By Faith Jacob - 60

Well, even though it's now been several weeks since we've been in the book of Hebrews, I think most of you have been with us for. This series, and you remember that Hebrews chapter 11. is rightly often called the Hall of Faith. Because it is a Listing of many of the Old Testament saints of God. whose faith honored the Lord.

and whose faith instructs us regarding what true biblical faith is all about. And so it helps us to know. If we possess God-given faith, for we can see what it looks like, in the pages of scripture. And it helps us to tell others what faith is, for in our day there's a lot of talk about faith. But in many cases, the faith that is being spoken about does not match the information about saving faith that is given to us in the Word of God.

And so we've been working through this list. Abel. Enoch. Noah. Abraham.

Sarah. Isaac. And now Jacob. Verse 21, by faith Jacob. when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped leaning on the top.

of his staff staff. We've come to the third of the trio that are generally called the patriarchs of the nation of Israel. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. the fathers of the nation of Israel. After Jacob, the The nation went on, and God raised up leaders within that nation.

Joseph being certainly notable among them. And yet we can see how the blessing of God that rested uniquely upon one individual in each generation. Abraham alone, in his generation, passed down to his son. Isaac alone and his generation passed down to his son. Jacob, or Israel as he came to be called, in his generation, now rests upon the twelve sons of Jacob, and continues on in the entire nation.

So today we come to the third of the patriarchs, namely Jacob. who in his old age We are told by the writer of Hebrews understood the future that God had given told him about. He understood it. He believed what God told him. and he acted according to that information.

We'll study this text in three areas. Number one, The Old Testament narrative that undergirds it, that I read to you a moment ago in Genesis 48. Number two, the New Testament text that summarizes it that I just read to you. a few moments ago and we'll look at later. And then thirdly, some applications that we would like to draw from this passage.

First of all, the Old Testament Narrative. And let's look at that in Genesis chapter 48. And we will see a number of things. Let's look at them for at least. about Jacob's covenant faith.

And when I talk about the covenant, I'm talking about the covenant that God made with Abraham and was passed down to Isaac and then passed down to Jacob. This covenant, the special covenant, that God made with Abraham and his descendants. We see Jacob's covenant faith, first of all. In his faith in the covenant promises in the first... Opening verses of chapter 48.

Joseph Visits ailing Jacob with his two sons. Jacob is now Getting close. to the day of his Death. the conclusion of his sojourn. in the land of Egypt.

Having lived 130 years in the land of Canaan, he now Concludes the last 17 years of his life in the land of Egypt, and he is drawing close. to the day of his death. And when Joseph comes, He comes because Jacob has beckoned him to come because he wants Joseph to make to him a solemn promise. dramas. And so Joseph comes and Jacob recounts God's promises made to him.

Verse 2. And Jacob was told, Look, your son Joseph is coming to you. And Israel straightened himself and sat up on his bed. Then Jacob said to Joseph, God Almighty appeared to me at Luz. in the land of Canaan, and blessed me.

and said to me, Behold, I will make you fruitful. and multiply you And I will make you a multitude of people. and give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession. If you will look at the words of verse four. With the promise that God made to Abraham in mind.

you will see that it is a summary of basically the same promise. You see that? What did God say to Abraham? I will make you fruitful and multiply you. I will make you the father of many nations, a multitude of people.

I will give to you the land. that I have brought you to the land of Canaan. These are the promises that God made to Abraham. The first patriarch, the founding father of the nation of Israel. reiterated to his son Isaac, and then reiterated again to his son Jacob, and Jacob is now recalling these.

He talks about God meeting him, see, meeting with him. in the land of Loz, did you catch that? In verse 3, God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan. You can read about that in Genesis 28. I'll not take you back there except just to summarize.

This is when Jacob is going from Canaan Back to True. where Abraham came from. back where Abraham's relatives are. back to his uncle Laban. He's fleeing actually from his brother.

who his brother um Esau, who's determined to kill him because of his treachery, And as he is journeying, no doubt feeling discouraged and Fearful. Disappointed. He makes his bid on in a particular Spot. an appropriate spot. I'm sure to him at that time it didn't seem like anything except just the place where his day's journey ended and it was time to rest before he tried to go on the next day.

laid down his head upon a stone, and, while he slept, God revealed himself to Jacob. He had a vision. The heavens opened. There was a ladder reaching from earth to heaven. Angels were ascending and descending upon it.

And God spoke to him and at that time reiterated to Jacob the promise that he had originally given to Abraham and again to Isaac. That Joseph now or Jacob rather now recounts in Genesis chapter 48.

