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18 Jul 2021

I Have Loved Jacob [Genesis 28]

Overview

Whilst God describes His holy wrath against sin and sinners, He also declares His love for His people. In His sovereign wisdom, He has set His love upon His elect. The story of Jacob is a story of this love of God. Discover how God's love is Sovereign: He does not love His elect because of who they are or what they have done (or will do). He loves "not because of works but because of him who calls" according to Rom 9:11. It is a love that is entirely based on Him, and not because of us. They who belong to God through Jesus Christ is a blessed people indeed. Then see how God's love can be Spurned: Jacob did not receive God's love into his heart for decades, even if he could see his father and grandfather love God. There are many who are surrounded by witnesses of God's love, but who for many years, choose not to know God or His love. Yet we see God's love is Steadfast: God never gave up on Jacob. He blessed him all the years he was a fugitive. And at the age of 97 (20 years after he ran from home), Jacob finally acknowledged God as his own God, and not just the God of Abraham or Isaac. Perhaps it is a good encouragement that we should never give up on our loved ones and friend, but to keep praying and laboring that they will one day repent and believe in Jesus too.

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Sermon Transcript

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Genesis ... and we come now to Genesis, chapter 28. This will be a short and sharp sermon, because we have our Baptism Service to come. And this is a rather simple approach, we are going to take up this morning. It launches us into a new segment in the book of Genesis, the focus on the life of the story of Jacob.

Let me show you a picture of a movie in time-past. You would see this picture and when I was preparing the sermon, I was putting up this picture on the slide, my youngest son Matthias saw it and said, "Han Solo." Well, alright, not many of you are familiar with Star Wars. Harrison Ford acted as Han Solo in Star Wars, and so he shouted, "Han Solo!" But no, no, no, I'm not talking about Star Wars here!

Harrison Ford acted in this movie called, "The Fugitive". It was a movie that was screened in 1993. Amazing, it's like 30 years ago, I can still remember it! I watched that show. It's a story about a man, a doctor who was framed to be the murderer of his wife. So he went on the run, he became the fugitive. He was running away from the authorities, hoping to prove his innocence and to find the real murderer of his wife.

Well, this morning, we're not going to look at the fugitive, Harrison Ford, but we're going to look at the fugitive, Jacob. Now, Harrison Ford ran as a fugitive because he was innocent, but Jacob, the fugitive ran because he was guilty. You will recall the story of how he deceived his father Isaac, deceived his father to say that he really was Esau when he actually was Jacob.

And he in a sense, swindled his brother of his brother's birthright. So he knew he did wrong and his brother was angry, his brother wanted to kill him, so he got to be on the run. So he bid farewell to his father, his mother. And his father instructed him, "Since you're going away, go to your uncle's place and go get yourself a wife there." So that began that journey of being a fugitive for Jacob.

From where he was at Beersheba, he headed towards Haran. And that's quite a long way away, so the Bible tells us that at night, he took a pit stop at this city, or at this place called Luz, which will subsequently be renamed Bethel. So he stayed there for the night and it was time to sleep, he got himself a stone, a piece of stone and laid his head on that stone.

And thereafter, the Bible tells us there was a dream that he had. This was a unique dream, in that the Bible tells us he dreamt of a stairway or a ladder that reaches up to heaven, and he sees angels ascending and descending upon it.

Now, for those of you who are Bible scholars, immediately you will recall what Jesus said, Jesus is saying in John, chapter 1:51, "You will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man." So Jesus is saying, "That ladder, that stairway that Jacob dreamt about, it was Me. And the angels would traverse Heaven and earth on Me. The reason why they can come down to Earth to bless God's people, and to do God's will is because of what I will do."

Well, that's a Jesus moment, maybe in the future, we may look at that in John, chapter 1. But back to the story, Jacob had this dream, about the stairway and about the angels. And at the top of the stairway, God spoke. And God gave promises to Jacob in his dream, saying to Jacob that, "He will give Jacob the land that He has promised Abraham and Isaac. And God will give Jacob numerous offspring. They will spread out throughout, and that one of the offspring will be a very Special Offspring, because through that Offspring, all the nations of the world will be blessed."

