This chapter is really about when it is time to get out and leave. Some people are fatalists and they say, when your time is up, your time is up. Others say, don't stay so long until you're kicked out. Much wiser to read the signs ahead of time and move on before that happens. Jacob spent 20 years in Paddan Aram and during that time he acquired two wives, flocks, herds, servants. Now if you remember that originally he left but for a few days. and his mother advised him to leave due to the death threats of his brother Esau, and he went northward to his uncle Laban, and of course he had in mind the search for a wife. Now, after 20 years, the tide is very quickly turning. At first there was a warm reception. Even though there was deception, at least there was the gifting of to wives, and then the flocks, the herds, the servants that multiplied during those 20 years. But now all the signs we're reading, the time is up. It's time to move on. This is one of the most difficult things to discern in the Lord's work. To know the will of God to move to leave the service and the place, especially after a lengthy time. Some say if life is difficult, then change might be welcome. But should we run at every difficulty in life? Where would the builders in life be? Where would the victorious giants of the faith be if everyone moved on when things became difficult? We wouldn't be reading Hebrews 11, that hall of faith, men who overcame mighty obstacle and endured even to death because they would not give up, they kept on keeping on. But there are times when it is prudent to quit. It is prudent to say, it is evident that my time here is up. The missionary has to leave the mission field where perhaps he has gone and known something of the power and blessing of God. The worker in the Lord's church has fulfilled an office, carried out a task, has known the joy and satisfaction of that task. But there are signs now that that opportunity of service is over. maybe it's in the business world or in your workplace and you've been there a number of years and the company or the position or the workplace has been good for you and you have gotten your wages and you have been able to provide for your family and meet the bills of life and yet you just know This is not the place to continue much longer. As I say, this is, of all decisions, the hardest. It's much easier to have no service, no position, and take on an opportunity that comes along, than to be in a place of service, and they say, it's over. I just know it's over. Some would say it's better not to have gone at all than to go and quit. But, God's ways are not our ways. And some he raises up to be sowers of the seed, and others he will have to follow along to be the reapers of that seed that has been sown. And let's face it, if the Lord tarries and gives us all enough years, every one of us will have to quit everything we're doing. and we'll have to give that resignation note one way or another. I'm packing it in. It may be health reasons, it may be old age, it may be infirmity, it may be loss of mind, it may be a change of circumstances, it may be a host of things. It reminds us that we're living in a world of change. Now this is the kind of fix that Jacob was in after his 20 years in Paddan-Aram. He just knew the time was up. What we want to do tonight is to look at this chapter on Jacob leaving Paddanuram and look for those tell-tale marks of how to discern the will of God for us in the Lord's service or perhaps, I don't know, there could be any number of possible situations in your life that you need to know God's guidance and God's direction. The first thing that I see here in this chapter in Jacob's life that it was time for Jacob to cease when the opportunity for doing good was over. So that's the first big sign. Now this came about because of the tide of opinion and as his flocks grew bigger And his uncle Laban's flocks grew not so big, I'm not sure if they diminished, but they didn't grow at the same rate that Jacob's were growing. And Jacob's cattle were healthier and stronger than Laban's, then Laban's sons were saying, hey look what's happened here. All the riches are being accumulated by Jacob now I want you to notice in verse 1 the carnal attitude of Laban's sons and he said that which was our father's hath he gotten all this glory do you see there in verse 1 what carnal men call glory? cattle cows that kick Sheep that bleat and get sick and die on you. They call them glory. And that's the attitude of the carnal mind. They look at earthly things that are perishing and they call them glory. Jacob didn't exactly call them that he recognized them as God's favor and blessing but he certainly didn't call them glory and so there was this spirit of envy that was growing and this animosity that was building against Jacob now due to this hostility you'll notice in verse 2 that it was all written over Uncle Laban's face and Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban. And behold, it was not toward him as before." You know, God has created us that when we're unhappy, it's written all over us. When we are filled with spite and a root of bitterness has crept in, you can just see it written all over the person's face. They can't smile if you pay them money. Why? because of a root of bitterness and hatred. And as Jacob looked upon his uncle, he knew, this is going to blow up on me. The enmity and the bitterness