So he's remembering this. He has no doubt in his mind that God has bestowed upon him the covenant promise that was made to Abraham. It became his at that time. In the land of Luz, L-U-Z, which he then renamed Bethel. The house of God.

Because that's where he encountered God. That's where he met God. If we were trying to look in the life of Jacob for the time when he became. A true believer. In the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, when he became what we would say a born-again believer.

This would probably be the time. Not always easy to pinpoint those things, but this would probably be the time. He met the Lord. In Bethel, the house of God. That's what he called it.

This is surely. Bethel, the house of God. I have met with God at this time. It was at that time that he said, Lord, if you'll keep me safe and bring me back, I promise to give you a tenth of everything that you give to me. He promised a tithe as a result of that encounter with God.

And so he. He reiterates that. reminds Joseph. Of this encounter. He demonstrates his faith in the covenant promises of God that had been bestowed upon him.

We furthermore see in this passage, Genesis 48, Jacob's faith in the patriarchal bestowment. And what do I mean by that?

Well, let me read, verse 5. And now your two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt. are mine. As Reuben and Simeon They shall be mine.

Your offspring, whom you beget after them, shall be yours. They shall be called by the name of their brothers and their inheritance. What does he say? He's saying, I am going to take your two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. and basically elevate them to the same level.

As Joseph, your brothers. Reuben Simeon, Levi, Judah. These twelve sons of Jacob.

Now he says Ephraim and Manasseh are going to be elevated into that. Group. Into that. crowd into that position. And what is he doing by elevating them in this way?

But what he's doing is bestowing The double portion that normally goes to the firstborn. upon Joseph. Joseph gets a double portion through his two sons. Every one of the other sons will father a tribe. The tribe of Reuben, the tribe of Sibeon, the tribe of Levi.

But you don't find many references in the Bible to the tribe of Joseph, though you will find a few. But it's not the tribe of Joseph, it is the tribe of Ephraim and Manasseh, Joseph's two sons. You say, well, that spoils the number that now twelve becomes thirteen.

Well, Yes, but you remember Levi was put in a separate category and did not receive. A land Inheritance, and so subtract Levi, you're back to 11, add Ephraim, Manasseh, you're back up to 12. And so you've got 12 tribes in the land of Canaan. that inherit the land. But the great Meaning of this at this particular point is.

that Jacob is bestowing the double blessing on not Reuben, the firstborn. Nor, and I can't remember all of their Their uh birth rank But I do know that Joseph was number 11, not number one. Only Benjamin was younger than he. And yet, though he was born eleventh in order, He is now Elevated in rank to To number one, the double portion goes upon him. He, as it were, will inherit twice the amount of land in Canaan.

as all of his brothers. And so Jacob is demonstrating not only faith in the covenant promises, but also faith in the patriarchal bestowment. which he believed God had in this instance given him insight into what God intended. and authority to pronounce it So God showed him that Joseph will be elevated. To the firstborn position.

and would receive the double blessing, and he now pronounces it because he believes that God has given him that understanding and has given him that authority. He's showing great faith in this patriarchal bestowment. We could thirdly point out that Joseph is showing, or Jacob rather, is showing faith. in the patriarchal selection. And I don't have time to go all through the account in verses 8 and 20, which through 20, but you're familiar with it.

Joseph brings his sons carefully positioned. Joseph has already thought through this. And so Joseph has Here's Second born, Ephraim On his right. Yeah. And Manasseh, his Firstborn on his left hand, so that as he comes to Jacob.

He will be positioning them properly. Jacob's right hand will be on the firstborn Manasseh, and his left hand will be on the secondborn Ephraim. And here's Joseph. Weak Blind. And what does he do?

He crosses his hands. And he puts his hands on the opposite heads of the ones that Joseph intended for him to do, and he pronounces the blessing accordingly. He blesses them both. But he positions Ephraim above Manasseh. And Joseph says, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, Dad, you got it wrong.

Here, let me. And he reaches out to try to take his hands and uncross them, get them back in the right position. And what's his dad say? I know what I'm doing. I may be blind physically, but I understand God has guided me in all of this.

I know exactly what's taking place. It is. God's intention, therefore, it is my determination to do it this way. I will place my right hand on Ephraim. I will place my left hand on Manasseh.

I will elevate Ephraim above Manasseh. I will bestow the patriarchal blessing according to God's order, according to God's choice. God has chosen to do it this way. I am required to submit. To what God has determined.

