Genesis 32:22-28 " This battle changed my life "

Genesis 32:22–28 CSB

22 During the night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two slave women, and his eleven sons, and crossed the ford of Jabbok. 23 He took them and sent them across the stream, along with all his possessions. 24 Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he could not defeat him, he struck Jacob’s hip socket as they wrestled and dislocated his hip. 26 Then he said to Jacob, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27 “What is your name?” the man asked. “Jacob,” he replied. 28 “Your name will no longer be Jacob,” he said. “It will be Israel because you have struggled with God and with men and have prevailed.”

“ This Battle Changed my life “

There are some battles in life

That should literally

Change our life

Change our way of THINKING — DOING THINGS — LIVING — SPENDING — EATING —etc……

Because battles

Are designed

To bring the best

Out of us

And also

To DEVELOP us

But it’s amazing

The battles

That are designed

To make us better

And to develop up

We make some people WORST

They won’t THINK BETTER — DO BETTER — LIVE — SPEND BETTER — EAT BETTER — LOVE BETTER etc……

Every battle

That we engage in

Should always

Make us better

That’s what our text today

Is tailored to teach us

That the battle should make us better

Jacob was made better

But not only

God made Jacob better

But God was WEARING Jacob OUT

And God was WISING Jacob UP

The problem

with the people of God today

is that we want the blessings

without get better

The Primary purpose

of Jacob battle

was not to bless him

but to better him

Because there was something

buried in him

our character

in the text today is Jacob,

who is known by one word (Combative),

Combative is the word

to describe Jacob

because Jacob knew

how to fight.

when Jacob

is first mention

in the bible

in Gen. 25,

when his mother Rebekah

was carrying him

with his twin brother Esau

they were fighting

or struggling

within her womb. (2 nations )

If Jacob

didn’t know how

to do anything else,

Jacob knew how to fight ( some church folks)

Even when Esau

was coming out

of his mother’s womb first,

Jacob grabbed

Esau heel

as he was coming out,

because Jacob was a fighter.

Because Jacob

was combative,

Jacob would fight

with anyone,

family or foe,

he would fight

decently or deceitfully,

he would fight

in public or private

because fighting

is Just what Jacob knew how to do.

Even in this text

we see Jacob

in another battle

but this battle

would be different

than any other battle in Jacob’s life.

Because This Change Jacob’s Life

Note: What I like about God is that God meets us where we are ( V. 24 )

Genesis 32:24 CSB

24 Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak.

Note: Jacob had spent most of his adult life wrestling with people—Esau, Isaac, Laban, and even his wives—so God came to him as a wrestler.

3 reasons

why this battle

in Gen. 32

would be different

than any other battle in Jacob’s life is because

Where Jacob was battling, With who Jacob was battling, Why Jacob was battling.

1st Where Jacob was Battling (v.22-24A)

Genesis 32:22–24 CSB

22 During the night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two slave women, and his eleven sons, and crossed the ford of Jabbok. 23 He took them and sent them across the stream, along with all his possessions. 24 Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak.

Jacob was battling by a brook call Jabbok—Jabbok signifies the place of emptiness

Jacob is now all by himself fighting with an Angel on Empty

It’s hard to fight when it seems like you’re all by yourself & void of friends, finance, faith & family ( He sends everything over the brook )

It’s hard to engage the enemy when you’re Empty ( BY YOURSELF- married, ministry, Job, family)

There’s someone in here today fighting from the standpoint of emptiness.

Sometimes God got to stripe us of everything to get better out of you

1st Where Jacob was Battling (v.22-24A)

2nd: With whom Jacob was battling (v. 24)

Jacob is wrestling with a man but not just any man, an Angel, he is wrestling with Jesus Christ in Theophany manifestation ----- he is wrestling with God.

Note: The battle is not with -- Your Wife — Your Husband — Your Bossman — Your Coworker — Your Pastor — choir member

1st Where Jacob was Battling (v.22-24A)

2nd: With whom Jacob was battling (v. 24)

3rd: Why Jacob was battling (v.28)

Genesis 32:28 CSB

28 “Your name will no longer be Jacob,” he said. “It will be Israel because you have struggled with God and with men and have prevailed.”

