New Beginnings

1. Life is full of New Beginnings

·  Every day is a new day

· Every week is a new week

· Every year is a new year

· Every season is a new season

· You are only one decision away from a new beginning

· God is a God of New Beginnings

Gen 1:1  In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Isa 43:18  "Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old.

Isa 43:19  Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert.

Being born again is a new beginning

· Our lives are blessed with countless opportunities to start afresh. We have the power of choice when it comes to how we will approach these new beginnings! How empowering and exciting is that? Let's open our arms wide and embrace each potential moment of transformation, radiating courage along the way!

A. Jacob’s New Beginning

The life of Jacob - Jacob is a figure in the Hebrew Bible, also known as the Old Testament. He was the son of Isaac and Rebecca, and the grandson of Abraham. According to the Bible, Jacob was a skilled and cunning man who, through a series of events, came to be known as Israel, the father of the Israelites.

One of the most well-known stories about Jacob is how he came to possess the birthright as the firstborn son of Isaac. According to the story, Jacob tricked his older brother, Esau, into selling him the birthright in exchange for a bowl of lentil stew. As the firstborn son, Jacob was entitled to a larger share of his father's wealth and the right to be the leader of the family.

Jacob also had a tumultuous relationship with his father-in-law, Laban. Laban had two daughters, Leah and Rachel, and Jacob fell in love with Rachel. However, Laban tricked Jacob into marrying Leah first, and Jacob had to work for Laban for seven more years in order to marry Rachel as well. Jacob eventually had twelve sons with his two wives and their maidservants, who became the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel.

One of the most significant events in Jacob's life was when he had a vision of a ladder reaching up to heaven while he was on a journey. In this vision, God spoke to Jacob and reaffirmed the covenant that God had made with Abraham and Isaac, promising to bless Jacob and make his descendants numerous. After this vision, Jacob's name was changed to Israel, meaning "one who struggles with God."

Jacob's life was marked by struggles and conflict, but he ultimately became the father of the Israelite nation and a key figure in the biblical narrative.

B. The Background

o Jacob was in a place of great fear and uncertainty about the future

o He was struggling with great grief and shame and fear because of a family and local situation

o His daughter Dinah had been raped by Shechem the son of Hamor, a prince in the land…

o Jacob and his family were experiencing immense shame and grief

o Two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi had tricked Shechem and the men of the city into getting circumcised, in the hope of uniting the families and becoming trading partners

o Then when the men were in pain recovering  they entered the city and  killed them all

o Jacob was terrified about the possible future, and attacks from other Canaanites

Key Passage

Gen 35:1  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."

Gen 35:2  And Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, "Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your garments.

Gen 35:3  Then let us arise and go up to Bethel; and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me in the way which I have gone."

Gen 35:4  So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods which were in their hands, and the earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree which was by Shechem.

Gen 35:5  And they journeyed, and the terror of God was upon the cities that were all around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.

Gen 35:6  So Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him.

Gen 35:7  And he built an altar there and called the place El Bethel, because there God appeared to him when he fled from the face of his brother.

Gen 35:8  Now Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the terebinth tree. So the name of it was called Allon Bachuth.

Gen 35:9  Then God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Padan Aram, and blessed him.

C. New Word…New Beginnings

o Gen 35:1  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."

“God said to Jacob”

o Jacob needed a needed a new beginning, a fresh start. Jacob needed a fresh encounter with God.

o God desires to speak to us and initiate a new beginning. He is the God of new things

o The words that God speaks to us personally bring life

o When we have lost our way, are overwhelmed, experiencing turmoil, or  in fear of our future God wants to speak to us to return to Him, to return to our first love and passion for Him again

o God’s word to us brings direction and hope for the future

2. God’s Directives for a Fresh Start

These are also prophetic directives to us as we enter 2023

A. “Arise”

o  “Arise”…..to stand up, to stir up, to raise oneself up, to become powerful

o No one makes any changes or achieved anything sitting down

o “Sitting down” frequently meant being in a place of defeat

§ Eg. King Saul sat under a tree, fearful and procrastinating in the face of a great enemy (1Sam.14:2 “Meanwhile, Saul and his 600 men were camped on the outskirts of Gibeah, around the pomegranate tree at Migron.” - One of the most well-known references to the pomegranate in the Bible is in the Song of Solomon, where it is described as having "beautiful fruit, with henna-like fragrance" and "spicy clusters, very sweet to the taste" (Song of Solomon 4:13). The pomegranate is often associated with fertility, abundance, and good fortune, and it is sometimes seen as a symbol of the abundance of blessings that God has given to his people.

