Return to Bethel

(Gen 35:1-7) And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother. -2. Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments: -3. And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went. -4. And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem. -5. And they journeyed: and the terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob. -6. So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan, that is, Bethel, he and all the people that were with him. -7. And he built there an altar, and called the place Elbethel: because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother.

From this scripture reading, we take our subject today, Return To Bethel. As Jacob and his family returned to Bethel long ago, so many today need to return to Bethel. The word, Bethel, means: the house of God. You may be one of those that has left the house of God. Maybe you have wandered far away from God in the wilderness of sin. Well, today God is saying to you, Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there. You need to worship God. You need to show Him your appreciation for your life and His goodness that has been extended to you.

If you back up in Genesis and read the story of Jacob, you will see that he had run away from his home about 37 years previous to his Return to Bethel. He had received a vision from God of a ladder reaching to heaven and he had made a promise to God that if God blessed him and kept him in the way that he was going, then he would someday return to Bethel. Well, God had blessed Jacob and prospered his way and now it was time for Jacob to keep his promise to return to Bethel.

It is like that with a lot of people today. We often make promises to God during times that we recognize that we need His help. And yet as the years go by, it is easy to forget that you have made a promise to God. Today, God is reminding you that it is time to remember your promises to Him and return to Bethel.

Let me illustrate: There once was a young man that had no job. He had a wife and children to support and in seeking employment asked the church to pray for his need of a job. The church prayed and some even fasted and prayed for the man to obtain a good job. Within a short time, the young man was hired into a very good paying job. At first the young man was in church and thanked God and the church for their help. But, after awhile, the young man began to miss worship services and soon did not attend at all. He had been behind on his bills as a result of his unemployment time and never did begin to pay his tithes. As the years went by he forgot about his promise to God that he had made when he needed a job. He became very busy in the pleasures of life and the prosperity of material things. Then one day he was shocked when he was laid off from his job. He began to do some thinking and decided that it was time to repent and turn to God. He returned to Bethel and this time he stayed there.

That is the way it is with many people. God is some one to have on the shelf so that when you need Him, you can take him down. And, then when things are going good, you just put him back of the shelf. The problem with that kind of thinking is that it does not take into account that our God is a living God. He is not some object that can be set on the shelf, stood in the corner, or stashed in the closet. He is a living person that needs to be loved, talked to, and listened to on a daily basis. Our God is a companion who has power that is unlimited. His dwelling place is in the hearts of His people. He is looking for all of His people to meet at Bethel where He communes with them thru his word. He is a God that can be counted on in times of distress and in times of prosperity.

Now just because there are times in our lives when things don't seem to go right does not mean that our God has forsaken us. Jacob ran into many tests during his years. His wages were changed ten times. He was deceived in marriage. He could have taken these events to mean that his God had forsaken him, but he didn't and neither should you. Your faith will be tested and tried and you will have opportunity to prove your commitment to God. Even though Jacob had many trials, God prospered him and he obtained a large family and much material goods. God's goodness was showered on Jacob and he had much to be thankful for.

As I observe how the goodness of God has been poured out upon the people of the United States of America, I can only think, we have so much to be thankful for. As I enjoy the good life that God has granted to me, I daily thank God for his goodness extended to me. It is a privilege to gather in the house of God every Sunday, Wednesday, and other times for God has been so good to us. It is a privilege to give to God's work a tithe and offering besides for God has been so good to us. And yet in the midst of all this land of plenty, there are thousands of people that seem only interested in themselves and the pleasures of this life. They have no time for God, no time for the needy, and no tithe or offering for the Lord. It is time to Return to Bethel. How about you that are listening to me this day? Have you returned to Bethel? Does the House of God have an important place in your life?

The House of God is the gate of heaven. This is the place where the Word of God is preached and taught. And through that process people of our community have opportunity to learn about God so that they can have faith to believe Him. That is why the House of worship needs to be open, warm, and fully furnished so that it can serve as the storehouse of faith for all in need. The greatest blessing any community can have is to have a House of worship available where the people can go to hear the Words of God. This can only happen when enough people are committed to the House of God with their time, tithes, and attendance. I want my family, friends, and neighbors to have opportunity to hear from God and so I have committed to do my part. I made my return to Bethel nearly 39 years ago. I have committed to do my part to establish and support the house of worship from that time until now and I have no intention of stopping for my community and family need God and God's Word. How about you? Do you, your family, and community need God and His Word? It is God's plan:

(Rom 10:13-17) For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. -14. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? -15. And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! -16. But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? -17. So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

People will not call upon God for their salvation unless they believe in Him and they will not believe in Him unless they have faith. And they will not have faith unless they hear the preached word of God. This is God's plan. It is His method of instilling faith in the hearts of people. Now how is the preacher expected to preach unless he can devote the time to study and prayer that is needed to prepare his sermon? I know that there are those that think that it is not necessary for the preacher to study much and that God will give the message without it. This faith in God is not a matter of what God can do but rather a matter of how God tells us in His Word to do things. God's Word plainly teaches us the responsibilities of those that minister the Word of God: (Acts 6:1-4) And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration. -2. Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables. -3. Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. -4. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.

