Never Losing the Wonder - Genesis Part 67

We have been in a verse by verse study of the book of Genesis and we been studying the story of Jacob and Esau. And we've seen how Jacob scheme to against his brother, Esau, and stole his blessing and then how Esau decided that he was going to kill his brother Jacob, and then how their mother, Rebecca sent Jacob away for his own safety to her hometown. The town of Qumran in northern Mesopotamia we got a map up so you can see they were living in Beersheba but she sent him all the way up to Qumran so you can see how far that is.

And she said into her brother's uncle, a man named Laban and uncle Laban we saw trick Jacob into marrying his older daughter Leah. When Jacob really love the younger daughter Rachel. Okay so were going to move on now so you're ready were to dig in the word we ready arguments go Genesis chapter 30 verse 43 and Jacob became exceedingly prosperous and had large flocks of cattle and camels and donkeys and then the Lord said to Jacob go back down to the land of your fathers, to the land of Canaan to the promised land and to your relatives and I will be with you. But remember who is still living in the land of Canaan, Esau, Yahoo!, the last time we met was going to kill Jacob.

All right, Genesis 32 then Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau, and the messengers returned to Jacob saying we came to your brother Esau and he is coming to meet you, accompanied by 400 armed men. Then Jacob was greatly afraid, so he divided the people who were with him in two groups saying if Esau comes against one group and ataxia, then the other group will escape and Jacob prayed and said all God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, you who told me to return to my country and my relatives and you would bless me.

I am say the next word I allow I am unworthy of all the steadfast love and faithfulness which you have shown me for with only my staff. I cross this Jordan River that is 20 years ago when he was fleeing from his brother, Esau, and now I have become two groups of people. Remember how he split his wives, his children, his service in the two groups member hello yes okay that's we talking about. Deliver me. I pray Jacob says from the hand of my brother, Esau, for I fear him that he will come and attack me and also the mothers with the children and you know God answer Jacob's prayer when he and Esau finally met. Look what happened. Esau ran to me. Jacob and embraced him and fellow Jacob's neck and kissed him, and they both wept. Esau had forgiven his brother. What a beautiful thing. This is in the Bible tells us that Esau and Jacob remain friends for the rest of their life. They sing along, wait a minute didn't we just go through that passage last week. Yes, we did but there was a very important verse that I didn't stop for us to look at last week. I want us to go back and get to this week and it's verse 10 oh Lord Jacob said, I am say the word again unworthy of all the steadfast love and faithfulness which you have shown me for with only my staff.

I cross this Jordan. 20 years ago and now I have become two groups of people. Now, folks.

Does it surprise you at all to hear these words coming out of Jacob's mouth. I am unworthy. I mean, 20 years before Jacob was one of the classiest men imaginable.

And now here he is saying this I am unworthy, you know, folks. God loves this kind of attitude that Jacob has right here. The Jacob exhibits right here.

Listen to what the word of God said Jesus said in Luke chapter 18 for everyone who exalts himself, God will humble, but he who humbles himself God will exalt the Bible says James four humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord and he will exalt you. The Bible says.

First Peter chapter 5. Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due season. If you want to know something that the living God of the universe loves. If you want to know something that will cause the heart of the living God of the universe to turn toward you with tenderness and with compassion you come to him with this kind of humility.

The kind of humility that is self-effacing, the kind of humility that is a give God all the glory can't humility the kind of humility where we stand in wonder and all of all God is done for us and we say Lord I am unworthy I'm unworthy manual win the heart of God.

And you know we see the same attitude in the life of the great man of God King David very same attitude in second Samuel seven God made David some very special promises. A covenant that we call the Davidic covenant and the most important parts of the Davidic covenant was the promise of God that the Messiah of the Lord Jesus Christ would be a direct descendent from King David, which indeed he was, but there was another part of this covenant.

If second Samuel chapter 7 verse nine. The Bible says God says I will cut off your enemies from before you, David and I will make you a great name, like the names of the great men on earth, and I will give you rest from all your enemies, and in the next chapter. Second Samuel chapter 8 we see God fulfill this promise in that chapter we learn that David conquered the Philistines and then he conquered the Moabites and then he conquered the Syrians in that chapter we learn that he conquered the Hittites and the ammonites and the Edomites and second Samuel eight comes to a close with God having neutralized every hostile nation around Israel and in the process. Having made David the most powerful leader of his day you see a map on the screen. Everything you see in purple was David's kingdom. Leon Ward, the writer of survey of Israel's history said and I quote David's authority now extended from the Gulf of Aqaba in the south all the way to the Euphrates in the North.

