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I’m going to invite you to Genesis. Chapter 33 is where we’re at together. Genesis chapter 33. It’s been a few weeks since we’ve been in this section of Genesis. So for some of us, we need a little bit of a refresher. And if you’re new to this book of Genesis, if this is your first Sunday, it’s good because I’m going to give a little refresher where we are. We’ve been following the story of Jacob. If you think about the book of Genesis, it’s really broken up to this point in three sections. The first 11 chapters, we lose hope because we see from from the very beginning of creation with humanity. God creates a perfect world, and a couple of people come along and screw that up. They’re called the first two people, right? Adam and Eve. And then it continues on and on after that, after, with each generation, they continue to to falter and fall in sin. You get to the end of chapter 11. You think, what in the world is happening? And in chapter 12, God intervenes graciously in the life of Abraham and Sarah, and he calls them to a promised land and promises that through them one would come who would deliver all of us from darkness? Who is Jesus? And so we followed after chapter 11 into chapter 12 to chapter 25, the life of Abraham, and then chapter 26 to where we find ourselves today. We’re following the story of of Isaac and Jacob.
Really, Jacob is the the focal point of this section. And so we’re in this story of Jacob. We’ve learned at the birth of Jacob. He’s a deceiver. He always took advantage of people to get what he wanted for his own glory. This caused him to go on the run. If you remember, he upset his brother in Genesis chapter 27, the his brother last words. He speaks about Jacob that we that we read in Scripture. Anyway, verse 41, he wants to kill him. He was he promised to kill his brother Jacob. Jacob goes on on the run into Patiram to to where Laban lived. And he he met his wife there. Uh, but we find that after 20 years of spending time in Patiram that he knew there was no future there for him, that what God promised to him was in another place. It was back where Abraham had been given the promises of God. And Jacob then leaves that promised land, and he goes back, or he leaves the place that he was, and he goes towards the promised land. And in so doing he realizes his entire life he spent fighting for what he wanted in order to make him happy. And he has gotten to a position where he is absolutely destitute. And in chapter 32, he cries out to God and he wrestles with God. And when he hits rock bottom, that’s where he discovers his.
The Lord is truly all he needed. And when he clings to the Lord, he refuses to let go of God until God blesses him. And God blesses him in that moment, and he gives them a new identity. And the way that we see that is in the new name that Jacob receives, he goes, he goes from the name Jacob to the name of Israel. And it’s this idea. The word Israel literally means wrestles with God. And I think this is where Jacob’s life is transformed before the Lord. I think this is where he becomes a believer, because up to this point, uh, Jacob has always referred to God in the third person. He would say, you know, you’re the God of my father and my grandfather Abraham and Isaac, but but Jacob, now in chapter 32, he takes ownership of his own relationship with God, and he trusts in him by faith. And so together in chapter 33, this is exactly what we’re going to look at. We’re going to look at learning to walk with God by faith. And the question we should have for all of this is what really what is the what does it look like for us in light of Jacob coming to the Lord for faith? What is what is my faith journey look like? Because what we see in this, this chapter, chapter 33, is um, as Jacob takes his the first steps in his faith journey.
A lot of what he experiences are the same things that we experience and wrestle with today. That when we choose to put our faith in the Lord and experience that that transformation, only God can bring that from that moment forward, things aren’t always perfect. There is struggle in knowing God and and learning what it means to live in light of him, rather than for ourselves. What does it mean to to give our lives completely to to the Lord and live for for his glory? And so we begin to discover it has bumps in the road. But we want to be mindful of some experiences that we’re going to encounter as we go through the relational adversity of what it is to to know the Lord and walk with him. And point number one, in your notes, if you if you grab the notes this morning, is this. And by the way, if you have the if you have the app, if you click on sermon notes on our app, the digital sermon notes are there as well. But point number one is this we will be tempted to put fear over godly faith. We will be tempted to put fear over godly faith. Now, I want to make the caveat difference between just simply faith and godly faith. Right? Um, people will put trust in all sorts of things that will not fully deliver for their lives. But the one thing that we know is consistent is the Lord.
