Sunday Service – 2006 Family Message 03

18/6/06
<Genesis 35:1-15>

THE JACOB’S FAMILY WHO WAS SANCTIFIED THROUGH

PROBLEMS

Past Family Month Messages:

First Week
• God told Abraham: I will bless you and make you a great Nation. This blessing
came upon Abraham the moment he believes.
• We are children of God. We must not try hard to become His Children. We are
the royal priest. We must not try hard to become royal priest.
• The moment we try hard, it is no longer grace
• God told us that we are the source of all blessings. Therefore, all the struggles,
problems that we faced are the conditions and processes of this source of all
blessings
• Because of us, our family is blessed and loved. Therefore, all the problems
that we faced in our family right now are the conditions for blessings and love
• God wants us to first believe that we are blessed and loved
• The fastest way for us to bless our family members is to become Prince
ourselves. Therefore, once we can see ourselves the way God sees us exactly,
great blessings will come upon us and our family
• Abraham does not believe initially. Thus, God wants him to be circumcised.
God wants him to inscribe the covenant upon his heart and confirmed it day
and night. And when this faith slowly build up in Abraham, God gave him the
reward of the righteous man.

Second Week
• The second message we received was on Isaac
• Isaac was already blessed. Therefore, the only thing he needs to do is to pray.
Only prayer can sustain his faith, only prayer can sustain his hearts and mind
and turn all problems into 100 folds of blessings
• Our family must have the background of prayers
• The oneness in the prayer of a couple is most important in blessing the family
(for singles, continue to let prayers be your priority).
• Those with children must teach their children the mystery of prayers. They
must tell their children the reason they must definitely pray

Today’s message
• And today, we are looking at the life of Jacob
• Our old problem do not go away because we keep on refusing to change
• Actually, Jacob was most blessed. Jacob’s name was changed to “Israel”. It
means overcoming God and man. From Israel, it comes the 12 tribes, great
kings and eventually Jesus Christ, 12 apostles, and now all nations.
• However, such a blessed person like Jacob faced problems all his life. Even
when he is still in the womb of Rebekah, he started fighting.
Read <Genesis 35:1-15>
v.1 “Go up”, means ‘get up’. Get up from our ironies. Get up from our
disheartenments! We must get up because God’s perfect will is in our
problems
v.3 Jacob submits to God after hearing God’s voice. He knew that all his
possessions were given by God
v.9 “Jacob” means “he grasps”. It means that he did things on his own, relying
on his own strength. Therefore, God wants him to change his name.
• Have you wonder why God did not give Jacob a very smooth life since God had
already decided to bless Jacob? Why did God allow Jacob be born second in
place when God can even make Jacob the only son?
• The whole of Jacob’s life was filled with problems. A lot of people have family
problems even when the husband has only one wife. Moreover, a family with 2
or 3 sons will already be in a terrible mess! How much problems Jacob had
faced when he had 4 wives and 12 sons bore by all different mothers? Why did
God not let Jacob just have one wife would do?
• Therefore, Jacob’s life is full of misery