§ Eg. Elijah the prophet sat under a tree fearful and overwhelmed and depressed in the face of threats from Jezebel who exerted a negative influence over the country (1Kin.19:4)

o “Arise”….God will not do it all. He requires we stand up and participate.

o Make a decision to arise from apathy, lukewarmness, fear, shame, hopelessness and respond to God

o “Arise”…God’s challenge to each of us to arise out of our current position

B.     “Go up to Bethel”

o “ Bethel”…….The house of God, the place of Jacob’s first encounter with God in a dream, when he was running in fear from his brother Esau after massive family conflict

o His grandfather Abraham had built an altar in that place and encountered God there.

o His grandfather  had opened a gate to the supernatural realm of God and access to blessing

o Our decision to arise an pursue God (or not) has generational consequences

o Jacob was so impacted that he built an altar, promised to come back and build a  place of worship

o Bethel was a place of encounter, of promise, of purpose and calling, of inheritance

o “Bethel” …means the “House of God”…Jacob also called it the “Gate of Heaven” (Gen.28:17)

o “Bethel then means the presence of God in His house and the opening of access to the realm of supernatural life and blessing

(i).     Personal…You are a Temple of god

§ 1Co 6:19  Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?

§ We are called to be in personal relationship with God, to carry His presence, to advance His Kingdom

(ii).    Corporate…Together we are the Temple of God

§ Eph 2:20  having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,

Eph 2:21  in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,

Eph 2:22  in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

§ We are called to belong and build a community called the church

§ Jesus is building His Church..a community of people joined together in covenant relationship with Christ

C. “Make an Altar”

o What is an Altar?

§ A place or platform dedicated for sacrifice or service to a superior being…God or evil spirits

§ A meeting place between the physical and the spiritual world

§ A gateway into the invisible realm of the spirit that allows the blessing of God to flow

§ A place of exchange ….something is sacrificed, or given in exchange for something received

§ The sacrifice is a trade, an exchange, an agreement  established with a spirit being

§ Through the Bible men built altars to the Lord and fire of God fell….the Power of the Spirit

§ God has initiated the Altar as the meeting place between heaven and earth

§ The Altar of God is the Cross….Jesus Christ sacrificed and gave His life for all men

§ Great power was released when Jesus died on the cross (Matt.27:51-53)

D. o How does this relate to Us today?

§ Altars are built in the heart of man

§ Either God or Idols are worshipped in the heart of man

§ It is in our heart that we choose who or what we will agree with and yield to obey

§ The altar in our heart is our place of commitment and surrender to Jesus.

§ OT Priests were called to serve the altar daily and keep its fire burning

§ We are called to keep our passion and love for Christ alive and burning strongly through the sacrifices of praise and worship and surrender to obey Him

§ Whatever or whoever we worship will shape who we become …we become like them

If we worship idols we become like them(Ps.115:8)

If we worship Jesus we become like Him

2Co 3:17  Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

2Co 3:18  But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

III. Responding to God’s Word

Jacob’s response: Obedience

o Gen 35:2  And Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, "Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your garments.

Gen 35:3  Then let us arise and go up to Bethel; and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me in the way which I have gone."

Gen 35:4  So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods which were in their hands, and the earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree which was by Shechem.

Jacob Leads His Household

A. o Gen 35:2  And Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, "

§ Fear and compromise causes people to draw back from their God ordained role of leadership

§ To Lead means to influence. To inspire others towards positive change

§ Men need to lead their households spiritually or the whole household is affected negatively

§ Everyone of us is called to lead others. We lead best when we learn to follow and imitate Jesus

o Eph 5:1  Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.

