God's Promise, Protection and Pledge to Jacob. (Quality: very good)

[0:00] As the Lord shall be pleased to help me, I shall call your attention to a subject you will find in the book of Genesis, chapter 28, and the 15th verse.

[0:18] And behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land.

[0:35] For I will not leave thee until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.

[0:46] The book of Genesis, chapter 28, and the 15th verse.

[0:59] This is a word which was lodged by the Spirit of God in Jacob's breast long ago.

[1:11] And a word which was fulfilled in every jot and tittle throughout Jacob's life.

[1:23] And in the word of God, how that word was fulfilled is demonstrated in various details.

[1:36] So much so that I have thought many times that there is more recorded about Jacob and the life that he lived than concerning any other character in the word of God, except it might be David the Selmist.

[1:54] And you might wonder why it should be that the Spirit of God should record so much to do with Jacob and the life he lived.

[2:06] And I believe it is not so much to do with Jacob as being Jacob, but that Jacob was used of God to be a representative character, setting forth how he would deal with all his people as they journeyed on through life.

[2:33] And so, you find in the word of God, often God is referred to as the God of Jacob. The God of Jacob is our refuge.

[2:47] Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help and whose hope is in the Lord his God. And while you read about Jacob in the word of God, much that is not good reading, much that does not look commendable for Jacob as to his behavior in this matter and that, yet none of you who have the God of God of God will ever be ready to fling a stone at Jacob in any matters wherein he failed to live the life of the righteous as he should have done.

[3:32] You have only to look back over your life as you have lived it and you can discern many places therein wherein as you think about your behavior then, you have to say with Ezra, Oh my God, I am ashamed and I blush to lift up my face unto thee.

[3:57] And now, I want as the Lord shall help me to look at the subject from three viewpoints. One is the promise.

[4:14] And behold, I am with thee. And then the second viewpoint is the protection. And will keep thee in all places whither thou goest.

[4:32] And the third viewpoint is the pledge. And will bring thee again into this land, for I will not leave thee until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.

[4:50] This is a wonderful word. An all-embracing word. And if you know what it is to do what Jacob was enabled to do at this time, when he was found at the ladder's foot, the ladder which he saw in his dream.

[5:12] If you know what it is to do business in heaven's marketplace and gain by trading there. If this Sabbath morning you are here before God, you can appeal to him with whom you have to do and declare, Verily, God hath heard my prayer.

[5:36] Oh, that is a wonderful mercy. And it is an evidence beyond all questioning that you have the God of Jacob as your God.

[5:50] And I have thought sometimes about that description of heaven which the Savior gave to his disciples.

[6:00] And I tell you that many shall come from the east and from the west and shall sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of God.

[6:17] You might ponder that prayerfully when you have a sanctified mind because it will be very instructive to you and make it plain that if you and I do get to heaven, we should discern Abraham, Isaac and Jacob there and know who they are.

[6:40] And they will know who we are. Because there the knowledge will be perfect. Then shall I know even as also I am known.

[6:57] And I might just make one more comment there. On the Mount of Transfiguration, when Peter, James and John had their eyes opened and they saw two glorious personages, they recognized them without being told who they were.

[7:19] And Peter said, Now to come back to the starting point here.

[7:53] The promise. And you all know the details to do with Jacob. Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran.

[8:06] And he had turned this back on his home life. So many years had he lived at home and been loved, prayed for, cared for.

[8:18] His father and mother had borne his responsibilities. If at any time he was in a difficulty, he had them to go to.

[8:29] He could ask the one or the other for counsel, help. But now, Jacob was going out in life's journey on his own initiative, on his own responsibility.

[8:47] I wonder how many of you under Union Chapel rule, if you had to leave your home life, if you go back over the past, can you remember when you left your home life and spent your first night away from home when you entered into a new occupation?

[9:09] It is a very strange experience. And if you are not a sinner born again, you may have many reflections about it.