here is getting so heavy that I better read the signs that it may be time to move on. Now his skill, Jacob's skills as a herdsman had become a threat to family society. It was therefore wiser for him to move on before things became ugly or even violent. Now this is a judgment call to make. There is no infallible rule here. There is no way that we can look at a person's face and say now I am 100% sure it's time to move on. But it was something certainly to be taken into account. And there are times, even in the fellowship of the saints, and even in the Lord's work, when you just know the sweetness of fellowship, the blessedness of companionship, and the joy of communion is lost. As I say, it's impossible to be absolutely infallible on this. So how shall I apply this? Well, perhaps in church office. There are times when the tide turns against a minister. There are times when the tide turns against someone doing a specific task in the church, for whatever reason. And if it's building and not going away, as it certainly was the case with Jacob with his uncle Laban and his cousins, wasn't going to go away, then he had to realize, should I take the exit option here? and get out, rather than continuing in a place where I am not appreciated, my skills are not appreciated, and this will only lead to an ugly problem. It could be a position at work, it could be in a business partnership, it could be in a rental arrangement. There are many ways that the application of this can come through. and you have to work those things out in your life. And there are times when it is wiser to move on than to stay and fight a losing battle that will only grieve your soul and grieve the souls of others. For example, if I was a member of the Anglican Church right now, I think I would have to read all the signs because the issues that are taking place there And the direction of that church at this time is such that it demands the most violent protest against immorality. But if such is not listened to and accepted, then it becomes time to move on and to be in obedience to God rather than to be in a strife with men. So that's the first thing. There comes that time when your opportunity to do good is over, then it's time to move on. Now secondly, you'll notice in verse 3 that it was time for Jacob to cease when God gave him a promise and spoke to him. The Lord said unto Jacob, return unto the land of thy fathers and to thy kindred and I will be with thee. So there is a command and a promise side by side. And oh how happy we are when we're in this decision-making process and we have a word from the Lord on the matter. What a difference it can make to the believer, the one who wants to be obedient, the one who wants to know the mind of God. It's great to know the Lord spoke to me on this. But how does the Lord speak to us? To Jacob there was no Bible. didn't have a Bible in those times. There was no prophet, no messenger that came to Jacob. God spoke to him directly. May we expect that now? May we expect an audible voice? No. We are living in times when God has given us the Bible and we have a completed Bible. This is the finished revelation of God and this is the book that God uses to guide his people in every aspect of life. But how can we get that word from the Lord and we're sure it's not just me haphazardly falling on a verse of the Bible? Like the person who just uses it like the telephone book, opens the Bible, puts his finger on it, opens the page and then says, oh yes! And he went out and hanged himself. Oh, that must be the wrong verse. He does it again, and the next verse is, Go and do thou likewise. He suddenly realizes this is not the way to use the Bible to determine the mind of God. What do you do? How does a Christian use the Bible to get a word from the Lord? You'll always hear Christians talking about this, you know. And there are the charismatic type of Christian, and they say, well, you know, God just spoke to me. and it becomes a very subjective thing. They didn't hear a voice, there was no clanging cymbal, but it was an impression made upon the mind, and it becomes totally subjective. In other words, God put a thought in your mind. Well, of course, the devil can do that too, so how do you be sure? How can you be sure? The safest route for a Christian to find a word from the Lord is to follow a regular reading plan in the Bible so that it's nothing hasty. You don't just suddenly read something, get up from the table and say, well, this is what the will of God is. You lift the phone and you sell your house and you make all those major decisions upon one little verse or two in the Bible. Don't do that. If God is really leading you, don't rush it. And as you read consistently through the Bible, you will find that if it's God speaking and God dealing with you, He'll not leave you alone about that matter. It will be a growing compulsion as you read various passages of Scripture. There will be a reoccurrence of the same theme, the same subject, coming to you again and again from many parts of the Bible. as you go through your regular daily reading plan. And then, of course, remember to always keep to the Bible's historical setting. Don't lift little texts out and say, well, I'm not interested in what it has to do with Jacob, what it has to do with Laban. I'm not interested in their day. I just want a little line for me. Well, God never wrote the Bible in little