Jacob Vs. Jesus

Good Morning Church

Happy Fathers Day!!!

Another reminder about TEAM ROCK…This Tuesday at 6pm at the Rock

Dinner will be provided…bring a dessert if you would like!

Lets get into God’s word!!!

Started a summer series last week…

Series Continued:

“Sunday School”

Walking through a few of the old bibles stories you maybe read as a kid…

Last week “Noahs Ark”

Where we saw the marrying of Gods just wrath on sin…and His loving mercy and grace…

And we saw that this was to prepare Israel for what they would witness when Jesus the Messiah came…

As even we today see the union of God’s just wrath with his grace on the cross of Christ…

So we see that we can get so much from these Bible stories!!!

That they speak directly into our lives…

As we move on to this weeks story we will see the same impact it has in our lives…

TODAY- Story of Jacob Wrestling the Lord

Jacob Background:

-Jacob was the son of Isaac (the grandson of Abraham)

-He is a twin (brother Esau)

-The 2 fought in her womb (so she asked the Lord why?)

-God told her…Genesis 25:23 “And the Lord said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, And two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; And the one people shall be stronger than the other people; And the elder shall serve the younger.”

-The 2 were born….Esau came out first…He is the first born…He was Red Skinned and Hairy (this is important for later)

-This is important as in Jewish tradition the elder has the birth right and gets the blessing and is the leader…THE FIRST BORN IS THE INHERITOR

-BUT…Jacob was pulled from the womb right after as the bible tells us that he was HOLDING ON TO ESAUS HEEL

-Jacob’s name means “heal grabber”

-We see from here on that Jacobs number one goal in life is to get the birthright and the blessing from his brother

-How? DECEPTION…

deceives Esau into trading his birthright for a bowl of lentils and some bread

-deceives his father Isaac (into giving him his blessing)

Isaac is old at this time…his eyes are bad

Issac sends Esau out to hunt (you come back with meat for me I will bless you before I die)

Rebekah hears this…she grabs Jacob (her favorite son)…and covers him in lamb skin so when Isaac reaches out to give his blessing…he will feel a hairy hand and believe it is his son Esau

-So this happens and Jacob gets the blessing…but when Esau returns he is mad!!!

-He says Im going to kill Jacob…So Jacob flees to a place called PADAN-ARAM

-There his great uncle (Laban) lives

-On the way he gets a vision from the Lord who says….”Through you ,as I promised Abraham, I will make a great nation…they will be vast, and I will provide the land, and you will rule over it…And I will not leave you until this is done”

-So God reminds Jacob of the covenant promise…He says I will be faithful to my word

-so Jacob has a promise from the Lord…does that make him change his ways? NO!!!

-He gets to his uncle…negotiates a deal for one of Labans daughters he is sweet on named “Rachel”

Ill work for seven years watching your flock and at the end…you will give me Rachel as my wife

BUT something funny happens…the deceiver gets deceived

On his wedding night…old Laban switches out Rachel for his oldest daughter “LEAH”…remember the oldest gets first dibs right

So Jacob bargains again…Ill work another 7 years…then you give me Rachel

so that happens…they have a bunch of kids-

-Later down the road…Jacob says ok time to leave…Laban don’t like that…

-Don’t take my daughters and my grandchildren away…Also God is blessing Jacobs work and Laban has benefitted from that…the herd of animals is massive…

-But he is supposed to go back…remember Gods promise…and His command to come back???

-But whats Jacob do…he bargains again…and he and Laban partner…Jacob gets a piece of the flock now to build his own..

BUT he gets deceived again by old uncle Laban…

Jacob prospers

He swindles him 10 times…

Labans sons get mad…have it out for Jacob

-So Jacob says ok time to bail…loads up the family and all the cattle and animals he earned and headed back to his home land…

Thats where we pick up this story today in Genesis chapter 32

If you brought your bible (i hope you did) turn to chapter 32…

We are going to read all of 32 and a little of 33…

And see this pivotal moment in Jacobs life that transforms him into a man God will use to grow his people in the land he has provided them…

So open up your preferred translation and read with me…

READ 32-33:4

2 places we are going to focus in on…

Jacob’s desire is to be the man!

To have the blessing. the birthright, the inheritance, the wife he wants, the prosperity…

and we see him work to get it…

In every situation Jacob is “working” to push himself up the latter…

How is that going for him???

Lets review…

Lets look at…

Jacob’s Work (32:13-25)

-Traded for Esaus birth right

-Deceives Isaac/ Stole Esau’s blessing

-Runs from Esau

-Bargained for a wife/ wealth

-Runs from Laban and his sons

So Jacob has done all this work…all this scheming, deception, dealings, bargainings…

AND WHERE DOES HE END UP…RIGHT BACK ON THE RUN!!! (right back where he started)

-Sends gifts to appease Esau

Now he is trying to “fix” this issue as well…sending a bribe essentially

splitting up his group in 2 so they wont totally be destroyed if Esau doesn’t accept his bribe…

-Look at the prayer…he is afraid…and exhausting every option he has to try and fix the situation (get out of it)…HE CANT DO IT…NO MORE MOVES!!!