[9:22] But if you should be a sinner born again, then you know that wherever you go, God will be going with you and be to you all that you need, even as this word tells us, and behold, I am with thee and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest.

[9:44] And now Jacob had turned his back on his home life and gone out. And he was not a sinner born again when he did it.

[9:58] He had a staff in his hands. He does not seem to have had much luggage. But he had got some luggage that was so heavy that God alone could lift it.

[10:14] Orphys conscience his guiltiness before God in his ill behavior in how he had deceived his godly father.

[10:27] And yet the word of God tells us he lighted on a certain place. Remember this. I do not want to take up too much time in approaching the subject but I must make this plain.

[10:44] a certain place. And now when God deals with his people at any time it will always be in a certain place.

[10:54] it is not by chance but it is that which is ordered in all things and sure and it flows from the covenant of grace.

[11:08] it is not by chance. And so it was that Jacob lighted upon a certain place and tarried there all night because the sun would set and he took of the storms of that place and put them for his pillows and lay down in that place to sleep.

[11:28] Do you think he said and said Do you think he wondered about his father and his father's god and thought in such a time he should say a prayer?

[11:45] I should very much question if he did it. He did not do it. And he dreamed and behold the ladder set upon the earth and the top of it reached to heaven and behold the angels of God ascending and descending upon it and behold the Lord stood above it and said I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father and the God of Isaac the land whereon thou liest to thee will I give it and to thy seed.

[12:21] And then he goes on to amplify it and comes to our text. And now remember this and behold I am with thee and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest and will bring thee again into this land for I will not leave thee until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of and Jacob awaked out of his sleep and said surely the Lord is in this place and I knew it not.

[12:53] And that is how he went to sleep without any knowledge of the Lord as being the Lord is God but he awoke realizing his father's God was his God.

[13:07] And now that is the setting of the subject let us look at this word I have read for the text and behold I am with thee.

[13:24] You will find if you look at the life that Jacob lived I do not want to go into too many details of it but there are outstanding places in the life that Jacob lived when he found this word to be fulfilled and behold I am with thee.

[13:47] But in each instance it was when trouble like a gloomy cloud gathered thick and thundered loud. and if you find in your life as you journey on that the God of Jacob is your refuge it will be as a rule when you find the hymn writer's words to be a solemn truth trials make the promise sweet trials give new life to prayer trials bring us to Christ's feet lay us low and keep us there and now Jacob at this time where he saw the ladder set up on earth reaching to heaven itself was at Bethel the house of God and he called the name of that place Bethel but the name of that city was called

[14:50] Luz at the first the margin is for Bethel the house of God and then you will find that the next outstanding place when Jacob realized the presence of God and got an outstanding token for good was when Esau was coming on his way to meet him with 400 men all armed and Jacob and Jacob with his guilty conscience accusing him of his behavior to his brother Esau long years before was painfully aware of what was in Esau's mind to do but you remember there was a man capital M to that man who wrestled with Jacob as he sought to cross the ford Jabba until the break of the day and now

[15:53] Jacob comes out what he is by nature is subdued what he is by grace is uppermost and he saith to the man I will not let thee go except thou bless me and the word of God says and he blessed him there and the upshot of it is that Esau meets Jacob his brother not with a sword thrust but with a kiss and thus the hand of God is seen on Jacob for good and then there was another occasion when years afterwards Jacob had been in a place where he ought not to have been when he dwelt near to Shechem and he was ordained to live a tent life as a pilgrim but you find that when he came to near Shechem that he built a house signifying that there was to be a settling down and that near to a place where the world would exercise a baleful influence on his own family circle and in the ultimate issue

[17:15] Jacob had to reap a harvest there according to the seed that was sown and God drove him out of Shechem and wrought a miracle on his behalf lest Jacob and his family circle should all be destroyed altogether the terror of God was on all the cities round about when the word was given to Jacob that he was to quit Shechem and what was he to do just what you are to do this sabbath morn as grace is given arise go back to Bethel and dwell there just what you would like to do some of you preacher and people alike in other words if you want things in your life sorted out straightened out and you to be confirmed the way you go is the right way you must get back to the ladder and be at the foot of it and there do what

