Okay, yeah get them Bibles out I got my stool
With a cushion
And I just want to share a few thoughts with you from
Genesis 47 and 48 we're gonna look at Jacob and he
He's getting ready to die, but he's pouring out blessing and so
I
Saw holy cow that's kind of a that would be a great picture of the Christian life. We're getting ready to die
but because we're not intimidated in that because we put our
Placed our trust and hope and the one who is his conquered that then we're free to pour out
God's blessing on those are around us
and I think I'd mentioned that a little bit last time we were together, but as as we
Turn to 47. I didn't quite finish there and
Before we read we'll start in verse 27. Let's pray Lord. Thank you. Thank you for
Israel for this man that
You chose to do a work in his life Lord and you chose to call him just like you've chosen
To call and to minister to every one of our hearts Lord
sitting in this place today Lord you've
You called us Lord for
to be your people and to humble ourselves and to
Repent of our sin and to walk with our God and I pray that Lord we would find ourselves in and just with that attitude
Lord of
Willing to do what you want us to do Lord and not not go about it in our own
Understanding in our own way and so Lord Jesus as we look at the the nuggets in the in these
Verses of Scripture this morning. I I pray that you would just
Lord you just lift us up that we would be encouraged Lord that we would be filled with hope and peace and your incredible love and
And Lord again, we just praise you for this opportunity to come together as your people
Collectively as one body Lord and worship you in spirit and in truth in Jesus name
amen
so here's Jacob, and he's he's been in Egypt and he's
Made it through the drow and
re
reunited with his son Joseph
and it says and so Israel verse 27 dwelt in the land of Egypt in the country of Goshen and
they had possessed and they had possessions there and grew and
Multiplied exceedingly and Jacob lived in the land of Egypt 17 years and so the length of Jacob's life
was
147 years and so here's here's
Jacob he's he's been in the land now of Egypt for 17 years and his time is growing near and
so
He has been blessed in those 17 years interesting 17 years Joseph
That's how old he was when he went to Egypt so he had bid under his dad's authority and under his dad's
instruction and nurturing for 17 years and now in
fulfillment with Joseph's dream for 17 years
Jacob has been ministered to by his son and
Under his son authority you remember in that dream right that the 11 stars bowed down to him
What's speaking of his brothers?
But his also the Sun and the moon
speaking of his his parental influence at that time some obviously Rachel has died and and
Leah was there but
He bowed down and here he is and God just like he always does Israel. He's blessing them
right there, they're the most blessed nation on the face of the planet and
and
And the United States is right with him
Years ago. I was listening to Benjamin Netanyahu as he was on one of the US news channels, and he says do you know?
that the Constitution could have been written in Hebrew and
And I think the journalist was kind of taken back by what Netanyahu said he says because you are descendants of
the Judeo-christian
Ideal and worldview
right all started with us with the Hebrews and
It did right. That's that's where our law comes from that's where our our
Lifestyle came from that and it's been extremely blessed and so
And it all comes from this dude right Jacob who his name is changed to Israel and
And God's blessing him just like he said he was gonna said he was gonna do right and maybe here
Jacob is reminded of what the Lord
Had said to him there in chapter 46 verse 44, and he says I myself
I will go down with you to Egypt and
I will bring you up again
and
Joseph hand Joseph's hand shall close your eyes. He says Joseph is gonna be there when you die
You're gonna see your son
you're gonna be with him and he says notice he says I will bring you up again and
Maybe that's what he's thinking about goes well. I'm gonna die
Are you ready to die?
Right being ready to die is so
Such a powerful thing and when I was younger I struggled with that even as a believer
You know I I I you know what I don't know what it is
Is it just because we're young and we think that that don't happen to young people?
And we're gonna miss out on a whole lot as I look back
Going at 20 or 25 wouldn't have been a bad deal
right I
Could have foregone a lot of marital problems. I could have foregone
Raising toddlers and terrible twos and then teenagers boys and girls
My
Kids were scared to death of me
Because I have this look on my face that looks like a snarling Doberman when I get upset with them
You know they're probably damaged because of me so if I don't went when I was 20 or 25
What would have been a good thing?
