He who began a good work in you will carry it on to Completion
Notes
Transcript
Welcome
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Women Conference: October 18th - Edmeia Willians
(Sorvecana Team!)
We would like to express our deepest gratitude to each and every one of you who dedicated your time, energy, and heart to making the NUBC Festival of the Nations a truly special event.
The success of the festival would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of all of you.
Every smile, every effort, and every moment of dedication contributed to creating an incredible and memorable experience for all who attended.
The unity and spirit of collaboration we saw was inspiring. You demonstrated the true meaning of community and service, and for that, we are immensely grateful.
May God bless you all for your generosity and commitment. We look forward to seeing you at future events and celebrations, and we look forward to continuing to walk together in the mission of serving Jesus and blessing our community.
Intro
Let's "open" our Bible in the Book of Genesis 32
If you have read the book of Genesis, you will remember the episode in which Jacob had a dream and saw a ladder reaching down from heaven to where he was.
Jacob is one of the three bright stars of the Hebrew sky, the father of the faithful; Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, this trinity of patriarchs in the Old Testament
Now, the episode happened when Jacob was alone in the desert, he was fleeing from his brother Esau. He took a rock and used it as a pillow, and he had a vision and saw a ladder reaching from earth to heaven, and above it was the Lord Himself, and he saw angels descending and ascending this ladder.
And remember that in the New Testament this ladder is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of Man, who is God's way to heaven.
And it was there that Jacob met the Lord and was transformed.
But God was not finished with Jacob's yet.
And I want to tell you that when you are saved, God is not finished with you yet.
Most of us have a long, long way to go.
We are still under construction.
Someone once said, "I am not what I should be, and I am not what I will be, but thank God I am not what I was."
I have been transformed, but I am being transformed.
Phil. 1:6 assures us.
6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
So God began a work in us; He’s going to finish it.
The Lord began a work in Jacob, and Jacob was saved, but there was still a lot of Jacob in Jacob.
And remember, the name Jacob has the idea, the connotation, of being a deceiver, a cheater, a man who lived by his own craftiness.
By all means Jacob did know the Lord, but he still had those inner inclinations, that old sinful nature alive and kicking—and God had to work on that.
Now, keep that in mind as we look at Genesis chapter 32, because I want to give you three thoughts.
And you’ll see that these thoughts are true in Jacob’s life, and they will be true in your life, as God is moving you forward, not only to salvation, but to sanctification, and these truths will help you grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
I. God Will Always Protect You, But He Will Never Spoil You.
I. God Will Always Protect You, But He Will Never Spoil You.
Let's start by looking at this truth in Gen.32:1-2
1 Jacob also went on his way, and the angels of God met him. 2 When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is the camp of God!” So he named that place Mahanaim.
“Mahanaim” literally means “two camps.”
Jacob was traveling with a group of people with him (family & servants).
He was far from home, returning to his parents’ house, and suddenly he saw angels of God – This is God’s host -
Literally “the camp of God's army !” –
God sent some angels to guard him and escort him on the way back home.
Now we will see in the story that he was indeed out of fellowship with God.
He was a man of God, he was saved, but he was out of fellowship with God.
However, in the midst of all this, God had sent an army of angels to guard, guide and protect him.
He did not realize it until then. But he had an escort of invisible angels accompanying him.
The angels were with him the whole time, although he did not see them.
Note:
I would like to tell you that God has angels who watch over His children. Did you know that there are angels watching over you?
Satan is a wicked man. He perverts everything that God does. He has taken this angel thing and twisted it so much that it is ridiculous.
The Bible talks a lot about angels.
One of the things we learn from the Bible is that angels really do watch over us, angels protect us, even when we are out of communion with God. (I have had deliverances through angels…)
God sends His angels to guard and protect us.
"God will always protect you, but He will never spoil you."
And that is what we are going to learn.
You see, here is Jacob, who at this point in his life is out of fellowship with God, and he gets into serious trouble.
God could certainly have kept him out of this trouble, but God did not want to keep him out of this trouble.
In fact, we will see that God orchestrated the trouble.
Jacob had left home about twenty years earlier, running away from his brother Esau. Esau was a robust, red-haired, muscular man who enjoyed the outdoors. Jacob, although they were twins, was very, very different genetically. He was a homebody.
But he was attached to his mother, liked to help with the chores around the house… thoughtful, reflective… He was nothing like Esau.
Now Jacob is returning home and he learned that Esau is coming to meet him.
Jacob knows he needs to make things right with Esau.
