Jacob's Humble Confession — Joshua Daniel

Truthful Confession and the Weight of Lies

You know, have you ever had the experience of giving a false name? There are many people these days who are falsifying their addresses and doing all kinds of things to escape the immigration and so on.

But, you know, to say to a father a lie is a terrible thing. I lied to my mother once and that lie stuck in my heart till I repented. Years went by but that lie was still there. Oh my, to lie concerning, who are you my son?

I'm Esau, your eldest son. Oh, it takes a lot of guts, isn't it? Yes, some people are pretty gutsy these days. And Joseph, in the 47th chapter of Genesis, Joseph brought in his dad to Pharaoh king of Egypt.

Jacob's Pilgrimage and the Race of Life

Seventh verse, Joseph brought in Jacob his father and set him before Pharaoh and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said unto Jacob, how old art thou? So here is Joseph bringing his old dad into Pharaoh's presence.

And of course, he asked him this question, how old are you? And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, the ninth verse, the days of the years of my pilgrimage are 130 years. Few and evil have the days of the years of my life been and have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.

Now, how many of you have run a race? I wonder, I'm sure. At some point, you had tried to waddle along if you didn't know how to sprint along, you know, waddling. I was a sprinter once, stood in the second place in my school.

But soon I lost my speed. If you ask a runner, what is the race you're going to run? Is it, what's the race you're going to run? He will come out and tell you it's 100 meters or 150 meters or it is a, you know, just a sprint.

But unfortunately, concerning the race of life, we cannot specify the tip. Now, you see, a long distance runner preserves his breath, his stamina for the last lap. And a sprinter has to get a quick start, and he has got to maintain that start.

So, so much depends upon the start. How do you start? You know, unfortunately, people are very mixed up at the start. Sometimes people just don't get off the blocks or they jump the blocks or jump the gun or whatever.

With the result that they are a little befuddled and they don't start the race in the right way. Now, that also is a happening in spiritual life, a deep repentance. You know, when we were young college students, we would go out into the bushland.

That is, the college had, the university or college had vast grounds and uncapped bushes where just venomous creatures roamed. Now, we selected a very solitary part of those bushes, and there we would open our lungs and pour out our hearts before God.

God would speak to the young fellows. It was a place of meeting with God. There were no lights there, nothing. So, if the sun set on us and it was quite dark, I went on preaching. In those days, I had better memory and I knew portions of scripture by heart, and that was no problem.

Spiritual Competition and Deep Foundations

So, when we started this prayer group, I soon heard that a short distance away, some of our young fellows had started some prayer group. You know, a kind of competition. Unfortunate, very unfortunate.

You know, when I heard of a, when I heard a great Bible teacher who is on the air, and I won't mention the name, when he said in the course of one of his talks, there is no competition like the competition which there is amongst preachers.

What rubbish. Huh? Such rubbish. Preachers, when you are strong, I'm strong, brother. If you're weak, I'm weak. Who is going to lift me? If you are also a muddler and a fuddler like me, I need you to be strong.

I need you to be a pacesetter. You're going to strengthen my hands with your testimony. I was shocked. Some of the things that are happening around us, if we have any spiritual enlightenment, it would shock us.

A state of complete carnality. And we would think we are doing fine. We are not. So friends, I said, well, let them go on. Let them have their group. Sometimes we could hear them across the bushes. That didn't bother me in the least.

I said, you know, depending on how deep their foundations are, they will fizzle out. Of course, in a very short time, they had fizzled out. They had just disappeared, you know. Now, I met many people like that in the days of my youth.

We'll do this, we'll do that. What did they do? Nothing. They just feathered their nests. That's all they did. What? You mean to say the cross is meant only to feather my nest and make myself a little more comfortable with a nice bank balance?

What rubbish! Saved to save others. My savior was crucified to give me a crucified life. You know, my dear friends, I can't understand what kind of Christianity we have imbibed. I just don't understand.

Whoever taught us, did we learn from Jesus? Did we learn from the word of God? Repent and believe the gospel. The foundation of repentance, when it is not properly laid, lice will proceed from your mouth and there will be an ensuing confusion and your goals will be earthly.

You see? And when your goals are earthly, you can expect that every storm and every wind and weather around you is going to impact you. You're going to sway and be under the weather. What? I don't believe in Christianity which is under the weather.

