wrong with it. 00:19:03.899 --> 00:19:05.980 And it was wrong at the time it happened, too. 00:19:06.119 --> 00:19:08.859 But they were just living the culture of sorts. 00:19:08.899 --> 00:19:10.279 And you see it again and again. 00:19:10.279 --> 00:19:12.379 You see it in each of these generations. 00:19:12.779 --> 00:19:15.099 Stupid decisions about things like that. 00:19:15.099 --> 00:19:18.659 Trying to take it into their own hands and handle it their own way. 00:19:18.799 --> 00:19:21.199 And it was not of God to do that. 00:19:22.000 --> 00:19:23.079 And I'll tell you what it caused. 00:19:23.139 --> 00:19:26.019 It caused a rivalry between the children's mother. 00:19:26.019 --> 00:19:44.339 And when Jacob got ready to leave Laban's estate after being there 20 years and to establish his own home after 20 years, two wives, some children, they had a fight over how to split the livestock. 00:19:44.339 --> 00:19:52.299 I would have thought Laban would have gave him the world after serving all of his years. 00:19:52.439 --> 00:19:54.779 But he had conflict there. 00:19:56.599 --> 00:20:02.980 Later, when he caught back up with his twin brother, and they got together and tried to divide, they had conflict as well. 00:20:03.299 --> 00:20:04.639 Now, they made up. 00:20:05.619 --> 00:20:07.839 And Jacob was very relieved about that. 00:20:07.839 --> 00:20:10.379 One is because his brother was a brute, and he wasn't. 00:20:10.459 --> 00:20:11.619 That's one reason why he was relieved. 00:20:11.699 --> 00:20:12.919 But he was relieved about that. 00:20:12.959 --> 00:20:13.799 Scripture says he was. 00:20:15.899 --> 00:20:26.199 Later, Joseph's sister, Dinah, was seized, laid with, and defiled. 00:20:27.959 --> 00:20:30.099 There's a current word for that, and it's rape. 00:20:30.240 --> 00:20:31.039 She was raped. 00:20:31.039 --> 00:20:44.559 And her attacker tried to make it right after the fact and said he wanted to marry her. 00:20:46.399 --> 00:20:57.240 And he approached her daddy, Jacob, about wanting to marry her. 00:20:57.240 --> 00:21:04.599 Jacob didn't really respond, and the brothers did respond. 00:21:07.079 --> 00:21:15.839 They responded to him, and the brothers said, she's not marrying anybody or among anybody that's not circumcised. 00:21:16.599 --> 00:21:18.640 You want to marry her, you got to get circumcised. 00:21:18.640 --> 00:21:25.339 So every guy in the village got circumcised. 00:21:25.339 --> 00:21:40.439 And while they were healing, which is not the time to go to war, okay, Dinah's brothers attacked them while they were not up to fighting back and killed every last one of them. 00:21:41.720 --> 00:21:42.879 What did Jacob do? 00:21:44.000 --> 00:21:49.779 When they came back home with blood on their clothes, Jacob said, I think you might have messed me up. 00:21:50.379 --> 00:21:52.119 We might be in trouble for this. 00:21:52.119 --> 00:22:03.959 Possibly out of fear, probably the highlight of Jacob's life was revival came to his home. 00:22:04.419 --> 00:22:05.599 I think it was out of fear. 00:22:06.919 --> 00:22:14.339 But he said, I want to remove every idol that anybody has from this home. 00:22:14.519 --> 00:22:15.559 I want them all gone. 00:22:15.559 --> 00:22:21.099 None of you are going to be worshiping other gods. 00:22:22.079 --> 00:22:27.179 Now listen, there's all kinds of idol worship in the Old Testament. 00:22:27.619 --> 00:22:29.839 There's all kinds of idol worship in the New Testament. 