1. Jacob grew up in irony

• Unless Jacob discover the reasons for his problems, he will not be able to
hear God’s voice, and he will continue to live in misery and without joy.
Actually, God has a great purpose in all these problems:
1) It is God’s principle that He does not choose people basing on their
birth sequence or conditions. It all depends on who was loved by God.
2) Jacob is the second son. This means that he does not have the best
condition. Therefore, this made him follow God’s promise even closely
so as to receive the blessings of firstborn.
3) God allows problems in his life (e.g. chased by his brother Esau,
deceived by his uncle, Laban) because God wants to display His doing
in Jacob’s problems by blessing him through his problems.
• Therefore, we must also discover God’s purpose for us and our family
today
• We might have spiritual problems the moment we were born. We might
have a very high ego and want to be the best in everything. We might feel
terrible seeing others have everything but we don’t. We might have a very
terrible past or family background. We might be bound by inferiority, guilt,
sins, and we might be facing all kinds of problems now, etc….
• But the moment we present our problems, struggles before God and get
hold of His perfect will, all these become blessings, testimonies, and
answers for us to bless others.
• God can use every of conditions, including the very inferior and useless
ones. This is because all men are bound by the same problems
• We can be one who is timid, easily worried or one who always feel
insecure. However, after we know God’s perfect will, we realized that most
of the people around us have these sorts of personalities also. We can
provide them with answers after knowing their personalities or
backgrounds. And our message will truly heal others
• We must know God’s purpose for the conditions we possessed. We must
know the purpose of our every problem in our family. Once we come
before God and find them out, the Holy Spirit convict us clearly and we will
be used greatly by God.
 • Paul understood. For three times, Paul had asked God to remove the thorn
in his flesh that was tormenting him. However, Paul received God’s answer.
The thorn was there to remind him to be humble. Thus, his illness became
his strength
• Paul had felt terribly guilty and sinful thus he declared that he was the
worst of all sinners. However, he’d received the answers. He discovers the
great love and grace of Jesus Christ because of his sins. Thus, he has such
great shock when he accepted Jesus Christ
• And the persecution Paul faced in his ministry became great blessings
eventually. Because of his persecution, great doors of evangelism were
opened. And he finds strength to do all things through Jesus Christ who
gave him strength.
• Many a times, we misunderstood the Bible:
• In the past, we might think that all the characters in the Bible are blessed
because of their holiness and great faith. However, the truth is that they
are more blessed than us because their conditions/problems are worse
than ours. Therefore, Paul discovered: “Where sins increase, grace increase
all the more”.
• Do you really believe that you are children of God? If yes, then do you
believe that God will take responsibility over all your problems and
conditions?
• A father will have an interest over everything that is connected to his
children. Likewise, our Father in Heaven will have interest and concern
over all our (i.e. His children) conditions, even though we may appear
ordinary in the eyes of the world.
• God will take note of all my conditions and details.
• Changes will take place when you restore God’s blessed perspective of you
and your family.
• Only when we truly understand how deep is God’s love and care for us, we
cannot restore true thanksgiving and trust in Him
• Many are puzzled why those who follow God has a harder life.
• <Psalm 73>
• David was puzzled why he (a person who loves God) is always facing
hardships and problems while those who doesn’t know God are living
happily, enjoying themselves with all the things of world, and leading easy
lives.
• Only when he entered the sanctuary of God and come before his holiness,
did he realize that the good things received by those who do not know God
will be useless for them as they will enter curse and eternal hell in the
blink of an eye
• But for those whom God love, God wants to bless him eternally. Therefore,
God leads his life in a way such that he could receive eternal blessings.
• Take heart, God is guiding our life with an eternal purpose. Therefore, do
not look at temporary possessions or loss. In time to come (both in this life
and in the life to come), we’ll realize that God is going to give us the truly
‘best’ in all things
• Thus our life will go through a time of sanctification

2. Jacob went through sanctification

• Most of Jacob’s problems and sufferings are a result of his own doings (i.e.
come from his disbelief and unwillingness to submit)
• Before Jacob was born, God had already told Rebekah that He had decided
to bless Jacob. Therefore, Jacob would have received greater blessings if he
didn’t do things by his own means.
• Jacob would have found favor in Isaac’s eyes if he trust God and walk with
God daily, putting his life in prayers and discovering God’s perfect will in
his everyday lives. With that, he will be able to bless his family and testify
God in all his living, and it would not be difficult for him to receive Isaac’s
blessings then
• However, Isaac was not able to see the blessings on Jacob because the
latter live in frustration and anxiety daily, worrying over what could be
done to receive the blessings of firstborn. This eventually resulted in him
deceiving his father and brother
• Actually, a truly blessed person should not have any sufferings in his days
on earth. This is because he can see the reason to give thanks and rejoice
in all circumstances, amidst all challenges.
• However, because of our self driven nature, we will do a lot of things by
our own means when we are anxious and all these will lead to a worse
consequence. E.g. we will need to tell two lies to cover up the initial lie
• Jacob’s lie is therefore not a problem of bad conduct, but a root problem of
disbelief, a problem of self-driven
• Many a times, we are struggling with our prayers and thus become
anxious. We will use our human efforts when we cannot see any answer
after we’d prayed
• E.g. we become worried because of the poor results we got for our exams.
Therefore, we will receive more fears in failing the exams and thus put in
more efforts in our studies and try to get better results. After a while, we
might stop going to church because we need the time to study. All these
will only bring undesired outcome
• We often say that we know the truth but do not know how to bless others
with the truths we know. With our self-driven ways to bless our family,
we’ve often brought hurts and pressure to them. Many a times, we
ourselves cannot receive grace through prayers, yet we want to force our
love ones to receive this grace
• Actually, the best way we can bless others is to first receive peace. Our
hearts should yearn to hear God’s loving voice more than to change our
family members, and thus be filled with love and hope for them. Only with
this kind of spiritual peace, will we be able to change our family. And when
we are truly at peace, we will not do things by our own efforts/means. Our
actions, words will start to bless them
• To have peace means: it is more important to hear God’s voice (i.e. love)
than to bless others
• God’s blessings will come upon my family naturally when I have peace
• Hearing the voice of God is the way we can have peace. A person can
only be truly sanctified when he truly hears the voice of God.
• While Jacob was running away from his brother Esau, he hears God’s voice
in Bethel. God told him: I am the God of your father and I will bless you.
Thus, do not be afraid! God told us not to be afraid or anxious because
when we are afraid, or anxious, we will be man-driven again.
 • Jacob heard the voice of God when he was struggling with Him. He heard
God telling him to change his name, from Jacob to Israel. God told him that
he will not only win over men, but also God. (i.e. God has no choice but to
bless him wherever he goes)
• Sanctification is not about having changes in our behaviors, developing
good works through self-cultivation.
• Sanctification is about changing our motives after we had heard God’s
voice
• Sanctification is about changing our old ways of living, from being man-
driven to God-driven. It is about dying to ourselves, and made alive in
Christ. (i.e. restoring Christ’s purpose, content, method in all our living)
• However, being God-driven does not mean we should just sit back and do
nothing
• A person who relies on God will know that God does His work through us.
Therefore, relying on God means to discover (listen) and submit (do)
• Therefore, if we hear him correctly, we will know that God is working
through us today. Thus, we put in our time, effort, works meaningfully and
submissively to Him

