The Blessing In The Struggle
From Creation To Covenant • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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It’s good to be back with you all this morning…
Last weekend, I was out of town with my wife and parents and we joined in to worship Online with Connect
And it’s good to be back!
I want to jump right in with a question for you to consider this morning…
Question: Have you ever avoided someone because you knew you had wronged them?
Or maybe you avoid them because you don’t want to deal with the pain in the relationship?
Or maybe you avoid them because they remind you of something you don’t want to remember?
Or maybe…
Every time you see them…
You’re reminded of a version of yourself you’d rather not remember.
Today we’re going to spend some time with a who knew exactly what that felt like.
His name is Jacob.
For a little context…
Last week, Kenan talked about two brothers — Jacob and Esau
Esau was to receive their father’s blessing — and the birthright of the family
In a moment of hunger and impatience, Esau sold that birthright to his brother, Jacob
Jacob went on…with his mother’s help…to trick their father into giving him the blessing — and he effectively stole what should have been Esau’s
Esau made a plan to kill Jacob
But before he could, Isaac — their father — sent Jacob off to go find a wife…
From that time one…Jacob and Esau would be separated for something like 20 years
I want to ask God to speak to us through Jacob’s experiences and then we’ll pick things up right in the middle of his journey…
PRAY
P. 19
10 Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Harran. 11 When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep.
In Genesis 28… Jacob isn’t at a spiritual retreat.
Not at home
Not at peace
Not innocent
Jacob is running away from his problems…his pain…his past…
Jacob is in the middle of a relational fallout…and that’s where God chooses to meet him.
God shows up in the middle of broken relationships.
Contextualize: Maybe it was…
A silly (or not-so-silly) argument with a friend that never got resolved…and you’ve never spoken since.
A brother - or sister - said something that was deeply offensive to you…and you just can’t “unhear” it.
You heard a rumor that a co-worker was talking about you in a negative way…and now you can’t stand to be in the same room with that person.
You’ve gone to a family holiday and everyone is pretending like everything’s fine…but you know that it’s not — and it’s driving you crazy that no one will talk about what happened.
You’re sitting right next to your spouse — right now — but emotionally you feel miles apart…and you can’t actually remember when it was any better than this.
God shows up right in the middle of those broken relationships.
He did it for Jacob…and He does it for you
Want to know what He says when He shows up in the middle??? (PAUSE FOR EFFECT)
HINT: It’s not actually about you...because the answer doesn’t lie in you…solutions are only EVER found in the promises of God.
12 He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 There above it stood the Lord, and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. 14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. 15 I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
God doesn’t say…
“Jacob...you better get your life together.”
“Jacob…if you behave…maybe I’ll bless you.”
Instead, God keeps saying one word —- ONE SUPER SIMPLE AND SUPER POWERFUL WORD… “I”
I am the Lord…
I will give…
I am with you…
I will watch over you...
I will bring you back…
I will not leave you…
I will do what I promised.
Jacob is running…
His family is broken..
His future is uncertain…
And God makes the whole moment about His faithfulness.
God is faithful — even when your life feels broken.
PARAPHRASE: Jacob marries Rachel and Leah
Jacob went on to the home of a guy named Laban (his uncle — things were different back then)
He met Laban’s daughter Rachel and asked to marry her
Laban agreed and they had a wedding
The morning after the wedding, Jacob woke up and realized Laban had tricked him — he hadn’t married Rachel…he had married Leah, her older sister
Jacob was angry at being tricked — which is kind of ironic, isn’t it…especially since he had made a name by tricking his brother??
Laban agreed to let Jacob marry Rachel — for real, this time — and so Jacob wound up with two wives — who happened to be sisters…nothing could go wrong there, right?