Faith in the patriarchal selection. He selected Ephraim above Manasseh because God had selected Ephraim. above Manasseh. And finally, in this passage in Genesis Yeah. Jacob's faith in the promised inheritance.

That's verses 21 and 22. Then Israel said to Joseph, Behold, I am dying. But God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers. Moreover, I have given to you One portion above your brothers, which I took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and my bow.

Now, we don't know anything about this particular piece of property, this portion of the land. except what we read right here. But as you know Neither Abraham nor Isaac nor Jacob had any land, any territory, any estate, any possession, any pasture land, any place to build cities in the Land of Canaan. God determined for them to be wanderers, to be pilgrims in that land, but to trust God that this land would eventually become the possession of their descendants. And they could know that how?

Because God said so. They could believe that was true. Why? Because God said so. It required faith.

in the promises of God. And that's the whole point, isn't it? And Jacob is showing that faith. in the promised inheritance. He believed that God would return the nation of Israel to Canaan.

And he believed that Joseph's sons would possess Canaan. And that Jacob's sons actually would also possess Canaan. But once again, just this little tidbit of information. I've got a little portion that I took in battle, some conflict that came up, and I won a little piece of property, who knows what it was, an acre, five acres, we have no idea. And I'm giving that to you, Joseph.

Why? Because you get the double portion. You get more than your brothers. Again, back to this selection that God had elevated Joseph to the position of the firstborn. That's Jacob's covenant faith in Genesis 48.

Now, we really can't make full understanding of Hebrews 11, 21, which we will be going to next. without at least making a little Examination, a short examination of the last few verses of chapter 47. Because though it's not obvious from the Reading of Hebrews 11:21. that this portion is included actually ideas. And so what happened in Genesis 47?

Well Ver verse 27.

So Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt. In the land of Goshen, And they had possessions there, and grew and multiplied exceedingly. And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years.

So the length of Jacob's life was 147 years. When the time drew near that Israel must die, He called his son Joseph, and said to him, Now, if I have found favor in your your sight, Please put your hand under my thigh and deal kindly and truly with me. Please do not bury me in Egypt. This is. swearing Joseph to a solemn oath.

But let me lie with my fathers. You shall carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place. And he said, I will do as you have said. Then he said, Swear to me, And he swore to him, So Israel bowed himself on the head of his or of the bed.

So if we have Jacob's covenant faith in chapter 48. We have a little glimpse into Jacob's dying faith back in chapter 47 that precedes it. Israel, the land, the nation of Israel, has now been settled. In Goshen, in the land of Egypt, and they are prospering. They now have land.

That they can use as their own. They now have possessions. They now have many of the things that were denied to them in the land of Canaan. It's pretty cushy, it's pretty plush for them. And Jacob has now lived in Egypt for 17 years.

But he believes the promises of God that they're not going to stay in Egypt. They, his descendants, the nation, is going to return to the land of Canaan. And so he makes Joseph promise, sealed with an oath, that he will carry his body, his bones, back to the land of Canaan for burial. Because that's where he belongs. That's where his father Isaac was buried.

That's where his grandfather Abraham was buried. That's the land that has been promised to his descendants as their. their their lion, their possession. And so he makes Joseph promise to carry his bones back. A strong act of faith in the Word of God, the promises of God.

And then he bows, we are told, in verse on the head of his bed.

Now, if you were paying attention, and we might as well turn now to Hebrews chapter. 11. In Hebrews chapter 11, in our text in verse 21. We read by faith, Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph and worshipped. And then this.

leaning on the top of his staff. But Genesis said bowed on the head of the bed.

So which is it? Did he Lean on the bed. Head. Which would make sense. He was in weak condition lying in bed.

Or had he Gotten up, at least sitting up in bed, and was leaning on his staff, and he bowed over to worship. God was Leaning on top of his staff. Either one of these is perfectly plausible, but we don't have the same. The same record, the same account in each of these two places. Why?

Well, the answer is both complicated and simple. It's a translation issue. and it involves the challenges of the Hebrew language.

Some of you know that Hebrew in the days when it was originally written. contained only consonants, not vowels. One The words were pronounced, of course, the vowels were supplied, but when it was written, the vowels were absent. Later, they were. were added as Um Points, they call them, little indicators of what the vowels were.

so that you can tell one from the other. But In this particular case, The consonants for the word bed are M T T H. And the continents for the word staff are M T T H. And the vowel isn't the vowels aren't given. If It should be supplying the vowels M-I-T-T-A-H.