00:22:29.960 --> 00:22:33.000 Listen, folks, there's all kinds of idol worship today, too. 00:22:33.859 --> 00:22:35.179 But I ain't going there. 00:22:35.500 --> 00:22:37.919 But there's all kinds of idol. 00:22:38.000 --> 00:22:39.379 It's in different forms. 00:22:39.380 --> 00:22:45.280 But anything that you put before the Lord that's more important to you than the Lord is an idol. 00:22:46.400 --> 00:22:52.940 And they just happened to have them handmade and laying around and believing in them. 00:22:53.700 --> 00:22:56.760 And he cleaned them out of all of those things. 00:22:59.580 --> 00:23:02.100 And revival came to his home. 00:23:02.099 --> 00:23:13.279 And because it was just too common for people, good people, to let other loves get in the way of their service to the Lord. 00:23:13.359 --> 00:23:14.659 And it still is, by the way. 00:23:14.859 --> 00:23:15.480 It still is. 00:23:17.059 --> 00:23:19.299 Joseph's mother had one more child, Benjamin. 00:23:21.639 --> 00:23:24.500 And that becomes very significant in this story later. 00:23:25.199 --> 00:23:28.159 But that's his only whole brother. 00:23:28.160 --> 00:23:32.420 But then Rachel died in childbirth. 00:23:34.340 --> 00:23:40.700 So all in all, Jacob had 13 children from four women, two of them his wives, two of them servants. 00:23:41.180 --> 00:23:42.960 Hardly any of that is pretty. 00:23:44.300 --> 00:23:52.980 But I said all that because I wanted to lay a backdrop of the childhood of the man that has more chapters in Genesis than anyone else. 00:23:52.980 --> 00:23:58.980 And if you're not familiar with the story, I'll just tell you, God uses Joseph mightily. 00:23:59.880 --> 00:24:01.380 But it is a life of ups. 00:24:01.779 --> 00:24:03.380 And it is a life of downs. 00:24:03.740 --> 00:24:11.279 And I believe at some point or another it speaks to every last one of us in some circumstance that we've been in in our life. 00:24:11.779 --> 00:24:14.779 These generations are filled with embarrassment. 00:24:15.319 --> 00:24:15.980 They're filled with mistakes. 00:24:16.980 --> 00:24:17.980 They're filled with restorations. 00:24:17.980 --> 00:24:24.140 They're filled with blessings in spite of sometimes who is involved in all of that. 00:24:24.940 --> 00:24:27.460 And there are lessons in all of it for us. 00:24:27.680 --> 00:24:32.900 And I believe that's why God empowered Moses to write what he did. 00:24:33.640 --> 00:24:36.380 The mistakes that are in Scripture are there. 00:24:36.460 --> 00:24:38.339 And I'm not talking about mistakes and what's supposed to be. 00:24:38.400 --> 00:24:40.279 I'm talking about the mistakes people make in Scripture. 00:24:40.279 --> 00:24:46.420 The mistakes that we see people make in these narratives in Scripture are there for a reason. 00:24:46.700 --> 00:24:48.059 For us to learn from them. 00:24:48.759 --> 00:24:51.960 Not to justify our own action, but to learn from them. 00:24:52.240 --> 00:24:57.399 And there are lessons from what we see in Jacob's life. 00:24:57.500 --> 00:24:59.099 And I just want to give you three real quick. 00:25:02.299 --> 00:25:05.039 One is good parenting makes a world of difference. 00:25:06.059 --> 00:25:07.139 It makes a world of difference. 00:25:07.140 --> 00:25:11.100 God did mighty things through Jacob in spite of himself. 00:25:11.320 --> 00:25:14.660 And the 12 tribes that make up Israel were his offspring. 00:25:15.759 --> 00:25:19.060 However, it was not because he was exceptional. 00:25:20.580 --> 00:25:25.320 It took him a long time to tell his family to finally get rid of his idols. 