He can't be a fugitive forever. He can't keep running away from his brother, whom he tricked into taking the birthright.
Then he discovers that Esau, big and strong, is coming to meet him, and Esau has an army of four hundred men with him.
So behind the curtains, God is beginning to deal with Jacob.
He is protecting Jacob, but He is not spoiling Jacob.
Look how interesting, Genesis chapter 31, verse 24.
That is, He said, "Laban, don't touch him, I'll not let you hurt him, but don't help him either. I don't want this to be easy for him."
look wt what Laban said v.29
29 I have the power to harm you; but last night the God of your father said to me, ‘Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.’
Do you think God wants you to always have an easy life?
God loved Jacob. The Bible tells us clearly, in the book of Malachi and also in the book of Romans, that God loved Jacob. (Romans 9:13)
God sent angels to take care of him.
God protected him, but He did not spoil him.
Now Jacob is in trouble, from both sides (behind & in front) because Esau is coming.
And I want you to notice how Jacob goes to work now to protect hinself.
Notice here, let’s continue reading verses 3 through 5:
3 Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom. 4 He instructed them: “This is what you are to say to my lord Esau: ‘Your servant Jacob says, I have been staying with Laban and have remained there till now. 5 I have cattle and donkeys, sheep and goats, male and female servants. Now I am sending this message to my lord, that I may find favor in your eyes.’ ”
Notice how he is humbling himself.
Notice the tone of his speech. “say to my lord Esau…” – he is speaking to his brother, the one who was deceived – “my lord Esau…your servant Jacob says…”
Proverbs 15:1 “A soft answer turns away wrath, but harsh words stir up anger.”
And that is exactly what he is doing.
Jacob is working, trying to protect himself from his brother – Take a look at Jacob’s plans, verses 6-8
6 When the messengers returned to Jacob, they said, “We went to your brother Esau, and now he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.”
7 In great fear and distress Jacob divided the people who were with him into two groups, and the flocks and herds and camels as well. 8 He thought, “If Esau comes and attacks one group, the group that is left may escape.”
Now, what he’s doing is just covering the bases.
He’s spreading his resources.
He’s not putting all his eggs in one basket.
His mind is working overtime to cut his losses.
He said, “If Esau attacks me here, then these guys can escape.”
Now, watch what he’s doing: He’s trying to soften Esau’s heart. He’s trying to protect his interests. Now, after he’s done all of that, he prays. Genesis 32:9 “9 Then Jacob prayed…
Jacob was not a wicked man; it’s just that he can’t put himself in God’s hands.
He has to do something to protect himself, so he does it, and then he finally starts praying.
9 Then Jacob prayed, “O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, Lord, you who said to me, ‘Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper,’ 10 I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant. I had only my staff when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two camps. 11 Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid he will come and attack me, and also the mothers with their children. 12 But you have said, ‘I will surely make you prosper and will make your descendants like the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted.’ ”
Now he is reminding God of His promises.
Here is a picture of a man living by his own will and now he is praying.
The problem with this kind of prayer is not that he prayed, but that his prayer was not his first thought; his prayer was a last resort.
Jacob here is still very immature in his faith, verse 13ff
13 He spent the night there, and from what he had with him he selected a gift for his brother Esau: 14 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 15 thirty female camels with their young, forty cows and ten bulls, and twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. 16 He put them in the care of his servants, each herd by itself, and said to his servants, “Go ahead of me, and keep some space between the herds.”
17 He instructed the one in the lead: “When my brother Esau meets you and asks, ‘Who do you belong to, and where are you going, and who owns all these animals in front of you?’ 18 then you are to say, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a gift sent to my lord Esau, and he is coming behind us.’ ”
19 He also instructed the second, the third and all the others who followed the herds: “You are to say the same thing to Esau when you meet him. 20 And be sure to say, ‘Your servant Jacob is coming behind us.’ ” For he thought, “I will pacify him with these gifts I am sending on ahead; later, when I see him, perhaps he will receive me.”
Listen. Here he is.
First, he sent someone to humble himself before his brother Esau. He says, "O my lord Esau, I am your servant Jacob."
So he takes all these animals, 580 different animals - and puts them in different herds - probably 9 or more groups, and he's working out a scheme to protect himself: "Take a group and send them to meet Esau and say, 'Esau, this is for you.'"
"And after a while, another herd comes in: "Esau, this is for you." After a while, some more are coming in: "Esau, this is for you." …
Now you can see his mind working. Here's a man who is very, very clever.
He's full of himself, and what he's saying is this:
"I trust you, Lord, but..."
