Welcome to Unveiled Faces, a Redeemer Presbyterian Church podcast. Please enjoy our feature presentation. In July of 1588, a brother in Christ was laboring that summer over his garden. Now, gardening back then had a little more significant role in the feeding of the household. And this dear brother, he wrote in his diary how that was more of a wet summer than normal, and he had fears that the garden would not grow. And as he prayed and entreated the Lord and poured out his concerns, it rained harder. And he wrote in his diary, Lord, are you determined, as it were, to not hear my prayers and not take heed to the concerns of my own household? It rained more. Well, his heart began to sink a bit, but A week later, he heard that the very storm that was devastating his garden sunk the Spanish armada that was sent to attack England. And so, in a sense, he was delivered from greater trials in the midst of his present trials. He did not have the perception to see what was not before his eyes. Those things God was treasuring up as he was working bright designs to the deliverance of his people. You know, brethren, we can relate to a story like that, but often we find ourselves with limited perspective, viewing what is immediately in our lives and the trials and the difficulties. And there's such a wide variety of trials, aren't there, that we face. It could be the trials of unemployment, the trials of sickness in the home, the trials of a broken hip in a grandmother or grandfather. It could be the trials of the dailiness of life that seems to grind on without any spectacular events. And then we run the danger of that creeping dullness through sameness. Well, as we've read in the text here, we find Abraham's grandson, Jacob, facing a set of circumstances that really were wrenching his soul. Here was a time where there was famine in the land. Obviously, they had cried out to the Lord for food, provision, but it only seemed to get worse. Jacob loved his children. However, he, in an inappropriate way, had a favorite among his 12 sons. And that led to all kinds of difficulties and problems. Favoritism, from a parental standpoint, is really working wreckage in the home. And here Jacob, seeing all the animosity that was stirred up, even among his children, his sons actually conspired against Joseph. And when they saw him coming afar off, sent by their dad to bring report and to bring provision. They spied him far off and conspired actually to do him harm. And you remember the story perhaps, how that they took Joseph, they threw him in a pit, they contemplated slaying him, killing him. But then when they saw the Midianites coming along, they thought, hey, why not make a little money on this endeavor? And so they sold him into slavery. Viewing him in the pit, seeing the anguish of his soul get hard-hearted out of their bitterness and resentment toward him, they sold him into slavery, concluding that they would never see him again. And then what would happen to that dreamer? Then by and by, as the need arose, Jacob had to send his sons to the only place that there was to be gotten food. And so he sent them down to Egypt. And you know the story behind what was going on, how that God raised up Joseph to be second in command over all of Egypt. And with his clothing and with the changes that had taken place, His own brothers didn't recognize him. And there Joseph, second in command over the most powerful nation of the world at the time. They came, they presented their need for food. Joseph recognizes them immediately. And what welling up in his own heart. But you know, God had been a long time before with his soul working and plowing and maturing and developing and changing perspectives and bringing down some of the pride and self-assurance in his younger days and working through, we're told in the Psalms, that the irons bit deep into his flesh and through the trials that he had gone through, he was being molded and shaped by that master molder and developer of Christian maturity by God himself. And so Joseph, seeing his brethren, begins to conspire in terms of a plan to do them good, to do them good not only with the provision of food needed to sustain life, but also to do them good, to see good wrought within them. And they, through process of time, were brought to have anguish, not over their plight so much as to the sensibleness of their own sins, And all of this was being brought about by God's wise, sovereign overruling of every single event that was taking place. But when Jacob heard the commands, the requirements of this ruler in Egypt, someone he didn't even know, yet it happened to be his own son, that he had now to send his other son by Rachel, not just Joseph, who now he thought was gone, now Benjamin, Joseph's true brother by same mother and father. And if you'll notice in verse 36 of chapter 42 of Genesis, notice Jacob's response. He gives that hard utterance, that cry of anguish. All these things are against me. All these things are against me. Now brethren, I know sometimes we read a statement like that and we can think, you know, oh, Jacob, you're supposed to be a man of faith. But you know, when you point the finger at Jacob, you got three pointing back at yourself. Because how many times in life have we lost sight God and lost sight of the fact that he is the one who