In Genesis 42-44 we read a story of a family whose lives are in suspended animation. They are stuck and frozen in time because of an incident that happened more than twenty-years before. Jacob is stuck mourning for a son that supposedly he has lost. The brothers are stuck trying to run from their guilt; and Joseph is stuck, to some degree, wondering if his brothers still hate him. Like this family, many families and individuals today are stuck because they have not effectively dealt with their past. In this message, Pastor Rich shares why some of the ways we choose to deal with past sins are ineffective and contrasts these with positive methods we can use to finally deal with our past sin(s) once and for all. We don’t have to be imprisoned by guilt; when we finally deal with our sin, we can be set free through the miraculous power of Jesus Christ!
In Genesis 30 and 31, we find the family mess that existed in the relationship between Jacob and Laban. Similar to modern-day examples of family conflict, Jacob and his father-in-law Laban were engaged in a business conflict that exposed deeply rooted personal issues. Laban had made Jacob’s work and personal life miserable. He treated Jacob poorly and regularly deceived Jacob. However, God brings healing to the situation and Jacob is eventually released.The story of Jacob and Laban provides us with an example of how God can bring healing to our family conflicts. It may not seem that God is answering our prayers for our families, but he remembers our prayers and regularly restores families. We can move towards restoration in our relationships when we verbalize the hurt done to us, resolve to stop hurting one another, try to understand the other’s perspective, and receive God’s heart for the other person.
In the message idolatry was described as "anything you can't live with without", or "something you'd do anything for". Jacob sought his father's blessings and romantic love with Rachael – at any cost; Leah aimed to "beat her rivals" and secure her husband's love and affection – at any cost; and Rachael wanted to have a child – at any cost.
In Genesis 27 we find a story of family mess, of deception and favoritism as Jacob tricks his father Isaac into giving him his blessing instead of giving it to his older brother and firstborn son Esau; but we also find a story of blessing, a story of God and his sovereignty and how God works through weakness and even through wickedness. However, if we want to experience the fullness of God’s blessing on our lives, we’ve got to walk in the path of faith and obedience of the Lord. At the same time, in this scripture we also find that this story ultimately points to the person of Jesus Christ and his work of salvation.