But Jacobs knows right he's he's not lived near as long as his grandfather
Abraham or his father Isaac, but he gets a hundred and forty seven years. That's a pretty good run. I would say and
But the Lord says I'm gonna bring you up again and
and Joseph's gonna be there at the end of your life and
Jacob here could see the end of his life. He knows he's failing and
I've kind of been faced with that
You know when I had to have help to get up out of the bed there there in the first few days
I'm just like
Really?
Death would be so wonderful
You know it's pretty pathetic when a you know a little
120 pound nurse has to help you up out of bed. I mean it was it was it was very humbling
Maybe that's why it happened. I don't know
so what happened was is I
Had owed this gal a hundred bucks
right I
Thought well hey I could just start you know she and she'd gotten a bunch of these mares they were four and five years old
They were only halter broke. They'd never had saddle on they'd never been ridden
I said, I'll just start a couple for you. I'll get on put that first ride on them
That's something that I'm I can do
Or I used to could
And
You know and pay off my hundred-dollar bill that I that I owed her for some hay that I had traded her out of last year
And so the first one went pretty well jumped around a little bit. No big deal next one was kind of sulky kind of
woman like
Okay, can I say I was only joking
She had a bit of an attitude right and I thought oh man I
probably shouldn't but I'm going to and
Sure enough, and I and I looked down at the the owner, and I said she's actually doing pretty good
I said I'm just gonna get one little you know move out of it here
and I mean she broke in half and went to buckin and
I'm old and
My reflex reflexes are near nothing near what they were when I was 25 or 30
and I mean and she was bucking hard I
Tell people it felt like she was an NFR horse every know what an NFR horse is
NFR horse is a national finals horse. I've been on NFR horses before but never at 62
And
So I said in all reality she was probably just kind of high-loping
But you know when you're 62 you think wow this is a big deal
Well she got some daylight between us in the saddle the seat came up, and that's what hit me, and I felt it pop and
I felt it pop right here in my on my pubic bone and also on my back
So I thought surely my pelvis is broke, but praise the Lord. It's only separated so
I'm on my way
Lord willing and I don't stumble and fall
So
Anyway this guy he's uh he knows it's getting close and
notice he he comes to his son here and
He says in verse 29 when the time drew near that Israel must die
Israel must die
He called his son Joseph and said to him now if I have found favor in your sight
Please put your hand under my thigh and deal kindly and truly with me
Please do not bury me in Egypt
But let me lie with my father's you shall carry me out of Egypt and bury me in in their
Burial place and he said I will do as you have said this is Joseph response
And then he said Jacob swear to me
And he swore to him so Israel bowed himself on the head of his bed
And so he humbly he humbly approaches his son who is obviously
The one who is in in power, and he says if I have found favor
right
Jacob is being showing respect or
homage if you will to Joseph because of Joseph's position and
And he says I you know I'm ready to die
it's
It's gonna happen, but you cannot bury me here. You got to take me home
Right and maybe he's hanging on God's promise here to him back in chapter 46 when he said I will bring you up again
Right take his bones back to Machpila, which is is a very important place
He said I want to be buried with them with the in their
Burial ground and that would be speaking of Abraham and Isaac
That place where the faithful of the Lord are buried
Abraham and Sarah are buried there Isaac and Rebecca are buried there
He buried Leah there, and he wanted to be there
My wife and I we were kind of having this conversation. Have you made your funeral arrangements?
