January 31, 2005
Carlon Tschetter, Covenant Community Church, Yukon, Oklahoma
MESSAGE: "Two Steps Forward, Three Steps Back" Genesis 34:1-31
Big Idea: The Bible consistently warns the believer of the dangers of not
walking in fellowship with God. The failure to heed those warnings always
leads to disaster.
I. The difficult Nature of Genesis 34
A. The Bible is honest and straightforward concerning
the evil
in this world and the failure
of even a patriarch.
B. A clear indication of the trouble to come is that
God is never
mentioned in this chapter.
II. A Believer in Reverse
A. The steps that led to spiritual decline
1. Jacob takes a step back when
he deceives Esau
2. Jacob takes another step
back when he moves to Succoth
3. Jacob steps further back
when he settles near Shechem
Observations:
1. Jacob is still called Jacob
2. The old nature does not
give up. The battle is on.
3. Past victories do not guarantee
future success.
B. The Consequences of Spiritual Decline
1. The violation by Shechem
vs. 1-11
a. The action
b. The response
1) Jacob = inexplicable
2) Hamor and Shechem = unrepentant
3) Brothers = righteous anger
2. The violence by Jacob's sons
vs. 12-29
a. The plot
b. The revenge
3. The failure of Jacob vs. 30-31
III. Applications
A. The possibility of spiritual regression is very real.
B. The cost of falling away from the Lord is very high.
C. The best protection is to walk closely with God.