This is just one place in the Bible that lets us know how God expects the church to operate. When each member does his part and each member fills his place, the church becomes that powerful force that the world needs to obtain faith in God. It becomes that gate of heaven that Jacob had a vision of some four thousand years ago. When the members are not in their place doing their part, the church hobbles along like a crippled man with no help. Too often the church is hobbling along because too many have strayed from Bethel and are not in their place doing their part. It is time to return to Bethel. It is time to serve God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.

God's church is like an army marching on to victory after victory and for that to happen every member must be in their place doing their part. There are no insignificant members in the church. Every one is important and necessary that the Gospel be presented in its' completeness. Ills.: Thank God For Ordinary Christians: General Eisenhower once rebuked one of his Generals for referring to a soldier as "just a Private." He reminded him that the Army could function better without its generals than it could without its foot soldiers. "If this war is won," He said, "it will be won by Privates." In the same way, the common, ordinary, one-talent Christians are the very backbone of the church. We have our great evangelists, our super congregations led by dynamic elders, and our wealthy brethren who are able to finance great works. But, if the work of the Lord is to be done, if the gospel is to be taken to the lost, it will be the "ordinary" Christians who will do it. Dana Slingluff, Gallipolis, Ohio

There is a lot of work to be done for a congregation to be successful and each member is needed to do his part. Some have the notion that the preacher is to do all the work and that there is nothing else for others to do. It is true that the preacher has a very important job to do and it is also true that he can only do his job. Each member has a job to do and no one can do your part. As a congregation we are all workers together: (2 Cor 6:1) We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. So then let us go up to Bethel and there worship and serve our Lord as He has directed us.

Our text tells us that Jacob gave the order to his family and servants. Get ready! We are going up to Bethel to worship God. He instructed them to clean up, change their clothes, put away the strange gods, take of their earrings, and give them to Jacob. Jacob then hid them under the oak tree and they took off to Bethel. This account tells us a lot. The worship of God is a very serious, solemn event. It is not a time to be flashy in worldly attire. It is not a time to be dirty. It is not a time to have your attention divided with other things. It is a time to be clean inside and outside. It is a time to give honor and reverence to our Lord. It is a time to praise God and to listen to him. We are going to worship God.

(Gen 35:5-7) And they journeyed: and the terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob. -6. So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan, that is, Bethel, he and all the people that were with him. -7. And he built there an altar, and called the place Elbethel: because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother.

When Jacob returned to Bethel, he built an altar there and Bethel became the place where the descendants of Jacob went to worship God, to receive counsel from God, and to hear from God for the next thousand years. If you follow the references to Bethel through the Bible you will find that on many occasions the people went to Bethel to hear from God. You will find that the prophets went to Bethel to preach the Words of God. You will find that the prophets went to Bethel and lived there. This place Bethel, became the house of God as a result of Jacob's faithfulness to fulfill his promise to God. Jacob's descendants were blessed for hundreds of years as a result of his faithfulness to return to Bethel and establish there a place of worship. What heritage are you leaving for your children? Will they have a place to resort to to hear from God because of your faithfulness? There are many things that my children and grandchildren may not receive from me, but I am doing my best that they do receive a heritage that includes a place where they can resort to to hear from God. There is no greater blessing that any one can leave for their descendants.

Our world today needs faith in God and faith comes by hearing the preached Word of God. When our Lord returns will he find faith in you and your descendants? (Luke 18:1-8) And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; -2. Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: -3. And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. -4. And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; -5. Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. -6. And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. -7. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? -8. I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

This account in Luke is an example of how faith is to operate in the lives of Christians. There is not an abundance of prayer in our land today. You will notice that prayer meetings are the least attended of all meetings and even then what is called a prayer meeting often consists of very little praying. Could this be because people don't believe God? After all why p[ray to a God that can not change anything? Yes, our people need faith in God and for them to get that faith they need to hear the preached Word of God. That is God's method. It is time to return to Bethel, build there an altar, commit to God's House and be faithful in your part that your descendants may have opportunity to hear from God.

God has been good to you. You are alive in the land of plenty today because of the goodness of God. It is time to rise up, clean up, and return to Bethel to show God your appreciation for His goodness and blessings poured out upon you.

Frontpage ›
Sermons ›
Stanley Rexroth ›
Return to Bethel