No. If my Christianity is only that deep that it is under the weather, what kind of Christianity is that? But that is how it is. Sad to say. What is your age? I am 130 years. And few and evil have been my days.

Jacob's Humility Before Pharaoh

Whoever asked him for an explanation or a detailed accounting of his days, here was a pharaoh and he had to play to the etiquette and decorum and protocol of the court. Well, he should have been preoccupied with those things, you know.

On the contrary, none of those things matter to him. He was speaking to a total stranger and instead of trying to impress him, you know, it's all about impressing, you know. What? Why do I have to impress anybody?

And when you put up your resume or something, oh my! Of course, it's a special art, I suppose. Doing that, whatever it is, it is all a projection of ourselves, our wonderful records. Here, Jacob is giving Pharaoh a rather dismal record.

Evil and short. My days have been few and evil. My dear friends, by truthful record, and he was mentioning that, as a matter of fact, he was comparing himself also to the days of his fathers. I do not know what are the wonderful things that came out of your families, My family, after it came out of heathenism, out of idolatry, it has been a record of sacrifice and service.

That's all the record. Being faithful in intercession. As I was told, my granddad used to prostrate himself in his porch, or what is called the veranda, the courtyard surrounding a room, and he used to pray all night, and he would not talk of his, allow his wife to mention the wealth of the family, which had been once and for all renounced, forgotten.

Don't talk about those things, he would say to his wife, my grandmother. No, he didn't want to be reminded of those things, those possessions, the wealth of the past. He became a poor man to follow Jesus.

You know, as Jacob looked upon Isaac, his father's record, and Abraham's record, boy, he said, See? My years don't compare to the years of my father's. See, some of us have no such peace-setters. We are the peace-setters.

Now, that's unfortunate in one sense, and it's great in another sense. If you are the peace-setter for your children, isn't that wonderful? That puts before you the choice of setting the highest pace, the highest standards, and what's wrong about that?

Unless, of course, you get cold feet, and you say, Oh, I can't measure up to this, I can't measure up to that. You know, my father had a phrase. I can't forget it. God's requirements have got God's enablements.

If God requires something from you, he has got an equal enablement to help you, to lift you. That's called grace. You know, we should be very careful in the application of God's word not to forget this word grace.

Grace, Law, and the Need for Repentance

It's when you begin to lean on grace without applying the law first, that you're miserably wrong. It is when you have recognized your failure that grace steps in, not prematurely. And that is the big mistake which preachers have generally made and produced a harvest of shallow people.

What is it? A premature presentation of grace. Grace. The grace of God is going to take care of that. The grace of God is going to take care of this. Does grace cancel the law? No. When the law has done its work as a schoolmaster and you see that you have acquired or managed to get a zero, then you say to God, Lord, I am a zero.

I need your grace to lift me out of this condition. See, before a man recognizes how he has broken God's word and his truth, you say, oh, God is gracious, God is gracious. That's grandma's talk. That's not the scripture.

Grandma's talk is, no, my boy is a good boy. My boy will not do this. Grandma's talk. So, my dear friends, when this question was asked, he volunteers also a confession. You know what? Do you volunteer a confession?

Who called for a confession? Oh, we like to say, oh, I did this, I did that. I built this, I built that. We like to make a little impressive list of things that we have done. But who volunteers a humble confession?

You see, that's the cross, my friends. That's the cross. When there is no cross, there is only self-justification. Hey, I'm not a bad fellow. I'm not as bad as you think. I'm a pretty good fellow. My dear friends, that's what you say.

But when the cross steps in, oh, there is a beautiful humility about you. You can volunteer a humble confession. Hey, don't get a glowing idea about me. That's far from the truth. The truth is, my days have been evil.

You see, friends, when the cross comes in, there comes truth. And a humble confession like that, you know, that makes you a person who says, hey, I have not arrived, have I? No, I have got to climb higher.

There's a lot more ground for me to cover. So, I have not attained unto the years of my fathers. Now, my dear friends, you will see in 1 Kings 19 chapter, after one of the greatest victories recorded in the Bible, you see a man recording his achievements.