The word is bed. If As the Septuagint translation has it and the and the The book of Hebrews has it. The vowels are M-A-T-T-E-H, then the word is staph. I could just stop at that point and let you puzzle over that. But I'm going to say a couple of other things before I move on.

Most of you are familiar with the same issue, though you maybe didn't realize what it was. In the difference between those who call the Old Testament name of God Jehovah Or Yahweh. That's the same thing. We've got the consonants, we don't have the vowels for years. It was assumed that the proper pronunciation was Jehovah.

And then scholars continuing to study decided, well, maybe that's not quite right. It's probably more likely that it should be pronounced Yahweh. But it's the same either way. It's the same consonants, it's just different vowels. Take your pick.

You're not saying it wrong either way. And the same is true here. Take your pick, bet or staff. You're not saying it wrong either way. Nobody can prove you wrong.

It's just which one did God have in mind? Which one was in the original? Autographs As Moses by the inspired Hand of God, the inspired breath of God, was penning this particular passage. Good question. Maybe first I should ask.

Is this a problem that we have these two different Renderings. that are based upon equally valid translations. It's not a problem for me. And I don't think it's a problem for anyone who believes that The scriptures are the inspired, infallible word of God as they are. were originally given, in other words what we call the autographs.

That promise does not extend to translations.

Now this is a long subject. I don't know how far we want to get into it. But The trans the translations are certainly God has preserved His word in the translations, let me put it that way. But there's no guarantee that the translations will be infallible. they oftentimes will contain differences.

Well, then you say, how do we know what's what?

Well Basically, by understanding that in the multitude of translations we have. We can sift it down to such minute differences that there really is no. no doctrine that is in question. This is a good example of it. Did Joseph bow upon the Head of his bed did he bow upon his staff.

I don't know. Does that make any difference in The doctrine of salvation, the doctrine of the Trinity, any doctrine, any important doctrine of the Word of God, does it really make any difference? It's interesting. And it's worth noting, and we can learn from it and draw inferences from it. hopefully correct ones.

But as long as you don't insist upon the infallibility of the translations, you don't have a problem. If you, however, have bought in to the error that there is an inspired translation, such as the King James Version in English, that is perfectly inspired by God, you've got a problem at this point. Which is it? Bed or staff? I don't have that problem.

If you have that problem, then you work it out. But I don't have that problem. 'Cause I don't believe. in the inspiration of the translations. I believe in the guidance, the guarding, the preservation Of the translations, but I don't believe in the infallibility of the translations.

But I believe in the infallibility of the autographs. You say, well, if we don't have the autographs, how does that help us? Oh, it makes a huge difference. If the autographs were the infallible, inspired, inerrant word of God. Then Our carefulness in translating them and preserving them.

Um It's very important, isn't it? If the autographs are just the words of men, then it's really not all that important how carefully we translate and preserve them, is it? It makes a huge difference in that and many other ways. But now I move on. Moving now to Hebrews chapter 11, verse 21, the text for today.

I want us to notice three items. Again, Hebrews 11, 21. By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshipped, leaning on the top of his staff. Three things. Number one, Jacob's faith.

Number two, Jacob's blessing. And number three, Jacob's worship. Number one, Jacob's faith. By faith Jacob. And the first thing that came to my mind as I thought about that was, What?

I have no trouble. Talking about the faith of Abraham. I have no trouble talking about the faith of Abel or Enoch or Noah. I have no trouble of talking about the faith of Isaac. Hmm.

I see a lot of lapses in the faith. of Dracum, don't you? That's a surprising statement. By faith, Jacob. After a life of carnal manipulations, scheming, and deceit, We read in the Bible by faith.

Jacob in this hall of faith. After several divine encounters, one we already talked about at Bethel. Another one when he wrestled with God at Lubbock, or Jabbok, rather. the brook. We see wonderful encounters with God and in these occasions some real glimpses of Jacob's faith.

But even after that, his life manifested, in many cases, more sight than faith. What did he do when he left Jabbok after wrestling all night with God? Hey. deceived Esau. And said, I'll follow you into Edom when he didn't intend to at all.

And he took his herds and family and went the other way. Jacob Why? Don't you trust God to protect you? Don't you trust God to take care of you? You just spent the whole night wrestling and prevailing.

With God. And now you turn right around and act according to your own flesh, your. Intuition, your wisdom, your sight, rather than by faith in the Word of God. That's the way Jacob's life went. It really is not until Jacob finally comes down into Egypt that we don't see any more of those kind of lapses.