governs every molecule and atom in existence and he channels them all for the purpose of doing good for his people and his cause in the earth to fetch out of mankind a people for himself and to bring them to eternal glory now that's what God is doing and it doesn't matter what we see or what we don't see that is what God is doing Now, Jacob, what was his struggle? What was happening in his soul? Well, obviously, we can see he was taking counsel from his fears. He was taking the insecurities. He was taking the difficulties of circumstances. He set his eyes upon those and it stirred up internal anguish. He couldn't make sense of why things were taking place as they were. And so with that view, he cries out, all these things are against me. You know, brethren, we can see perhaps the foolishness of the position that some would take in college universities and across our land of atheism. You know, atheism really is an arrogant stance. Agnosticism might be a little more honest, but atheism is a real arrogance. And yet how often even we as the people of God are guilty of what could be called practical atheism. You know, Jacob in that utterance of his soul was crying out as if there were no God, no God involved, no God orchestrating events, no God securing the fulfilling of his promises because he judged the Lord by feeble sense. and was not putting his confidence in the fulfilling of those promises that God had given to Abraham and to Isaac and even to Jacob. Now this is the man who wrestled with the Lord by the brook Jebuch. He was the man who saw God work wondrous things in his own history. bringing himself through the years and prospering him when in reality he thought there was no real encouragement, no hope through various times in his life. But God brought him to this very place, and now what does he do? Well, we can see he's a man of like passions as we are, and a man struggling, a man who falters. And so, dear ones, let us not judge him, but learn from him that that cry of anguish, all these things are against me, was so far from the truth. But that limited perspective he had led him to take counsel from his fears. You know, brethren, Jacob was infusing power into a negative outlook. And that negative outlook had more influence upon his soul, his perspective, his internal world. One time, I took my family over to the coast. We had Discover California days. And I remember walking up this pathway and looking over. It was a windy day. It was a stormy day. And the first thing I saw was the crashing waves, huge waves against the rock, throwing spray up into the air. And the one thing that first came to my mind was this. Wow, sometimes that's what my heart looks like. And you know what, brethren? That's what was going on. There was a storm raging within Jacob's soul. Well, beloved, what is it? that Jacob could have done, should have done. What is it that we could do and we should do? Instead of taking counsel from our spheres and taking counsel from present circumstances, looking by sight. Yes, we know we should look by faith, but you know, dear brethren, I would say this, make sure that instead of taking counsel from our own hearts and our own fears, take counsel specifically here from Christ's present ministry. Christ's present ministry. What do I mean by that? I ask you this, do you believe that Jesus Christ as the exalted, glorious Savior ever lives to make intercession for you and for me? Was Christ, as the great eternal Son of God, did Christ have Jacob in His heart? to work all things for his good and the good of his family and the good of the prosperity of the promise that were made to him. Did Christ carry that on his heart? Even though Jacob said, all these things are against me, in reality, all things were conspiring for him. At that very time, what was happening? What was happening was that Christ went before him sending Joseph and was preparing provision for his own family for the sustaining of his own life. He was raising up his son that he thought was bereaved and gone and taken from him. He was raising up his son to be a commander in Egypt, making provision abundantly beyond he could have ever thought or asked. At that very time, that's what Christ was doing for Jacob. But all Jacob could see, all these things are against me. And you know, dear brethren, we should learn from that. In the trials of life, which will come, we are assured they will come. In this world, we will have trials, difficulties, pressuring times. We are told faithfully, that through many tribulations we will enter the kingdom. This world is not our home. We're just passing through, and our treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue, as that old poem says. And you know, brethren, it is in times of trials that we need to come back and take a fresh view of our triumphant Savior. I know it's hard, and sometimes we lose sight and lose perspective. But instead of taking counsel from our fears, as Jacob did, let us take counsel from the present ministry of Christ. One situation that happened to my wife and I, we were in Montana. At that time, we had Four children. A little daughter, Rachel, almost a year old, one week before her first birthday. I went in and got her out of the crib and I brought her in to Donna and I said, here honey, I think she might need a nurse. And I noticed