Download... September 11, 2011. Sunday Morning Service. Bro. Dave Goble.
TEXT: GENESIS 49:1-4
1 And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.
2 Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father.
3 Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power:
4 Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch.
Reuben although as the first son (from Leah) possessed some good qualities, mentioned in this scripture, also had some qualities that hindered him, causing him to be unstable. We don’t have to live as Reuben, but can live spiritually stable, ..in a “clean place.”
Today there are some memories with many of us, ..regarding September 11, 2001. Tonight we will have a slide presentation regarding how 9/11 affects people, ...particularly in the Church. We will speak this morning about the hope, God still gives His people. We call attention here (in the 49th chapter) to the example found in Reuben, being expounded upon by his father Jacob, ...while on his death bed. This account of Reuben by his father, starts in the 3rd verse. Reuben was the one his father could depend on in the work ethics. He was Jacob’s might, the beginning of his strength, ..his excellency of dignity and power. In those qualities of behavior, he was somewhat Jacob’s hope. A lot of good things going for Reuben. A noble representative. But, ...Reuben had a problem.
Genesis 35: 22 And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine: and Israel heard it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve:
At the very least of “negatives,” Reuben was tempestuous, ...possessing a fiery nature. He had laid with his father’s concubine. This adultery "then" ...was tantamount to requiring that one to marry ..in such a case. Reuben had no right to his father’s servant or concubine, an offense likened to slapping his father in the face. Reuben was presuming things that did not exist. His had been such an offense, that Jacob expounded upon it on his death bed. The substance of this speech regarding Reuben, were, the negatives preceded importance of his character being so unstable, ..in spite of the presence of good qualities also. So as it is with sin, ...you cannot also be strong in good qualities, for sin overcomes while still present. Religion professes that life will make no sense, without sin in it. But sin still present, conquers over spiritual nobility. One has to be first redeemed From Sin. Christ is the hope that will remove from the power of sin through Salvation but of course not our mere humanity in this life. Humanity of itself though, is not the cause of instability. The Lord gives stability, for the instability of sin.
For the most part, we all remember where we were, on September 11, 2011, as well as the older ones here, when JFK was assassinated. Our innocency as a nation, was lost during these times. Those times caused more of a reflection of where we were individually, spiritually, ..and collectively. In spite of the grief, and trauma that affected all, there is hope in God! There is hope that the children that also died in this tragedy were innocent of sin, and made it to heaven. If those in heaven were able to look and see all terrible things happening down here, they would testify that all our hope is only found in Christ. Their testimony and exhortation would be “Trust God and forsake your own way.
Isaiah 55:1-9 1 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2 Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. 3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. 4 Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people. 5 Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the LORD thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee. 6 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. The lesson we draw is not of humanity being noble, ...but that only God can save us. There is dignity that is worth our all so we can be in God stabilized. Verse 6 This is the message, those that perished into eternity would like us to realize. Verse 8 God’s thoughts are not ours. Verse 9 This is what creates stability. If we can do anything as a nation, it is to realize our human wisdom is worthless, and we are in need of God’s only. We can’t wish ourselves stable.
Bro Goble illustrated with a glass of water, how it is plainly not stable. Even the ground and the things of this life, we might tend to count on, ..are ultimately unstable. They Will let us down. This is why we need to remember where our hope truly must be. If we don’t have the confidence that of where our hope is stable in God, we can only then be insecure and hopeless. We know where the stability is for our soul, and realize the many things in this temporal world will only lead us to spiritually unstable places. This reminds us of the children’s song, “Be careful little feet where you go, ... Be careful little eyes what you see,” etc. The world has such a peer pressure for you to conform to. Isaiah says God's ways are higher than our ways, ..His thoughts ..are higher than ours.
Be not like the “simple ones” as we read of the man void of understanding Thursday evening in Proverbs 7. Sin destroys souls right here and now. We need to ask ...“Lord do I have clean hands? “ Are there things you would not want others to know? This thought should not create guilt, but rather the reality of what sin really is. We need to see ourselves, ...as God sees us.