-Wrestles with God

Anytime in the OT you see God in flesh…you are looking at the pre-incarnate Christ…Jesus was with God in creation…we see that he is in the tent wrestling with Jacob here…

This isn’t Jacobs first wrestling match…

Esau in the womb…Esau out of the womb…Laban

Jacobs been battling and winning…willing himself…manipulating…deceiving…

Doing whatever it takes to get ahead…

NOW he meets an opponent he cant deceive…he cant manipulate…he cant beat

They go at it all night…and right before the day breaks…Jesus “the man” touches Jacobs hip and dislocates it…

NOW…Jacob has Esau at his front with 400 men, the last time they met he said im gonna kill you

He is afraid…been up all night wrestling the Lord…NOW he cant walk right…

Nothing is solved…

HELLO ROCK BOTTOM…

AND THIS IS WHERE GOD WANTS HIM…

When you are here…broken and contrite…no moves left…no where to turn…

WHEN ALL YOUR WORK HAS PLAYED OUT AND YOU HAVE COME UP SHORT…

Where do you go???

Application:

-How many of us have been here? Or are here?

-”I got this!” “hard work will do it!” “I will prevail!” “watch out God Ill do it”

-What are you going to do when you cant??? When you didn’t come through??? When you aren't enough???

-You have been in control of your life…You love control…and you have been manipulation and bargaining…and climbing the latter…more success…more money…more comfortable…

Getting everything you desire on the sweat of your brow…

How many of us have spent years and years jumping hurdles with a weight on our back…

Just to end up back where we started…realizing that we did all the work and ended up back where we started…

BUT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN ALL THAT YOU HAVE STRIVEN FOR IS GONE….

WHEN YOU HAVE NO MORE MOVES TO MAKE…NO MORE DEALS TO BARGAIN…

LOOK! Look what Jacob does…

READ V26

CLINGING TO THE LORD (sweating, tired, scared, weeping, played out)

I will not let go…

I SUBMIT….(TAP OUT)

Ive tried to work for this…I have failed…

YOU WORK GOD…I SUBMIT TO YOU…

This is where God wants you…

Submitting to Him and His will…

And if your stubborn and he has to wrestle you like Jacob He will…

HEAR THIS THOUGH..you gonna leave with a limp…

Discipline from the Lord is not pleasant…

BUT you will leave knowing…The Lord is faithful and He is the only one who can save and sustain me…

This is the promise he made Jacob…REMEMBER…as he was fleeing to uncle Labans from Esau…

Genesis 28:13–15 “And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.”

He promised Jacob…I will make you a great nation in the Land I gave to you!!!

We saw Jacob’s Work…

It is insufficient…

Now we see…

God’s Work (32:26-33:4)

-Gives Jacob his desired blessing

-Delivers him from danger (33:1-4)

-Restores his relationship with Esau (33:1-4)

-Faithful to His promise

BUT HERE IS THE BIGGEST THING GOD DID…

HE TRANSFORMED JACOB INTO A NEW IDENTITY

Now he is prepared to lead Israel!!!

Not just blessed but prepared to receive the blessing

He is no longer Jacob= “heal grabber”

But Israel= “God prevails”

No longer is Jacob a man identified by his own victory…

But by God’s victory!!!

A man fully trusting in God and not on his own works….

Valuable lesson learned…

I AM NOTHING...GOD IS EVERYTHING

Theologian Allen Ross- Self-sufficiency is incompatible with the work of God in any age. Faith alone overcomes the world.

We must look at this story of Jacob wrestling with God and see that our own desires…our own will…our own works…

Are inadequate in comparison to the desire, will, and works of the Lord…

John 15:5 “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”

You cant do anything with out me Jesus says!!!

BIG IDEA: As Christ followers we are called to live a life denying ourselves and place our full faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ

A life denying our desires…our will…and submitting to His desires and His will

Mark 8:34 “And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”

DENY YOURSELF AND SUBMIT TO HIM!!!

Our work…our actions are not for ourselves…for our own gain…for our own desires….BUT WE ARE INSTRUMENTS TO GLORIFY GOD AND DO HIS WILL!!!

Romans 6:13 “Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.”

***BAND UP*** Take this home with you…

Examine your life…

Am I submitting to God???

Am I trusting God??? (In every aspect of my life)

Or am I wrestling Him for control???

If you are …SUBMIT

SUBMIT TO HIM AND TRUST HIM…

I know this can be scary…letting go of the wheel…

BUT YOU SERVE A FAITHFUL GOD!!!

He is faithful…And because of Him we have a hope everlasting…and a life everlasting…

His work bought our salvation…

He gave His life for ours!!!

If he could save you from sin…He can Lord your life…

If you put your faith in Him as Lord and Savior…

Let Him Lord over your life…LET HIM LEAD

TRUST IN HIM TODAY…RIGHT NOW!!!!

Don’t wrestle…submit… (LAND)

PRAY!!!