Jacob didn’t have a choice to fight here, Jacob got to fight (v. 24 “A man wrestling with him”)

God is wrestling with Jacob

Somebody here today you’re not fighting because you want to fight but you’re fighting because you got to fight.

Jacob is not wrestling because he wants a blessing from the Lord but Jacob is wrestling because the Lord wants Better out of Jacob.

God knew that there was an Israel buried inside of Jacob. ( BRING BETTER )

God wants to bring the better that's buried on the inside of you out ( Thru a BATTLE )

The reason why you got some battles in your life today is because God is trying to get Better out of you. (A Better Missionary in you, Husband, Wife, Son, Boss, Co-worker, Choir Member, Usher & the Better cannot come out of you without a Battle.

“ This battle changed my life ”

Example: My brother Coach Fondal fought with me in basketball (Coach was gettin better out of me )

Example: your piggy bank you turn up side down for ice cream

“ This battle changed my life ”

1st I experience the Patience of God (v.24)

Genesis 32:24 CSB

24 Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak.

Note: This battle is going to teach Jacob some Patience

God wrestling Jacob is a demonstration of His patience

1) because God is God it exempts Him from struggle

2) God don’t have to battle with anything less than who He is

3) God don’t have to battle with anything less than who He is——- All Night Long

This is the patience of God & we should thank God for HIs patience

1) Thank God because God still battles

2) Thank God because God has been patience with us

3) Thank God because God has been putting up with us as long as He have (cut us off)

God was battling with Jacob because He saw something in Jacob that Jacob didn’t see in himself

Aren’t you glad that God still sees the best in you when everyone else sees the worst in you

“ This battle changed my life ”

1st I experience the Patience of God (v.24)

2nd: I experience the Preciseness of God (v.25)

Genesis 32:25 CSB

25 When the man saw that he could not defeat him, he struck Jacob’s hip socket as they wrestled and dislocated his hip.

Man could not put Jacob’s hip out of joint with a mere touch.

But God is all-powerful,

and it is so easy for Him to touch

any part of our life

and make a drastic change in it

God knew just where to break Jacob ( The Preciseness of God)

God could have broken Jacob’s (Head-will) (Heart-worship) (Hand-work) (Hip-Walk)

Somebody ought to thank God that he knows where to break you to force you to lend on Him

Because you’ve been broken you got to do the right thing (Church, Bible Study, Tithes, Ministry)

Jacob's break was a Vital break, but it was a Valuable break, but it was also a Visible break (Jacob’s limp)

Everyone can see that you’ve been broke but you still living

Note: Some of us are hurting in some areas where we shouldn’t be hurting if we just would have SURRENDERED to God

“ This battle changed my life ”

1st I experience the Patience of God (v.24)

2nd: I experience the Preciseness of God (v.25)

3rd: I experience the Power of God (v. 26-28)

Genesis 32:26–28 CSB

26 Then he said to Jacob, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27 “What is your name?” the man asked. “Jacob,” he replied. 28 “Your name will no longer be Jacob,” he said. “It will be Israel because you have struggled with God and with men and have prevailed.”

When the “man” whom Jacob was wrestling with requested,

“Let me go,” it did not indicate that Almighty God

could not free Himself from Jacob’s grasp

but that He would test Jacob’s dedication and spiritual stamina

The persistent clinging by Jacob

shows that Jacob passed this test

with flying colors.

He would not give up though crippled.

He would not stop pursuing the blessing though beset by difficulties

God made Jacob better

The text is tailored to teach us that you’re not to bad that God can’t make you Better

Jacob say’s God I’m not going to let you go until you Bless me but God say’s Jacob I’m not going to bless you until I Better you (mess up the Bless)

And there’s someone here today that you’re asking God to make it better but God says I can make it better but I’m not going to make it better until I bring better out of you.

God tells Jacob confess you name (v.27)

Jacob’s name—> Trickster, Deceiver, Supplanter, Heel grabber

Jacob—Now Israel