Elijah's Fear After Victory

1 Kings 19 chapter. See Jezebel, the queen, this wicked woman, this heathen woman, you know, second verse. Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah saying, so let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them, by tomorrow about this time.

When he saw that, he arose and went for his life. Very uncharacteristic of an Elijah. Where are you running, Elijah? Oh, the king, queen has said she's going to finish me off today. So, I'm on the run.

I am on the run. He himself went for his life and came to Beersheba, which belonged to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness. This was soon after the great victory at Carmel.

Now, my dear friends, as soon as you finish a retreat like this, and you have been praying earnestly, Lord, I must break free. I'm rid of this idol. I'm finished with this old course of life. When you have come to that wonderful position of repentance, the devil comes and whispers, hey, where are you going, huh?

You're not going to go far this way. See, and you feel somewhat elated, and you feel excited, and you say, yes, my savior won't reject me. He receives me. He gives me his promises. So, I am standing on the promises of God.

Oh, yes. And right after the victory, the devils whisper, hey, I'm going to do you in. I'm going to take care of all this. You see, we must always be ready for the adversary. Now, Elijah, he had expended himself.

Yes, indeed. He was alone when he built that altar. The people had to come and help him. It was not an ordinary victory in the face of so much idolatry. And yet, what do we see here? A man like Elijah fleeing for his life.

You know, fear is an adversary, adversary. No, you and I can be overtaken by our fears. But God has not given us the spirit of fear. Sometimes I'm coming up these days against government regulations. You see, the governments are getting more despotic and authoritarian.

And Christian work is a sitting duck like. Easy prey. So, you can tell a Christian, hey, you had better get out of this place. We want this place or something. I say, now listen. We are going to pray through about this matter.

We are going to change the laws of the government. The government will have to back off. The work of the Lord cannot be hindered. You see, that's faith. You see, it's not only small battles, friends. Arm yourselves.

Divine Calling and Preparing the Next Generation

I never thought, you see. Now, this is nothing but the sovereign work of God. That he should choose such a foolish fellow like me. It is nothing but the sovereign grace of God. Who would choose a fellow like me?

Just playing around with my little sports. You know, my little games. And that's it. Who wants a fellow like that for a serious job? Or a big job? Today, many children are not being prepared. And as a matter of fact, some of you who are in good positions.

You are not prepared yourself for the greatest purposes. You have not put yourself at the disposal of God. You have got your own little agenda. You mean to say your agenda is ever going to match God's agenda?

Never. I feel so sad when I see little minds. Now, my dear friends. Now, when God asked Elijah. So, he sat himself under a tree. The fourth verse. And he requested for himself that he might die. And said, it is enough now, oh Lord.

Take away my life. For I am not better than my fathers. You know, especially when you have great fathers. Like my father. What an image of Christ-likeness my father left me. You know, very humbly. I never saw my father perturbed.

Never saw him ruffled. Never saw him fearful. He had nothing. He gave all to the Lord. And what an image of Christ-likeness. And how he wielded power with God. All right. So, when my father died. People said, now this work is going to go down.

There's nobody like Mr. Daniel Sr. But my father said to me. He prayed for me and said. God told me that he's going to use you. And that he's going to use you more powerfully. Well, I could not believe those words.

I could not believe those words. I find it hard to believe them today. Because he was such a man of God. And I was such a little lily pusher. Yes, it behoves us to set such an image. Before the children.

From fathers and mothers. But it's not for the children to lose heart. And say, hey, I'm no better than my fathers. I'm no better than my fathers. My fathers did not completely eradicate idolatry from the land.

You see, we don't know very much about Elijah's family. But he said, I'm no better than my fathers. I seem to have failed. My fathers failed. I'm no better than my fathers. My dear friends. Isn't it Job who said, my record is in heaven.

Job's Victory Over Accusation and Human Criticism

Let my adversary write a book. See, somebody who is your inveterate enemy. Who hates you. Let my adversary write a book. It shall be a crown unto me. You see, what? When people criticize you, you get so angry, don't you?

Hey, this is what they say of me, huh? You get so irked, provoked, and angry. But Job said, hey, this is my crown. Let him write a book. Liberless book. A book of defamation. Let him write a book. It will be a crown to me.