lines. He wrote it as a complete book. Complete. chapters and narratives and incidents and statements, texts and they have context and we must always use the proper interpretation, rules of interpretation and never run away with just some little line and say well that's what God spoke to me. Now sometimes God will give you that word and that clear direction by using other Christians in your life And they may come to you and say, do you know what I was thinking about? And that's the very thing that you've been praying about. I tell you, God does these things. Something that you've been praying about and someone you never even talked to them about it. They come very much as the Lord's messenger and they quote a scripture or they quote something that just clicks. You know, this is more than just coincidence. Then, of course, the Lord can use the preacher. And as you come, and especially as you sit under a regular ministry of God's Word, there are times when God, supernaturally, unknown to the preacher, causes him to come to the very path. After all, this is the Lord feeding His sheep. And you're a sheep looking for direction? And you're under the ministry of the Word as a sheep in the Lord's field? Does God not speak through His Word in that manner? Certainly does. And all of these things come together, not just one thing, but the consistent reading plan, the reoccurrence of themes, a person you never talked about coming to you, the ministry of the church just clicking. That is the work of the Spirit in your life. That is how God's work. And I say, if that is not happening, and you're looking at making a major decision in life, and that kind of thing is not happening, you're not getting special blessing or a reoccurring theme out of the Bible, or you're not being ministered to by on this theme, it's not God speaking. And it's wise to put that whole matter in a bench, or else forget about it. as the Lord not leading you at this time. Now I want to say concerning Jacob, and to his great credit, that he didn't do a thing until God did speak to him. Even though he read the signs of his cousins and his Uncle Laban's countenance, and he just knew that it was not going well, and this enmity was building and going to be a trouble, he didn't do a thing until verse 3. the Lord said unto Jacob you see the Lord directs his children and he intervenes at that time when we need direction then the third thing you'll notice what he did he came to talk to his wives Rachel and Leah it was time for Jacob to cease when agreement was found with other parties involved And you'll notice that verse 4 right through to verse 16 is all a conversation with his two wives. And what he's really doing is setting up the big picture. He is explaining to them what he has discovered, what his father-in-law is like, what the problem is, and he rehearses to his wife what the Lord has said about it. And so as a leader, a spiritual leader, he seeks to carry them along so that they are convinced that he is working and acting in the will of God. And husbands, that's the way we need to act, that when we make those certainly major decisions in life, that our wives and those family members and others that are involved in such a decision, that they will agree, they will come to agreement. Yes, I see your problem. I see the wisdom of this and I appreciate that God has spoken about it. And we're willing to follow you. We're willing to come alongside and get on board. This was a very touchy situation when you're talking about two daughters really seeing that their father was acting strangely and bitterly. And you'll notice down in verse 15 that these two women, Rachel and Leah, they recognized that we are not counted of him strangers for he hath sold us and hath quite devoured us also our money. And they come into agreement with Jacob. Now all of that is necessary in knowing the will of God. What if you don't get agreement? What if there are people very intimately involved in this decision and they don't agree with you? I was reading about William Carey who was in that situation for many years. And as you know from his work as a cobbler making shoes, he had a vision to go to the mission field. Then he became a pastor. and several times he approached churches and church boards and talked to them about the great need of the heathen on the mission fields. But they couldn't see it. And for eight years William Carey worked as a pastor and during those years he was writing what has become known as his Charter of Missions. was an 87-page work on how we should go about reaching the lost in foreign nations. Eight years he waited until he could convince a body of Baptist churches to form a mission board to take the gospel across the seas. Eight years he waited. That demands patience. that demands perseverance. And there are times whenever you are led of God and you're going the right direction, but you have to wait until those people who are along with you or need to be along with you come on board and give you that full support. And husbands sometimes have to wait for their wives to give that kind of support. It would be totally foolish for any young man to going out to the mission field or to serve the Lord in such a capacity if his partner in life is opposed to it. Never going to work. And if God is calling you, and God is sovereign in this, and if God is calling you and there's a work to be done, sooner or