And God said to him, "I surely will be with you, I will not leave you till all these things has ... have been fulfilled." So after that, Jacob woke up and realized that this was a supernatural dream. This was not something ordinary! He knew that God was the one who revealed Himself to him and being afraid, being in awe he began to build an altar and anointed that altar with oil and he made a vow to God.

So chapter 28 gives us a focus, an introduction to the life of Jacob, the story of Jacob. Now, the story of Jacob, I like to just summarize it for you in the next few chapters, is a story of God's love. The story of Jacob is the story of God's love. I get that because later on in Malachi 1:2-3, one of the books, prophetic books of the Bible, it says, "Yet I have loved Jacob, but Esau I have hated."

So the Bible tells us God loved Jacob. And so this morning, very simply, I've entitled the sermon, "I Have Loved Jacob", God's own words. And chapter 28 is a good launching pad for us to just understand how did God love Jacob, what kind of love was this.

[1] A Sovereign Love

First of all, we see that God's love for Jacob was a sovereign love. Now, when you love someone, there are often reasons why you love someone, isn't it? You see in that person some admirable qualities, something that would make you happy, something you're rejoicing or satisfied in.

For example, you find a guy and he looks dashing, you say, "I love him because he looks good." Or "I love her because she's a very kind lady." Or "I love him because we have spent so much time together and we have wonderful experiences." We love people often because of some qualities, some admirable traits we see.

So my question is: Why did God love Jacob? God said, "I have loved Jacob." Why did God love Jacob? Was he a good man? Was he a moral person? Was he someone who was obedient to God? Was he a great servant of God?

Well, quite the opposite! Because if you've been following our sermon series in the past few weeks, you will realize Jacob was actually quite a rascal. He was a cheat. He was a swindler. He conned his father. He ... he wore these goat skins, pretending to be like his brother who was very hairy, so that his father who was blind and couldn't see very well would then bless him wrongly.

Jacob was not a good guy! You could say Jacob was worse, was bad, if not worse than his brother Esau. So why did God say, "Yet I have loved Jacob." [Mal 1:2-3]? There ... there's nothing really good written about Jacob thus far in the Bible.

Well, the Bible tells us, not that God loved Jacob for any admirable traits in him, but that God's simply, sovereignly, unconditionally loved Jacob. You see, God's love for Jacob is not because of Jacob. God's love for Jacob is because of God, who He is.

Now, let me try to explain this. You ... you will see that there is a New Testament explanation for this Old Testament verse. Romans, chapter 9, verses 11 to 13, I know it's quite a chunk here, but let me break it down for you bit by bit.

It says, "Though they were not yet born ..." this refers to both Jacob and Esau, the twin brothers, "Before they were born and even though they could have done nothing either good or bad - in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of Him who calls - she [that is Rebekah, their mother] was told, "The older will serve the younger." As is written, "Jacob I loved but Esau I hated."'

So this is the verse as it is written, we understood that that is taken from Malachi, chapter 1. God says, God declares, "I choose to love Jacob and not Esau." And oh ... and it says, "It was not because of anything that they have done," because God's choice was made even before they were born.

So it's not because Jacob is going to be a good guy, and Esau is a bad guy, but God simply decided sovereignly, "I will love Jacob." Why? "So that God's purpose of election might continue." It's for God's own purpose! Not because Jacob earned it. And again, "Not because of works, but because of Him who calls."

So we learn from Scripture, this very amazing reality: God chooses to love not because of who we are or what we have done, but because of who He is, and because of His purposes.

Now, standing before me today are 14 baptismal candidates. You are baptized because you repent and believe in Jesus Christ. And because you repent and believe in Jesus Christ, you are born again. You have new life with God. You have been blessed with salvation. If I may say, "You are a people who are declaring, "I am loved by God." That's what baptism will represent! "I am washed in the blood of Jesus. I'm cleansed and forgiven of my sins. I am loved by God."

Let me ask you, "Why did God love you?" Is it because you are a better person than your neighbors or your friends or your classmates or your colleagues? No, God does not love you because you are better! God loves you because He is God. "Not because of works, but because of Him who calls." We are all, we believers, we are all recipients of God's amazing grace - His unconditional love.