[18:23] Job says I would seek unto God and unto God would I commit my cause and then by living faith you will see the Lord standing above the top of Jacob's ladder and then you will realize a white sweet gratitude and sing the ascended saviour's love sing how he lives to carry on his people's calls above and now as Jacob was going back to Bethel the second time what happened oh they had to pause and conduct the funeral for Rachel died yes and was buried there under an oak on the way to Bethel and Jacob loved Rachel there you see the trouble came came upon him and he had to go on his way mourning the loss of Rachel and then later on he was found in another place when he was at

[19:34] Beersheba and there he had dwelt round about twenty years it would be mourning the loss of Joseph thinking upon him as being dead and that he would go down to the grave sorrowing and now at Beersheba he finds the good news is brought to him there that Joseph is yet alive and then you read and Israel said it is enough so you see there were these outstanding places in Jacob's life where he realized what it was to enter into this promise and behold I am with thee but it was when his shoulders were loaded well with woe and you will find it still to be what the word of

[20:37] God declares confirming the souls of the disciples and exhorting them to continue in the faith and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God let us see how all this relates to you as you journey on through life preacher and people alike and behold I am with thee and now everything in our religion hinges upon the presence of God being known and felt if your religion is of God there is one thing that will make you miserable beyond words to describe and that is to be painfully aware of the absence of God you remember the hymn writer says although my soul for God is born yet often absent God

[21:39] I mourn and every sinner born again knows what that mourning is quite a deal of it the psalmist said I go mourning all the day long I mourn in my complaint I make a noise unto the Lord and one of his petitions was cast me not away from thy presence take not thy Holy Spirit from me this is just what you want to realize as you journey on through life and behold I am with thee and you remember that Moses said as he was about to set out on his great life work as Israel's leader if thy presence go not with us carry us not up hands or you do not want to embark on any project engage in any matter unless you can feel the cloud is moving on before you to guide you aright and that the Lord of hosts is with you and the

[22:56] God of Jacob is your refuge you may say I do want it to be so with me as I live my life I do want the Lord to be with me to guide me by his counsel but I cannot always feel as I should like to feel about it what are the evidences whereby a poor sinner who wants to be a heaven bound pilgrim may know the presence of God is attending him as he journeys on there are some specific characteristics of the presence of God one is that the presence of God is very solemnizing in the influence of it or when you feel the presence of God is with you you have this feeling may I be always thus devout be this religion mine it is solemnizing and you feel as you journey on

[24:08] I am a poor sinner with a never dying soul I am journeying to eternity either to heaven or hell and that concern swallows up all other concerns that you have to do with the things of everyday life and you feel Jesus is the one thing needful I without him perish must and you want Jesus Christ to be a reality in your soul's experience and you want to feel like the psalmist when he said one thing have I desired of the Lord that will I seek after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple another thing wonderful characteristic of the presence of God is the separating nature of it you find then more than ever a concern to choose rather to suffer affliction with the people of

[25:25] God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season and you can say with the psalmist I would rather be a door keeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness and you can do this you can appeal to God search me oh God and know my heart see if there be any way of wickedness in me lead me in the way everlasting you want to be then to this world as dead and alive to that which is to come and not only so the presence of God when you realize it is wonderfully sanctifying in its effect in your soul's experience and you have this feeling this prayer and this ambition mine living and dying to be thine and there was just one more characteristic

[26:35] I name and that is the presence of God is not only solemnizing separating sanctifying but it is satisfying to our souls beyond words to describe it does not matter what place you may be in it may be one very painful to the flesh it may be a place wherein the dealings of God seem hard to be understood that you should be in such a place but if you realize the presence of God you will feel a sweet satisfaction and you will say let but my faint in heart be blessed with thy sweet spirit for its guest oh God to thee I leave the rest thy will be done it is

