Christian Life Church
August 2, 2026
- Washed
- No One Like The Lord (We Crown You)
- I Thank God
- The Old Rugged Cross
- Throne Room Song
- I Exalt Thee
- Dismiss Vanguard and NavigatorsIntroductionPlease stand for the reading of God’s Word.
Genesis 35:1 NKJV Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there; and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother.”Genesis 35:5–6 NKJV And they journeyed, and the terror of God was upon the cities that were all around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. So Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him.This is the Word of the Lord, Amen? You may be seatedPray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray PrayWell saints, welcome back to our series on Genesis 35 titled “Almost Bethel”.Almost Bethel Series SlideAfter living for two decades at his uncle Laban’s house, God tells Jacob two different times “Return to Bethel”.Jacob obeys, in part… taking his whole family and all of his things and flock and servants toward bethel… but he stops short… just 20 miles outside of Bethel Jacob builds a house and later buy’s land… He spends 10 years just outside of Bethel… living in Almost Bethel… living with the Canaanites, and Perezzites, and Schechemites… people who were historical enemies of God.So after 10 years or so of living in Almost Bethel, enough is enough and God finally says, for a third and definitive time “ARISE! And Go to Bethel!”God is not asking, He is commanding… GET OUT OF ALMOST BETHEL AND GET INTO MY HOUSE!Because Bethel, remember, means literally “The House of God”… Beit El… House of God...And it doesn’t just represent a church building… I know we call this God’s house, because it is completely His… but when we talk Bethel, we are talking more than just Sunday services...Bethel is where Jesus first appeared to Jacob… where Jacob saw a vision of the Ladder, of angles ascending and descending upon the ladder, upon Christ...This is where Jacob was given promises, promises of protection and provision, and generational blessings.It was where, in Jacob’s most hopeless moment… God showed up.So when God says “Return to Bethel” He is saying return to that place of blessing, of prophecy, of provision, of protection… return to a place where you are surrounded by my glory… AND LIVE THERE. Build your life there. Let it be the center of all of who you are… ARISE AND GO TO BETHEL.Because Almost Bethel is not all that God has for us. Almost Bethel falls so short of all that God has for us. There is a life, a life of joy, and peace, and fruitfulness… a life of spiritual, and sometimes even physical prosperity… a place of purpose, and calling… a place of worship, and praise, and answered prayers, and forgiveness, and deliverance… And God doesn’t want us to just visit that place, He want’s us to LIVE IN THAT PLACE…So He tells us “GET UP AND GET TO BETHEL!”So this series again is for saints who love God, who serve God, who worship God… but just are not ALL THE WAY IN the life that God has for them… They are close to God and God’s will… they are saved well enough, and even useful to God’s kingdom… they are close to God… but they are not surrounded by the goodness of God, His will, His provision, His call, and His life…I want to be so sorrounded by God that I am DROWNING IN HIS GOODNESS… and as I go to take a desperate breath my lungs are filled with His goodness… and all as I open my eyes all I see is His glory… and as I drown in His goodness I cry out all the same “MORE OF YOU GOD! MORE OF YOU! I WANT MORE!”.That’s the Bethel life God want’s to call us all into… JESUS JESUS JESUS… ALL DAY JESUS… AND ALL NIGHT TOO… Amen?Now last week we talked about how to prepare yourself to move from Almost Bethel into ALL IN BETHEL…We talked about repenting from sin and purifying ourselves, cleaning out idolatry… and changing our garments… changing our outward testimony and living a fully converted life.This week we are going to talk about one of the most immediate benefits of returning to Bethel… Something you can walk out of this place with today if you would just make the decision to start moving toward Bethel…God’s Got Your Back Title SlideYou know a very brief wooded area said it best “God’s got my back, even when I fall or get attacked!”