David's empire did not rival those of Egypt or Syria or Babylon at the height of those nations power. But he said there is no doubt that David was the strongest and most powerful ruler alive in his day." But here's what I really want us to see in second Samuel chapter 7 right at the beginning when God first made him all these promises about what God was going to do for him and how great God was going to make him but before any of those promises had come true.

David had not yet in second Samuel seven did not conquered the ammonites he had not conquered the Edomites he had not conquered the Moabites he had not conquered the Hittites did not conquered the termites jump their arms and can conquered anybody yet and yet in that chapter.

When God mixing these promises look what David said second Samuel seven verse 18. David said say the next three words with me, who am who MIO Lord God, and who is my family that you have brought me this far.

Who in my now I want us to skip 25 years into the future. First Chronicles 29. David is conquered all these nations. David's empire is at its apex. David is approaching the end of the is why he has amassed a huge fortune and he is collecting money for his son Solomon to use to build the temple after his death, and here's what David and first Chronicles 29. The Bible says David says in my personal devotion to this project.

The temple I now give my what's the next two words personal treasures of gold and silver over and above everything are provided out of the official treasury you understand what he saying here he saying out God. An official treasury that belongs to the nation and are given a bunch of money to the war the temple from that but now I dipped into my personal finances, and I have made an offering and how much did he offer well Bible goes on to say 3000 talents of gold and 7000 talents of silver at today's prices. That's about $1.2 billion and after David does this I want you to see what he says you ready he says for the first three words who am I Lord that I should be able to give as generously as this. Now here's the point that I was wondering if there's a point there is a point is the point. The point is, it's one thing to say, Lord, who am I when you're at the very beginning of your career, your rookie King and you haven't done anything yet. It is a radically different thing to say, Lord, who am I that you should've blessed me like this when you are at the end of your career when you are the most powerful ruler in the ancient near East. When you are a bigger than life figure in the world when your personal fortune runs into the billions of dollars to still be saying, Lord, who am I your with me to understand what I'm saying. Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth yeah okay I and yet this is exactly what David did look friends, even at the zenith of his power.

David was still as overwhelmed. David was still as awestruck about where God had taken him and what God had done for him as he was at the very beginning. He never lost the wonder of God's goodness to him. He lever loss for all of God's blessing on his life that we all see that okay now okay good thank you.

Now we want to stop our passage now because it's time for us to ask our most important question for you already are nice and loud. You ready, here we go wanting to go through a you say you know lawn. I appreciate everything you've said here but I don't really see what any of this has to do with me all old friend. It has so much to do with you. It has so much to do with me because it tells us where God sweet spot is it tells us where God's soft spot in his heart is.

It tells us what kind of attitude. The Lord is looking for from you from me as his followers the kind of attitude that he cherishes the count of attitude that he blesses the Connor attitude where he releases his greatest grace. I believe with all my heart that a big part of why God did all the great things he did for Jacob and a big part of why he did all the great things that he did for David is because both of them never lost all they never lost the wonder of God's undeserved mercy towards them and what this means is that as followers of Christ. If we want to see God flood our lives with his greatest riches blessing like he did Jacob like he did. David then we must be people listen now who strive never to lose the wonder of God's blessings to us who strive never to lose the all of everything that God has given us a not to take it for granted, or see it as an entitlement or begin to act like we we do it.

You say, why, how, exactly, lawn, do we maintain that wonder well, I'll tell you which really helped me and I think it's the secret it's to never forget where you came from to never forget where God found you and me when he picked us up and brought us to Christ. Hey, and you know it's interesting.

God even reminds David of that in second Samuel seven before he ever dated any of the promises he says this to him.

He says, thus says the Lord of hosts to David David R. I took you from the pasture from taking care of she were the most intelligent thing anybody ever said you all day was bad. You know, and I made you the king of Israel, David, don't forget where you came from Joan forget where I found you and friends.

We can't forget either.