[27:39] Emmanuel God with us and behold I am with thee what a wonderful experience this was for Jacob when he was in a right mind as he journeyed on through life afterwards I should judge in his soul's feelings he often went back to Bethel and pondered that wonderful night when sovereign grace or sin abounding made him to be what he was a sinner born again the ladder is still set up on the earth the top of it still reaches heaven it is a beautiful setting forth of Jesus Christ as the mediator there is one

[28:40] God one mediator between God and man the man Christ Jesus the ladder foot being on the earth sets forth Jesus Christ as verily man and the top of it reaching heaven itself declares he is verily God verily God verily man I am the way the truth and the life no man cometh unto the father but by me and it is a wonderful consideration to feel that the Lord stands above it oh do believe it and do wait on God that you may view him with the eye of faith as he causes all things to do with you and yours to work together for your eternal good when most

[29:48] I need his help in hand this friend is always near you can stand at the ladders foot at any time anywhere beneath the sun with heaven and earth at his command he waits to answer prayer have you ever pondered that word I often tell you to think more about what you sing about because I believe much beautiful gospel is often sung maybe to some sweet tune that is captivating but the blessed truth is not realized in its fullness as it is possible to be known and felt helpful you you have some strange days at times as you journey through life not all are good days or you get some bad days dark days stormy days days when you hardly know what you are or where you are in things divine and yet underneath it all look

[32:22] I am with you always all the days there is another word there in Isaiah that comes to my mind I thought on it sometimes and that is a good word to contemplate as the days of a tree so are the days of my people and now you think of the life of a tree and that is an epitome a picture of the people of God with all the days as they journey on through life and now as the days of a tree and now sometimes the days of a tree are of such a nature that you cannot see that the tree is even alive you believe it is you know that when spring time sunshine shall come it will give the evidence of life but it does not look to be alive and you get days like that in your soul's experience though bleat winds the boughs defaced the rooted stock shall still remain leaves may languish fruit decrease more shall grow again here is the guarantee and behold

[33:41] I am with thee the blessed promise and this too is blessed protection that is afforded to all who have the God of Jacob for their help and behold I am with thee and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest there is a word which is parallel to it in the book of Jeremiah that I will remind you of and there you will see what is the interpretation of this word as it was spoken to Jacob and seekest thou great things for thyself seek them not for behold I will bring evil upon all flesh saith the Lord but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest and now that is the guarantee behold

[34:49] I am with thee and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest and that is I am with thee and will keep thee alive alive in things divine you may not always be lively but alive and there is another word I like to look at for sometimes even the preacher does not seem to have very much religion that is of God and gets down to a low ebb and I like to look at this word oh lord my god I cried unto thee and thou hast healed me oh lord thou hast brought up my soul from the grave thou hast kept me alive that I should not go down to the pit not be as a world length thou hast kept me alive and now that is just what some of you can venture to confess this sabbath morn you might not be lively

[35:51] I wish you were and I should like to be lively too but then it is a great mercy to feel our good guidance saviour has helped us thus far and tis by his favour we are what we are and you think of this and you can say it quite a few of you thou hast kept me alive you are alive you are here with the hunger and thirst after righteousness you are here with that feeling I hunger now for heavenly food and my poor soul cries out for God and that is to do with this blessed protection and behold I am with thee and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest and what strange places people thought of God are sometimes found in or when you look into the word of

[36:53] God and see what troubles befell some who were so eminent for godliness what places they were indeed found in you can think of Paul and Silas with their feet fast in the stocks at Philippi and their backs sore with stripes unjustly laid on you can think of Daniel in the lion's den and the three Hebrews in the fiery furnace and you can look through the sacred pages and see that some heaven bound pilgrims were found in some very unusual places unexpected places but whatever places they were found in oh they found also the Lord their God was there to keep them and that is a wonderful protection who were kept by the power of

