A New Start in God's Faithfulness

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=50 BGCOLOR="#333366" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>A New Start in God's Faithfulness</B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=165 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="132" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 35 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id548.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Gods Faithfulness to Ordinary People"><U><B><IMG SRC="007151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id576.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Tendency Towards SelfSufficiency"><U><B><IMG SRC="008151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="20"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="35" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="20" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="13"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="27"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <div> Previous/Next Sermon</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="www.stanbaker.org"><U><B>Home</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Biblical and Theological Studies"><U><B>Biblical and Theological Studies</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Church Ministry"><U><B>Church Ministry</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sermon Notes"><U>Sermon Notes</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id5.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Personal"><U><B>Personal</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=430 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>"A New Start in God's Faithfulness," Genesis 32:1-12 </B></div> <div> <B>Berean Bible Church, January 1, 2006</B></div> <bR> <div>      What transitions and changes took place for you in 2005? What changes do you expect in 2006? And of course, you also have to expect the unexpected. As we enter a new year, with all of the uncertainty that it brings, what attitude and what habit must we possess in order to manage the uncertainty?</div> <div>      Jacob was undergoing a significant transition, after 20 years in Laban's household.  He had been schemed by Uncle Laban time and again, but God was with him and blessed him with a large family and with great wealth.. Jacob grew in his faith and in his worship, where after 20 years he was finally able to publicly say, “God has been with me” (31:5).</div> <div>      As Jacob leaves Laban's household and returns to the land of his father, there is trouble ahead. Before he left he had schemed his father and his brother and taken away the right of inheritance and the blessing from his brother Esau, who had vowed to kill Jacob. As Jacob returns, there is trouble and uncertainty ahead. </div> <div>      Please look with me at <A HREF="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passage=Gen+32:1-12" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passag"><U>Genesis 32:1-12</U></A>, and let's first focus on vss. 3-8. Jacob isn't sure what to expect, but then he gets word that his brother is coming to meet him with 400 men. He is in “great fear and distress” (vs. 7).</div> <div>      But notice vss. 1-2. The angels of God had come to meet with Jacob on his journey, just like they did when Jacob was leaving the land to go to Laban's household (in ch. 28). At that time, God had said, “I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised” (28:15). The angels in ch. 32 were God's way of saying, “I'm still here, just like I said I would be.”</div> <div>      So Jacob is in great fear and distress. What does he do? He prays (vss. 9-12). Notice the core elements of his prayer:</div> <bR> <div> 1. He acknowledged he was following God's leading (vs. 9).</div> <div> 2. He reviewed God's faithfulness and kindness to him in the past, of which was not worthy (God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble).</div> <div> 3. He prayed for protection (specifically).</div> <div> 4. He reviewed the promises of God for the future.</div> <bR> <div>      We will see how the story works out later on. But for now, this is a helpful example for us as we enter the uncertainty of a new year. Let's enter the uncertainty of a new year with an <B>attitude of confidence </B>in God's presence and activity in our lives and in the world. Let's be people who develop the <B>habit of prayer</B>, people who follow God's leading, who remember his kindness to us in the past, who pray to him (specficially) for our concerns and fears, and who review his promises to us for the future.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> copyright, 2006, Stanley Baker</div> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> </td> </tr></table></body>