3. Jacob built the altar in Bethel (i.e. the key to sanctification)

• Jacob told his household:
1) ‘Get rid of the foreign gods (idols)…purify yourself and change your
clothes’: This is to be set apart. Our motives, content and method of
life must be truly set apart
2) ‘Then come, let us go up to Bethel’: This is to turn to the Lord (the true
and living God)
3) ‘…where I will build an altar to God’: This is to live a prayer-centered
life
• All these 3 points should be our resolutions
• The resolution that God desires is not one that is made casually, but one
that is made painstakingly with a contrite spirit (after seeing the harm that
came upon our life and our family because of our worldly ways of living).
True resolutions are a result of us realizing that our lives are incorrect and
our self-driven way of living, idolatry, loving the world will end up
destroying ourselves and our families
• We are different from the people belonging to this world. Therefore, if we
use their way of living in our career and leading our families, we will fail.
• The world will consume the life of a believer bit by bit as how the people of
Shechem wish to ‘devour’ Jacob and his family by having inter-marriage
with them
• We can also see that the spiritual problems of lying gets worsen from
generations to generations. When Abraham only lies to the king to protect
himself, the children of Jacob lie to kill their enemies as well as their own
brother, Joseph
• Thus, it is very important that we must demolish our old self thoroughly
and re-establish ourselves in the covenant of God. The spiritual problem in
our family can only be broken when we have turned around and enter
Bethel.
 • Before we want to change our family members, rid ourselves of the world,
change our clothes, purify ourselves and move towards the Bethel (i.e.
establish our lives on the covenant)
• As a spiritual parent, we are the priest of our family. Therefore, your family
will naturally be blessed and protected when your life gets cleansed up.
• Brothers in the church must grow spiritually because they are the heads of
their families. When brothers are spiritually cleansed, they will always see
the greatness of God and his promise (vision) and not be bothered by the
small and insignificant things/man’s weaknesses at home.
• If a brother is not spiritually matured, his spiritual problem will be passed
on to his children only with greater impact. E.g. Jacob’s desire over the
world will caused his children to love the world ten times more than Jacob.
• Gossips and opinions by sisters should be reduced. Their words should be
used in comforting others while their caring likeness gives others
understanding.
• True sanctification is not about changing our behaviors but turning our
whole lives towards God
• Therefore, do not be discouraged in the process of sanctification because
we will receive many answers and testimonies in the process of it. And
sanctification gives us clear understanding of God’s perfect will which will
be great answers and blessings to many others.

PRAYER AND SHARING TOPICS

1. The family of Jacob was established from all sorts of contradictions.

However, God’s perfect will is hidden in every contradiction. There
are also a lot of contradictions in the content of my family. Have I
already discovered the perfect will that is hidden in the contradiction
of my family? Change every contradiction in my family to be the
motivational force of additional grace, by careful examination and
confirmation of God’s perfect will.

2. Jacob and his family started off with contradictions. They walked on
the path of sanctification daily and finally becomes “Israel” (which
means overcoming God) and blessed Egypt and the Gentiles. Confirm:
How had God, my Father, led my family and me on this path of
sanctification in the past? How many stage can this path be divided?
Is there any special experience of God displaying Himself to me? How
is the path in the future going to be approximately?

3. Jacob resolute and was transformed. He moved from Shechem to

Bethel and built an altar there. He got hold of God’s eternal covenant
after having lived an altar-centered life and was officially named as
“Israel”. Henceforth, his whole family entered the timetable of great
blessings. Are there any old problems on my family or me that do not
seem to leave at all? Am I willing to build a “Bethel’s altar” in the
Holy of Holy of my life and have a transformed life, believing in God’s
eternal covenant (establish this covenant with Him), living an altar-
centered life, termed as “true Israelite” and blessing families, region
and the Gentiles?