[37:56] God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time and will keep thee in all places and you know my friends if you look back and this is a time to look back as well as look forward as you go forward into this new year that has opened before us and if you look back at some of the places where you have been in you have been in some strange places places when you have been hard put to it to endure in your profession wisdom when you have been brought to which end all your wisdom has been swallowed up when you have been in heaviness through manifold temptations when you have been so much in the dark that you could not discern the evidences that you hope God had given you to help you to believe that you were indeed what you want to be a pilgrim to

[39:10] Canaan bound yes strange places places when there were fightings without and fears within places when the plague of the heart has been so opened up that you have concluded can ever God dwell here and places when trouble like a gloomy cloud has gathered thick and thundered loud but you have not been allowed at any time in any trouble to sink to rise no more but now as you journey on look back and then look forward and now as you look forward you know not what places you will be found in as 1962 rolls on there may be some dark lines written for you there may be some good places awaiting you when you will feel as you want to feel that matters are right between the Lord and you but then the great thing is to remember if the

[40:30] Lord our God is with us as we go forward when we cannot see our way let us trust and still obey he who bids us forward go will not fail the way to show and when all is said and done you have to learn to live a day at a time and here is blessed protection and behold I am with thee and will keep thee in all places keep thee from giving up keep thee from going back as I said keep thee alive keep thee it may be saints yet pursuing and that is a great mercy and sometimes you find that you are kept like this when you can just hope against hope and behold

[41:31] I am with thee and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest and will bring thee again into this land and that was the land of promise promise and God has guaranteed to bring every sinner born again to dwell in the land of promise our land of promise is the word of God in all it proclaims that God is determined to do for the good of his people what makes the word of God to be so precious and so valuable in our soul's experience is the exceeding great and precious promises recorded in the sacred pages and thus the word of God is the equivalent to us of the land of promise and there is no promise among those exceeding great and precious promises but what

[42:39] God will in his time fulfill for you in your soul's experience you are waiting for him to fulfill some promises it may be you want to know above all things that you are indeed in the land of promise to dwell therein and if you are it is to dwell therein for time and eternity too yes and the time of love will come when each shall clearly see not only that Christ shed his blood but each shall say for me and what does this word mean here for I will not leave thee you have not been left as I said at any time in any trouble to sink to rise no more and it means I will not leave thee comfortless

[43:43] I will not leave thee hopeless I will not leave thee prayerless I will not leave thee praiseless I will not leave thee fatherless no put it like this I will not leave thee faithless I will not leave thee godless and you can weigh that up before God as you are here before God this Sabbath morn that midst all the changing scenes of life as you have journeyed along you are not left this Sabbath morn to be without God and without hope and here is a guarantee for I will not leave thee until I have done that which

[44:45] I have spoken to thee of and it says concerning Israel of old to the land of Canaan they went forth and to the land of Canaan they came and for the Israel of God it is recorded he which hath begun the good work in you will perform it margin reading finish it perform it until the day of Jesus Christ and so you can thank God as grace is given and take courage to go on in life's journey with such a blessed guarantee and behold I am with thee and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest and will bring thee again into this land for I will not leave thee until I have done that which

[45:51] I have spoken to thee of think to of Jacob when he comes down to the end of his journey and there you see him at his best and he says just a little while before he stepped down into Jordan swelling the angel which redeemed me from all evil bless the lads the lads of Joseph and he says God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk the God which fed me all my life long unto this day the angel which redeemed me from all evil bless the lads and let my name be named on them in the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac and then it says he gathered up his feet into the bed and yielded up the ghost and was gathered unto his people what a beautiful epitaph that is and he was gathered unto his people the people of God and you say and so do I with them numbered may we be now and in eternity happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help whose hope is in the

[47:26] Lord is God and you can know that happiness as grace is given to you to be found at the ladder foot and see the Lord standing above it and how does he stand there what do you see Jesus ready stands to save you he is able he is willing doubt no more amen noch a day can you