(A brief wooded area… Forest Frank...)But I mean, really that is the sermon… when you decide to move back into Bethel, God’s Got Your back… even when you fear attack… God’s got your back… so let’s dive into point one this morning...When you START to return to Bethel… God STOPS enemies from pursuing you.Point One – God Stop’s The Enemies Pursuit.Genesis 35:5 NKJV And they journeyed, and the terror of God was upon the cities that were all around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.Jacob had a real reason to be afraid of the cities around him… this was not paranoia, but a legit concern… His sons had just wiped out a whole city… Schechem and all of it’s men are gone, the woman and children captured, the houses looted… Semeion and Levi commited an atrocity to avenge their sister… and Jacob was rightfully concerned that the other people of the land would rise up against him and kill him and his family…Genesis 34:30 NKJV Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have troubled me by making me obnoxious among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites; and since I am few in number, they will gather themselves together against me and kill me. I shall be destroyed, my household and I.”Listen I want to be clear about something… let’s not be afraid of spiritual warfare, let’s just call it what it is…1 Peter 5:8 NKJV Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.Listen, Satan is your enemy, saints… AND HE WANTS TO DEVOUR YOU… He is waiting for his moment… his moment to pounce, to strike, to get into your life and start destroying you… your marriage… your family… your faith… He want’s to devour all of it… he hates you because he hates who lives inside you.You have an enemy… and he will destroy you if you let him… And not just satan… but his minions… his demons… fallen angels… rulers of spiritual darkness.Ephesians 6:12 NKJV For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.As much as we have angles on our side… as we talked about in the Jacob’s ladder sermon… we also need to be aware that there are demons, real enemies of the church… real enemies of your family… of you… and they, like Satan, are pursuing you… looking for a reason to attack, to disrupt, to destroy…You know sometimes I wonder if I get to heaven if there will be like a spiritual movie theater and I will get to see things clearly from my life… and see all of the times that calamity happened because of enemies attacking me or my family… I think it will cool to see… and be like “What?! That was more than just a car accident… the enemy was involved in that?!”To see the spiritual attacks that happened in my past jobs, or in my schooling… or even in bad relationships… Like will I get to see “Man that was more than just my own dumb fault? You mean there was an enemy there influencing that horrible situation?”And I mean don’t get me wrong… sometimes stuff just happens… I don’t want to over-spiritualize every stubbed toe you have… BUT I DON’T WANT TO SWING THE OTHER WAY EITHER AND ACT LIKE WE DON’T HAVE ENEMIES WHO WANT TO DESTROY US…But not just Satan, not just Demons… BUT PEOPLE CAN BE THE MOST TROUBLESOME ENEMIES!I mean the Perizzites and the Canaanites that Jacob were afraid of were PEOPLE, not demons… real enemies… And in the world, if you are living for Jesus… Almost Bethel or All in Bethell… either way, the world is going to hate you…John 15:18 NKJV “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.John 15:20 NKJV Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.Matthew 12:30 NKJV He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.1 John 3:13 NKJV Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you.In other words: We shouldn’t be shocked if the world hates us… of course they hate us… They hated Jesus enough to MURDER HIM… and our lives are centered around Jesus…So the world hates us… there will be people at your job who hate you because of the Christ who lives inside you… classmates