00:25:25.680 --> 00:25:30.620 But possibly his greatest weakness in all of his life was as a father. 00:25:32.400 --> 00:25:34.300 I mean, the man was good at having kids. 00:25:35.100 --> 00:25:36.040 He had 13. 00:25:36.039 --> 00:25:41.819 He was just too busy and too preoccupied and too sidetracked to raise them. 00:25:42.960 --> 00:25:45.099 He was a passive father. 00:25:47.139 --> 00:25:51.879 And passive fatherhood can be destructive to a family. 00:25:53.319 --> 00:25:54.639 You can live through it. 00:25:55.420 --> 00:25:58.259 But the war wounds are horrible. 00:25:59.799 --> 00:26:02.700 He was passive because he didn't act when he needed to. 00:26:02.700 --> 00:26:07.900 When Rachel couldn't get pregnant, she told him, give me children or die. 00:26:08.080 --> 00:26:08.840 That's what she told him. 00:26:10.180 --> 00:26:11.000 She was upset. 00:26:13.039 --> 00:26:15.259 And he responded and told her, that's up to God. 00:26:15.319 --> 00:26:16.299 That's not up to me. 00:26:17.080 --> 00:26:19.840 And she said, well, then have a child with my servant. 00:26:20.620 --> 00:26:21.940 And he went, okay. 00:26:23.080 --> 00:26:23.779 So he did. 00:26:23.779 --> 00:26:28.440 Now, it was common in that day. 00:26:29.559 --> 00:26:31.079 But God did not approve of that. 00:26:32.839 --> 00:26:35.500 When his daughter was raped, he didn't do anything. 00:26:36.700 --> 00:26:38.440 His sons responded to it. 00:26:38.440 --> 00:26:47.039 But the other most telling part of his weak, passive fatherhood is favoritism. 00:26:49.340 --> 00:26:51.460 Passive parents have favorite children. 00:26:51.620 --> 00:26:53.019 And you know who their favorite children are? 00:26:53.160 --> 00:26:54.740 The ones that cause the least trouble. 00:26:54.740 --> 00:26:58.180 And that's what he did. 00:26:59.240 --> 00:27:01.460 He favored the one that stayed at home. 00:27:02.900 --> 00:27:04.420 It's hard to raise a knucklehead. 00:27:05.440 --> 00:27:09.120 And when you've got 13 kids, you're going to have a bunch of knuckleheads. 00:27:09.880 --> 00:27:11.339 At least at some point or another. 00:27:11.559 --> 00:27:15.000 And I'll tell you what you do not do. 00:27:16.160 --> 00:27:19.440 You don't adorn your favorite one with special items. 00:27:20.740 --> 00:27:22.900 He gave them a special tunic. 00:27:22.900 --> 00:27:25.360 It has become known as the coat of many colors. 00:27:26.800 --> 00:27:36.060 But the wording for that robe, that tunic that he gave him, really means a colorful, elegant garment. 00:27:37.759 --> 00:27:44.560 And when it speaks of tunic or robe, it actually refers to something with cuffed sleeves. 00:27:46.000 --> 00:27:47.580 Now, what's the significance of that? 00:27:47.620 --> 00:27:48.540 It's not a work outfit. 00:27:49.880 --> 00:27:51.680 It's not something that's ceremonial. 00:27:51.680 --> 00:27:52.980 It's Easter clothes. 00:27:54.080 --> 00:27:56.000 It's wedding clothes. 00:27:56.100 --> 00:27:57.680 It's the special stuff. 00:27:59.240 --> 00:28:05.420 When I was a kid, I came home from school and got out of school clothes and got in my play clothes. 00:28:06.140 --> 00:28:06.299 Okay? 00:28:06.299 --> 00:28:14.519 And I had school shoes and I had play shoes. 00:28:15.599 --> 00:28:18.599 My mother worked at Montgomery Ward at Greenville Mall. 00:28:18.599 --> 00:28:27.139 And she bought me the ugliest, cheapest, and toughest shoes known to man. 00:28:29.139 --> 00:28:30.459 I'm scarred by them. 00:28:31.099 --> 00:28:33.819 She'll call me today and apologize after she hears this message. 