In Egypt, his faith is clearly met manifested. And now, at the end of his life, just before his dies, His faith is strong. His faith is firmly settled. He believes the promises of God. He sees into the future.

On the basis of the promises of God, he has a strong faith. Yes, by faith, Jacob. But for the first 130 years, we might have been reluctant to use those words. to describe him. But his closing years were lived by faith.

His closing years manifested genuine faith. And he died a man of faith. Jacob's faith. Secondly, Jacob's blessing. By faith, Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph.

We've already covered this. We know by studying the book of Genesis That Jacob's blessing involved a double portion to Joseph over the other sons. Chapter 49 of Genesis. to gives a r uh uh an account Of what he said about all of his sons. It takes up the whole chapter.

You might call it blessing after blessing after blessing. But he starts with this double portion to Joseph through his sons Ephraim and Manasseh. The primary blessing in that Generation passing to Ephraim the youngest rather than Manasseh the oldest.

Now it takes Really, several hundred years before the supremacy of Ephraim becomes. manifestly apparent. But it eventually does. Both Ephraim and Manasseh were large and notable tribes in the nation of Israel. Both of them ended up in the northern kingdom when the kingdom split after the death of Solomon.

The northern kingdom is most often called Israel, and the southern kingdom most often called Judah, but there are a few occasions of scripture when the northern kingdom is called. E-free up. Apparently, at that point, Ephraim had become the leading tribe of the northern kingdom, just as Judah was the leading tribe of the southern kingdom. That happened years later, but Jacob prophesied it now in Egypt. And so Jacob blessed.

Joseph. He blessed Ephraim and Manasseh. in faith because he believed the promises of God. That's what faith is. And then thirdly, in our text, Jacob's worship.

By faith, Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph and worshipped. leaning on the top of his what? His staff? His he has uh The head of his bed.

Well, it really doesn't make a great deal of difference. But he worshipped God In faith. He believed the promises of God. He submitted to the Word of God. And he now.

gave praise to God in worship. In prayer, In Adoration in exaltation, he worshipped God there. upon his bed. Which was covered quickly, and now we come to point three: applications. Let me see if I can make.

two or three applications in closing. And the one that I think that stands out most obviously and unmistakably is the sovereignty of God's choices. We see it again and again and again and again and here again. The sovereignty of God's choices. It was God who chose Ephraim above Manasseh.

Who would question his right to do so? It was God who chose Joseph above Reuben, the firstborn. Who would question God's right. to do that. It was God who chose Jacob over Esau.

Who would question God's sovereign right to do exactly that? It was God who chose Isaac over Ishmael. Who would question God's prerogative in doing that? In fact, it was God's choice that chose Abraham above anybody else in the world and bestowed upon him blessings and privileges that no other on the face of the earth, no other nation on the face of the earth enjoyed in those days. You say, and I don't find many people questioning God and doing that either.

I don't hear too many people say, but wait. Wait a minute, God choosing Abraham over everybody else. was not fair. Looking at it according to human fairness in an skewed way. It wasn't fair, was it?

Because Abraham and his descendants received all these benefits. They received God's word, they received God's promises, they received God's covenant, they received. uh so many benefits whereas many people in the world. Never heard one word about the one true God or received one word of his divine revelation. But God made that choice.

That was God's prerogative, wasn't it? These are all examples of God's sovereign choices. The examples are indisputable. This is what God did. Who can deny it?

This is what the Bible said God did. Who can deny it? This is what the Bible tells us that God does in His sovereign operations. Who can say that that is not? Correct.

It is not fair, or it is not what the Bible teaches. It clearly is. They are examples that are indisputable. They are examples that are illustrations of the big one. The one that does bother people.

Not many people get bit out of shape about God choosing Ephraim and Joseph and Jacob and Isaac and Abraham over anyone else. But when you get down to the doctrine of. Electing grace and salvation, that's when people tend to get bent out of shape. That Isn't Fair.

Well That's really not the question. I think I can show you, if I have time, that it is actually fair, if you understand things correctly. It's not only fair, but it's most gracious. But The real issue is Not what you think about it. The real issue is: does the Bible teach it?

Does the Bible say this is what God did? Because if the Bible teaches it, you've got to submit to it if you are going to be a person of faith. You get my point? What is faith? believing the revelation of God.

and acting accordingly. If this is what God has revealed, and you say, I don't like it, I won't accept it, I won't believe it, what is that? That's the opposite of faith. How can you call yourself? A person of faith.