He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. There’s no time in God’s word that’s wasted time. As you learn the truth of what God says, you can hold. Hold to it because God says his heaven and earth will pass away, but not one jot or tittle will pass from God’s Word. Matthew 518 that His Word endures forever. And so it’s important to recognize in the life of the believer, we’re going to be tempted as we choose to follow God by faith, or we seek to follow God by faith to pursue fear rather than faith. Now, I want you to know for, for as human beings and as followers of Jesus, that it is impossible to entirely eliminate fear from your life. It’s a part of human nature, right? Some of it there is there for the preservation of your life. Like don’t do dumb things right. You might have a concern for certain things, right? And that I would say that’s more of a reverence than a fear. But. But Satan likes to use fear in order to tempt us from the places in which God has called us. He likes to make fear seem seem greater than the promises in which God has delivered us. Fear is used as a tool by Satan for his purposes, because Satan knows if he can get you off focus in the faith that you should have in the Lord and on whatever he is tempting you with like fear, then Satan can lead you away from what God has called you to in him.
Fear is about what you’re avoiding. Faith is about who God has called you to become, and God’s desire for you is to walk in faith. And in fact, in Second Timothy chapter one verse seven, it tells us God does not give us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and a sound mind. God’s desire for you is to focus on who it is he has called you to become, rather than rather than focus on fear, to focus on what it is God is leading you to in him. By by faith it is impossible to completely eradicate fear from your life. But here’s what we need. We need a deeper conviction and a greater hope than what fear might present to us in order to live that life of faith. That’s what God calls you to, to understand. Look, fear is going to be a natural tendency of every human being, even the life of a believer. But in order to overcome that fear, I need a deeper conviction and a greater hope that endures anything that that fear might present to me. For example, as a pastor, I can tell you that my preference is not to stand before a crowd and and do anything. Honestly, I prefer the background. Right? But but there’s there’s something about the necessity of proclaiming God’s word that makes the message of the freedom that Jesus brings far more important than any concern that I can have about what you think about me, what God wants to do in your life, and the sacrifice Jesus was willing to pay for.
That is far more important than me to be concerned about anything that someone might think about who I am and you know, any worry that you have on on my behalf. If my concentration becomes on what you think about me, then, then my, my, my, my focus will be about serving myself. But if my focus by faith is on the mission for which God has called me, there is a deeper hope and a greater or excuse me, a deeper conviction and a greater hope and what God desires to do in a group of people, then simply being focused on what it is Satan wants to get me off track on. And fear has this way of playing into our life that way. And it’s not this, this frozen fear that you step into. I think oftentimes in the life of the believer, it really presents itself in the form of a mild fear where all of a sudden we might feel the leading of the spirit to to talk to someone about the goodness of Christ and what he’s done in our life. But right before we do it, we start to second guess that, and in second guessing that we might say things to ourselves, well, you know, it’s okay.
God can send someone else to do that, or, or I don’t really want to take the risk because I’m worried about what they might think about me. Even a couple of weeks ago on Easter, we baptized 15 people on Easter. And and I know how it plays in the minds of people who take that step of faith, right? Because immediately, as soon as you start thinking about, you start thinking, well, you know, I don’t really like getting in front of a crowd of people, right? And, and God knows where I am in my position in him. And if I do that, what will my family think about that or what my friends think about that? And so rather than rather than take that step, you start to downplay it and you say to yourself, well, Jesus, Jesus knows my true heart with him. And that’s that’s just okay. And Lord knows where I’m at. But but stepping out in baptism is something God calls you to do, to declare your relationship with him. As Jesus stepped out and completely gave his life for you, it becomes this beautiful privilege for you to give your opportunity to step out and and give your life for him and something, something that happens, you know, in the life of a believer, when we take those kind of steps, it becomes inspiring to believers around you that as they see brothers and sisters in Christ, for example, in baptism, taking that kind of step, though, they may have been reluctant when they see that.
Boldness in your life and encourages them to do the same thing. When we think about the life of the believer, we will be tempted to put fear over faith. But God calls us on a faith journey with him to trust him over and above, out of a deeper conviction, out of a greater hope in what God desires to do. It is a hope that is secure as Christ Himself, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And this is I should get into the passage. But this is where Jacob is. This is exactly where Jacob is. If you remember in the story, he’s wasted 20 years in Patiram 20 years, and he realizes there’s no future there. And so in recognizing that he he leaves that land to go back to the promised land. But you find in in Genesis 31, verse 14 that his father in law pursues them, and he seems to have some ill intent and what he desires to do to Jacob. But God intervenes in Genesis 31 and tells him, don’t lay a hand on him. So Jacob has the fear in his past chasing after him. But not only the fear in his past, he’s also got fear in front of him because he’s going back to the promised land where he had deceived his brother.