later He'll put the same burden and He'll put the same vision in those people who need to recognize the call of God in your life. That's how God works. But sometimes we need the patience to wait for it, and to work toward it. Now if it is not God's will, and we've just run off with a little notion of our own thinking, then God will raise up the opposition, and He'll close the doors. And if we are spiritual and we really want to know the will of God in our lives, we will recognize when God closes a door. And sometimes that's even harder just to recognize and submit to. Some dream we've had, some great idea we've had, and it seemed good from our own perspective, but God said no! And He put up the door of opposition that you couldn't go. And God closes the door, and we have to Submit to that and say, Lord, you're all wise. I don't see the end from the beginning. I don't know the problems that I would be facing or the foolishness that I'm pursuing. And I bow to the wisdom of God. Solomon said that there is wisdom in a multitude of counsellors. Where no counsel is, the people fall, he said. But in the multitude of counsellors, there is safety. And it is necessary in the Christian life and service that when you have a sense of God's call of duty or some decision that you're going to make, to ask mature Christians. And this is where church fellowship and membership comes in. We have Ewan received into membership here in this church this morning. What is he doing? He is placing himself under the spiritual oversight of this church. He is asking that he be shepherded. He is asking that he has men who are willing to encourage him in the Christian life, and when need be, to rebuke him when he would go that direction that may be unwise. And if it's service in the church and it's some work that a member wants to do or some task they want to take on, then they come to the eldership of the church. They put their proposal and they say, now this is what I feel God is calling me to do. Do I have your support? If it is of God, you will get that support. If it is not of God, but your own herbarian notion, God will use the multitude of counsellors. to redirect you into a more wise direction or just close the door. What does this mean? It means that as Christians in the life of the church, no one lives unto themselves. You don't live to yourself. You're not a free radical anymore when you become a member of a church. You recognize that you've placed yourself under the shepherd elders of the church and the minister of the church. You want to be shepherded, you welcome the advice, the guidance, the prayers and the corrections, lest you run off in some foolish direction that will bring shame to the Lord and grief to your own soul and life. That's what church membership is about. For example, in Hebrews 13 verse 17, you'll notice it here, I sense a need to emphasize this because we're living in an age of such an independent spirit. You know, this is the California of Canada that we're living in. The culture we live in, the education system all around us, it tells you, look, be your own man and go out there and make a name for yourself. That's what the world says. Or as Frank Sinatra sang, I did it my way. That's humanism and that's the carnal pride of man's heart. But if you believe in the Bible and you believe in the Holy Ghost directing His Church and His people, you will realize that you're not a free radical. You are under the submission or in submission to the spiritual leadership of the Lord's Church. Hebrews 13. And verse 17, I want you to notice the first word, and it doesn't say ponder, it doesn't say digest, it doesn't say think about, it doesn't say take it into consideration. What does it say? Hebrews 13, 17, obey, obey. The church members is not only in the nursery of the church under the care, but is to be in obedience to the oversight of the church. Obey them that have the care of you, no, that rule over you. And there will come a time in the life of the Christian who wants to serve God, that you will come with your proposal or your idea or your suggestion and you'll place it before the oversight of the church and they say, now I want you to rule. I don't want any nice fancy words, I just want you to tell me, am I right or wrong? And that's ruling. You're making a judgment, you're giving an assessment, you're giving a conclusive instruction here. Guide me in what to do. You give your testimony, you do what Jacob did. I see the anger, I see the trouble on my father-in-law's face. I have heard the voice of God to my soul. My wives are in agreement. What do you think we should do? And as you place yourself under the oversight of the church, you are willing to submit to the leadership. Why? And you'll notice the word submit here in verse 17. Obey then that have the rule over you and submit yourselves. Why? For they watch for your soul. Now obviously this only works where you have godly men and a church that believes in prayer and is in touch with God. If it's a carnal bunch that are only wanting to lord their power over people in a carnal way, you'll not have this confidence. But if you want the prayers, the support, and indeed the blessing of God's servants in the church, then you will say, please guide me here. Please direct me. And this becomes all important. Now, there's a balance to this. There is, and certainly there was a few years ago, a great movement