UNMASKED

Genesis 32:22–32 NKJV

22 And he arose that night and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons, and crossed over the ford of Jabbok. 23 He took them, sent them over the brook, and sent over what he had. 24 Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. 25 Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him. 26 And He said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks.” But he said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!” 27 So He said to him, “What is your name?” He said, “Jacob.” 28 And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.” 29 Then Jacob asked, saying, “Tell me Your name, I pray.” And He said, “Why is it that you ask about My name?” And He blessed him there. 30 So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: “For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.” 31 Just as he crossed over Penuel the sun rose on him, and he limped on his hip. 32 Therefore to this day the children of Israel do not eat the muscle that shrank, which is on the hip socket, because He touched the socket of Jacob’s hip in the muscle that shrank.

Some of you all may notice that I may have something on my face.

Yes it probably looks funny,

Yes it probably looks weird

Yes I probably look like a pro wrestler or going to mardi gras

or both

but the truth is,

This is how we look spiritually in our lives

Living our lives through the lens of a Mask.

but the truth is,

You can not be successful in life living with a mask on.

here is why

1. Masks hide your true identity- You can not see my face. Do not know if I have a full beard. do not know if my face is round or skinny.

do not know if I am smiling or sad.

masks Hide your true Identity. because they make you see a your self as something you are not.

That if I look in a mirror right now, I do not see myself, but I see a mask.

Not only do masks hide your true identity, but

2. Masks cover your flaws- you can not tell if I have a scratch on my face,

something in my nose, or something in my eyes.

You do not know if my face is bumpy or clear.

and that’s how we are spiritually.

We put on these masks to hide our flaws forgetting that everyone has them.

so on the outside I look perfect, but on the inside, im broken.

and it is my assignment tonight to get you to do something that I’m about to do and thats

TAKE OFF YOUR MASKS.

This text teaches us that when you take off your mask, and allow God to do a work in you, then you can be who God has called you to be.

In this text tonight we have made a stop at a pivotal moment in a young man’s life where a fight with God changed his life for the better.

Israel is born in this text.

Israel, the Father of the 12 tribes of Israel.

Israel, meaning survivor

Israel, meaning “one who strives with God”

Israel is an amazing name.

But at this point. Israel is under the mask of Jacob.

Now Jacob was a trickster,

Jacob was a surplanter

Jacob was one who tricked his brother out of his birthright.

Jacob was one who did what he wanted to do when he wanted to do it.

but at some point, the mask came off.

and the question tonight is, How is it that the mask came off?

if you’re taking notes,

It took

Isolation, for the mask to come off

The bible says that Jacob was left alone to wrestle with God until the breaking of day.

Jacob is one who was rarely ever alone

He was in the womb with his brother and came out as Jacob

He has his mother’s help, to trick him out of his brother’s blessing and left as Jacob

when he and his brother got into it, he had his uncle to go to

While at his uncle house, He married two women and had children and servants and was still Jacob

He leaves his uncle’s house as Jacob

but when he got alone,

when he sent everything and everyone away,

When it was just him and God,

It was then, that God was able to do a work in Jacob.

See Jacob had some stuff he needed to work on.

Jacob had some problems he was dealing with

Jacob had some issues that he struggled with.

Jacob could’nt have known what God had in store for him.

and Jacob couldn’t have known if he did take some time out to work with God.

See the truth is, God can’t do a work in us until we learn how to be alone.

Not everyone is in your circle for your benefit.

Not everyone cares like you think they do

Not everyone wants you to get better,

But there are some who play a part in you keeping your mask on

and it’s not until you realize that Change and growth are best paired with isolation, its then where you will be comfortable fighting alone.

God does his best work on us when we are isolated.

God moves best within us when we are isolated.

So if we want to take off our masks, we first have to get to a place where it’s just us and God.

but wait

jacob was a tricky young man.

years before that day, Jacob had stolen Essau’s birthright and blessing and essau vowed to kill jacob if he ever saw him again.

So Jacob is returning hoping to find favor in the eyes of essau

but jacob has to first be changed.

So jacob’s change came as a result of him being in a sticky situation.

And I find it funny, that the only time that jacob was remotely ready to listen was we he was in a sticky situation

and that’s just like some of us.

Doing it on our own

Living on our own

Breathing on our own

Moving on our own

But as soon as we get in a sticky situation, we call on God to rescue us.

Maybe that’s why God allowed you to go through some problems and pains and sticky situations, so that he can get you alone long enough to change you.

Not only did it take isolation for the mask to come off.