And the last words his brother said before he left that land was, I’m going to kill you. Jacob has no idea what to anticipate when he sees his brother for the first time. He’s got an idea, but he’s he’s desperately concerned. Which brings him to that place in chapter 32 of being rock bottom. Because when he gets word that Esau is discovered, he’s now heading towards that land. They tell him, Esau is coming after you with 400 people. And it’s in that place that Jacob clings to the Lord and takes on that new identity as Israel. And so you read in in Genesis chapter 33 verse one, And Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, Esau was coming, and 400 men with him. So he divided the children among Leah and Rachel, and the two female servants. Here’s the question, Jacob, as you’ve come to Christ, what are you going to step into in this moment? Are you going to step into fear? Are you going to step into faith? Certainly, there’s a part of fear in this for him. I mean, it told you in Genesis chapter 32, verse six and seven that Jacob was afraid of his brother, but what are you going to live by? Let fear dictate your life or the life transforming power of Christ being made known. And it looks like in these verses that Jacob’s going to give in to fear in verse 40, uh, excuse me 33 verse two.
And he put the servants with their children in front, then Leah with her children, and Rachel and Joseph last of all. So here again, it looks like old Jacob coming to the surface. It’s like everyone else. Serve me, everyone else, meet Esau first. I want to hang out in the back. And you guys, you guys tell me how it goes for you. And. But then in verse three, look at this, he himself went on before them, bowing down himself to the ground seven times until he came near to his brother. You see this life transforming power in Jacob, where Jacob in these moments he he. Rather than hide behind his family, he now runs to the front of his family to take the lead, to take the brunt of whatever Esau is going to do. And not only that, it tells us he bows himself seven times, that that idea of seven times is a powerful way of thinking about it. And in Scripture that number seven is this is the number of completion. This is an absolute submission. You can leave that there. This is an absolute submission to to his brother. This is this is saying, look, I am the servant of servants for you. I’m not coming to this land because I want anything from you. I’m not coming here to war with you, but rather I’m coming here as a servant to bless you.
The only way this truly happens in a healthy way in the life of the believer, is that you are secure in your identity, in Christ, that when you discover who you truly are in in the Lord, you find that you don’t need the validation of other people because there’s no greater worth that can be placed on you than what Jesus has done for you. Not only did God make you in his image, the Bible tells you you are recreated in Christ, that that Jesus pursued you and gave his life for you, and there is no greater worth that can be placed on you than that there’s there’s no validation this Earth can offer that is any greater than what Christ has offered by giving his life for you. And when you’re confident in the identity that you have, you don’t serve because you need to get from anybody. You serve because you have to give, because God has filled your cup. And this is where Jacob finds himself in this new identity, going from from Jacob to Israel. He finds himself with the opportunity of being able to to serve no longer for his own glory, but rather for the glory of the Lord. And we can all live life like Jacob to find our worth not in what we achieve, but what in Christ has achieved for us. And in first Timothy chapter six it says this.
But godliness with contentment is great gain. So you find contentment with where you are in this world because you’ve learned to find. Your identity in things separate from this world, in what Christ has done for you. The story goes on. But Esau ran to meet him and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him. And they wept. And when and when Esau lifted up his eyes and saw the woman and children, he said, who are these with you? And Jacob said, the children whom God has graciously given your servant. And so here comes Esau with 400 people, which is not the welcoming committee, right? I mean, in the Old Testament, that’s typically the the size of a group that’s going into battle. And so when Jacob hears 400 people are coming with him, he thinks, oh, no, it’s over. He’s going to war with me. But when Esau shows up, I think Esau chose to bring 400 people because he didn’t know what to anticipate from Jacob. Is he coming to attack? Is he coming to take what’s his attitude? And when he saw Jacob in a position of of a servant, Esau responds in a way that is loving and gracious. He embraces his brother, he hugs him, he kisses his neck. It says in this passage, you know what’s interesting in this, this part of the story, as many people believe, this is what Jesus had in mind when he shared about the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15, which the Prodigal Son story is truly a story about the prodigal father.
You remember the prodigal son story. The son ran away rebellious, and the father just waited for him to return. And when he returned, the father, uh, didn’t didn’t criticize him, wasn’t pronouncing judgment against him, but rather lovingly embraced him. And when Jesus shares that story, many people think that that’s what he has. He has the story of Esau in mind, because the way Esau embraces his brother is the same way the prodigal son or prodigal father embraced his son. And it’s sort of a to turn things upside down the way we think, rather than give Jacob what he deserved. What Esau offered was grace. In fact, moving on in the story, it says in verse six, then the servants drew near they and their children, and bowed down. Leah likewise, and her children drew near and bowed down. And last Joseph and Rachel drew near, and they bowed down. When you look at the story, one of the beautiful things you’re seeing about the life of Jacob, because he was willing to step in faith rather than fear. What you see in this story is he becomes the model, the example for the people around him in the midst of darkness. It’s this beautiful opportunity for God’s people to shine, because in the midst of darkness, Christ light shines greater.