God found us sinking in our sin. God found us drowning in our guilt and our shame. God found us on the way to hell for all of eternity with no one to pull us out of the quicksand that we were in Jesus said, Lord, prepare me a body and I'll go do it and so he came to earth and died on the cross and rescued our soul from hell and he rescued our life from the pit and he turned our nothingness into something this, but here's the question why did he do it for you. Why, why do it for me. You don't 45 years.

That's the question I can get over when I was 22 years old man I was so lost and so confused I was just like a little boy who didn't have any idea where he was going or what was going on. I was totally out of control. I was the one the most profane people you have ever met. I had a dirty mouth because I had a dirty mind I lied I cheated. I stole I had no conscience.

I was a sociopath of the worst kind. I forced my girlfriend to have an abortion. I dealt dope to put myself through school and yet the living Christ. Put a guy named Bob Eckardt right on the street in Chapel Hill, North Carolina for me in the living God had that man Bob Eckardt give me a Bible I said the week before God.

If your real have somebody give me a Bible now was a drug dealer.

Drug dealers generally don't get bottles away were minor to get a Bible and Bob Eckardt. That first day I met him reached in the back of his truck and took out a brand-new Bible, still in the cellophane handed it to me. I about drop dead on the spot.

I still have the Bible, by the way, and God for me healed my dog my dog had the mange and I said God with your real I want to give my life to you, but I got to know your real. If your real heal my dog is a will on my theology doesn't allow for God to heal Dawn's mom. Sorry I don't know what to tell you about your theology. I'm just telling you God healed my dog so I will, but the question is why. Why would God do that for me. Why would God go to all that trouble for me, I would've gone to the trouble for me, why did he do it folks. To this day I will have an answer to that question. But I'll tell you what every time I think about it every time I go back to the cross.

Every time I remember what I was when Jesus picked me up man I'll tell you there is not a thing in the world for me to be arrogant about is not a thing in the world for me to boast about everything that's happened in my life is been Jesus and I stand in awe of it and I say Lord who am I who am I Lord that you would do all that you've done for me. I'm unworthy I no problem admitting that you know that Lord I'm amazed folks when you go back to where you were when Jesus picked you up. You want to be able to look also and say Lord which you do this for me and everything you've done since born my my, that you would shower this, love on folks. If we never lose the wonder of the cross. We will never lose the wonder of all of God's undeserved mercy to us and stand if we never lose the wonder of the cross in our life we will never lose that all that we have about all God's other mercies in our life. So you say will on what's what's been your point today when you try to get done today.

All what I'm trying to get done today is your pastor, someone who loves you guys deeply what I'm trying to get done today is to convince you and me to stay humble before the Lord by keeping our eyes on the cross by remembering where God found us by remembering what we were when when we came to Christ. I'm trying to get us to the place where we have the attitude before the Lord. The Jacob had Lord I'm unworthy of all your steadfast love and faithfulness. I'm trying to get us to the place we have the attitude that David had when he said, Lord, who am I that you've done this much for me because if we can get there. That's when we unlock God's greatest willingness and ability to keep showering us with his riches graces when you close by saying remember the formula the equation Jesus gave us. We looked at it earlier.

Luke 18 it says, everyone who exalts himself, God will humble. Here's the other side of the equation, but he who humbles himself God will exalt my goal today is your pastor is to urge and beg you and myself that we all get on the right side of this equation.

The right side of this equation is he, she, who humbles themselves God will exalt. That's where we want to be.

We don't want to be on the other side. May God help us with our eyes full of the cross to get on the right side looks pretty. Let me give you a moment right now for you to talk to God and say Lord one question that's all I'm going to suggest you ask Lord have I gotten too big for my britches show me Lord, have all lost the wonder of your undeserved grace my Erica my treating the things you do for me as entitlements or by taking them for granted Lord of my too big for my britches and then as he answers the question.

Let's humble ourselves before father Romans chapter 12 verse three tells us do not think more highly of yourself than you ought, but use sober judgment about yourself all. God how we need to do that in a world that cherishes arrogance. We have a God who cherishes humility, dear Jesus, help us be people of the book people of God, not people of this Lord forgive us for believing our own PR. Forgive us, God taking you for granted. Lord help us remember where we were to see everything is undeserved mercy to us. As you told Adam from dust. You came into dust. You're going to return. Lord, remind us it's pretty hard to get arrogant about being dust, so bring a slow, before you where we belong you might exalt us in due season we pray these things in Jesus name God's people said amen