Monument of Revival - Genesis 35:6-15
Intro - WWII Monument - represents the 16 million that served in the US Armed forces during WWII. More than 400,000 gave their lives for freedom and in reality, for the deliverance of the Jewish nation of Israel.
Ordinary men and women served our country and the world - One was named General Mark Clark was one of the great heroes of WWII. He led the Salerno invasion that Winston Churchill said was "the most daring amphibious operation we have launched, or which, I think, has ever been launched on a similar scale in war." At the time Clark was promoted to Lt. General, he was the youngest man of that rank in the U.S. Army. He graduated from West Point in 1917. At the top of his class? Nope. He was 111th from the top in a class of 139. It is a monument to ordinary people who are heroes for their faithful service.
Memorials remind us of great events and people. We come to another great even in the life of Jacob. All of our monuments will not be Jacob, but the first two will.
Sermon Two - Revival - This is not another salvation, but rather the further separation of Jacob. Growth was needed. But we need a revival, a renewal of the relationship we had with God when we were first saved. We grow cold and forget the freshness of our walk with God. Revival is a renewal of fervor - Ordinary men and women can serve the Lord. Just like General Clark, you may think of yourself as not being great. You may think that you are 140 out of a class of 139, but God sees you differently. God does not see our greatness, He sees His grace! When we return to Bethel, for us that is Calvary, we can experience Personal Revival.
Why would we be satisfied with stagnant, cold, Spiritual lives. A Disciple is one who believes the doctrines of Christ, rests upon his sacrifice, walks in His Spirit, imitates His example, and lives to do His work. To be a disciple, we must return and remember our relationship and responsibilities to God.
Jacob had this kind of experience. - In our text, God Revives Jacob’s Memmory of the Covenant - vs. 6-15 (The covenant was always there!)
I. The Rekindling of the Joy of His Salvation- vs. 6-8 He had come back to the Place! Have you come back to the place? Not necessarily the spot, but the place of Calvary! -
A. The Altar
1. For Surrender - He remembered When God appeared - not the angels that were moving up and down, but GOD! Not the experience, but the PERSON
2. For Sacrifice - Worship
He called the altar - El-Bethel - “The Mighty God of the House of God”
B. The Awareness - He had not forgotten! This is where He met God
When we journey back to where we first met the Lord, we will have no choice than to recognize that the God that has kept us is the Mighty God!
Jeremiah 32:18 Thou shewest lovingkindness unto thousands, and recompensest the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them: the Great, the Mighty God, the LORD of hosts, is his name,
II. The Restating of the Promise -vs. 9-13- God Revealed Himself
God is not bound to remind us of His promises, and He will keep them. He reminds us for our sake - Isn’t God good!
A. His Personal Name - vs. 9-10
1. The Possession - Jacob had to recognize he was no longer his
own, but now a prince with God, Israel!
Romans 14:7-9 For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. 8 For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.
Titus 2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
2. The Perception - He was not Jacob, but Israel. God did not see him as
Poor stumbling Jacob, was still Israel (God prevails) to God! GRACE!
Gad has a new name for me! Revelation 3:12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. I have a NEW name written down in Glory! God perceives me already! I have grace!
B. His Promised Fame - vs. 11 -
1. The Source is Identified - “I am God Almighty”
2. The Success is Revealed - nations will come from you
Trapp - We are apt to measure things according to our own model, as to think God so powerful as our understanding can reach. But, for a finite creature to believe the infinite all-sufficiency of God, he is not able to do it thoroughly without supernatural grace; nor can he be soundly comforted till he comes to comprehend it. Of His will to do us good we doubt not, till, in some measure, we doubt of his power to help. Revived in believing God’s promises - God is going to use you!
C. His Perpetual Claim - vs. 12-13 -
1. The Promises of provision are true - vs. 12
Every promise is true! You can rest on God’s unbreakable Word!
Heaven is secured! What are we to do, since we have God’s promises?
2Co 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
2. The Presence of God is Real - vs. 13
The first meeting was not forgotten, but now meant more than ever. Jacob would look forward to another meeting!
Notice - “And God went up” - That means that God came down! Simple but True
III. The Revelation of the Preciousness of God’s Mercy - vs. 14-15
He had built an altar, now another PILLAR, another monument, this time not because of relationship - but Revival!
A. The Reminder to Jacob - He remembered the first one, the pillow that became a monument! Now He acknowledges what happened. We must do the same if we will experience revival. Dottie Rambo wrote a song -
The things that I love and hold dear to my heart,
Are just borrowed they’re not mine at all
Jesus only let me use them to brighten my life
So remind me, remind me dear Lord
Roll back the curtain of memory now and then
Show me where you brought me from and where I could have been
Remember I’m human and humans forget
So remind me, remind me dear Lord
Nothing good have I done to deserve God’s own son
I’m not worthy of the scars in His hands
Yet He chose the road to Calvary to die in my stead
Why He loved me I can’t understand (But Roll back the curtain)
B. The Reminder to others - vs. 5 His Family saw a glimpse of what Jacob had told them had happened to him years before
1. The first time Jacob was alone, not this time
2. His relationship with God was REAL! His family could see it.
C. The Reminder of Grace - Another monument of Grace is built!
1. The Pillar of Stone spoke of the Rock of our Salvation, for no foundation can be laid except for the Stone that the builders rejected
2. The Drink Offering - no doubt was the blood of grapes - signifying the blood that Jesus would shed that still saves today
3. The Oil - the picture of the Holy Spirit that indwells every believer
There, by the sovereignty of God, Jacob’s altar pictures the redemption of believers and this second visit, the revival of a saint.
Knowing what Christ did, why would we not set ourselves aside for His use totally Where are the sold out, dedicated people that will serve the Lord no matter what?
Where are the preachers of tomorrow?
Where are the Missionaries? Christian Laymen? Soulwinners?
They are all right here tonight, just needing to surrender on the altar!
That is why God wants us to return to Him often - so that we will continually be more and more set apart unto Him.
A minister brought home a 12-year-old boy named Roger. His parents had died from a drug overdose. There was no one to care for Roger, so this couple decided they’d just raise him as if he were one of their own sons. At first it was quite difficult for Roger to adjust to his new home--an environment free of heroine-addicted adults! Every day, several times a day, you would hear this couple say: "No, no. That’s not how we behave in this family." "No, no. You don’t have to fight or hurt other people to get what you want." "No, no, Roger, we expect you to show respect in this family." And in time Roger began to change. Now, did Roger have to make all those changes in order to become a part of the family? No. He was made a part of the family simply by the grace of that father. But did he then have to do a lot of hard work because he was in the family? You bet he did. It was tough to change, and he had to work at it. But he was motivated by gratitude for the great love he had received.
Should we be dedicated to be holy since the Spirit has adopted us into God’s family? Certainly. But not in order to become a son or a daughter of the heavenly Father. No, we should desire to be holy because we are a son or daughter. And every time you start to revert back to the old addictions to sin, we can imagine the Holy Spirit saying to our hearts, "No, no. That’s not how we act in this family."
We should have monuments of revival where we have returned to Calvary, not for salvation, but to remember what the Lord has done for us.