It took

Dedication for the mask to come off

The bible says that Jacob wrestled with God until the breaking of day.

Jacob is Dedicated despite the

length of the fight.

The reason why we can’t see any change when we fight, is because we get tired too fast. We give up too easily. and we get weary too quickly.

Jacob is fighting until the breaking of day. and he did not prevail.

we have to stay in the fight. you have to stay in the race. you have to keep holding on.

because sooner or later.

do not give up being who God called you to be just because you’ve been in a fight for so long.

God can not change you unless you are dedicated enough to change.

jacob is dedicated

despite the length of the fight.

but jacob is dedicated dispite the

2. limp from the fight

the bible says that God touches the socket of Jacob’s hip.

i was looking at the text and I see two things about the hip.

why not the hands?

why not the eyes?

why not the mouth?

Why did God touch the socket of his hip?

with out the hip, man can not properly walk.

Jacob has been walking by the strength of himself for a long time. so God touches the socket of his hip to show him, that he’ll never be able to do it by him self again.

and some times God will touch the most important thing in your life, to get you to the point where you realize you can’t do it by yourself any longer.

So every step you take, I have to walk with you. and he walks with me. and he talks with me.

but now jacob is haveing to walk with a limp. Its a testament to what God had done.

when God touches his hip. he does less fighting and more holding.

God says let me go for the day breaks, Jacob responds I WILL NOT LET YOU GO UNTIL YOU BLESS ME.

and i know you’re tired of fighting but HOLD ON.

you’re hurting but HOLD ON

kids acting up but HOLD ON.

It takes ISOLATION

It takes DEDICATION

but lastly

if you want to unmask your self,

you have to

be open to TRANSFORMATION

GOD says tell me your name.

Jacob responds my name is Jacob.

He owns up to his mess. He owns up to being a trickster.

He owns up to being a liar. He owns up to being a supplanter.

HE OWNS UP TO ALL OF HIS PROBLEMS AND ISSUES.

The key to UNLOCK THE DOOR OF Your TRANSFORMATION is your TRANSPARENCEY

GOD CAN NOT CHANGE, WHAT YOU WILL NOT OWN UP TO.

THE TRUE TRANSFORMATION COMES WHEN HE LOOKS IN THE MIRROR AND REALIZES WHO HE REALLY IS.

SOME OF YOU LOOK AT YOURSELF WITH A MASK ON AND THINK THIS IS WHO YOU REALLY ARE

HE SAYS MY NAME IS JACOB. GOD SAY YOUR NAME SHALL NO LONGER BE JACOB BUT ISRAEL FOR YOU HAVE FAUGHT WITH GOD AND YOU HAVE PREVAILED.

HE WENT FROM

JACOB TO ISRAEL

FROM

SURPLANTER TO SURVIVOR

FROM

TRICKSTER TO TRANSFORMED.

SO WHAT NOW? WHAT DO WE TAKE FROM THIS MESSAGE?

TAKE OFF YOUR MASK

I KNOW YOU’RE TIRED

TAKE OFF YOUR MASK

I KNOW ITS HARD

TAKE OFF YOUR MASK

I KNOW YOU THINK YOU CAN DO IT ON YOUR OWN

TAKE OFF YOUR MASK

SO THAT GOD CAN CHANGE YOU

THE BIBLE SAYS HE CALLS THIS PLACE PINEL BECAUSE HE’S SEEN GOD, AND HIS LIFE IS PRESERVED.

THIS ISN’T THE FIRST TIME JACOB’S LIFE IS PRESERVED.

WHEN HIS BROTHER ESSAU WANTED TO KILL HIM, THE BIBLE SAID GOD CAME TO ESSAU AND SAID DON’T TOUCH HIM

WHEN HIS UNCLE LABAN WANTED TO KILL HIM, GOD CAME TO LABAN AND SAID DON’T TOUCH HIM.

GOD COULD HAVE KILLED HIM FOR SEEING HIM FACE TO FACE, BUT GOD DIDN’T TOUCH HIM.

SO GOD KEPT HIM AND COVERED HIM UNTIL HE CHANGED HIM.

IS THERE ANY ONE IN HERE WHO CAN TESTIFY HE KEPT ME AND COVERED ME UNTIL HE CHANGED ME.

JACOB BEGOT JUDAH, JUDAH BEGOT JESSE, JESSE BEGOT DAVID AND FROM THE LINEAGE OF DAVID CAME JESUS.

AND ON A HILL HE HAD TO FIGHT.

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