Where do you want to be buried? What do you want? Well because we've always talked about cremation because it's so cheap
You know or a bunch of cheapskates from you know the Bible says from dust to dust you know
Cremation just speeds the process up really fast
But I'm thinking I told Connie the other day. I said no
I don't think so I think I want you to bury me either in Buell or Filer in
Southern Idaho that's where I kind of grew up. That's where I did all of my
dastardly deeds
Right my grandparents on my dad's side was was my grandma who prayed for me and to get saved
That's where she's buried and my grandpa
But but then in Filer is my mom's mom and dad isn't there there are seven miles apart the two cemeteries
And I'm thinking I think I want you know
I think we need to figure this out and because I'm going to be in Filer or
Buell one of the one of the two places and the way I'm going I might get there quicker than I'd planned
But
But to have those things kind of lined out you know when Connie and I went to Costa Rica last last last winter
We thought man what happens if the plane goes down?
Our kids are gonna be in a scrap. We need to nip this in the bud right now
Right because I told my youngest son. I said hey boy if anything happens sell the house and split it four ways
You'd all get to $25 apiece
Right that's all you're gonna get
And so I mean we got serious about it
we thought well you know cuz sometimes when you go to those those those countries that don't freeze and
kill all the stuff like bacterias and bugs and stuff you can get a bug and die and
So we thought wow we better so we went and got our will done right
I think it's just good practice especially those of you who are getting pretty long in the teeth
You know what I mean long in the teeth
Horses when they get old their teeth get long just and I see a lot of color out there, right? I got some myself
So make sure you got that that in order, but this is what this is what Jacob is doing
He's putting things in order, and this is this is what I want when when I'm gone. I want you to take me
I want to want you to put my bones there in the Promised Land the land the place that God had promised him
Now this isn't the end yet for for Jacob though
He sees it coming and it's and Joseph swears
He says and he swore to him so Israel bowed himself on his bed, and he and he worshiped
He worshiped
Ain't it cool that death can be barreling at you, and you can just bow your head and worship your God
It has no hold or do what Paul's tell it has no sting Oh death
Where is your sting Oh grave? Where is your victory it doesn't have any?
Because of that
In
Describable gift that we have in the Lord Jesus Christ and so he worships and it goes on here in verse 48
It says now it came to pass after these things that Joseph was told indeed your father is sick
and he took with him his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim and
Jacob was told look your son Joseph is coming to you and Israel
Strengthened himself and sat up on the bed, and then Jacob said to Joseph God Almighty
Appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me and said to me behold
I will make you fearful and multiply fruitful excuse me and
Multiply you and I will make of you a multitude of people and give this land to your descendants after you as an
everlasting possession
right, so he's he's getting weaker he knows his common and
And so Joseph Joseph hears and he goes man. I better take my boys and go see him and
I think it's it's really important to get our
Kids and our grandkids close to the older folks that are gonna die I
Remember the first time I took my Buster to a funeral and was a funeral that I was
I was kind of close to the guy who had died and but I took him with me to the viewing and I didn't realize it
But Buster had never seen anybody dead. He was about eight years old, and he was looking at that guy
and walking around there and
And I'm think it's a good thing don't shield that from kids
They need to see that
They need to see the reality of it, and we we just live in a society. Well. Don't let them see this why not
It's gonna happen to them one day
Better be ready right and
And so he takes his two boys with him and no doubt he wants wants them to see their grandpa before
before he dies and it says
It says that you indeed your father is sick another word for that could be weak
He could have been slowly getting weaker and Jacob was told look your son. Joseph is coming so he strengthened himself
He says I got a few things. I got a share with my boy before I go
I've been to a lot of deathbeds
It is amazing the regrets that I've heard over the years
Going to deathbeds and setting beside people and they begin to bemoan
Some of the decisions they've made in their life some of the relationships of the ships that have just been totally destroyed because of their
selfishness and
It's better late than never
amen it's better late than never and
and so he
