Sermon Tone Analysis

*LET’S GO BACK*

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*TEXT: Genesis 35:1-15 *

 

*Introduction*: The church needs revival.

The hearts of believers all over the world are cold and complacent and in many cases unconcerned and indifferent.

Few are living godly lives; most are living carnal and fleshly lives.

Believers have been caught up in the worldly environment and technology of society, seeking the bright lights and pleasures and comforts of the world.

Few believers have a testimony for the Lord any longer; there is no obvious difference between a professing Christian and an unbeliever.

People can see little if any difference in the lives of professing believers.

   Believers go to the same places unbelievers go, whether good or bad, moral or immoral.

   Believers too often use the same off-colored language and tell the same off-colored jokes as unbelievers.

   Believers talk about the same subjects as unbelievers, seldom discussing Jesus Christ and His gospel.

   Believers read the same magazines and books as unbelievers, whether moral or immoral.

   Believers look at the same television programs or movies as unbelievers, whether moral or immoral, whether clean or foul-mouthed.

Believers need revival.

They need to clean up their lives, repent, and turn to God with a new commitment to follow Him as never before.

Revival—true revival—is the only answer to the overwhelming problems of our society and world.

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I.           There/ /is God’s call (v.1).

God called Jacob to revival.

Jacob was facing unbearable trouble, a desperation that created a deep sense of need in his heart and life.

Jacob was afraid, frightened to the core of his being.

His daughter, Dinah, had just been abused and raped by the local prince of the area.

In retaliation, his sons had just struck out and killed all the males of the city.

They had also looted the city, taking all the women and children as servants.

Now Jacob was facing retaliation from the surrounding rulers.

In fact, he was actually expecting them to join forces to attack and destroy him (Genesis 34:30).

He was very fearful of what was about to happen.

But other things were bothering Jacob as well.

!! A.        Jacob had not set a spiritual example before his children.

!!! 1.

He had not given them the needed spiritual and moral guidance.

!!! 2.      He had often demonstrated a weak character before his children, seldom standing up to others for what he knew to be right (Genesis 27:11-12; Genesis 29:25-28; Genesis 30:1-4, 9; Genesis 31:19-20).

!!! 3.

He had lived a carnal, worldly life, and the impact upon his children was now being reaped.

!!! 4.      Jacob was heartsick, needing God to step into the life of his dear family and bring revival to them all.

!! B.        Jacob had a deep sense of disobedience and backsliding.

!!! 1.

He had been back in the promised land for some nine or ten years, yet he had never taken time to travel up to Bethel to fulfill his vow to God, that he would worship God at Bethel when he was in the area

!!! 2.      There was no excuse for his continued disobedience, for Bethel was only a day’s journey away, only some twenty to thirty miles distance.

Moreover, right before entering the Promised Land, God had given Jacob a deep spiritual experience at Penuel Thus when he entered the promised land, he had an unusual sense of God’s presence, and his responsibility to journey up to Bethel was bound to be fresh upon his mind.

Yet he had settled down right beside Shechem and soon forgotten Bethel.

He had forgotten his vow to God.

The growing and convicting power of God’s Spirit was no doubt working on Jacob, convicting him of his disobedience and backsliding.

!!! 3.      Jacob was also bothered about something else, deeply bothered about it.

He had allowed idolatry, the worship of other gods, within his own household.

The point to see now is that Jacob had not made God the Lord of his household, and he was now being forced to face up to his failure.

With all the trouble that had fallen upon him and his family, Jacob had to search and find out what was wrong, what had caused God to remove His protective hand from him.

Jacob’s conclusion was bound to be that the fault lay within his own heart and life, that he had been disobedient and backsliding.

And now God was dealing with him in discipline.

But the truth of the matter was this: God had always been dealing with Jacob.

God had never left him alone.

It had just taken a long time for Jacob to face up to his failures.

In fact, it had taken the crisis of the threatening attack of the surrounding nations.

