A few weekends ago my family and I visited my sister's family near Portland, Oregon. We visited their assembly for Lord's day service which is Church! at Bethany. There was a strong and practical word spoken. It was on baggage.
In Genesis 37 we see Jacob who was a cheat go through a change after wrestling with God all night. His name changed from Jacob to Israel. Name change indicates a change in character, but he still had the baggage of Jacob.
Jacob had favoritism for Joseph. Favoritism wounded Joseph's brothers and Jacob's old habits die hard. Which Jacob, favoritism turned out to be a generational wrecking ball. This favoritism breeded jealousy among the other sons of Jacob. These sons of Jacob have their father’s nature. They’re just as crafty and deceitful. Jealousy and rage built up over their father’s favoritism of Joseph which led to these brothers into deceiving Jacob that Joseph was dead.
Family baggage was hiding the fact Joseph didn’t die. This is a picture of family dysfunction. For Jacob, old baggage dies hard. We all have secrets and we all have baggage.
There were 3 principles that were brought out.
1. Being a Christ-follower doesn’t get rid of our baggage. Paul spoke in Romans 7:15,19,
For what I work out, I do not acknowledge, for what I will, this I do not practice; but what I hate, this I do.
For I do not do the good which I will; but the evil which I do not will, this I practice.
2. You don’t have to deal with your baggage before coming to Christ. God wants us to recognize our baggage and come to Him, to depend on God.
3. Bring your baggage into the light. James 5:16 says “There confess your sins to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed. The petition of a righteous man avails much in its working.” If we want healing, secrets must be brought into the light. See 1 John 1:5-9
“God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and are not practicing the truth; But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from every sin. If we say that we do not have sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Generational patterns won’t be broken until we bring our baggage into the light.
Here is the website of the spoken message:
http://www.churchatbethany.com/sermon/jacob-to-joseph/
Terry