He takes the boys he gets there and Joseph strengthens himself because excuse me Jacob strengthens himself because
He's gonna share his testimony he's gonna share his testimony with with Joseph and his two grandsons
Hearing the testimony of the patriarchs or matriarchs in your family is a very powerful thing and
And so he tells him there he said
He said God almighty. It's the it's the El Shaddai
Or it could be could be translated God the God of the whole earth appeared to me at Luz
now Luz is is
Equivalent to also known as Bethel the house of God you guys remember the story as we were going through it
That's where Jacob was when he put his head down on that rock and he saw the ladder going
Back and forth between heaven and earth the angels of God ascending and descending and that ladder was the Messiah the Mashiach
the the the Christ it's a picture of Jesus that he saw there and
the Lord spoke to him said I'm gonna be with you and I'm gonna go with you and I'm gonna bless you and
so he's recounting this to his to his son and to his
grandchildren I
Remember when
When my
When my grandma she
She shared with me her testimony. She was 14 years old when she came to Christ and it was at a tent meeting in
Oklahoma
But my grandma what was interesting at the reason 14 was important
She had a sister named Gladys and her brother Delbert. They both died when they were 14 and
My great-grandma had lost three or four children, but which was quite common back then
But because my grandma I think was more than 18, but she she told me so when she turned 14
She was struck with fear
she was just
terrified and so they would her mom and her dad took her to this revival tent meeting and
Every night that they had the revival tent meeting and they got close to the end when the preacher would give the invitation
She would get up and go out to the car
And my grandma Nora who prayed for me and Rick when my mom was actually pregnant with that with us
She she said jewel. I know what you're doing. You need to sit through this preacher's invitation tonight
And so she was kind of frustrated with her mom and pretty soon he give the invitation
She says I do not know what happened
But she said I don't even remember but all of a sudden he said come on down here to the altar and give your life
to Christ
Sorry Marcel
And she said I I don't even remember getting up all I remember it felt like a big hand in my back
and I was by the time I got there I was running and
She received Christ and she told me this in her 70s and her heart was just so it so moved her
she was in tears and I thought I
Think I think about that now and I'm thinking
That really impacted me
Right that really impacted me that as I was was on my journey. I I probably remembered that that that
Maybe consciously or subconsciously but but her sharing that with me or my mom sharing
hating my dad for years after they divorced and how she had to come to grips with that and how the Lord the
Testimony of how the Lord delivered her from that or my grandpa Orville who had a heart attack in his 40s
He made it to just two weeks before his 80th birthday and how the Lord delivered him. I just thought
That's important. I need to start so next time I see my grandbabies
I'm gonna start telling them man, but where grandpa was and what happened and why I walk with Jesus
It's incredible
God has a passion for generations
You know right now they say that the the multiplication
The birth rate in America the birth rate in most countries around the world is down way down
The testosterone levels in young men from 18 to 30 is like way down. Oh, that's the problem
Right
But God loves
Babies he loves generation after generation. He's never told us to stop being fruitful and multiplying
Right. He's never told us to stop doing that
and
Yet we're talked we're hearing about population control
You realize that that's in direct opposition of who God is he's for life
and
so
So Jacob, he's he's poor in this this life. He says God he he appeared to me and and
In the land of loz and and he said to me
behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you and I will make you a
Multitude of people and give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession
Did you get that
Everlasting possession
That's why Israel is in the land that's why there is no two-state solution I
Just some of you may have saw it there was a somebody had posted a clip of Benjamin Netanyahu 40 years ago
40 years ago. How long ago was that? That was in 1982
for
1984 was 40 years ago and
Netanyahu's talking about the I mean he's he's young he don't have any grainy's hair
Good looking guy and he's talking about the two-state solution. He says the Arabs already have an Arab state. They got 22 of them
You guys are wanting to make it a 23rd
He says Israel is Israel and
It's an everlasting covenant right that God made with these people people ask me all the time
Well
Or I hear I hear rumblings more. Why does he talk about Israel all the time?