00:28:33.819 --> 00:28:37.439 But they were the shoes of many colors. 00:28:37.439 --> 00:28:40.819 In the day when Nike was just coming out with the swash. 00:28:40.980 --> 00:28:47.439 And it was a basic white shoe with a swash on the side that you had to have to be the cool kid. 00:28:47.819 --> 00:28:50.919 And mama went and got something with a big old rubber end on it. 00:28:50.920 --> 00:28:54.700 I think they were green with a red and white stripe. 00:28:54.820 --> 00:28:55.380 They were horrible. 00:28:55.480 --> 00:28:57.660 I tried to find a picture of them online. 00:28:57.779 --> 00:28:59.160 And they're too ugly to put online. 00:29:01.600 --> 00:29:04.060 I already had big feet and they made them look bigger. 00:29:05.800 --> 00:29:08.560 I had fights in the yard because of them shoes. 00:29:08.559 --> 00:29:11.220 And I couldn't wear them out. 00:29:11.299 --> 00:29:11.919 I tried to. 00:29:12.019 --> 00:29:14.619 I'd take them off and rub them against the concrete and the brick. 00:29:14.759 --> 00:29:15.500 Tried to wear them out. 00:29:15.539 --> 00:29:15.859 They couldn't. 00:29:15.940 --> 00:29:16.619 They had toughest shoes. 00:29:18.519 --> 00:29:23.259 Somewhere in my carbon footprint, size 8 at the time, is laying in some ditch somewhere. 00:29:23.339 --> 00:29:25.599 Because they never will go away. 00:29:26.339 --> 00:29:27.500 Toughest shoes known to man. 00:29:27.559 --> 00:29:28.759 And the cheapest probably. 00:29:30.700 --> 00:29:31.799 I didn't want to wear them. 00:29:33.419 --> 00:29:34.859 But I couldn't wear my school shoes. 00:29:34.859 --> 00:29:39.299 Well, this coat was special. 00:29:41.779 --> 00:29:43.240 But apparently he wore it everywhere. 00:29:47.000 --> 00:29:51.500 Next week we'll see how he walked 50 miles to get to his brothers. 00:29:51.639 --> 00:29:52.559 And guess what he had on? 00:29:54.399 --> 00:29:55.799 In the desert, by the way. 00:29:57.119 --> 00:29:58.279 He had on his coat. 00:30:00.419 --> 00:30:01.500 His favorite coat. 00:30:02.959 --> 00:30:04.379 That none of the rest of them had. 00:30:04.380 --> 00:30:05.660 Because they were too busy keeping the shoes. 00:30:05.960 --> 00:30:07.120 He's the only one that had it. 00:30:09.240 --> 00:30:10.280 He's wearing that coat. 00:30:11.220 --> 00:30:12.760 I got a doctoral robe. 00:30:13.760 --> 00:30:14.640 It's cuffed. 00:30:16.860 --> 00:30:18.620 Sometimes for weddings I'll wear that. 00:30:21.720 --> 00:30:22.300 About it. 00:30:24.640 --> 00:30:28.140 But I promise you, you see me walking down Main Street tomorrow, I ain't going to have that robe on. 00:30:28.500 --> 00:30:29.020 How you doing? 00:30:29.660 --> 00:30:30.360 I'm the Reverend. 00:30:32.140 --> 00:30:33.020 Not going to do it. 00:30:34.380 --> 00:30:36.660 Not going to do it. 00:30:37.140 --> 00:30:40.020 I don't have that robe on when I'm calling them football games in the fall. 00:30:40.340 --> 00:30:40.500 You know? 00:30:41.540 --> 00:30:42.560 I ain't wearing that everywhere. 00:30:44.760 --> 00:30:47.600 I said all that to say, I want you to understand what Joseph was doing. 00:30:51.000 --> 00:30:54.460 He's proud of that coat, but he was wearing it to show off to his brothers. 00:30:54.460 --> 00:31:00.100 And that's just part of the problem of passive parents. 00:31:02.279 --> 00:31:03.319 They have favorites. 00:31:03.500 --> 00:31:04.079 It's destructive. 00:31:06.180 --> 00:31:07.779 It's destructive to the favorite. 00:31:07.940 --> 00:31:08.640 We'll get there. 