called shepherding. and people were in churches and they weren't even allowed to buy a car or sell a car or fix a car or move to a new rental accommodation or make any decision in life unless they had the okay of the eldership of the church. It's not what we're talking about here. When you become a member in a church, you seek to bring your time, energy and gifts to serve the Lord in that church. And you place yourself under the eldership. and everything that you do under the name and the ministry and the oversight of that church, you need their approval, you need their guidance. If it's outside the church and you're going to work with some other ministry on a part-time volunteer basis or whatever, well then you're not under that church authority for that decision. unless it's some sinful, compromising, ecumenical, contradictory ministry that just, you'll lose your testimony. When it comes to your own personal finances, the church has no right to say, well, let me see your bank account. Let me see what you're spending your money on. There is common sense here. And there is a place where the church rules outright, absolutely. And there's a time where in your own personal life, your own family decisions, you're the head. You never cease to be a family. When you join a church, you don't give up family membership. You're still a family member. Either a father or a mother or a husband or a wife or a son or a daughter in that family, you are in that family unit. If you're a young person, you'll seek your father's guidance and your mother's guidance. If you're a wife, you'll seek your husband's guidance. If you're a husband, you'll seek to have the agreement and the support of your wife. And you may even go to your elderly father. You may not be under that roof anymore, but you respect the wisdom and the guidance of one who cares for you. And there may be times when you feel, I know a brother in the church that can give me a few words of wisdom about my business. But it's not the church's role. to sit down at a board meeting and say, do we think that this man should start this business or give up that business? That's not the church's rule. And I almost regret having to take the time to clear the air on this because this is the folly that many get into. And some people, they got into this shepherding business and every detail in life had to be approved by the board of the church. And then they get so burnt by it and so sick by it, they say, I'll never put myself under the leadership of a church again. And so it does harm to the cause of Christ. So we need that godly direction and wisdom. But back to Proverbs, which says that there is wisdom in a multitude of counsellors. And that is what we must seek. Number four. It was time for Jacob to cease when all prior obligations were finished. He agreed to work seven years for one wife and seven years for another wife. And then, of course, there were the herds and all of that was over. He didn't own, layman, a thing. No debts to pay off. He had no covenant engagements to keep. Everything was cleared. If you're in a rental situation and you haven't paid your rent, you can't leave. As simple as that. It's not ways to leave. If you've taken on a ministry in the church and your term of office is not up, it's not the best situation to say, well, I'm getting out of this just because I don't like doing it. That's irresponsibility. Jacob did not show irresponsibility. Number five. It was time for Jacob to cease when opportunity arose. You'll notice that in verse 19. At this time it was his uncle Laban went to shear his sheep. And down in verse 22, you'll notice that he was shearing his sheep three days away. Three days away. Whether that was three days by foot or by camel or by donkey, it doesn't say, but here was an opportunity for Jacob to get out. Gather his wives, his flocks, his herds and his servants and arrange the trip and get out of there before Laban got back. And so there was this window of opportunity for him to get out at this time. Jacob followed what Matthew Henry has called the fundamental law of self-preservation. His life was in danger, his marriage was in danger, his herdsmen were in danger, there would have been civil war, there would have been a feud between Jacob and his servants, and Laban and those servants, and those sons of Laban. There would have been a feud, a riot on his hands. And the wisest thing, under the fundamental law of self-preservation, I'm taking the first opportunity to get right out of here. And that's exactly what he did. The Lord Jesus said to his disciples that when they persecute you in one city, flee to another city. And in the days of the Protestant Reformation there were many servants of God who fled from country to country like William Tyndale who translated the English Bible or the Bible into English. And he fled from place to place. At times his life was in danger and his work was in danger so he fled to a new place, a place of hiding. The fundamental law of self-preservation is the wisdom that Jacob applied. It also shows the state of readiness that he was in, that when the opportunity to obey God came along, he would do it. I wonder, is that the state of readiness that you're in tonight? Maybe you've been exercised about something for God? He has spoken to you about it? You've been praying and thinking about this for a long time? Are you ready if the opportunity should