who hate you… professors who hate you… Politicians who hate you…And yes they can be influenced by demons, but the truth is… they don’t need the devil’s help to hate the light… Our desire for sin is plenty enough to hate Him who cleanses and forgives sin.Now, our response to the Devil is different than our response to the world… because demon’s can’t be saved… but our enemies in this world can still be saved as long as there is death in their lungs… but this sermon is not about evangelism or spitural combat as much as it is about protection…When you CHOSE to go all the way in to Bethel… when you chose to arise and go into Bethel… GOD’S GOT YOUR BACK...Those old enemies… those old fears… those old attacks… GOD STOPS THEM IN THEIR TRACK.BECAUSE GOD IS NOT GOING TO LET ANYTHING STOP YOU FROM BEING CLOSER TO HIM.The safest place you can be is in Bethel… but the second safest place you can be is ON YOUR WAY TO BETHEL...Genesis 35:5 NKJV And they journeyed, and the terror of God was upon the cities that were all around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.Now I know this sermon series is not really for the prodigal son… the one who is fully away from God, but being called back… But, God did put this example in my heart surrounding the prodigal son, because there are some spiritual truths here that apply…You guy’s know the story of the Prodigal son, right? He ran from the Father’s house… He ran from Bethel, if you will… to go and chase after sin… but that lifestyle of gambling and drunkeness and other filthy living left him broke and hopeless… so he decides to return home to the Father’s house… to return to Bethel… Now again, the prodigal wasn’t living in Almost Bethel, he was living far away from Bethel… but it is his return journey that I think has a point for today’s message that God has our back when we return to Bethel...Luke 15:20 NKJV “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion...Now of course in this parable the Father represents God, and the prodigal represents a sinner repenting and coming home… or probably more accurate, a Backslidden Saint who has repented and is returning home… This is not Jacob’s situation at all, but it is God’s response that applies because God doesn’t change...While the prodigal was STILL A GREAT WAY OFF… Someone say A GREAT WAY OFF...While he was still a great way off his father saw him...That means that his father was waiting for him.That means his father was looking for him.That means his Father had a great deal of interest in making sure his son made it home safe.What do you think would have happened if someone tried to stop the son from returning to the father...If one of his debtors at the casino came chasing him down...I think his father would come running out and pay off his debts...If one of the women he was with came and tried to lure him back...I think the father would have intercepted that woman and chased her off...If someone he offended in a drunken stupor came and attacked him as he was returning to his father...And from a long way off the Father saw his son’s enemies coming… would not the Father come out with an army of armed servants to meet and defend his son who was returning?And that is for the PRODIGAL who was drenched in sin...How much more for you? You who have lived in almost Bethel for so long… how much more will the father protect you as you return to Bethel… how much more will the father intervein as your enemies try to stop you, as past distractions try to get in your ways… as debts, and problems, and people, and demons, and even the devil try to do everything they can to come in between you and God… WHEN YOU DECIDE TO GET UP AND GO TO BETHEL… TO GO ALL IN FOR GOD!Listen… WHEN YOU DECIDE TO GET UP AND GO INTO BETHEL… TO REJECT THE ALMOST BETHEL LIFESTYLE… DO YOU THINK GOD IS GOING TO BLESS YOU OR CURSE YOU?DO YOU THINK GOD WILL ABANDON YOU WHEN YOU CROSS INTO BETHEL… OR WILL HE COME RUNNING OUT TO MEET YOU, TO DEFEND YOU, TO BLESS YOU.And Listen… THE PEREZZITES AND THE CANAANITES HAD EVERY RIGHT TO BE MAD AT JACOB… HIS SON’S ARE MASS MURDERERS WHO KILLED AN ENTIRE CITY OF MEN!BUT