Have you ever been through that?
"Lord, I trust you. Yes, I remember all Your promises, but God, I need to take care of myself."
You see, Jacob really didn't want to turn himself over to God's care.
He saw the angels, he knew the promises.
No wonder God didn't spoil him. God protected him, but He didn't spoil him.
Let me tell you something: God will always protect you, but He won't spoil you.
He won't spare you some hardship.
In fact, He will use that hardship to help you grow.
And when I'm preaching to you, I'm also preaching to myself.
Okay, so first is God will always protect you, but He won't spoil you. Second, here's the second thing I want to learn:
II. God will hurt you, but He will not harm you.
II. God will hurt you, but He will not harm you.
Now, let's go to verse 24 and notice what it says here:
Genesis 32:24 (NIV)
24 So Jacob was left alone,…
“And Jacob was alone.”
Now finally the time has come for him to be alone—all this time he has had other people around.
And I believe God planned this, too. I believe God wanted Jacob to be alone.
You know what the problem is with most of us? We are never really alone.
But here God made Jacob to be alone. God planned it.
By the way, the flesh doesn’t like to be alone. That’s why you always have the television on in your house.
That’s why when you get in the car you turn on the radio.
That’s why at work you always want to be around friends or someone.
We don’t like to be alone because when we’re alone, we have to face ourselves.
That’s why we’re always looking to have fun.
When you’re entertained, you’re not thinking.
Someone said that if young David, out there tending his father’s sheep, had a radio, we probably wouldn’t have Psalm 23—but he’s out there alone and thinking… and thinking about God.
And what God has done now is orchestrate a time for Jacob to be alone.
So he’s alone and he’s scared to death of Esau…
he’s alone and in the dark: and look at happened… verse 24b
24 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak.
Someone jumps on him and begins to wrestle with him.
And, of course, we will find out that the man was Jehovah’s angel. In fact, not just any angel—the Angel of the Lord.
I firmly believe that this was a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ here on earth.
Jesus came to deal with this man who is still full of himself, just as He comes to deal with us.
Now, according to this verse, the man is wrestling with him, and it is a wrestling that lasts all night.
All night long, Jacob is wrestling with the angel of the Lord, this man from heaven.
Now, friends, it is not primarily Jacob wrestling with the angel; it is the angel wrestling with Jacob.
Jacob did not start this wrestling; he was attacked.
The angel comes and jumps on Jacob, and they wrestle.
They wrestle all night long, and finally the angel – It doesn’t say this in Scripture, but I can imagine Him saying,
“I didn’t mean to do this to you, Jacob” – this will hurt you, but it won't harm you".
He dislocates Jacob’s thigh, and He cripples him. He really hurt him. Look, verse 25:
25 When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man.
You see, Jacob is still thinking. He's planning,
"If Esau is mad, I can soften him up. I can do all this. I can do that.
And if none of that works, I can run."
But now he can't even run. He's a wreck.
I mean, now he's desperate.
The Lord has struck him, and now his self-confidence is completely shaken.
Now, why did the Lord touch the socket of his thigh, his hip? To hurt him.
Well, why did the Lord want to hurt him? To drive him to the point of desperation.
You know, the sooner we get to the point of desperation, the better off we'll be.
Most of us think we're too weak. But I'll tell you the truth: most of us aren't weak enough.
We're still trying. We think we're too weak.
We say, "I can't do this." But we never get to the point of absolute, utter despair.
Jacob knew he was weak. That’s why he was afraid; he was doing all these things.
His mind wouldn’t rest, it wouldn’t stop working, and finally the Lord attacks him and reduces him to absolute despair.
Why? In Philippians 3:3, the Bible says, that we should have no confidence in the flesh,”
Where is your confidence?
Well, your confidence may be in your mind.
Your confidence may be in your bank account.
Your confidence may be in your personality.
Your confidence may be in your contacts.
Your confidence may be in your ability to speak.
Whatever it is, whatever the confidence is, if it’s not in God, it’s a misplaced confidence.
What happens here is that Jacob’s scheming is finally over.
His resistance to God is over. And now he’s faced with a different situation. Look, verse 26:
Genesis 32:26 (NIV)
26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”
But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
Thank God for that. Jacob, from a young age he wanted the birthright, and now he's wanting the blessing.
And that's the redemptive factor for this man.
And I hope that's the redemptive factor in your life, when you say, "Dear God, I want Your blessing."
Now the angel says to Jacob, "Let me go."
This is an angel, this is the pre-incarnate Jesus, and He's saying to Jacob, "Let me go."