So what a statement - "Jacob I loved, Esau I hated."! I remember telling you about the story of a lady who went to a pastor and said, "Pastor, I ... I don't understand this verse, "Jacob I loved but Esau I hated." I don't understand how God would hate Esau."' The pastor says, "My problem is not that God hates Esau, because we are all sinners, we're all enemies of God. My problem is to understand how God could love Jacob, because Jacob is a rascal, a sinner, a wicked man."

Well, this is what we learn: God's love is sovereign, it's not conditioned on our performance. It's not because we earned it, but simply because of Him who calls.

So, when Jacob was such a con man, when Jacob was such a swindler, we would have thought God would say to him, "Jacob, because of all the wrongs you have done, you are no longer going to have the birthright. You're no longer to have any blessing." But no, God told us, or God told him, "I will give you the land, your offspring will be so numerous, they will spread all over the earth, like the dust of the earth. I am with you, I will keep you and I will not leave you." [Gen 28:13-15]

Amazing, this is God's love! And if you think about it, that's how God loved Abraham, Jacob's grandfather. That's how God loved Isaac, Jacob's father. God's love for Abraham, for Isaac, for Jacob, for anyone at all is the same. It's not because of who we are, it's not because of what we have done, but all because of Him who calls.

And so this morning, I want to say to you, "Friends, guests, those listening online, this is the amazing love of God, "God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."' [Rom 5:8]

The Christian message is not the message that says, "Do good, be good, earn God's love." That's not the Christian message. The Christian message is: You can't do good. You are no good. You can never earn God's love, but God still loves you. And He gave His Son Jesus Christ to die for you. So that if you are to repent and believe in Him, you might find eternal life. This is the message of the Bible.

Every other religion tells you earn your deities' love, but the Christian message is: Your God is so amazing, His love is so amazing, that it is lavished not on deserving people, but on absolutely undeserving people. He gave His Son for us while we were still sinners.

So once again, baptism is not a process by which people boast that they are so good that God saves them. Baptism is a celebration of God's amazing love, that I am so undeserving and yet God still loves me. So all praise and glory be to God!

So we see today, that God's love for Jacob is a sovereign love. It is all because of God, nothing to do with what anyone else can perform or live up to. It's an unconditional, sovereignly decided love.

[2] A Spurned Love

But secondly, I'd like us to consider the love of God for Jacob is also a spurned love. You say, "What's the word, 'spurn'?" Spurn means to reject. Jacob for a long time in his life would spurn God's love. Jacob for a long time in his life will reject God's love, will not appreciate or receive God's love into his life.

You say, "But pastor, I thought Jacob is a Christian." Well, he will be, he will be a believer, but not now, not yet, not in Genesis 28. At this point of time, he still has not really appreciated or comprehended or received God's love. He has spurned God's love all this while, even though his grandfather, even though his father are believers of God. He himself, he does not have a personal relationship with God.

How do you know that? Well, there are many hints in the passage and in the passages we have read. For example, in this very chapter, he will make a vow to God and this vow is like a bribe. This vow is like saying, "Ah, I'm not so sure if you will really be so good to me, but I'm going to secure it with my own works, alright."

"Jacob made a vow, "If God will be with me and will keep me in the way that I go and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, so that I come again to my father's house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God." [Gen 28:20-21]

He's saying, "God, you say you are going to bless me, alright, if you really keep the end of Your deal, then you will be my God. But for now, I'm not so sure. For now, I'm not going to quite fully believe it. Next time when I come back safe and sound, yes ... you will be my God."

So this Jacob, he ... he's ... I think, a very good businessman, he was able to sell the bowl of soup for a birthright, he must be quite sharp at this. But at this stage, he's still trying to cut a deal with God. He's not entirely convinced of God's love for him.

Now, if you remember earlier on, last week we look at chapter 27, Isaac was saying to Jacob, "How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?" [Gen 27:20] "How is it that you could go and catch that prey and cook this meal for me?" Jacob, deceiving Isaac and pretending to be Esau then said, "Because the LORD your God granted me success." [Gen 27:20]

Now, even as a con man, he can't quite divorce his own feelings here. He's saying, "The LORD your God?" Maybe he can't quite say that, "It's the LORD our God. It's the LORD my God." "It's LORD, your God, Isaac. Not mine as yet!"