Eph 5:2  And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself

An idol is any substitute for the Presence and Person of God

§ The idols we have are “idols of the heart”

§ They are things in our heart that are dear to us and that we serve..we  yield to obey them

§ People hold idols in the heart because they are hurt, broken, and looking to find life

§ Instead of looking to God for life we turn to substitutes that harden our heart and trouble us

§ People turned to idols for:

(i).   Refuge…………………Place of hiding and avoiding storms and troubles in life

What do you turn to for refuge in the storms and pressures of life?

Psa 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.

Psa 46:2  Therefore we will not fear,

(ii).  Strength…………….. Things that seem to give us strength to stand up

What do you turn to to overcome feelings of powerless to make you feel strong?

Psa 27:1  A Psalm of David. The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?

(iii).  Source of Glory…..Things that cause us to feel good about ourselves

What do you turn to to feel good about yourself, to overcome shame and dishonour

Jer 9:23  Thus says the LORD: "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches;

Jer 9:24  But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight," says the LORD.

4. God himself desires to be our refuge, to be our strength, to be our source of Glory

§ Psa 62:7  In God is my salvation and my glory; The rock of my strength, And my refuge, is in God.

§ Psa 84:11  For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly.

§ “Foreign gods in their hands…….”

Hands refer to your what you do, your daily works, activities, priorities

What we hold in our heart impacts what we do daily and how we do it

§ Earrings which were in their ears…”

Ears refer to the voices that you are listening to, voices that influence your decisions, priorities

What voices are you listening to influencing your thinking and actions?

Fear?, Insecurity?, Rejection?, Self Pity?, Inferiority? Envy?, Resentment? Lust?,  Pride?, Culture?

§ If you are listening to these things and yielding to them you are serving “Foreign Gods”

IV.  God Responds to  Our Obedience

1.    Spiritual Authority is Restored

o Gen 35:5  And they journeyed, and the terror of God was upon the cities that were all around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.

o Every place of compromise in our lives leaves open doors for demonic spirits

o Jesus said : Joh 14:30  for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.

o When we live in compromise with sin we lose spiritual authority and become separated from access to the life and resources of God

We also give access to demonic spirits and we become oppressed

o When we break our agreement with demonic spirits and agree with God we become empowered spiritually. We have spiritual authority over our enemies

A.     Fresh Encounter with God

o Gen 35:9  Then God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Padan Aram, and blessed him

§ God always responds when we draw near to Him in faith and expectation

§ Jas 4:8  Draw near to God and He will draw near to you

§ There is a part that God will play…..There is also a part that we must play

§ The initiative is with us…we must act in faith that God will respond to our drawing near

§ We are responsible to draw near…..don't just wait and see what God will do. Nothing!

o God Blessed Jacob

§ Encounters with God always result in blessing….empowerment to succeed in life

§ Blessing is more that just good words….it is the release of Spiritual empowerment

§ We do not work to earn blessing…we position our heart and life to receive blessing by faith

§ We are blessed with every blessing in Christ. We access these by faith

B. What Blessings did God empower Jacob with after he built the altar?

Gen 35:10  And God said to him, "Your name is Jacob; your name shall not be called Jacob anymore, but Israel shall be your name." So He called his name Israel.

Gen 35:11  Also God said to him: "I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body.

Gen 35:12  The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to you; and to your descendants after you I give this land."

§ Jacob’sThreefold Blessing

(i).  Changed Name:   Transformed life, no longer living out of old identity but in confidence

(ii).  Fruitful:                 Harvest of souls. We begin to influence those around us towards God

(iii). Land:                      Inheritance… financial and spiritual enlargement

o Jacob Responds with Gratitude and thankfulness

§ Gen 35:14  So Jacob set up a pillar in the place where He talked with him, a pillar of stone; and he poured a drink offering on it, and he poured oil on it.

Gen 35:15  And Jacob called the name of the place where God spoke with him, Bethel.

§ Jacob responds by building another altar…. a memorial of gratitude for being so blessed