arise? Are you ready? One has said that the greatest ability as a Christian is availability. And if the door opened, would you be ready to go through it? Would you be ready to serve God and go for God? Jacob was. Number six. It was time for Jacob to move when he could expect God to intervene on his behalf. And he did, down there in verse 24. You'll find that Laban, when he found out that Jacob had fled, he was as mad as a marsh hare. And he came racing in rage, and for seven days he came traversing after Jacob that he caught up with him. But the night before he caught up with him, God met with him first. You'll notice in verse 24 it says, God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night and said, Take heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad. Now that took the wind out of his sails. That took the rage out of his mind. And it certainly changed the whole tone of his conversation from then on. Speak neither good nor bad. That really made him from being totally opposed to being neutral in this whole matter. You know God has the power to restrain His and our enemies. And if the thing is right And it's something that we must do. No matter who opposes, God can intervene. And when you are making a decision about the future and about a career or an opportunity to serve God, ask this question. Can I pray for God's protection over this? Can I ask my God to intervene on my behalf if I do this? If the answer is no, then you're out of God's will. If the answer is yes, then it doesn't matter what man says or does, if God will intervene on your behalf. And then number seven, it's time to move on, it's time for Jacob to cease when he could live on terms of peace. Verse 43, right down to the end of the chapter. Laban, after a lengthy discussion, offered to him terms of peace. Verse 44 mentions making a covenant, setting up a heap of stone of witness for a pillar, verse 45. And down in verse 47 you have Laban calling it Jagar-sahaduthah, but Jacob called it Gilead, which means witness. Or as it was later called in verse 49, Mizpah, which means watchtower. And the arrangement was that this heap of stones, this pillar they erected would be a watchtower between Laban and Jacob. I don't have time to get into Laban's jumble theology here, When he calls upon God, he calls upon the God of Nahor and Abraham, which is the Syrian God. And do you remember who his God was? Well, Rachel stole them. Teraphim. They were gods made in the likeness of a human being. You remember how Saul's daughter Michael, when she was trying to disguise that David was still in bed, she put her statue, or teraphim, into the bed, covered it up, and gave the impression that this was her husband David asleep. It's the same name, a statue shaped after human form. That was the god that Laban worshipped. And you'll notice down in verse 53, that Jacob did not swear by that God. It says, the God of Abram, the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judged Betwixtus. And Jacob swore by the fear of his father Isaac. Then Jacob offered sacrifice upon the mount, and called his brethren, and they ate bread, and they tarried all night in the mount. And they sealed this covenant with a feast and Jacob was now able to move on on terms of peace. That did not make Laban a Christian, did not change his heart. In fact, Laban was all concerned about the gods that were stolen and here is the inconsistency of idolaters. Here was a god that he prayed to protect me and all the while that god got stolen and Laban came looking for his gods that were stolen and that's whom he worshipped. But Jacob worked out an agreement with Laban that he could move on on the terms of peace. God is a God of peace. Proverbs says that when you please the Lord he makes even your enemies to be at peace with you. And by and large in this world when you are in God's will you will know peace. You will have peace of heart about what you're doing. You will have opportunity. You will have agreement with those around you. And if God is directing you in His will, there will be many things that you can say are peaceable. The prayer of the New Testament is that we're to live peaceably with all men as far as lies within us. And we're to pray for that. And so here is Jacob able to move on. It is generally not the will of God when you're taking yourself into some kind of conflict or some arrangement that's going to cause friction, opposition, backbiting, hurt and hatred. That's not the will of God. The will of God is to pursue peace and to pursue the favor and the blessing of God upon each and every action that you're about. And so we learn these things tonight from Jacob. I wonder, will you apply them in your life? There will come major decisions in life. And as I say, sometimes the most difficult decision of all is when to quit and when to move on to something new. Some other door that opens, some other task. These are the guidelines. and go back to this chapter, make it to be your textbook on determining the will of God in your walk and service for Him. And the Lord has promised, I will guide thee with mine eye. I will guide thee, I will shew thee the way in which thou shalt go. Be not as the horse and mule that need to be held in with bit and bridle. In other words, don't be stubborn and filled with your own importance and pride, but submit to God's will and serve Him according to that will that He reveals to you.