And in chapter 28, verse 13, "When God appeared to Jacob, He said, "I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac." God did not say, "I am your God. I'm not a God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, I'm just a God of Abraham and Isaac at this point of time." It's almost hinting to us Jacob has not yet really believed, and God is not yet his God.

And then later on Genesis 31, alright, so this is like three chapters down, "I see that your father does not regard me with favor as you did before ..." this is speaking to someone else, "... but the God of my father ..." Huh, I mean if God is his God, he will say, "But 'my' God." But no, no, no! He says, "The God of my father." [Gen 31:5]

So for all this while, he has not yet received. And then in chapter 31, verse 42, "If the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac had not been on my side." By the way, this is ... this is many years down the road, alright, many years down the road, Jacob is still not saying, "God is my God."

What do we say to these things? Well, I learned that for many years in Jacob's life, even though he's familiar with the Name of God, he knows that his grandfather and his father worship this God, he himself has not really received God.

I thought this is so appropriate for all of you, guests and family and friends. Baptismal candidates right here, your family and friends are getting baptized, because they believe in God and His Son, Jesus Christ to save them from their sins. But what about you? Because you may see that the God is their God, but you have not received God into your own life.

We all have a personal choice and decision to make. And it is sad indeed that people can live up in a ... can live or grow up, or live in a Christian home, but very far away from the love of God. Because there's a barrier here, it just won't enter in, you would spurn the love of God.

[3] The Steadfast Love

But thankfully, the story does not end with the spurning of God's love, because thirdly, we see the steadfast love of God.

God never let Jacob go. Jacob would kind of not want to have God as his God for a long while, but God never gave up on Jacob, as He has promised in verse 15, "Behold, I am with you, and will keep you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land, for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." [Gen 28:15]

And God kept the end of his deal, God kept to His Word. So for many years, you will see that Jacob, we are going to study that in the next few weeks, Jacob would struggle, he would suffer, he will be cheated by his own father-in-law, Laban in ... in where he ... he's in. So he will be cheated, he will be deceived, but even though he lived under a very difficult circumstance, God continued to bless Jacob.

And not only that, when he came back to his homeland with his ... to see his parents, he met up with his brother Esau, who he thought wanted to kill him, and God also saved him from that. So after all this, he has been away from home for 20 years, this fugitive has been on the run for 20 years. 20 years later, God has been with him throughout. And as he reflected on that, he said, "God has loved me, and indeed is God." "And so he set up an altar and then he called the altar, El Elohe-Israel." [Gen 33:20] Which means - God, God of Israel.

He's saying, "This God, let me tell you, He is not just the God of Abraham, He is not just the God of Isaac, He's the God of Israel." And who is Israel? Jacob's new name. So Jacob is saying, "Finally alright, after all these years ..." By the way, how old is Jacob at this point of time? Anybody knows? He has been on the run for 20 years already.

Well, for those who ... I don't think anyone of you would know, because this does take some research. But at this point of time, Jacob is 97 years old, older than any one of you, I suppose. At nineties, but in those days, people live a bit longer lah ah! At 97 years old, after being raised in a Christian home, seeing his grandfather, his father believe in God, finally he says, "God is now my God."

Hey, I thought this is really interesting! Because from now onwards, God is now not known just as the God of Abraham and Isaac, but when God appeared to Moses, hundreds of years later, God said to Moses, "I'm the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." [Ex 3:6] Why? Because, "I love Jacob and I pursued him until the day he would turn and believe in Me."

So what a story, Jacob called God, his God at age 97! I just want to end with a few thoughts.

Thought 1: Don't Give Up

Number one, don't give up on your family. Some of you say, "My kids, they are running away from God, they are living a sinful life, they are behaving terribly." Well, what's the ... what's new? People who do not know God, what do you expect them to do? But don't give up on them because like Jacob, God may call them to salvation one day.