there was a little bump right here. I didn't think much of it, maybe a mosquito bite or maybe she was teething. I went off to the office and I came back a while later and she says, Rick, you need to you need to look at Rachel. I went in and there she was and her eye was almost completely swollen shut. It was Friday, didn't want to have a weekend emergency room visit and so I said, you know, I think we need to get her to the doctor and have her checked out. And so she went on down to the doctor. I stayed there with the other kids and I get a phone call and she says, Rick, you need to, The doctor, he said, take her immediately to the hospital. So she did. And then I went down there and we were met with infectious disease specialists, two doctors, and they said that You know, it's a one in a million chance, but she has an infection that if not stopped within a 12-hour period, it'll take over her brain, her spinal cord, and she'll die. And so they put her into the hospital and they strapped her down in this big crib and an IV in every one of her limbs. And the doctors were talking to us that, you know, they believe that they caught it in time, but, you know, they just have to wait and see. And they didn't know what particular bacteria was there. And so they had to give her antibiotics for all four. Well, there we were, you know, just a young family, and I remember going out to the car, and we sat in the car, and I took her hand, and I said, honey, we just need to pray. And what we prayed at that time was this. There was a sweet assurance in our souls that Christ was not distant, but that actually this very event was in his own heart, and came into our lives through the filter system of Christ don't care for us, And we prayed to the Lord Jesus and committed our own daughter into his hands. And we believe firmly. And that was a strength of the Lord ministering to our souls. It doesn't come by our own strength or our own convincing or, you know, this super spiritual power of positive thinking, dealing with the promises of God. It was very real and tangible of the intercessory work of Christ who took our needs upon his own heart and prayed for us in the midst of our dilemmas, in the midst of our crises. And I can say this, though difficult, We were able freely, my wife and I, to yield up our daughter into the Lord's hands, knowing that if he took her, it was part of the all things that work together for good. If he delivered her and gave her back to us, we would bless him for his kindness and his goodness and that as well. But there was a resignation. And I'll tell you, brethren, That was not put together by flesh and blood. That was put together by the ministry of the Spirit of God making the things of Christ a very real and present reality to our own souls. Christ's ministry on our behalf is what sustained us through that difficult time. But I can say this, there was a sweet comfort and consolation and a realness that came from the heart of Christ that flooded our own souls. Now bless God. The Lord was pleased to give Rachel to us and raise her up from that sick bed and restored her to good health and how we thank God for that. But you know, brethren, oh, that we could be reminded by the Spirit of God that when we enter into trials and maybe it's the longevity of hope deferred, hope deferred, hope deferred that makes the heart sick. that we would take that temptation to heart sickness before the Lord Jesus, who carries us upon his soul, upon his heart, and prays for us that our faith would fail not. And isn't it the Lord Jesus who says to his sheep, fear not little flock. It is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. And while we pass through a wide variety of trials, to know that not one of those trials comes into our life, but doesn't first flow through the wise, loving, kind heart of our exalted Savior. Does Christ care for His sheep? Oh, absolutely. He laid down His life for them. He is the chief shepherd. He is the good shepherd. He is the great shepherd that will come again, that we might be forever with him. And so brethren, in the midst of trials, like Jacob, all let us learn not to take counsel from our fears, but to take counsel from the present ministry of Christ. You know, beloved, turn if you would to the book of Hebrews in chapter four, We are told in Isaiah 63 that Christ is so far removed from that position of being a distant, detached, disconnected savior and shepherd of his people. We are told actually in Isaiah 63 and verse nine, that in all the afflictions of his people, he is afflicted. What a marvelous reality that is, and it ought to sink deep into our souls with affection and gratitude that God has given us such a connected Savior, that in all of our afflictions, He is afflicted. And where do we get that? Well, we get it from this concept. that He is in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin. And so He leads us the way through those trials, showing how to conduct ourselves and how to behave, but knowing that we're to fetch all of our strength to do so from Him. Christ told us, and you know, we come to the feeling sensibleness of this reality, that without Him, we can do nothing. But as Paul identified, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Well, now look at the heart posture of Christ in the midst of our