And here in the story, when Jacob thinks he’s about to die, he chooses to run in front of his family and show the life of a servant, and it becomes an example to the people around him, and especially for his family. Guy’s going to tell you what a beautiful model of leadership that is in these verses, especially men in your homes, to be the leader that God has called you to be for the sake of your family, for the glory of God to the benefit of others, that you would use your life not just in what you say, but how you model to be a servant, to bless because of the identity that you have discovered in Christ. And Jacob modeling that he sets the precedent for how his family is to respond. Because when the church lives that way, it becomes contagious to other believers around you to see in the midst of brokenness how the goodness of God can be made known through your life, and it helps them understand how they too can use their their lives for those same purposes. And Jacob does this masterfully for for his family. And then it goes on in the dialogue, Esau said, what do you mean by all this company that I meet? And Jacob answered to find favor in the sight of my lord. But Esau said, I have enough, my brother. Keep what you have for yourself.
Jacob said, no, please, if if I have found favor in your sight, then accept my present from my hand. For for I have seen your face, which is like seeing the face of God, and you have accepted me. Please, um, please keep my my blessing that is brought to you because God has dealt graciously with me and because I have enough. Thus he urged him and he took it. You know, when you read this passage, you see Jacob, he’s really focusing. He repeats this twice on Favre. Favre. This is the the Hebrew word for in the New Testament. What we say is grace. What Jacob is looking for in the relationship is a place of grace. Now, it doesn’t mean Esau agrees with everything with Jacob, right? In fact, I don’t think Esau becomes a believer, but what Jacob knows he needs in order to experience any health, in any relationship is grace. The same thing is true for for all of us. When there is no grace, there is no opportunity for healthy relationship. But in order to find a place where God is moving, when you discover grace in relationships, it’s opportunity for God to work. And and Jacob is looking for that in relationship for his brother because he wants to know what what freedom is going to be found here. Is it ill intent that you have, or is this place of grace and that gives them the opportunity then in that position, to continue to follow what God has called him to by faith? God’s desire, rather than step in fear, is to step in faith.
Point number two in your notes, we’re also tempted to put convenience over obedience. We’re often tempted to put convenience over obedience. We like our comforts. In fact, sometimes in America I think our true God is the God of comfort rather than the Lord himself. Because when you read in the New Testament, you see Jesus says things like, take up your cross and follow me. Whoever pursues him, there will be suffering. There is struggle in the Christian life. In fact, because you follow Jesus, we should not anticipate that it makes things easier. In fact, some things can become more challenging. Certainly there are some easier things that can come with it. But to stand for Jesus, there is sacrifice. And so it becomes a temptation for us to put convenience over obedience. And it goes on and says, Then Esau said, let us journey on our way, and I will go ahead of you. But Jacob said to him, my Lord knows that the children are frail, and that the nursing flocks and herds are a care to me. If they are driven hard for one day, all the flocks will die. Let my Lord pass on ahead of his servant, and I will lead on slowly at the pace of the livestock that are ahead of me, and at the pace of the children, until I come to my Lord and seer.
So he said, let me leave with you some of the people who are with me. But he said, what need is there? Let me find favor in the sight of the Lord. So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir. But Jacob journeyed to Sukkoth and built himself a house, and made booths for his livestock. Therefore he named. The place is called Sukkoth, which literally means booth. Some people read this and think Jacob moved to a place that is called Sukkoth, which is like the King James English version of I don’t want to. He goes to Sukkoth as I pronounce it right. But but here’s what happens. His brother sees him and says, hey, come down with me to see her. I want to invite you to see her. And he says, no, I don’t. I’m not going to do that. I can’t travel that fast. His brother wants to leave some servants. He says, no, just take your servants with you. It’s like, okay, I’ll go ahead and go back to see her. And you come down and visit me. And as soon as Esau’s group gets over the hill, Jacob’s like, okay, everybody, let’s turn and go north. Right? So Esau goes south and Jacob heads in the complete opposite direction. Here’s what I want us to know when it comes to, to to Jacob’s life.