Because Israel is where a
good understanding of Israel folks is a good understanding of the Bible a
Good understanding of Israel is a good understanding of the Bible if you don't understand
The Jewish culture in the in the Hebrew world especially as it relates to the Old Testament you're lost
When you read God's Word
You're lost
But as you begin to understand it and you look at the that covenant that God made with Abraham
right and and and the same words are used that we just read here in the first four verses of chapter 48 in
Genesis 17 where it says
To Abraham also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger
all the land of Canaan and
everlasting possession and I will be their God and
Here they are
They cease to be in the land for 2,500 years and now they are back in the land and I will be their God
He says
right
Netanyahu also said on national US television that Ezekiel 37 has been fulfilled
Right that the valley of dry bones that they have become a nation again
So he reminded him
He he's reminded of of what he told Isaac in in Genesis chapter 26
I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands and in your
Offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed
So is the next generation hearing from you
Hearing the your testimony how you came to know God
How you came to walk with Jesus
How about the promises of God
John 3 16 I love it whosoever do they know that
Does that generation do they know that who so ever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life?
You know my my grandmother jewel I just talked about her
She had taken me to church and at nine years old I had made a decision to follow Jesus and I'd remember
My grandma she I remember her singing some of the hymns. You know I remember her reading her Bible
I remember her quoting Bible verses to me so fast forward another you know 15 years
I'm 23 years old and when I surrender my life to the Lord I can remember scriptures that she had told me when I was 9
Right you know that whole saying where God's Word don't return void
And I remember it from the generation not only her but also from my grandma Jones my mother's mom
Who also would quote the Bible to me?
And it was like those those words that had been laid dormant for all those years all of a sudden
They just sprang to life, and they were all over me right and that's why it's so important to share
God's Word with
Your kids and your grandkids
because this there's gonna come a time in their life right when that they're at the end of themselves and
They need something that God the Holy Spirit
can flash forth into their memory into their souls that they've heard before and
It converts them the word of the Lord the Bible says converts the soul and
Those were things that that I just could not ignore and
so
It's a powerful thing. It's actually commanded in in the in the Old Testament law in Deuteronomy
It says all these words which I command you today shall be in your heart
You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house
When you walk by the way when you lie down and when you rise up you shall bind them as signs on your hand
And they shall be as frontlets between your eyes he
He shares God's promises that God had promised him with his son and with his
Grandson because Jacob is going to take Joseph's sons as his own and he's gonna bless them verse 5
look at verse 5 there where it says I
Know it's in here somewhere and now your two sons
Ephraim and Manasseh. Oh, wait a minute. Did you know something there? He changed order. He changed order on Jacob
It's Manasseh who is the firstborn and then Ephraim there and there's a reason for that
He says and now your two sons Ephraim and Manasseh
Who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt are mine
So Jacob sent your two boys these two boys ears. They're mine. I'm taking them
Right what dad do you think dad would have a hard time with that? I don't know
But he says as listen they are mine as Reuben and Simeon now think about that Reuben and Simeon
Those are the first two first two sons born to Jacob
They shall be mine your offspring whom you beget after them shall be yours and
And they will be called by the name of their brothers. This is Ephraim in Manasseh in their inheritance
And
so
But as for me when I came from pot pad on
Rachel died beside me in the land of Canaan on the way and when there was but a little distance to go
Ephrath I buried to Ephrath I buried her there on the way to Ephrath which is
Bethlehem
So this this is just interesting
You know you hear people talk about Israel and the lost tribes. There's never been any lot has God ever lost anything
There's no last tribes of Israel
There was the ten tribes in the north and the two in the south right when Israel was divided back during after
Solomon some of you might be reading through the the
The Bible reading please do that
I mean if you have another system where you read through the Bible do that, but you can go online
I think and download it
I actually go on my brothers because that's to work, but but I think we have it we have it available online only
the the Bible reading and
Right after Solomon see the the kingdom was united under Saul under David and under Solomon
the king but then when when Rehoboam and Jeroboam come along then it's it's separated and you know that the kingdom of Israel is
Israel to the north Judah to the south they're divided and
And these boys are a part of that later on down the road
But he's he's gonna take them and they're gonna have
What they call they're gonna have preeminence
So Reuben and and Ephraim or excuse me Ephraim and Manasseh are gonna have preeminence
More so than than Reuben and and Simeon and some think it was because of their sin
That it cost them. You know sin costs you
Yeah, right you can forfeit a lot of stuff that God wants to do in your life
Just by being sinful or being selfish and Reuben. You know what Reuben did right he?