Look at that kind of victory, my dear friends. And look at our little pettiness. So and so said this against me. Huh, what rubbish. I'm no better than my fathers. You know, folks, actually, any godly father will say.

My son must do better than me. Any godly father. Any responsible father. And today when we have fathers who only think of my son is earning more than me. Or my son has got this or that. It's a very poor quality of fatherhood.

Very poor quality. We are going to get nowhere with that kind of fathers. And we certainly dare not produce such kind of fathers in this fellowship. We have no right to produce people who are not Christ-like fathers.

I am no better than my fathers. Well, my dear friends, a godly sorrow that worketh repentance is a very good thing. And you know, when Elijah had gotten into this kind of very glum and fearful spirit.

The angel of the Lord and he went into a deep sleep. The fifth verse. As he lay and slept under a juniper tree. Behold, then an angel touched him and said unto him. Arise and eat. Arise and eat. And once again he goes back to sleep.

And a second time, the angel of the Lord came again and touched him. Arise and eat because the journey is too great for you. So, the journey before us is a little too great, don't you think? Yes. Some of you are going back to DC and that area.

And others are going to some distant places. The journey of faith, the battle of faith appears a little hard. But does not the Lord know it? Does not the Lord want to strengthen you for the journey? The journey is too great for you.

Strength for the Journey of Faith

And so, I have come again to feed you. My dear friends, I do not know the kind of journey that God has got for you. But you have a Savior who cares about the journey. And he knows how to strengthen you for the journey.

And he knows how to build you up and your stamina for the journey. Let us pray. There is the tape coming up to be breasted. The race is of an unspecified length. And yet God wants to strengthen you for the journey.

He went in the strength of that sustenance. Strength of that meat. Forty days and forty nights. Unto Horeb, the mount of God. Tell God, Lord, I want a deep foundation. I want a fearless disposition. A heart which is fixed upon you to do your will.

Prayer for Unshakable Foundations and Christlike Faith

Gracious Father, you have been so good to us. That we can come apart and sit under the word of God. What a blessing it is. But we do not want it to pass away like a passing shower. We want our moorings, our foundations, to be strong, deep, and unshakable.

O Lord, our God, thou knowest what kind of journey you have got before each one of these dear people. But one thing we know, thou art leading them to the mount of God. And you want to strengthen them for the battle and for the journey.

Father, we plead with you, give us the mind of Christ. Yes, it was a long journey to Calvary. But he set his face towards Jerusalem. We do want to set our faces as flint. O Lord, our God, save us from our family backgrounds.

They are so small in their thinking. Our friends and relatives, what did you buy? What did you eat? What are your plans? What is the next car you are going to buy? That's about it. Their minds are so fossilized.

Lord, out of these fossils, you have called us. You have breathed upon us. Otherwise, we too would be amongst those fossils. O my Father, we do plead with you and ask you, lift us to the mind of Christ.

O my Father, surely we can always volunteer a humble confession. Hey, how are you doing? And our usual reply, our patented reply, fine, fine. And here you are seated in the dentistry with your both hands below your chins.

And someone asks you, how are you keeping? Fine. O my Father, save us from this kind of foolish hypocrisy. Save us, Lord. We can speak like Jacob. Few and evil have my days been. I did my own pleasure.

I spoke my own lies. I got into a lot of trouble. I wept when my son was seated on the throne, literally, thinking he was in the grave. I was a mistaken person, muddled and fuddled. O Father, can't we also make a humble confession?

O my Father, we want to please you. We want to live up to the prize tag which we bear. What's the prize of this fellow? The blood of Christ, the blood of Christ. What? Is he so highly prized? I thought he could make butchers have meat.

The blood of Christ, that's his prize. O my Father, with such a prize tag attached to us, let us live worthily of the Savior, of his blood. Save us, save us, save me, I pray, from all the vanity which rubs off on us, both consciously and unconsciously.

We do not want to lift up our eyes unto vanity. We want Jesus. We want to show for Jesus. We want to build his kingdom brick by brick. Some of us have airy, fairy ideas about your kingdom, as though by waving a magical wand, suddenly the kingdom is going to rise like a skyscraper before their eyes.

They are not learning to build brick by brick. Bricks of obedience, bricks of right choices. O grant to them strength for the journey we beseech you. In Jesus' almighty name, amen.