Let me go? Listen. Just like that, He could have pulverized him. I mean, He didn't have to wrestle with this man all night.
"This wrestling match was arranged." I mean, the angel is wrestling and wrestling and wrestling;
The angel could have pulverized him at any moment, but He is wrestling with Jacob to get him to that point where Jacob finally says, "I will not let you go unless you bless me.
You are my only hope. I am not wrestling to get away now; I am wrestling for you to hold me." That is where God wants to get you.
Listen. Many times, God will seem to you like He wants to get away from you without blessing you. But He doesn't—He doesn't want to get away from you.
It's a strange thing. For example:
You read in the Bible, for example, on the road to Emmaus after the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He is on the road to Emmaus, and there are two disciples who are with Him, and they are discouraged and downcast. They are not quite sure; they are half-believing, half-doubting about the resurrection. And Jesus, after His resurrection, comes and begins to walk with them. But God had kind of clouded their understanding. They didn't recognize that it was Jesus. I don't know why. I don’t know if He had a hood on His head or if His appearance was changed by the resurrection. But they didn’t recognize Him. They were walking along, and Jesus began to explain the Scriptures to them, and He opened their understanding, and their hearts began to burn within them. And then the Bible says that Jesus made as if He wanted to go on further; and they constrained Him, and said, “No, stay here with us.” But He made as if He wanted to go on further. (Luke 24:13-32)
Let me give you another illustration. There was a Syrophoenician woman. She was from Syrophoenicia, and they were pagans, but this woman had heard about Jesus. She had a little girl who was demon-possessed. And Jesus was down by the seaside, and this woman came to Jesus and said, “O Master, I have a daughter who is tormented by a demon. Please heal my daughter.” And Jesus said, “Do you expect me to take the bread that is meant for the children and give it to the dogs?” Can you imagine that? Can you imagine Jesus talking to her like that? Here is a woman with a maternal instinct, and she came across an evil demon that was tormenting her daughter, and she came to Jesus in deep humility and said, “Please heal my daughter,” and Jesus said, “I’m not going to take the children’s bread and feed it to the dogs.” That’s what they called the Gentiles: Gentile dogs. He said, “I came only for the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Do you know what ninety percent of us would have done? We would have said, “Well, what a great messiah you are! Good night! I’ve never been treated that way in my life!” She didn’t say that. She said, “That’s right, Lord. It’s not right to take the children’s bread and feed it to the dogs. But,” she said, “even the dogs get the crumbs that fall from the table.” “Oh,” He said, “woman, great is your faith. You have what you’re asking for.” (Mark 7:25-30)
It was the same thing when Elijah the prophet got Elisha to follow him. What did Elisha want? Elisha wanted a double portion of the power that was in Elijah. And Elijah said, “I’m going there. You stay here.” Elisha said, “No. Wherever you go, I’ll go.” Then in another place, He said, “You stay here, I’ll go.” He said, “Wherever you go, I’ll go.” He couldn’t get rid of him. He couldn’t get rid of him. He didn’t want to get rid of him. (2 Kings 2:1-11)
Listen, folks. I’ll tell you something. God does business with people who want to do business. Did you know that? I mean, this angel wasn’t trying to run away. I mean, if he wanted to run away, he could have run away. He’s an angel, and he’s saying, “Let me go.” “I hope he doesn’t leave me, because I want to bless him.”
I'm going to tell you what I've learned about God and what the Scriptures teach.
God will always protects you, but He won't spoil you. - He won't spare you of some hardship.
God will hurt you, but He won't harm you
He won't harm you. Jacob wasn't harmed; he was hurt, but he was helped by what happened to him.
I'm not saying it didn't hurt.
Now, here's the third and final thing I want you to see today:
III. God will Hurt You, But He Won't Stop Blessing You.
III. God will Hurt You, But He Won't Stop Blessing You.
God will hurt you, but He Won't stop blessing you.
Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.
”Verse 27 of the same chapter - chapter 32, verse 27
27 The man asked him, “What is your name?”
“Jacob,” he answered.
28 Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”
29 Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.”
But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there.
We’re dealing with names.
“What’s your name?” He says, “Jacob.”
Jacob in the original language sounds like sneaky, cheating, thief.”
I can just imagine the Lord saying, “Well, I’ve been waiting for you to admit that.
I’ve been waiting for you to call yourself by what you became.
Now that you’ve finally realized what you became of and what you’re like, I’m going to change your name.
I’m going to give you a whole new name.
I’m going to call you Israel. That means “prince with God.””