And I think it's always the job ... the job, the responsibility of the parents to pray for their children. Don't give up on them, we do not know God's sovereign election plans, we can never peep over to the other side. But what we can do is to continue to pray for our children, we can continue to live godly lives. We can continue to share God's Word, if we have the opportunity to. And let's pray that they will one day be born again. Don't give up on them. For that matter, don't give up on your parents. Don't give up on the people that God has called you to journey with.

Thought 2: It Takes Time

Number two, I like us to say that, "To understand that salvation sometimes takes time." When we share the Gospel, sometimes we want instant results, almost like instant noodles, like a vending machine, put in the coin and the drink drops out. But salvation doesn't always happen like this.

Don't you realize! Paul gives us an imagery of farming. He says, "There are some who sow and there'll be some who will water. And it is God who gives the increase." Sowing and reaping is not immediate, it takes time!

So when you share the Gospel with people, and when you journey with people in the Gospel, please do not be impatient. Don't expect them to after hear ... after hearing you share the Gospel immediately say, "I believe!" In fact, for those who say, "I immediately, I believe." I'm a bit 'chuak' [frighten in Hokkien dialect], you know. I'm a bit, er .. "Are you sure? 'Zhun boh' [Hokkien dialect] Really ah! So easy, meh!"

Because I do realize that there are understandings that need to be worked through. There are convictions that need to be worked through and so let's be patient with people. Apostle Paul, he reasoned in the synagogues for months, every day, because he understands not everyone can believe immediately.

So be patient, and journey with people because it does take time. And sometimes it takes difficulties to wake people up from their ... their inertia. There's some people who don't see a reason why they should believe in God until maybe crisis comes. Until maybe like Jacob, they go to Laban, or maybe like Jacob, they have to face Esau, and now they are awakened to their senses.

So sometimes we need a Bethel experience, sometimes we need a Jabbok experience the river Jabbok, that's where Jacob would meet with the angel of the LORD. We need maybe these incidents to wake us up.

Thought 3: It's Personal

And then may I say, "It is personal." Abraham could not believe for Jacob. Isaac could not believe for Jacob. Jacob must believe himself.

So if you're here today, you're listening online, it's cool, it's great if you know someone who is a Christian, if you know someone who believes in God through Jesus Christ, His Son. But what's really important is that you yourself would believe in Jesus Christ, because nobody could believe for you on your behalf.

So, let me ask you today, "Do you realize that perhaps God is pursuing you? Do you realize that perhaps God has set His love upon you?" Now, I'm not saying that, "You have a similar dream like Jacob did" But could you today look back at your life and say, "Yah, I really messed up big time, but somehow, I'm ... I avoid this disaster, somehow this tragedy is averted." And could it be that God is putting all these things together so that He might reach you and maybe even your presence here today is God calling out to you?

Well, God is a God of love. How do you know he is a God of love? He gave His Son Jesus Christ to die while we were yet sinners. I pray today, no matter how old you are 97, 79, 17 you would say "It's enough, God loves me, He gave His Son to die on a cross. And that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.” I urge you today to repent and believe in Jesus Christ.

Let's bow for a word of prayer together.

Father, we thank You for this morning, and for the privilege of hearing Your Word. Whilst You are a God of holy wrath against sin and sinners, You are the God of love in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

We do not know who are the people You sovereignly have chosen to set Your love upon, but we do know that Your promise is clear: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.

I pray that this glorious promise will be wonderfully believed upon and received into many hearts. I pray that people today would stop rejecting the message of the Good News. They will stop spurning Your love, but as they reflect upon how You have led them thus far, they would humble themselves, repent and believe in Jesus Christ, Your Son.

Father, we celebrate Your love today. It's a great, it's an amazing, it's an out-of-this-world kind of love. We thank You for the baptismal candidates, each one of them testifying of Your love. And we want to pray in particular for their family and friends that they too would personally receive this love, save souls and glorify Yourself.

And we want to pray for Christians today as well. As we look back at our life, as we look back at how You called us, saved us, protect us, protected us and blessed us. I pray we will be a people who would lovingly obey You and worship You with our lives. Thank You. We pray all this now in Jesus' Name. Amen.

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