Lesson Title: Do you have a God of your past?
Main Idea: God isn't just the God of your history. He should be a God of your present, working to shape you into who He wants you to be.
Main Teaching Passage: Genesis 25-35 - we covered the overall narrative of Jacob/Israel's life and focused in on a few significant moments.
Secondary Support Passages: Judges 2:10/Hebrews 4:12
X. The Roman Numeral for ten. By adding one line how can you reduce the Roman numeral for ten by 10%? Simple. IX. Now add one line to reduce the Roman numeral for ten by 40%. There are at least two ways to do it.
You can do it one by way adding a curvy line - SIX. Or you can go another more mathematical route IX6 or 1 x 6 which equals 6. If that stumped you it was probably because of the direction I gave at the very beginning. I told you that X was the Roman numeral for ten and thus set the framework for how you would go about trying to solve the problems. You were probably limiting yourself to only using Roman numerals. I never said JUST to use Roman numerals. But by couching it in that language I had already limited how you would interpret it.
The Bible can be that way for us too. We get stuck seeing all of the answers in the same way. Some preacher preached a sermon on a specific passage and that has been the sole interpretation we have allowed all of our lives. Or a sermon was preached about an event in scripture through one participant's eyes from that event. And that is locked in. The challenge in making sure God is doing new and refreshing things in our lives is getting past our programming. There just may be more ways that the Word can penetrate and shape. Hebrews 4:12 calls the scriptures living and active. Not static and ancient. It can change and be different things for us. The 23rd Psalm can be lovely poetry about abiding in God's presence but as you get older it can create hope in hopeless moments, comfort in mourning etc. As you mature and grow, the scripture can speak differently. But if we are programmed with a limited acceptance of what it can do, we are limiting how God can work today and locking him into being a God of our history.
Now don't get me wrong, it is incredible to have God of our past.
- We remember what God has done for us and it causes us to appreciate Him even more - driving us to praise and worship him.
- We remember what God has done for us and it causes us to learn - driving us through discipline to growth.
BUT we also remember to recapture or re-create the same experience. We had a legitimate, genuine experience with God and we try to generate the sequel - second verse same as the first. We try to set everything up in the same way, hoping for the same results. The problem is that only a few sequels are actually better than the original, let alone as good. A copy of a copy of a copy has such low quality and clarity. Allow God the freedom to do something new in your life today.
It is also great to have a God of your future. Jesus secured your eternity in Heaven. He also secured your connection with Him on earth through the Holy Spirit.
Jacob's life is a great example of allowing God to work in your present. More than any other Old Testament person, Jacob is associated with God. 22 times throughout scripture the phrase God of Jacob appears. You can skim through those ten chapters and get a refresher on the life of Jacob.
Some highlights:
- younger twin brother of Esau. when born God told Rebekah (Jacob's mother) that Esau would be the servant of Jacob, basically changing the order of birth. Jacob would be considered the eldest by God.
- Esau forfeits his birthright (85% of everything the family had/owned) for some stew when he had come back in from the hunt, starving. The maker of the stew and the owner of the birthright? Jacob
- Esau was daddy's favorite. Jacob was mommy's. Proof that being a mommy's boy will always pay off in the end. And more proof that dads are essentially clueless and gullible...HA!
- When Isaac (dad) was dying he called for Esau to come in and receive the blessing. This was more important than the birthright. The birthright was just stuff. The blessing was the promise and anointing of God on the family, as made by God to Abraham. Rebekah overheard the plans of Isaac (who was also sending Esau out for a special last supper). She went into overtime to work with Jacob to deceive Isaac.
- Jacob steals the blessing. If this dysfunctional family was just obedient to God, Jacob would have had both the blessing and birthright without all of the drama, hurt, pain and deception.
- Jacob flees Esau's wrath and has a few encounters with God, eventually making a covenant relationship with God and moving to his uncle Laban's to marry both Laban's daughters. Jacob reconciles with Esau and comes home. At this point his mother has passed away but his father Isaac has made a dramatic recovery and lived many, many more years.
- God continues to work in Jacob's life and changes his name to Israel.
Jacob experiences the transforming power, grace and plan of God in his life. He has a God of his past, a God of his history - Abraham and Isaac. He has a God of his future -the nation and people of Israel and Judah. But he has a God of his present who carries him, cares for him, protects him and provides for him.
Do you have a God of your present? Are you allowing God to move and work and shape you daily?
Some questions to think about:
- What if the heritage of God in your family ends with you? Judges 2:10 speaks of the danger of not sharing about what God has done in your life with your family.
- What if the heritage of God in your family begins with you?
- Is the Bible still speaking to you daily? Here is a nice litmus test on your connection to God's word.
Not counting Genesis 1:1 and John 3:16 or any verse that you are not sure the book, chapter and verse where to find it, do you have a verse of scripture memorized for every year you have had a God of your present? I have been a believer since 1988. Do I have AT LEAST 25 verses memorized? I bet I have at least 25 songs, movie lines etc down pat. What about you?
Just some things to think about. Let the transforming grace, power and plans of God work in your life today. Make sure you have a God of your past and not JUST a God of your past.
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