00:31:09.440 --> 00:31:11.180 And it's destructive to the rest. 00:31:13.180 --> 00:31:14.360 Second lesson is this. 00:31:16.360 --> 00:31:18.759 I'm running late, but y'all ain't coming back, so I don't care. 00:31:18.759 --> 00:31:24.119 Sin is always more costly than it looks. 00:31:26.619 --> 00:31:29.279 Sin is always more costly than it looks. 00:31:30.099 --> 00:31:34.980 The name Jacob means deceiver, and it also means chiseler. 00:31:37.519 --> 00:31:38.599 Knocking off the edges. 00:31:38.599 --> 00:31:42.679 He manipulated his brother out of his birthright. 00:31:43.559 --> 00:31:48.359 That was prophesied by him coming out holding on to his heel. 00:31:49.699 --> 00:31:52.740 He deceived his father to receive his blessing. 00:31:53.139 --> 00:31:56.240 He followed his wife's advice instead of God's advice. 00:31:56.500 --> 00:31:58.399 He caused dissension between his children. 00:31:58.799 --> 00:32:00.099 All of that is sin. 00:32:00.099 --> 00:32:09.959 He neglected Esau, his other son, and that led Esau to marry an Ishmaelite woman, 00:32:10.359 --> 00:32:13.319 and there is still conflict in the Middle East among those descendants. 00:32:16.199 --> 00:32:18.679 He never thought about the hate among his children. 00:32:18.819 --> 00:32:24.019 He never thought about how his softened favoritism of one child would cause so much heartache. 00:32:24.240 --> 00:32:25.619 He just never thought. 00:32:25.619 --> 00:32:31.459 In verse 2, what I read a little while ago, it says Joseph gave a bad report about his brothers. 00:32:32.959 --> 00:32:36.579 Bad there means evil, or it means a whispering report. 00:32:36.979 --> 00:32:37.819 You know what that means? 00:32:38.539 --> 00:32:46.000 That means not only did Joseph have his coat on and showing out, 00:32:46.199 --> 00:32:47.979 but he'd come back and tell on his brothers. 00:32:48.059 --> 00:32:49.139 He's a title tale. 00:32:49.699 --> 00:32:52.299 I mean, he's the kind of guy you want to push down in the playground. 00:32:52.299 --> 00:32:56.399 And that was due to his dad. 00:32:56.599 --> 00:32:58.819 It's not always that way, but it wasn't his case. 00:32:58.859 --> 00:32:59.759 It was due to his dad. 00:33:03.220 --> 00:33:05.079 Sin's always more costly than it looks. 00:33:05.159 --> 00:33:06.099 And third thing is this. 00:33:08.440 --> 00:33:09.220 Thank God. 00:33:10.779 --> 00:33:14.980 God can work in and through all of it. 00:33:16.720 --> 00:33:19.419 The story of Joseph is a powerful story, 00:33:19.420 --> 00:33:24.340 and God does amazing things through Joseph that affects the whole known world. 00:33:24.460 --> 00:33:26.259 And that's not because he was perfect, 00:33:26.480 --> 00:33:28.900 and it's not because he came from a perfect family. 00:33:29.380 --> 00:33:30.759 He was not. 00:33:31.100 --> 00:33:32.240 They were not. 00:33:32.660 --> 00:33:33.400 Folks, listen. 00:33:33.759 --> 00:33:34.920 We are not. 00:33:35.980 --> 00:33:37.740 We all got stuff. 00:33:39.660 --> 00:33:42.259 And all of us could sit down and say, 00:33:42.259 --> 00:33:45.700 let me tell you the rest of the story about my family. 00:33:49.039 --> 00:33:50.619 We all got crazy cousins. 00:33:53.539 --> 00:33:54.700 We can all tell something. 00:33:57.980 --> 00:33:59.299 And Joseph could have done that, 00:33:59.460 --> 00:34:01.420 and Jacob could have done that, 00:34:01.500 --> 00:34:05.599 and his dad Isaac told his wife to tell people 00:34:05.599 --> 00:34:10.639 that she was his sister instead of his wife 00:34:10.639 --> 00:34:13.420 to keep him from getting killed because she was so attractive. 