He went in had sex with with his dad's wife
and
Was not his mother
but one of the handmaids right and then Simeon was the dude with him and Levi when they
Agreed with the Shechemites to get circumcised, and then they went in and slaughtered them all when they were sore and on crutches
Because we're on crutches you won't fight very well right they went in and slaughtered them all and
and and
Jacob was upset with them so now he's he's kind of taken. He's taken Ephraim and Manasseh and
He's given Ephraim
Preeminence over Manasseh now you remember Reuben didn't even go into the land
He stayed on the other side of the Jordan right Simeon goes into the land. He's pretty small
But when Ephraim we see Ephraim go into the land. He's the biggest of all the tribes, so it's not 12 tribes
there's 13 and
12 of them get get land there in the promised land the Levites don't because they're the priestly line
So they don't get any of the land so it's divided up into 12 sections
But but Ephraim and Manasseh was on both sides right he had a portion on the east side of the Jordan
and he had a portion on the west side of the Jordan and
so
he says
so them boys they're gonna be mine they're gonna be part of the the nation of Israel and
He says whatever is born after that those can be yours and so he they are gonna receive a direct inheritance as
the sons of Israel and
we never see the tribe of Joseph except in
Revelation in
Revelation a lot of times when it speaks of Joseph
About one of the tribes right it speaks of Ephraim, but Joseph is mentioned in
the Revelation as as the tribe
Because Ephraim actually had his own
skeletons in the closet that probably got him in trouble with the Lord as well and
So so this is what he tells him now it almost appears like in verse 7 that he kind of
Is just reminiscing
It's like he's changing the subject, but not really because it says but as for me
When I came from Padan Rachel died beside me in the land of Canaan on the way
When there was but a little distance to Ephrath
interesting and
I buried her there on the way to Ephrath
That is Bethlehem now anytime you hear the word Bethlehem. What does that bring to mind?
right
Jesus right because that is where
Right the bread of heaven Jesus said I am the bread right I am the bread of life the bread of heaven came down
to the earth at
Bethlehem and that's what Bethlehem means Beth means house the ham means bread house of bread
Bethlehem is the house of bread so
possibly
Jacob is thinking as I
Buried these boys his grandmother one of these boys his name is is
Ephraim Ephraim is the same word as Ephraim means fruitfulness and
So that's what?
Possibly joke Joseph or Jacob excuse me is thinking about here, but it always points towards the Messiah
And there's a scripture in Psalm that I'm gonna get to
Next time I'm not gonna get there today, but it says
And so then Israel saw Joseph's sons and said who are these and Joseph said to his father?
They are my sons whom God has given me in this place
and he said please bring them to me and I will bless them and
So here's a blessing of a grandpa on his grandkids
Now I know about you
I got grandkids, and I want to I want to pour all kinds of blessings out on my grandkids
right
but these guys are
There is a very deliberate
blessing that that
He is maybe foreseeing sometimes. I wonder you know when you read things in the old Old Testament you wonder
Did they even know what they were writing these guys?
Where they would write about things seven five hundred seven hundred a thousand years before it actually?
happened where they even and yet
It does appear that he has a sense here and says he says who are these that's the exact same question
That was asked to Jacob right before his dad Isaac blessed him exact same phrase
Who who are you you remember what he said he lied? Oh?
I'm Esau
But he still got the blessing
And so right before these guys get the blessing he's going who are these now it goes on and says his eyes are dimmed
So maybe he couldn't recognize the difference between Ephraim and Manasseh
But Joseph obviously keeps clear thing up
But he says bring him here that I might bless them now this this is this is interesting because
The word blessing in the Hebrew is the Barakah which which means to pull down
Means to pull down
But when it's shorter
It the it comes from the root word
Barak which means knee or to kneel think about it
What do you do when you pray?
You get on your knees sometimes you humble yourself, right?