Because he put faith in the Lord doesn’t mean everything went perfect. In fact, in this passage we’re seeing where Jacob’s warring with his old nature, where his new identity is Israel, but his old self, Jacob, creeps back in. And rather than rather than follow after his brother like he promised to go to the land, he chooses to do something different, that that attitude of deception is still there. The need to to learn to to to walk with the Lord and Jacob. In these moments, he chooses convenience rather than obedience. Or let me just say, rather than being honest with his brother, he chooses to do the opposite of that. And guys, that same struggle is is is true for all of us. In fact, in Ephesians it says this to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life, and is corrupt to deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your mind. You know, one of the things that Satan can use for us to walk in disobedience is fear, right? Satan can tempt you with fear to get your focus off of walking by faith, what God has called you to, and to look at how big fear is rather than how great your God is. Satan can certainly use that, but he can use a lot of other things too. He can use the struggles of our lives to get us to feel guilt and shame.
He can use, you know, addictions of our past to to get us to fall back into our, our old nature. But can I tell you the way you defeat any of those things Satan might tempt us with is not focusing on the thing that Satan tempts you with. You want to get past fear? Don’t just stare at fear and. How brave you are. You want to get past addiction. It’s not about obsessing about not doing the addiction. That’s the best way to get right back into it. One of the premier ways, let me just say that the most freeing way that we have to overcome is to leave all of that stuff aside and rather pursue a life in which God has called me to in him to understand that I have a completely new identity. Second Corinthians 517. You are a new creation. Behold, all things have passed. All things have become new. It’s not about what you’re not doing right, avoiding fear, or avoiding addiction, or avoiding struggles or whatever temptations. It’s about who you are becoming in Christ, what God has called me to in him, and diving deeper into that. And this is what it’s saying in Ephesians, right? You have this old self, this old way of life. But then in verse 24, put on the new self that’s created after the likeness of God and the righteousness and holiness. Verse 23 tells you the secret to all of that.
How do I go from this old self to this new self? If I’m in Jesus and he says to you, the battle starts in your mind. It’s what you believe you will do. And if you want to follow a life of faith in the Lord with boldness and with with obedience, rather than just simply following convenience, you need to saturate your life in the truth of who God is and the promises that he gives to you. When you understand the depth of that conviction and the greatness of that hope, it becomes this place of renewing ourselves. In fact, Romans chapter 12, verse two says the same thing to renew your mind, that you may prove the will of God. It’s almost like we say in our culture the power of positive thinking. What you say you will live out, but I will tell you, the danger of power, of positive thinking is some of the positive things we tell ourselves. It isn’t true. So. So rather than just simply say I need to speak more positively, what you really need to say is I need to put biblical truth in my mind and in my heart, and in living that out, I have the opportunity to let God’s words flourish through me. And so for for Jacob, you see this challenge in his life playing out. And then it goes on from this verse and says, And Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, on his way to Patiram on his way from Paddan Aram.
And and he camped before the city, and from the sons of Hamor and his father, and he bought for 100 pieces of money the peace of the land on which he had pitched his tent. Um, here’s what I want you to know. Really, in this, this this section of scripture. Um, first he goes to Sukkoth or Sukkoth, whatever you want to, whatever you want to call that when you make poor decisions, uh, rather than follow the Lord, it definitely is sukkoth rather than sukkoth. But, but but then when you go to to Shechem, here’s here’s the important part of this passage is that God didn’t call Jacob to go to either of those towns. In fact, in Genesis 31 and again in Genesis 35, verse one, God told Jacob he wanted him to go to Bethel. And rather than listen to God fully, he just simply returned to the Promised Land. Now, I think Shechem is a wonderful place to go to. That’s where Abraham first went when he came to this promised land. But God wanted to do a work in, in Jacob’s life in, in Bethel. And rather than be obedient, Jacob gave him to convenience. And this place of Sukkoth is this place of booths, which is an important note in this passage, because when God told Jacob to go and the other patriarchs, he told him to live as nomads in tents.