(We’ll actually talk more about Jacob’s messy family next weekend)
Jacob and Laban eventually find themselves in a conflict — and Jacob leaves to return home — back to see Esau for the first time in 20 years…taking his wives, kids, servants, animals, and possessions with him
Jacob finds himself in the wilderness yet again…in the middle of relational brokenness yet again…feeling alone yet again…
It’s been 20 long years… BUT Jacob is still Jacob
Still alone
Still scared
Still confused
Still running
Still broken
And God is going to meet him while he’s running YET AGAIN…but this time God is going to do something strange…
P. 24
22 That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two female servants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. 24 So Jacob was left alone, — I told you God was going to do something strange, right??? Well, here it is… — and a man wrestled with him till daybreak.
There’s some debate over who this “man” was…
Some say it was God
Some say it was an angel
My personal opinion… It was Jesus (remember…John 1)
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
God meets Jacob while he was running…
And He doesn’t take away all of Jacob’s problems…
God doesn’t magically erase the brokenness — He meets you in it.
And get this… When God shows up…He’s not referee-ing — He jumps in and wrestles with Jacob
Sometimes it’s ok to wrestle with God a bit…
When you don’t understand what God is doing
When you’re carrying deep pain
When you’re trying to obey — but it’s so hard
When you’re confronted with your own sin
But here’s a SUPER IMPORTANT point…
There’s a difference between wrestling with God and running away from God.
In fact…we see that difference play out with Jacob in Genesis 32
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. — with that move…Jacob lost the wrestling match — 26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” — Jacob lost the wrestling match…but he didn’t give up the struggle —
But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
Jacob could have taken the chance to RUN AWAY from God —- to ESCAPE.
But he didn’t… IN FACT, he did exactly the opposite…
Jacob stopped trying to win the fight on his own — and he just held onto Jesus as tight as he could.
27 The man asked him, “What is your name?”
“Jacob,” he answered. — remember…”Jacob” means “Deceiver” —
In this moment…
Jacob is honest about who he really is…
He tells God - “I am Jacob — the deceiver”
But more importantly he tells himself - “I am Jacob — the deceiver”
And then…God does something else amazing…
He had already met Jacob while running
He had already inserted Himself into the wrestling
And NOW… He gives Jacob a brand new name
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.”
God doesn’t just change Jacob’s name — He gives him a purpose.
Jacob becomes Israel.
His identity becomes rooted in the purpose God had prepared him for.
But if you keep reading…you’ll notice something interesting…
Jacob walks away with a limp.
The name change didn’t end his struggles.
The blessing didn’t remove the wound.
The moment didn’t erase the pain.
But the limp made sure Jacob never forgot the night he stopped pretending.
Brokenness may mark your story, but God is the one who defines your identity.
Everyone in this room can find their place somewhere in Jacob’s journey…
Some of you are running from past…pain...hurt…shame…God.
God wants to meet you in your moment to remind you…
I am God…
I will be with you…
I will bring you back to Me…
I will never leave you…
NEXT STEP: Stop running and listen to God.
Some of you are wrestling with problems…struggles…people…God.
God doesn’t want you to win the fight…
He wants to overwhelm your weakness with His strength…
So you will cling to Him…
So you will surrender to Him…
So you will trust His strength instead of your own…
NEXT STEP: Stop pretending and surrender to God.
INVITATION: Surrender to Jesus
CHALLENGE: Stop pretending you have the answers and listen to Jesus
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
What are some reasons people avoid dealing with broken relationships?
When have you been tempted to “run” instead of facing a relational issue?
What might it look like for you to take a healthy step toward healing in a broken relationship?
Why do you think God often meets people in their lowest or most broken moments?
When have you experienced God’s presence during a difficult season in your life?
Which of God’s promises do you need to remember most right now?
What are some situations where it is natural for people to wrestle with God?
What is the difference between wrestling with God and running away from God?
What is something in your life right now that you need to keep bringing to God instead of giving up on?
Why do people often struggle to be honest about their weaknesses, struggles, or sin?
What does surrendering to God actually look like in everyday life?
Is there an area of your life where God may be asking you to stop pretending and start surrendering?
Why is it easy for people to define themselves by their past mistakes or wounds?
How does knowing that God defines our identity change the way we view our past?
What is one Next Step you can take this week to live more fully in the identity God gives you?