trials. Hebrews 4, verses 14 to 16. Seeing then that we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession We do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin, and therefore, let us come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. You know, brethren, there, He's really advocating what can be called a humble boldness, to have a contrite confidence in our Savior, that He is a present, engaged, active companion with us in all of our difficulties. Now, I dare say, we can say, oh, if Jacob had that perspective, he would have been stronger in that trial. Oh, dear brethren, all of us would be stronger in the trials we face if we had that perspective, right? And all that these things would go past the mere thought patterns of our minds and sink deep into the depths of our souls. that in all of our afflictions, He is afflicted. In all of our concerns and trials and difficulties, He's engaged as one who sympathizes with a felt feeling with us in our trials and difficulties. There's not one thing that comes into your life and my life, but that doesn't first flow through the heart and intentionality of our Savior to do us good. That's what comes into our lives. You see, Jacob wasn't able to see that at the time, just like we're not able to see that at times. But oh, may the Lord by His Spirit be our remembrancer, the one who reminds us, the Holy Spirit who takes the things of Christ and brings them to us with practical liveness and relevancy and power to change our perspective. from living by sight to living by faith and the promises that are all yes and amen in Jesus Christ. Well, you see, brethren, we have here a gracious, a wonderful, a precious pattern for us to believe in the Lord Jesus, that he is actively doing and pursuing us good, even if we don't see it. Now, that I say, to have that perspective, it has to be heaven-born faith deposited into the soul. Isn't that true? Well, beloved, with this as a living reality, what does God call us to do? What was God actually nurturing, moving, and what was God requiring of Jacob? not to hoof it on his own and not to see things simply through his own eyes and assess things through his own judgment and temporal and temporary perspective. but rather to lay hold of the truth and promises of God, the fidelity of the character of God displayed in the Scriptures. He knew of that. He heard of the stories of his grandfather Abraham. He saw God's faithfulness in his own father Isaac. He heard the testimony of Eliezer. who God directed and led to find the very spouse that he was to embrace. He heard of those stories, he witnessed God's faithfulness in doing those kind things for his people in the fulfilling of his promises. And you know dear ones, We need to remind our own children, and we need to have those experiences to remind our children of God's faithfulness. You know, sometimes it's just simply to continue believing and having faith in the midst of difficult times that bears witness to our children. Our children more attention pay to what we do than what we say, and they want to see a living faith exhibited in the lives of their own parents. Oh, brethren, Even though the failings of Jacob were obvious and our failings are obvious, God uses those things to humble us and God uses those things to, as it were, work out in our lives some of our own follies and throw into our face at times some of our own sinful indulgences and he brings us back. Well now brethren, doesn't it ring true when you hear that phrase from Jacob, All these things are against me. What comes to your mind? What biblical passage just rings out? Romans 8, 28, and 29, does it not? Where it says, and we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to his purpose. You know, brethren, when we are tempted to think, all these things are against me, we need to reprove our own selves and grab ourselves by the scruff of the neck and seat of the pants and say, now listen, you get your thoughts right because all these things are for me. All these things are conspiring by the Lord's sovereign hand to work good in me. And so what we are, what we are, we are invited, catch this, to be co-laborers with God for our own soul's maturity. To be co-laborers with God for our own soul's maturity. You know, we're told in the book of Philippians chapter 2 to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. That which God has deposited into our soul, to work it out in the dynamics of the realisms of life. work out your own salvation, well, what's the encouragement to do so? Because it is God who works in us, both to will and to do of His good pleasure. And in this sense, we need to be co-laborers with God for our own maturity. You know, I used to take my children at times and have a little talk with them, and I would describe a plant a tree. You know, down south they have this hideous vine that actually they're having a lot of trouble with. It's spreading through forests and it's strangling and killing trees. But I would talk to them about who they were as my children and that God has given them to me and me to them and that I am to look after their growth and their development. But the entangling of sin can weave itself around their souls. And as a parent, what I'm to do is to come alongside and drive a wedge between sinful tendencies, sinful