00:34:15.219 --> 00:34:16.679 That was Jacob's dad. 00:34:19.159 --> 00:34:21.279 Isaac's dad had stories, too, and that's Abraham. 00:34:21.440 --> 00:34:22.639 He had stories about him, too. 00:34:22.719 --> 00:34:24.319 All families have those things. 00:34:25.159 --> 00:34:27.980 And that's not to underestimate the damage of dumb sin. 00:34:28.179 --> 00:34:29.079 That's not what I'm trying to do. 00:34:29.079 --> 00:34:33.960 I'm telling you it's horrible, and it causes tremendous damage. 00:34:33.960 --> 00:34:38.720 It is to say that God can work through all of that. 00:34:39.360 --> 00:34:40.559 He'll work in that. 00:34:40.659 --> 00:34:41.820 He'll work through that. 00:34:42.420 --> 00:34:44.579 Do not write yourself off 00:34:44.579 --> 00:34:49.360 because thank God, God's not written you off. 00:34:51.599 --> 00:34:53.199 He'll meet you where you are. 00:34:55.440 --> 00:34:57.440 Do you know why Christ went to the cross? 00:35:00.320 --> 00:35:01.199 For sinners. 00:35:03.960 --> 00:35:05.619 Do you know who are sinners? 00:35:07.320 --> 00:35:08.420 All of us. 00:35:10.539 --> 00:35:14.740 And thank God, because of his grace, 00:35:15.440 --> 00:35:18.800 he'll do a work in us regardless. 00:35:20.139 --> 00:35:22.000 I'll tell you what that means, and I'll close. 00:35:23.579 --> 00:35:25.800 It means we have no excuses. 00:35:27.099 --> 00:35:28.460 We have no excuses. 00:35:28.460 --> 00:35:31.740 We all have a burden to bear. 00:35:34.820 --> 00:35:36.220 You know what we can do with that burden? 00:35:37.240 --> 00:35:38.860 We can lay it at the feet of Jesus 00:35:38.860 --> 00:35:40.980 and let him carry it 00:35:40.980 --> 00:35:43.559 and follow him. 00:35:45.199 --> 00:35:46.500 God teaches us 00:35:46.500 --> 00:35:49.340 through the good lessons in people's lives. 00:35:50.019 --> 00:35:51.039 He teaches us 00:35:51.039 --> 00:35:53.159 through the bad lessons in people's lives. 00:35:53.820 --> 00:35:56.920 We're all affected by how we were influenced 00:35:56.920 --> 00:35:58.340 somewhere down the way. 00:35:59.820 --> 00:36:00.360 And God, 00:36:01.980 --> 00:36:04.920 in his omnipotence and in his grace, 00:36:05.639 --> 00:36:07.180 can use all of it 00:36:07.180 --> 00:36:08.900 for his glory. 00:36:10.740 --> 00:36:12.059 And so why don't we meet him 00:36:12.059 --> 00:36:14.119 where we are 00:36:14.119 --> 00:36:16.099 and let him take us 00:36:16.099 --> 00:36:17.860 to where he wants us to be. 00:36:17.860 --> 00:36:20.539 With every head bowed 00:36:20.539 --> 00:36:21.599 and every eye closed this morning, 00:36:21.680 --> 00:36:22.559 you may be here this morning, 00:36:22.620 --> 00:36:22.820 you say, 00:36:22.900 --> 00:36:23.360 you're right, preacher, 00:36:23.420 --> 00:36:23.980 I am a sinner. 00:36:25.860 --> 00:36:27.099 And I've sinned against God, 00:36:27.140 --> 00:36:29.160 and I know that that has caused 00:36:29.160 --> 00:36:31.900 a problem in my relationship with the Lord. 00:36:33.760 --> 00:36:35.079 Well, join the club. 00:36:35.240 --> 00:36:36.240 We're all in that boat. 00:36:36.360 --> 00:36:37.460 The difference is 00:36:37.460 --> 00:36:40.180 that if you'll ask the Lord Jesus 00:36:40.180 --> 00:36:41.460 to forgive you of your sins, 00:36:42.460 --> 00:36:44.660 if you'll ask him to come into your life 00:36:44.659 --> 00:36:45.619 and to save you, 00:36:46.219 --> 00:36:47.339 he'll save you, 00:36:47.440 --> 00:36:48.239 he'll change you, 00:36:48.319 --> 00:36:49.379 he'll make you and mold you 00:36:49.379 --> 00:36:50.859 to be exactly what he'd have you to be. 00:36:51.179 --> 00:36:52.719 The only hope you have 00:36:52.719 --> 00:36:53.799 is in Christ. 