That's what it that's what the word humble actually means to make yourself low, but it means to pull down
It means to pull down
The the glories of heaven the goodness of heaven onto somebody's life. That's what it means
You've been doing that with your grandkids. How about your kids?
been praying for him
Your little boys you praying for their wife
Your little girls you praying for their husband, please pray
Right. I don't know about these boys nowadays
It's it's it's scary I
Know I don't want my granddaughter being around any boy like I was
Right
That scares me. I would kill him and
Have a prison ministry
But I
Because I listened to a Hebrew guy talk on this and I'm just thought that is the coolest thing I've ever heard
What are you pulling down?
Onto your kids onto your grandkids onto your enemies onto your neighbors. What are you pulling down?
When you hit your knees
right
God gives you a a posture that you can you can
Kneel down just as we see Jacob here bowing down on his bed before the Lord
when he's about ready to bless these grandkids and that
The other night I grabbed my wife's hand man. We start pulling down
We start pulling down blessing on our kids and our grandkids
They don't know that
But God does and who directs their life God does I had people praying for me
So this week I had a guy call me we were we were rodeo buddies and
We all kind of came to Jesus around the same time right around
1983 84 Jesus started there was just a movement in in our little group and
We would fill up a whole pew there at Calvary Chapel Twin Falls
and and we and we were talking and
And
He had had an experience with the Holy Spirit. He had gotten saved he had received Christ and
You know and then they moved away. He was a
Horse trainer and did well first you know worked in the thoroughbred industry and and but all
Things came to a head with his him and his wife and they divorced and he's got two kids and hasn't talked to him in
Ten years, and it was just one thing after another into the drug world and just an absolute train wreck mess of a life
And he said he said Scotty
I remember you and Rick and the Lord got a hold you guys, and he said, but you never seemed to falter
Why is that?
I thought to myself that is a really good question
It was probably all the pulling down that had been happening for my life in his life
It would go and clear back to my great-grandma Nora
Praying for generations to come and we were a part of that
And I'm just like that's the only thing I can think of because he says you know I didn't have he says my parents are
really good people
but should I never I didn't I never had any influence of what a Christian life was to look like and
I'm telling you my heart got pretty full of things really quick
Because I know that could be me so easy and I was probably even better. I was better at sinning than him right
And just made an absolute mess and yet because
Because God sends people
He looks down he sees before the foundation of the world our lives
And he knows he has this foreknowledge of who we're gonna be
What's the influence of our lives is gonna be like who does he send to be that influence to intercede in?
the quiet places
like my grandma in
her upper room
It was all she could do to walk up and down them stairs
She was in a horrific car wreck shattered her ankles, and I used to watch her walk up the for 20 years
I watched her walk up and down these stairs
And she would go go up there and and no doubt pray for her her grandchildren all she had was one son and four grandkids
And so we got the brunt of all her prayers. Thank you Jesus, right?
So it means it means to pull down, but it also also when we kneel or when we we
Attack in prayer it also is an offensive weapon that we see in Ephesians chapter 6 where it says
right
That
What above all things right take the sword of the Spirit and prayer and then it says in 2nd and 2nd
Corinthians chapter 10 it tells us listen for though we walk in the flesh
We do not war according to the flesh for the weapons of our warfare are
Not carnal, but mighty and God for pulling down
strongholds so not only do a pull down blessing
But we pull down spiritual strongholds as we humble ourselves before the Lord and as we seek his face
Casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God bringing every thought into captivity
to the obedience of Christ
right I
Got some excited about this just like man pulling down blessings. Let's do it pulling down
There's
Something about God giving us knees and
I can get I can get on my knees and
What it does is also pulls down God's ear
When you humble yourself?
Psalm 116 - I love it. I think this is ESV version
It says because he bends down to listen. I will I will pray as long as I have breath
Because when you hit your knees
God bends his ear he listens
You want God to listen to you?
first humble yourself
Repent of your sin right and secondly approach his throne what that what whatever is in your heart?