And rather than do that, Jacob started building a permanent dwelling place. Jacob. Though he started to take steps in faith, he’s beginning to to veer off course. And the same thing can be true for all of us. You may start your journey with the Lord and say, you know what I trusted in Christ and I have my salvation secure in him. But as far as experiencing a relationship with God day to day, that’s where it ended. You came to him for new life and then you just walked away, started to follow a life of convenience that you might call Christ, but really isn’t Christ. Which leads me to point number three. Then adversity is an altar on which we get to worship. Adversity is an altar on which we get to worship. It is okay to struggle in the Christian life. In fact, that is much of the Christian life. Learning how to honor God in the midst of a broken world. There is struggle with that, especially when you get into new seasons and new positions of life, learning what it is to honor God in those new seasons. Lord, how do I follow you? And truth be told, unless there’s some sort of price that you’ve paid in order to follow Jesus. How do you know your love for Christ is genuine? How do you know you really have faith in the Lord? If all your relationship with Christ has been is just a walk of convenience? Whenever it just felt good to you and you just served God like like he owed you.
How do you really know that? It’s a true faith. It’s not until that there there is a price that’s paid that you begin to discover. There’s genuineness to my relationship with the Lord here. Because rather than rather than choosing fear, I chose faith. And rather than choosing convenience, I, I chose obedience. I chose Christ, and adversity gave me the opportunity to magnify the goodness of who God is and my trust in his promises over and above my circumstances. This past weekend I was in Florida. Actually this this yesterday I was in Florida for just a very brief time. Um, a childhood friend of mine, also a college roommate. Um, his son tragically passed away at 11 years old, and I just went there to weep with the family, to love on them, to weep with them. And, um, you know, this family was an incredible testimony in all of this. They loved the Lord. But what was so amazing about them is their son passed away tragically on a on a Friday. On Sunday they were back at church worshiping. And then at this, this, um, celebration of life for this child. It was one of the best church services I’ve ever been to. I mean, incredible, the way in the midst of darkness, this family pointed to the hope of Christ.
If one thing will be consistent in your life, it is Jesus. Everything else will disappoint you. Everything else will fade away. But Christ endures forever. And here we are in this dark moment. But the beauty of God made known. Because adversity is the altar on which we have the privilege to worship. It is the place to demonstrate to this world that what we have in Jesus is far greater than anything this world has to offer. And it becomes the testimony of your faith to say, when my life is measured against convenience or obedience or fear or faith, what I want to choose above it all is the Lord. And in those moments, you get the opportunity and and recognize that as Jesus has given everything for you, so you can give everything for him. Paul says it like this in Romans 12 one I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable act of worship. I love that he refers to us as living sacrifices, which means you don’t just make the decision once to honor God, but rather you get the opportunity every day in your experiences to choose what you’re going to make. Your life about will be about about the Lord, or will it be about yourself? Will it be for his glory or will be for your glory? Will you take convenience or obedience? Will you take fear or faith? It says to us at the very end of the story that Jacob, when he got to Shechem, he erected an altar and call to El Elohe Israel, which is God, the God of Israel.
And I want you to know this is kind of, um, it’s nice that he’s worshiping, but to be honest, his heart is still waning. More than anything, God doesn’t desire your sacrifice. God desires your obedience. First Corinthians 1522. That’s exactly what Samuel said. God desires obedience over sacrifice. What God is interested in is not simply what you do for him, but God is interested in is your heart. Is your heart truly given over to me? And in so doing, you have the opportunity to grow and the truthfulness of who he is and live that out. Demonstrate my adversity becomes that altar on which I get to worship as I trust by faith rather than fear, as I walk in obedience rather than convenience. I’ll close with this. There was the great missionary Nate Saint. He was one of five missionaries that were martyred because of their faith in the Lord. He was a pilot that flew his friends to meet a a tribal group called the the Auca tribe in South America. And this is one of his encounters with that tribe. Just days before he was, he and four others were were martyred by them.
But they asked Nate Saint why he would want to do something like this. And this is what he said. People who do not know the Lord ask, why in the world we waste our lives as missionaries, they forget that they too are expending their lives and when the bubble has burst, they will have nothing of eternal significance to show for the years they have wasted. What is it? Um. I’m forgetting the guy’s name now. But you got to serve someone, right? And so what he’s saying in this passage, the famous musician. What is his name? Got to serve somebody sometime, right? I know somebody knows the. What is it, Bob Dylan? That’s it, that’s it, Bob Dylan, you got to give him a prize right here. He said he got to serve someone sometime. This is. This is what he’s saying in this passage. I think it was the great D.L. Moody is Charles Spurgeon or Moody that said, um, everyone, every believer, he’s either a missionary or an imposter. There is no in between. God has called you to live on mission for his glory in this world. And wherever you’re at, that’s your mission field that becomes the altar to demonstrate the goodness of who God is. As you walk by faith and obedience to him.