Maybe your faith isn't as genuine as you think it is. Maybe your faith falls woefully short. Of what honors God. Without faith, it's impossible to please Him. Because faith submits to whatever God has revealed, not on the basis that we like it, not on the basis that we can understand it fully.

Not on the basis that we approve of it. God doesn't Require any of those things. All God requires is that you. Believe it, that you submit to it, that you embrace it if God has revealed it. That's what faith requires.

And anything that will not do that falls short. biblical faith. I'm glad somebody told you the truth about that. If you never heard it before, you've heard it now. Because that's exactly so.

The reality of God's sovereign choice in salvation must also be embraced by faith. There are many attempts to Avoid it. To explain it away, There are too many places. In the Bible, that teaches it. All you need is one verse, but I can give you scores and maybe hundreds, but all you need is one verse.

2 Thessalonians 2.13. Paul, writing to the Thessalonians, says, But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren. beloved by the Lord because God From the beginning chose you to salvation. Through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. Who made the first choice for the Thessalonians that they now are believers?

God did. God should Chose you to salvation. That explains why you. subsequently chose Christ. That explains why you subsequently believed in Christ.

But before you ever did that, God chose you to salvation. Does the Bible say that, or doesn't it? It does. Believe it. It's the revelation.

of God. the sovereignty of God's choices. A second application quickly is the necessity of faith. This book is written to the Hebrews. Claiming to trust in Christ, but now backing away because of the persecution, and considering the possibility of returning to the faith of their fathers that does not.

inc include trusting in the Jesus of Nazareth. to avoid the persecution. And the point is this, if the Hebrews do not embrace the promised blessings of God by faith, the ones that have been revealed to them, they cannot be the true descendants of those who believe God. Your forefathers didn't have the revelation you have. They weren't required to believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah because that hadn't been revealed to them.

They believed what had been revealed to them. You see yourself as their descendants. You see yourselves as people of faith like they had. You want to return to their level of faith, rejecting the revelation that God has given to you. It can't be done.

God's revealed more to you. You can't go back. And it's true for us as well. If we refuse to believe the revelation that God has given to us about anything, We cannot consider ourselves to be men or women of faith. Not every person has the same amount of revelation.

Not every Christian has the same amount of revelation.

Some have a better capacity to read and study God's word than others.

Some have had better opportunity in the preachers and teachers that God has given to them.

So, just deal with yourself, not with your neighbor or your friend or your relative or your people in other churches, just deal with yourself. Are you honestly embracing the truth that God has revealed to you, particularly in this area of the sovereignty of God? If you won't do that, how can you consider yourself To be a man or a woman of faith. If you won't do that, how can you consider yourself to be in the same line of believers? That this hall of faith, is setting before us.

We must believe the revelation of God. And if we do, It will be seen in our actions. We will act according to the revelation we believe. Which brings me to the third and final application. The development of faith.

It begins small. Mustard seed faith. That's Jacob. We look for his faith. Where is it?

Where is it? Whoops! I see it there at Bethel. Yes, it's there. Several more years go by.

Where is it? Where is it? He's still scheming, conniving, taking things into his own hands. Whoops. I see his faith again at Jabbok.

But where is it? Where is it? I don't see it. It seems like it has disappeared. Nope, here it is in Egypt.

Strong. Committed. Manifested. declared. He dies.

in faith. Faith begins small. but grows over time. If it is genuine faith, it will grow. If over time it diminishes rather than grows, it wasn't genuine faith to begin with.

We hear about people in our day deconstructing their faith. I have news for you. They are deconstructing their faith, no question about it, but I have news for you. The faith they're deconstructing wasn't genuine saving faith to begin with. That's how it could be deconstructed.

Spurious faith. diminishes in time. Genuine faith. Grows and grows and grows and grows. in time.

Do you have circumstances in your life that seem to be impossible? You don't know how you're going to deal with them, how you're going to overcome them, how you're going to make your way through them. Question, does God's Word Promise you the ability to prevail? Does God's word promise you that He will supply your need? Does God's Word tell you that He will stand with you in the valley and in all of your trials and that you don't stand alone and that He will bring you through?

Then, if God said it, What do you do? I believe it! And act accordingly. That's God honoring faith. Faith enables you to embrace God's promises.

and to act. accordingly. Let's pray. Father, thank you for teaching us from your word. what biblical faith looks like.

Help us, O Lord. to receive it, to embrace it. And for those who do not have it, O Lord, may they seek it from you, the one who always gives to those who seek it earnestly. and with a true heart's desire. as we pray in Jesus' name.

Amen.