Back to Bethel

Genesis 35, have you found it? All right. But that's in the Old Testament. All right, now, are you ready? And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there.

Make there an altar unto God, that it appeareth to thee, when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother. 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, and let us arise, and go up to Bethel. And I'll 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.

And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods that were in their hand, and all the earrings that were in their ears. And Jacob hid them under the old butchers by Shechem, and deterred him. And the terror of God was upon the citizens around the sons of Jacob.

So Jacob came to love, which is in the land of Israel, he and all the people that were with him. And he built there an altar, and called the name of the place El Bethel, because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother. And he became the God of Bethel, the house of God.

Beth, Hebrew for house, El for God. Now the Lord said, I want to hate he and his mother. Jacob was pretty mean, but he had something.

And, you know, Jacob had his Bethel. Great time, David there, John the Baptist. Oh, somebody said, I'll be a foreign of fear.

And, well, people said, I gave up my insurance. I don't, and Laban's trying to. And you got big loud hundreds saying, Jacob was wrong to work hard.

I'm just saying the cares of this world. But he had a girl, too long, too long. Well, he said that, and she hit him in a good.

And Laban came up. And here, they said, Jacob, you've been away from Siloam Springs, Arkansas. That's the town here, and people came from timely dedication, fine businessmen.

You're going to have to put away your idols. Preacher's here. You know why you don't have any Bethel anymore? It's our great denomination.

It's our great denomination. Put away your gods. Put away your idols.

If you really have your Bethel. God said, I don't want you to have any idols in your pack. You come up here and meet here at this place of Bethel and come face to face with me.

Put away your idols. Put away your idols. What is your idol? Are you pleasing people? Are you pleasing your wife? I knew one preacher who pleased his wife.

Paul said, yeah, that's right. I'm just saying that even good things ought to be latest. Sometimes you ought to say, it's a lot better.

And I just came last Monday. And the other night I said, let her lay aside. Not there.

You know, the Lord says, whoever foresees, we're accomplices. Okay, lay aside some of the good things, too. And she said, we're going up here to worship God.

Now, don't you wives be thinking about who's got the prettiest hand in India? The women. Oh, here. And they have ear bobs.

And through here, this is here, they had a school. But she hadn't got plumbing. He said, I'm not commanding.

Be clean. Everybody ought to get it clean. I don't care if it's clean.

And they were having a revival. And a little guy sang, pass me not. Let's see.

Mark Twain. Bill Marvin. And there was a student in Wheaton College.

And so the campaign set somebody. We don't have. And so somebody.

And then went out in the next. And then he met that rock to pour some oil on. I'm in here, remember, when you.

I wonder how many years. Built that great building for the seminary. You remember the time? Did you? I wonder how many are thinking about.

Some great. Some great time of testing. At Twin Cities below the south end.

I kept thinking, maybe they'll call. Father runs after the children. God runs after you, brother.

Let's all just be backsliders. I'd like to gather down here. I don't say you're God's butcher.

I'm just. You had a vessel? Let's have it again. Meet not only the house of God, but.

The God of the house of God. Bill Barber, would you like to say. Oh, God.

If ever I love thee. My Jesus is now. If ever on the launch out.

Trust you. Try you. Prove you.

And be tested. Suffer for you. Be a fool for you.

Lord is now. I wonder how many. I'd like to do that.

All right. You get up. Walk on down.

Then crowd in here. Don't block down. The time's short.

About over. Sixty-five. Somebody said the other day.

And I preached to somebody. The first time I've seen a man past sixty. Still fights sin.

And still fights modernism. Make people mad. Come on up here.

Come on here. Our father, we thank thee tonight. For the word of God.

And the way thy Holy Spirit hath spoken. We thank thee for the challenge of faith. And the holy desire.

You put within us. To come back to Bethel tonight. And oh Holy Spirit of God.

We pray right now. That thou would deal. We pray that thou would convict of sin.

We pray thou be self-judging. And thou be forsaking. And thou be turning to thee.

In a definite way. In this altar tonight. Oh may there be.

A transforming of life. This evening. Father we somehow another pray.

Tonight there be more than. A heart warming. And more than tears.

And more than emotion. That's all so good. And so enjoyable.

But oh God tonight. For a distinct and definite. Forward step.

In consecration. In devotion. To thee.

Lord Jesus may we be lost tonight. May we adore thee. May we just.

May there be absolute. Holding back nothing. Holy Spirit of God.

Will thou not take us tonight. And Lord Jesus we pray. That when.

We go back to our homes. And pulpits. And businesses.

And. Wherever we've come from. May we see it.

May they feel it. May they know it. Amen.