James 1:1-8 1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting. 2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. 5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. 8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. Count it all joy when you are tried. Reuben needed the trials that would help burn away his “sinful leanings." It would best help him to allow his weaknesses to melt away, for him to have stayed in the “crucible.” You will know when you are really being tried as God would have you. The trial of your faith will work patience in His perfect work. But for it to take place, you must ‘stay’ in the center of it to be purified. One might say, “What’s the hardest part? ...I can go no where without “harm.” A catch 22? You might think, ..God doesn’t want me ‘here’! But God’s message to you, will only be, ..to stay in the center of the “hot” trials, ..to be purified. How long? Until He can say He has perfected us.
Verse 6 …”Nothing wavering”..not unstable, ...but stable in faith! If you allow the “waves” of life to toss you, (wavering), there will be no help from the Lord. God gives all a measure of faith to “go through.” Your faith will only grown IF you stay ...in the center of the trial’s heat! The agony might make it seem impossible to stay (and not jump out). But if we obey God and stay, ...our faith will grow. You must learn “how” to stay in the heat of the trial God is allowing. If you waver (“jump out”) it is equivalent to “giving back’ your faith to God, ...who gave it to you! If you were asked why you might give this often used excuse, “oh the world convinced me to get out and go back to where I was before.” .. Stay!!.. God ‘Will’ give the needed measure of faith for you to outlast the trial. Trust and doubt not! You might say “I can’t,” ...but if you Stay in the crucible, ...God will be able to mold you to His perfect will.
People are always looking for a “secure” place, ..yet so many are believing a “lie” that much of the world will tell you God is not a secure place in faith. Verse 8 ...A double minded man is unstable in ‘All’ his ways. You cannot be both stable, trying to hold on to “nobility,” ...and also the instability of fleshly desires or sinful ways. Most of you when first saved, knew you were lost, and that it would only get worse. It was through crying out to God, your hope, that you found stability through Salvation. And still again, while being tried in life’s necessary fiery trials, we find stability in Salvation’s hope.
This necessary trying of our faith, can be likened unto a diamond in the making. A diamond’s necessary processing to “create” it, has formed from it many “facets.” We likewise, have many parts to deal with, some we may know yet, but God promises to keep our hope stable, even in the unknown. If we remain willingly in His will. It is God only, who sees All. So we must let Him "cut on" us, so the glow can shine from the inside out. When God saves us, He will reveal the need to continue to consecrate all. A double minded man doesn’t want his own way dealt with. We cannot, in the beginning, “see” all of this. This is why after Justification, we must go on to give up the wishes of “self.”
Matthew 14:22-31 22 And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. 23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. 24 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. 26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. 27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. 28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. 29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. 31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? `Jesus Himself walked out onto a very unstable place, for only He has control of the waves of the sea. Look to the one who has control and stability, especially, remembering during these traumatic times going on in our country and the world. Verse 29 Peter was going completely by faith. Verse 30 Peter then looked away from faith (of which God had given him a “kernal” and it would have grown if held onto). God in our Salvation gives us kernals of faith. Don’t go back to those times before faith of holding attitudes, and places that destroyed faith.
Don’t give back your faith! Peter began walking on fear..uncertainty, ..instability of faith. Instability is complete insecurity. Have you walked on total insecurity, ..no measure of stability? Peter had begun with a measure of faith, ..or total security. But when he started “giving in” back to the pressures of life (illustrated by in fear looking down) he sank into the unstable sea. This is a type of people “hanging out” again with “faithless” crowds and things of the flesh. The instability of these causes us to “sink” and to be immersed in insecurity without hope. Thankfully Jesus reached out a second time to give Peter another “measure” of faith. God will not leave us in the “crucible” heat beyond what He can safely lead us. The water Jesus and Peter first walked on was stable as a rock. Faith and confidence made it so.
Most of the world today are “like” Reuben of our text. They want to please self, even while professing to please Christ. It’s not about your good, outweighing your evil. God wants to take away from your insecurities and instability, to keep you stable only on Him the Rock of Salvation! Are you walking in a secure place, ..or trusting in unstable ways? Put All your confidence in Christ and allow Him to remove all the evils of sin. Psalms 24: 3,4 3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? 4 He that hath clean hands and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. Can you say “your hands are clean?”