What’s your name? - Have you admitted to God who you really are?
Is it lust? Is it laziness?
Is it doubt? Is it self-sufficiency?
Is it pride?
Is it fear?
God wants you to admit it.
I mean, it took Jacob a long time to admit who he was and what he was.
Now, why did God cripple him?
Why did God break him?
God broke him so He could bless him.
And he goes from being crippled to being crowned.
God named him "Prince” - God will hurt you, but he will never stop blessing you - Jacob becomes Prince.
He goes from a name of shame to a hall of fame in Hebrews chapter 11.
He goes from being broken and beaten to being blessed.
God will hurt you, but he will never stop blessing you!
Now I want you to learn something, I heard this before and I think this is a biblical principle.
There is no blessing without brokenness.
You can read this all through the Bible.
In order for there to be a harvest, what do you have to do? You have to break up the soil.
In Jeremiah 4, verse 3:
Jeremiah 4:3 “3 This is what the Lord says to the people of Judah and to Jerusalem: “Break up your unplowed ground and do not sow among thorns.”
- You have to plow your heart, tear up, remove the thorns…(pride, self sufficiency, doubt, fear…)
When Gideon was fighting in that battle, he had his lamps under a pitcher, and that pitcher had to be broken in order for the lamp to shine, because there is no brightness without brokenness. (Judges 7:20)
A boy had some loaves and fish, just a little boy’s lunch, but it didn’t feed anyone until it was broken.
Matthew 14:19 “19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.”
Mary of Bethany had an alabaster box full of precious perfume and ointment, but it didn’t bless Jesus until it was broken. Mark 14, verse 3:
Mark 14:3 “3 While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.”
- she didn’t just take off the lid - she broke the jar! She broke the jar and poured it over Jesus’ head.”
God said to David in Psalm 51, and David repeated it to God: “A broken and contrite spirit, O God, you will not despise.” (Psalm 51:17)
Even Jesus, to be a blessing to us, at the Lord’s table, took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and said, “This is my body”—“This is my body.” (Matthew 26:26; Mark 14:22; Luke 22:19)
The one thing we don’t want to do today is be broken.
I want to tell you something.
God will break you, but He will not stop blessing you.
God will protect you, but He will not spoil you. He will not do that.
God will hurt you, but He will not harm you.
God is in the business of building saints. And when Jacob was saved, God wasn't finished with him yet.
Now, there's a very interesting commentary on all of this back in the New Testament.
Hebrews chapter 11, verse 21.
It's a very, very important verse to understand everything we've said - Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 21.
21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.
Now he is an old man; his wrestling days are over.
All his life he has been limping. All his life that leg has been out of joint.
He has to take a crutch and lean on it. And he comes to the end of his days: what is he doing? Worshiping!
What a glorious way to live!
He dies worshiping God.
But how is he worshiping God?
He is worshiping God leaning on a staff. And every time he sees that staff he is reminded of his own weakness and of God's great strength.
Conclusion
Let’s consider a few lessons.
Number one: Failure is not final. You may be like Jacob and fail, but God is a merciful God.
Number two: Why don’t you just humble yourself before God and spare yourself a hopeless struggle?
You don’t have to go through this ordeal. Do you know what the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 11:31? “If we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.” (1 Corinthians 11:31)
Now you can humble yourself, or I always get a funny feeling when someone says, “Oh Lord, humble us.” I say, “Wait a minute, Lord. I’d rather do it myself.”
“If we judge ourselves, we will not be judged.” Spare yourself a losing struggle.
Number three: If suffering, pain, and hardship come your way, learn to lean on it and worship it. Don’t let it pass without a blessing.
Tell God, “I don’t understand this, but I’m not going to let you go unless you bless me.”
Number four: Know what it’s all about. What it’s all about? It’s not about Esau. It’s not about flocks and herds.
What it’s all about?
What really counts is worship that relies on Jesus.
Jacob is now 147 years old, weak and tired, but he spent his last days worshiping.
And by the way, that’s what I intend to do, and I hope that’s what you intend to do.
I want you to learn something else, and we’re almost done.
That angel who was wrestling with Jacob never pin him down.
He could have, but he didn’t. God will never force Himself on you.
You’ll have to surrender, but He won’t pin himself on you.
He won’t force you to be something that you ultimately don’t want to be.
Jacob had to be alone to get right with God.
God will protect you, but He will not spoil you.
God will hurt you, but He will not harm you.
God will break you, but He will always bless you.
And you are stronger leaning on Jesus than you are standing on your own two feet.