What had happened was probably this: Jacob had gone to the Lord in prayer.

He was broken and crying out to God for help and understanding.

In response, God spoke to Jacob telling him two things: to move up to Bethel and to build an altar there (Genesis 35:1), an altar where he and his people could seek and worship the Lord (Genesis 35:1).

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II.

There is God’s message (v.2-3).

After God had spoken to Jacob, Jacob gathered his people together and proclaimed God’s message to them.

The message included five points.

!! A.        The people were to get rid of all their false gods (Genesis 35:2).

!!! 1.

What a shock to us!

To think that this man of God had allowed idols, the worship of false gods, within his own household!

These idols probably included...

!!!! a)      The gods taken by Rachel.

!!!! b)      The foreign gods taken in the looting of Shechem .

!!!! c)      The gods of his servants.

!!! 2.      Jacob had no doubt taught his family about God and His promises, but he had failed to demand obedience in the worship of God.

He had not made the Lord the God of his entire household.

He was still allowing the worship of other god’s right there in his own presence.

!!! 3.      How many people today still hang on to the gods and idols of this earth?

Remember, anything can become a god to us.

Whatever consumes us—whatever we give ourselves to, whatever dominates us, whatever we look to for help, whatever we put before God Himself—that thing becomes a god or idol in our lives.

It may be things such as...

!!! 4.      God’s call is unmistakably clear and forceful: put away all the gods and idols in your lives.

!! B.        The people were to cleanse and purify themselves (Genesis 35:2).

!!! 1.

They were to purge their hearts of all sin, put all sin out of their lives.

!!! 2.      This demand may have included some form of ceremonial washing, a washing that symbolized the fact that they were cleansing themselves from all sin.

!! C.        The people were to change their clothing (Genesis 35:2).

!!! 1.

This symbolized that they were putting off the old life of sin and putting on the new life of godliness.

!! D.        The people were to go up to Bethel, the house of God, and seek God in worship (Genesis 35:3).

!!! 1.

They were to seek God, seek His face for forgiveness and deliverance.

!!! 2.      Keep in mind that the entire household of Jacob, including all his workers and servants, were very much aware of the threat from the surrounding nations.

!!! 3.      They were far fewer in number than their neighbors, so they knew that it was going to take supernatural help if they were going to be saved and delivered.

!!! 4.      Jacob’s message was driving across this point: sin had brought the trouble upon the household.

Consequently, the only hope for deliverance was to put all sin out of their lives and seek God for revival, seek Him with all their hearts and lives.

!! E.        The people needed to remember God’s great deliverance in the past.

!!! 1.

No doubt Jacob had often shared with his people how God had delivered him at Bethel, delivered him when he was fleeing for his life from Esau.

!!! 2.      Now, he reminded the people once again of God’s great deliverance.

!!! 3.      The thought is that God would do it again.

If the people would just go up to Bethel and seek God, God would deliver them from their present distress and trouble.

God would give them a glorious revival, save and deliver them.

!! F.         God delivers His people always delivers those who turn to Him.

!!! 1.      God delivers us from all trouble and evil.

!!! 2.      God delivers us from our enemies.

!!! 3.      God delivers us from all fears, even from the fear of death.

!!! 4.      God delivers us from temptation and evil.

!!! 5.      God delivers us from pestilence and disease.

We need to listen to God; I imagine that God sometimes feels like former President Roosevelt once felt.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt got tired of smiling that big smile and saying the usual things at all those White House receptions.

So, one evening he decided to find out whether anybody was paying attention to what he was saying.

As each person came up to him with extended hand, he flashed that big smile and said; “I murdered my grandmother this morning.”

People would automatically respond with comments such as “How lovely!” or “Just continue with your great work!” Nobody listened to what he was saying, except one foreign diplomat.

When the president said, “I murdered my grandmother this morning,” the diplomat responded softly, “I’m sure she had it coming to her.”