characteristics, sinful habits and inclinations, and try to separate it from them. But you know, that vine sinks its roots into the bark and sinks it deep within because it's drawing out all of its moisture. And so to tear that vine off of the tree is, in a sense, a painful process. Because sinful tendencies and sinful inclinations are such a part of us. Sin sticks closer to us than our skin. And yet I would say to them, you know, in my love for you as a parent, in my love for you as your dad, what God wants me to do is to come and separate sinful tendencies that will actually be a destructive influence in your life in the future, and do you bad, and zap, as it were, the life out of you. And God would have me to pry and pull those sinful character and it's gonna hurt at times. And at times you're gonna be preoccupied with the pain of having those ripped away. But listen, what would help out is this. If you would have confidence in God and confidence in my love and care for you as a father, that you would be a co-worker with me, a co-laborer with me, actual cooperative partner for your own growth and development as a young girl, to be honoring to the Lord as you grow older, and to pursue your own well-being both now and in the future. Well, how much of that really sunk in? You know, only time tells, but I bless God for some of those illustrations and as well, the own responsiveness of my children. But you know, brethren, let us take heed not to take counsel from our fears. Run and take counsel from the present ministry of Christ who cares for us far more than we could ever understand or imagine. and be a co-laborer with Him for our own growth and maturity. Well, beloved, what is the Lord doing during these times? I want to read this. It's an old Newton hymn. Perhaps some of you have read it. It is this. I ask the Lord that I might grow in faith and love and every grace, might more of his salvation know and seek more earnestly his face. T'was he who taught me thus to pray, and he, I trust, has entered prayer, but it has come in such a way as almost drove me to despair." Well, there's a brother with a fellow feeling of the trials of life. Notice, I hoped that in some favored hour at once he'd answer my request, and by his love's constraining power, subdue my sins and give me rest. Instead of this, he made me feel the hidden evils of my heart, and let the angry powers of hell assault my soul in every part. Yea, more. With his own hand he seemed, intent to aggravate my woe, crossed all the fair designs I schemed, in the imagery of Job, blasted my gourds and laid me low. Lord, why is this? I trembling cried. Wilt thou pursue thy worm to death? "'Tis in this way,' the Lord replied, "'I answer prayer for grace and faith. "'These inward trials I employ "'from self and pride to set you free "'and break your schemes of earthly joy "'that you may seek your all in me.'" You know, brethren, it's a constant. The Lord Jesus is always at work to draw your heart closer to him. And we go here, and we go there, and we stray, and he comes after us, doesn't he? And the Lord says, don't make your heaven on earth here. It'll have to be blasted. Because I am jealous for you, to get you to glory, to be forever with me. And so, be one who does not take counsel from your own heart, or from your fears, or from your wit, will, skill, or means. Don't take counsel from those things, but take counsel from me as your high priest, whoever lives to make intercession for you, and as a goal, and a plan, and a strategy, that you will find your all in me. Be a co-laborer with me. Be one who's cooperative in your own soul's development and maturity. You know, John Winthrop kept a journal as the first governor of the Plymouth Colony. And you know, he wrote in that journal, and I just love this phrase, he cried out to God that his own heart would be like that of a broken colt, you know, those wild young colts, they have to be broken so you can put a saddle on them. And he said this, that I could be easily backed into the harness. Wouldn't you just love to have governors like that? Wouldn't you love to have a president like that? But brethren, you know, I sense you have a pastor like that. And I also sense that there's something in this congregation that that's attractive to you. That is a sweet thing in the eyes of the Lord. And so, dear ones, let us take heart. Let us be strong in faith, giving glory to God, knowing that what He has promised, He will perform. And we may long to see the doors burst asunder and souls being brought to faith in Christ, and many triumphs for Christ and God in the gospel would take place in our day. Dear ones, oh, do not lose heart. Continue in prayer. Seek to be faithful to the Lord. Seek to be faithful in setting your priorities to lay hold of your God to sustain you through life. And may we look for the day where he takes and thrills our souls with his own displays of response to his people whom he cares for, shed his blood for, and ever lives to pray for. This has been a presentation of Redeemer Presbyterian Church. For more resources and information, please stop by our website at visitredeemer.org. All material here within, unless otherwise noted. Copyright Redeemer Presbyterian Church. Elk Grove, California. Music furnished by Nathan Clark George. Available at nathanclarkgeorge.com.