Get Back On Track. Jacob's Revival. Genesis 35

2024.09.15. Sermon Notes. Genesis 35. GET BACK ON TRACK. JACOB'S REVIVAL

Jacobs return to Bethel, Rachel’s death at Benjamin’s birth.

William Akehurst, HSWC

Revival in Jacob’s Life

BIG IDEA: Jacob is back in the land, but not where he is supposed to be. His misplacement has brought trouble and sorrows to him and his family. But GOD is calling him back. And revival has come to the heart of Jacob.

Are you off course? Get back to where you were on the path with GOD before you went awry. Repent, turn around, go back, and get on track with GOD.

WHEN WE GET OFF COURSE. WE MAY NEED TO GO BACKWARD TO RETURN TO THAT PLACE OF MISALIGNMENT TO GET BACK ON TRACK WITH GOD.

Scriptures: Genesis 35:1-29, Ephesians 4:22-24, Revelation 2:4-5, Isaiah 53:3,

Psalms 110:1, Colossians 3:1

Recap

Jacob is back in the promised land, but not where he is supposed to be.

A wrong choice, to settle in Shechem for 10 years +/-

Dinah – raped by a prince of Shechem of the same name.

Simeon and Levi – murderers of the men of Shechem

All of Jacob’s sons – Plundered the city of Shechem.

Jacob’s anger at his sons’ actions.

Sons’ response – Should Dinah be treated as a harlot? Shows no remorse or repentance.

Why all this? Because Jacob has not completely obeyed GOD.

Chapter 32, it seemed that Jacob surrendered to the LORD, he was broken. Given a new name, ISRAEL, meaning “to be governed by GOD” but was he?

Chapter 33-34, Jacob was off track in GOD’s Plan

End of ch. 34, Jacob is broken.

In these past few chapters, the LORD is not mentioned.

In Chapter 35. We will see that GOD is present in Jacob’s life, directing him.

POINT: GOD let Jacob go his own way, and as a result, Jacob is broken. And now when GOD calls Jacob, Jacob is ready to receive GOD’s direction.

Illus. An employee, Charlie, worked many years for me. When he was diagnosed with cancer, I met with him and gave him a New Testament, from the Gideons. In that Testament, the Gideons have questions in the front and back covers. I told Charlie that he was at a point in his life, where he couldn’t wait any longer, he had to answer those questions. Faced with a critical time in his life, Charlie listened and read those questions and gave his life to Christ. Charlie was born again. He called me from the hospital bed just before he was to have surgery and told me that he had received Christ. But he asked me, Why I had not told him these things before. Well, I had, but Charlie hadn’t been listening. Now in his pain, in his sorrow, he was broken, and in that brokenness, Charlie finally listened and surrendered to GOD.

Genesis 35:1-29

Genesis 35:1. God speaks to Jacob, calling him back to Bethel.

1 Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there; and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother.”

“Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there”

The whole Dinah/Shechem incident happened because Jacob was not in Bethel where he was supposed to be. Now at last he went where God told him to go.

Genesis 31:13 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and made a vow to me. Now arise, go out from this land and return to the land of your kindred.’”

POINT: Jacob was not where he was supposed to be. Physically and spiritually. And yet GOD by HIS grace spoke to Jacob and called him back to the place of blessing. Where Jacob first met GOD. This is GOD’s gift to an undeserving Jacob. This is GOD’s Grace to you and me.

APPLICATION: GOD is telling you. You don’t have to stay where you are. Get back on track. Go back to your “Bethel”, where you met GOD. Where you first came to love the LORD. It’s not too late to change. It’s time to go back to where you were with GOD, your Bethel. Not a physical location, but the location of your heart.

Change direction. Head a different way.

To make progress in life doesn’t always mean to push forward. Sometimes you must go backwards. Back to where you were in alignment with GOD, before you got off track.

“Make an altar there to God”

Jacob was told to go back to Bethel and resume a life of worship there.

APPLICATION: An altar is a place of worship, and a place of sacrifice.

We are to worship the LORD with all our heart, mind, soul, spirit, strength.

To do so, we must sacrifice ourselves, our ways and our thoughts. Put to death the things that hinder us from giving our ALL to the LORD.