00:36:54.279 --> 00:36:55.359 And you don't have to clean up 00:36:55.359 --> 00:36:56.099 to come to Christ. 00:36:56.179 --> 00:36:56.920 You come to Christ, 00:36:57.000 --> 00:36:57.759 he'll clean you up. 00:36:58.339 --> 00:36:59.659 He'll take care of those things. 00:37:01.119 --> 00:37:01.879 Maybe you're here 00:37:01.879 --> 00:37:02.639 and you have done that, 00:37:02.679 --> 00:37:04.339 but you've never acknowledged that publicly. 00:37:04.460 --> 00:37:06.099 It's always been a private matter to you. 00:37:08.980 --> 00:37:09.639 Jesus said, 00:37:09.739 --> 00:37:10.899 if you're ashamed of me before others, 00:37:10.960 --> 00:37:12.219 I'll be ashamed of you before my Father. 00:37:12.219 --> 00:37:14.739 And so I encourage you to be obedient 00:37:14.739 --> 00:37:17.919 to what he shows us. 00:37:19.119 --> 00:37:20.679 Step out boldly and say, 00:37:21.219 --> 00:37:23.539 I know the Lord and I want to live for it. 00:37:25.019 --> 00:37:25.959 Maybe you're here 00:37:25.959 --> 00:37:27.919 and Jacob's story 00:37:27.919 --> 00:37:30.299 just brings up too much of your own situation. 00:37:30.719 --> 00:37:32.399 Things you've experienced from others, 00:37:33.019 --> 00:37:34.239 things that you've done yourself, 00:37:34.379 --> 00:37:34.699 whatever. 00:37:37.579 --> 00:37:38.719 Take this time 00:37:38.719 --> 00:37:40.699 before you even leave this place 00:37:40.699 --> 00:37:43.379 to bow your head where you are 00:37:43.379 --> 00:37:44.319 or at this altar 00:37:44.319 --> 00:37:46.219 or with a pastor praying for you 00:37:46.219 --> 00:37:47.419 and say, 00:37:47.519 --> 00:37:47.899 dear God, 00:37:47.939 --> 00:37:49.339 I want to start afresh today. 00:37:50.460 --> 00:37:52.039 Thank God for the blood of Christ 00:37:52.039 --> 00:37:53.539 that allows me to start fresh. 00:37:54.859 --> 00:37:55.899 To go forward. 00:37:56.980 --> 00:37:57.960 To heal the hurt. 00:37:59.279 --> 00:38:00.539 To drop the excuses. 00:38:01.819 --> 00:38:03.259 To walk from this day forward 00:38:03.259 --> 00:38:04.159 in the power of God. 00:38:04.159 --> 00:38:07.299 Or maybe God's drawing you 00:38:07.299 --> 00:38:08.359 to First Baptist Church. 00:38:09.219 --> 00:38:10.079 This is the place 00:38:10.079 --> 00:38:11.179 that he'd have you to serve. 00:38:13.079 --> 00:38:13.960 If that's the case, 00:38:14.019 --> 00:38:14.940 I encourage you to come. 00:38:15.019 --> 00:38:16.239 I'd love to talk to you about that. 00:38:18.339 --> 00:38:19.819 I don't know what God's telling you. 00:38:19.879 --> 00:38:20.960 I know what he told me to share. 00:38:21.779 --> 00:38:22.659 And I trust him. 00:38:26.559 --> 00:38:27.399 I trust him 00:38:27.399 --> 00:38:29.519 to work and move in our lives. 00:38:29.559 --> 00:38:30.339 And I hope and pray 00:38:30.339 --> 00:38:31.279 that we'll just be obedient 00:38:31.279 --> 00:38:31.940 to follow him. 00:38:32.360 --> 00:38:33.000 Lord Jesus, 00:38:33.119 --> 00:38:33.579 I love you 00:38:33.579 --> 00:38:34.119 and I thank you 00:38:34.119 --> 00:38:35.019 for your love for us. 00:38:35.099 --> 00:38:36.039 I ask, oh God, 00:38:36.099 --> 00:38:37.380 that you'll lead us right now 00:38:37.380 --> 00:38:38.860 to be obedient 00:38:38.860 --> 00:38:40.059 and to follow you 00:38:40.059 --> 00:38:41.579 as you lead, Lord. 00:38:43.119 --> 00:38:44.619 In Jesus' precious name. 00:38:44.860 --> 00:38:45.099 Amen.