NONE THE LESS, THE GRACE OF GOD SAYS “NO! IF YOU ARE COMING OT BETHEL, YOUR ENEMEIS ARE NOT COMING WITH YOU!Genesis 35:5 NKJV And they journeyed, and the terror of God was upon the cities that were all around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.Make the decision today that you are going ALL IN for Bethel… for God’s Glory… make that decision today and God’s Terror will fall on all who oppose you, because He will not allow anything or anyone to keep you away from Him.Romans 8:38–39 NKJV For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.Now, sticking for a minute with the Prodigal Son and the Father looking out theme, we come to point two this morning… God Meets us more than halfway...Point Two – God Meets Us More Than HalfwayLuke 15:20 NKJV “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.I want you to notice something about the prodigal son story… the son wasn’t running… it was the Father who was running...The son was sad. The son was afraid. The son was tired… But the Father was looking out from far away...The father saw his son slowly approaching… and the Father left his house and RAN to his lost son.Now I don’t know how good you are at math… but if the son is going slow, and the father is going fast… and they are going towards each other… listen this is so simple but so powerful… If the son is going slow and the Father is going fast… that means THE FATHER COVERS MORE GROUND.THAT MEANS WHEN THEY MEET THE FATHER HAS GONE MORE THAN HALFWAY.James 4:8 NKJV Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.This is NOT a 50/50 arrangement… this is not a “let’s meet in the middle” situation… No… GOD MEETS YOU MORE THAN HALFWAY!Now we talked last week about Cleansing your hands and repenting from sin… which the rest of this verse talks about… but this week I just want you to catch this… GOD JUST WANTS YOU TO GET UP AND START WALKING TOWARD HIM… AND THE SECOND HE SEES YOU COMING...EVEN IF YOU ARE SLOW.EVEN IF YOU ARE TIRED.EVEN IF YOU ARE SCARED.EVEN IF YOU ARE OVERWHELMED.EVEN IF YOU ARE UNSURE.IF YOU WOULD JUST GET UP AND START MOVING TOWARD BETHEL… TO YOUR FATHER’S HOUSE… IF YOU WOULD JUST GET UP AND TAKE THE FIRST STEP… THE FATHER IS LOOKING OUT WAITING… AND HE SEES YOU… AND HE RUNS TO YOU… AND BEFORE YOU CAN TAKE YOUR SECOND STEP GOD IS THERE SHOWERING YOU WITH BLESSINGS...It’s the craziest thing… A journey to GOD is a journey WITH GOD.Listen… let me put it this way...When I was in my early 20’s I moved to North Carolina to chase after sin…Now I wasn’t back slidden, I still loved and served God… I still worshiped… I still tithed… I still studied… I even still ministered from time to time…But it wasn’t where God called me to, I knew it… but there was a girl in North Carolina I wanted to be with...Now that all went up in smoke as sinful relationships do… and I was broken, and tired, and depressed… but God never left me...I did a lot of repenting, and praying and healing from the stupid spiritual wounds I gave myself...And then it came time to come home to Seattle… where I was saved, where I was delivered, where I learned to worship, and to pray, and to serve, and to be provided for… It was quit literally my own Bethel...I had given up on my Bethel life in Seattle to live an almost Bethel life in North Carolina… and I decided it was time to return to Bethel… to return to Seattle… But listen… here is what I need you to catch this morning… My new life didn’t start when I got back to Seattle… My new life started as soon as I got in the car and started driving… Because Pastor Matt, the Pastor who led me to Jesus, my disciple, my father in the Lord… one of the dearest friends I will ever have… Pastor Matt came to drive with me from North Carolina to Seattle...So as soon as I started driving to Seattle Pastor Matt was there with me… and we laughed, and we prayed, and we talked, and he taught me, and guided me, and sometimes even drove the car.That drive from North Carolina to Seattle is one of my foundest memories, because Pastor Matt was with me.So it is with God… when God calls us back to Bethel, and we start to go… God run’s out and