Right cast your cares upon him for he cares for you
and
so
Israel is this is this man who is
Who becomes a blessing to the whole world just like he promised Abraham Israel's in that line
Israel is a blessing to the whole world folks right because it's where Jesus came from
That's why I talk about it so much
So what the patriarchs did when they were calling on the Lord they were pulling down blessing onto the whole world
Absolutely incredible every nation of the earth who hears the name of Jesus and has an opportunity to respond
To the the great sacrifice and the great work that he did for them personally is blessed
right is is blessed and so
And that's Gentiles hey
We're blessed too because we're part of it right we're grafted in it tells us in Romans 11
But if some of the branches were broken off and you although a wild olive shoot that would be us
Gentiles were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree
Israel is called three trees the fig tree and olive tree in a vine
Right throughout Scripture, and we're a part of that
we are to be a blessing to the whole world and
and pulling down blessing on the world and and and
The psychotic people think no they need to we need to get rid of these Christians. They're crazy
And they're probably right
But we're included there is no Jew or Greek the Bible says right
but because of this man's life and and God's promises to him we we
Were blessed and were included in fact in in in a Galatians 6. It's called the Israel of God
Right that we would be a part of that someone who strives with God
Today you're doing one of two things you're striving with God and going in the same direction as God or you're opposed to him
You're striving against him I
Was suggest the first
I'm gonna close with it something that just jumped out at me
as I was as I was looking at this and and studying and
you
know
Jacob is called in one in verse two. I believe it's he's called Jacob and Israel all in the same verse and
so those those those interchangeable names of Jacob and and
Israel throughout Scripture
But I thought Jacob the truth of Jacob's life
Confirms what John chapter 11 verse 25 says?
Does anybody know right off the top of their head John 11 25 I always shared at funerals right? It's the whole
It's the whole well
This is 25 verse 25 in verse 35 is where Jesus wept the shortest verse from the Bible right you can remember that one
but
Israel's life is
Is such a picture of John 11 25 where Jesus is speaking to a woman at a funeral and?
He says Martha I
Am the resurrection in the life he who believes in me though he were dead yet shall he live
Right and I look at Israel's life Israel died at 147 years old, but Israel lives
Israel lives today is alive is the eternal
Has eternal life it's incredible
The resurrection in the life the Lord Jesus Christ those who believe in him though they were dead yet shall they live
Now if that doesn't bless your heart you need to check your pulse, right?
As
We prepare ourselves to die may we be a blessing right to the world. I'm gonna close with this scripture
I love it. You can put it on your heart
You can maybe write it down if he's in chapter 1 verses 3 & 4 says
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ
Just as he chose us in him before the foundations of the world that she we should be holy and without blame
Before him in love let's pray father. Thank you
The truths of your word or
Lord they are eternal and
they move us and
They sustain us and they keep us
May we find ourself in that place even this week of
Just trusting you
Lord
pulling down that blessing that
That power from above that we have access to as your believers
Lord that we would
Approach the throne boldly
But also never forgetting that it's a throne of grace
Lord that that unmerited favor that you've given to everyone in this room
Who has named the name of Jesus?
and
There may be some in this room who have not
called on you to be their Lord and Savior
Lord I pray that they would do that even right now and
Lord is we're just in an attitude of prayer right now if there's someone here that needs that in their life. They just need a
surrendered life to the God of heaven
If that's you pray these simple words with me it's just a just an admission of your need
Pray these words Lord Jesus forgive me of my sin. I know that you died for me
Lord I need you in my life
Holy Spirit, I need your power
To be like you
to
to have the confidence
That I can pull down blessing on my family and those around me
Lord fill me with your spirit wash my soul. Thank you for your precious blood
Lord I believe that you rose from the dead and
that you offer me eternal life and
I receive it unto myself in
Your mighty name I pray in Jesus name
Amen, amen
God bless you. Hey, these guys are gonna do us worship song. Let's stand and
the works the prayer team will be over here to the right so if you need prayer, please come down and
God bless you do some pulling down this week, would you?