meets us MORE THAN HALFWAY… and He travels to Bethel with us… we don’t have to wait any longer, the Bethel life… the all in life… the blessings and provisions and promises and prophecies and protections… THEY START AT THE FIRST STEP… BECAUSE WE DON’T HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL WE GET TO THE HOUSE OF GOD TO BE WITH GOD… AS SOON AS WE START HE RUNS OUT AND METS US.If He does it for the Prodigal how much more will He do it for us?Is that not what He did for Jacob when Jacob started going into Bethel, He put the FEAR OF GOD into those cities...Here is my question church… what do you want from the Bethel experience?What is it you want from being all in?Is it healing? Is it joy? Is it protection?Is it simply being close to God? Knowing God and being known by God?Is it calling and purpose you are seeking?Is it a life of value and eternal worth?Is it contentment? Is it peace?What is it you expect to get when you get to Bethel?Whatever it is… if it is of God… then you don’t have to wait to get to Bethel to recieve it… God will meet you here in this place… way more than halfway… and He is bringing blessings with Him so that when He meets you He will have a robe to put on your back, and rings to put on your fingers, and sandals for your feet...The blessings start the moment you draw near to God...SO WHY WOULD YOU WAIT?WHAT IS TAKING YOU SO LONG?MAKE THE DECISION TODAY AFRESH… I AM A CHRISTIAN… I DON’T CARE WHO KNOWS IT! I AM NEVER TURNING BACK… I AM DIVING IN… ALL IN FOR CHRIST. EVERY AREA, EVERY ASPECT OF MY LIFE… EVERY BREATH I BREATH AND EVERY WORD I SPEAK WILL BE FOR THE GLORY OF CHRIST!I NEVER WANT TO LIVE OUTSIDE OF HIS PRESENCE AGAIN… I NEVER WANT TO BE SIMPLY NEAR HIS GLORY AGAIN! I WANT TO BE RIGHT IN THE CENTER OF HIS GLORY! I WANT MORE AND MORE AND MORE OF GOD...SO I AM GOING TO DO WHAT I NEED TO DO TODAY!I AM GOING TO MAKE THE HEART CHANGE TODAY!I AM GOING TO REPENT OF THAT SIN THAT SO EASILY ENCOMBERS… TODAY!IF I NEED TO QUIT MY JOB THEN I AM QUITING IT TODAY!IF I NEED TO BREAK OFF THAT RELATIONSHIP… THEN I AM BREAKING IT OFF TODAY!IF I NEED TO CHANGE MY MUSIC… OR THE WAY I TALK… OR THE WAY I DRESS… OR HOW I SPEND MY FREE TIME… THEN I AM MAKING THAT CHANGE TODAY...BY GOD, IF I NEED OT PLUCK OUT AN EYE THEN I AM PLUCKING IT OUT TODAY!Because I am DONE living in almost Bethel… I am getting up, I am gathering my things, and I am heading to Bethel… and I believe God is going to meet me more than halfway there, and He is going to go on the journey with me… and I just CANT WAIT ANY LONGER!Okay, if someone can come and play… I just want conclude with a couple of verses and the Gospel… and we will see what God does… As always, the Altar is open, if you need to make a physical move today, let it start by coming to the altar...ConclusionTurn On Children’s Class LampsZechariah 1:3 NKJV 'Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Return to Me,” says the Lord of hosts, “and I will return to you,” says the Lord of hosts.Jeremiah 29:13 NKJV And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.Start moving toward Bethel and your enemies will flee, God’s protection will come, and God is going to meet you more than halfway… WAY MORE THAN HALFWAY… You don’t have to wait any longer...Prophetic Ministry?Gospel CallAaronic Blessingיאר יהוה פניו אליך ויחנך ישא יהוה פניו אליך וישם לך שׁלום"The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.You are dismissed from this place but not from His Presenceye·va·re'·khe·kha' · Adonai · ve·yeesh'·me·re'·khaya·eir · Adonai · pa·nav · e·ley'·kha · vee·khoon·ne'·kahees·sa · Adonai · pa·nav · e·ley'·kha · ve·ya·seim · le·kha · sha·lom"The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.You are dismissed from this place but not from His Presence Genesis 35:1NKJV
Genesis 35:5–6NKJV
Genesis 35:5NKJV
Genesis 34:30NKJV
1 Peter 5:8NKJV
Ephesians 6:12NKJV
John 15:18NKJV
John 15:20NKJV
Matthew 12:30NKJV
1 John 3:13NKJV
Genesis 35:5NKJV
Luke 15:20NKJV
Genesis 35:5NKJV
Romans 8:38–39NKJV
Luke 15:20NKJV
James 4:8NKJV
Zechariah 1:3NKJV
Jeremiah 29:13NKJV
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