Hold On and Let Go

Introduction

This is truly an exciting time we live in. There's nothing quite like the beginning of a new year. We look at the year as a blank canvas where our ambitions will serve as the ink to paint the picture to our goals. The challenge is often the journey. Most of us know where we want to end up but the journey is the unknown and because of that we find ourselves transients in transition ready to grab something new but reluctant to let go of the familiarity and comfort of the old. While there are countless stories and passages in the bible that speaks to this I believe there is one in particular that perfectly illustrates what I'm talking about...

• (NKJV) 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Background

Jacob is a very colorful character in the Bible. He is the son of Isaac and Rebecca and even from the time of his birth, he wanted to be number one, which is displayed in the way he grabbed his brothers heel during birth, which only reinforced the fact that he desperately wanted to be first. From that moment forward, he used his crafty manipulative intellect to steal his brother, Esau’s, birthright () and ultimately his () blessing. As you can understand his twin brother wanted to kill him so he fled from his home, his mother. From here he experienced the same deception that he distributed. () Wanting to establish his own family and live up to the blessing that he stole, he makes an attempt to escape only to be pursued by his father in-law. After clearing that up, he learns he is in his brothers territory. Though it’s been 20 years, he’s still fearful that his brother is going to kill him so he splits up his family and attempts to bribe him. The night before he sees his brother and possibly his execution, The 97 year old Jacob is restless. 

• 31 Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.” 32 “Look,” said Esau, “I’m about to die, so what good is a birthright to me?” 33 Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore to Jacob and sold his birthright to him. 34 Then Jacob gave bread and lentil stew to Esau; he ate, drank, got up, and went away. So Esau despised his birthright. ( HCSB)

• 41 Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. And Esau determined in his heart:“The days of mourning for my father are approaching; then I will kill my brother Jacob.” ( HCSB)

• 21 Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my time is completed. I want to sleep with her.” 22 So Laban invited all the men of the place to a feast. 23 That evening, Laban took his daughter Leah and gave her to Jacob, and he slept with her. 24 And Laban gave his slave Zilpah to his daughter Leah as her slave. 25 When morning came, there was Leah! So he said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Wasn’t it for Rachel that I worked for you? Why have you deceived me ( HCSB)

Scripture(s)

• 22 During the night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two servant wives, and his eleven sons and crossed the Jabbok River with them. 23 After taking them to the other side, he sent over all his possessions. 24 This left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled with him until the dawn began to break. 25 When the man saw that he would not win the match, he touched Jacob’s hip and wrenched it out of its socket. 26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking!” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27 “What is your name?” the man asked. He replied, “Jacob.” 28 “Your name will no longer be Jacob,” the man told him. “From now on you will be called Israel, because you have fought with God and with men and have won.” 29   “Please tell me your name,” Jacob said. “Why do you want to know my name?” the man replied. Then he blessed Jacob there. 30 Jacob named the place Peniel (which means “face of God”), for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been spared.” 31 The sun was rising as Jacob left Peniel, and he was limping because of the injury to his hip ( NLT)

Illustration

I LOVE rollercoasters. Ever since I can remember I was fascinated with them. I would stand in line for hours for a 45 second thrill. Recently my family and I got season passes to Universal Studios and Island of Adventures. I’ve conquered every ride they have…BUT learned there was a critical error in my discipleship process with my children. My oldest 2 children are big fans like my wife and I. However, my youngest didn’t care too much for it. I told him I wouldn’t let fear make his decisions for him. After successfully riding most of the rides, we were about to leave. My wife pointed to the scariest ride in the park and said we skipped it. I told her I was done for the day but she must have seen the fear in my eyes. She asked me “what example was I setting for my son”. It’s called Hollywood Rip Ride Rocket. This rollercoaster is beast mode. It’s 1 minute 45 seconds of complete terror. Its top speed is 65 mph. I think what could be the most terrifying part of this ride how it starts. There’s a moving sidewalk, you have to buckle yourself in and select the music you want to hear while on the ride. Here’s the kicker though…the ride then inverts itself to a perfect 90 degree angle like a Nasa shuttle. I reluctantly got in the longest line even though we had express passes. As it climbs I couldn’t help but to think this was a really bad idea. I didn’t feel safe…I almost peed myself. As I was ascending to what I believed was heaven, I just remember asking the operator, what am I supposed to do. He said…Hold on and Let Go.

As I pondered these confusing and conflicting words, I realized this is so much like life. We experience the highs and lows; the twists and turns; the excitement and the terror. This can disorient us because we are not in control and no matter how much we anticipate the drop, anticipate the loops, it still seems to hit us in the gut. We go to church, it looks exciting, the vibe is cool. Then we hear a message that sounds good but it conflicts with your everyday reality. You hear about the importance of giving but you have nothing to give. You are told to have faith but does your faith have you? Hold on and Let go. Give it to God but you’re wondering why did God give it to you. It’s these seasons of transition that we spend a large portion of our time.

Transition - Jacob isn’t much different from any of us. Living life on his own terms but inside knowing he’s living beneath God’s best for his life. Compromising his character, integrity, being manipulated and finally finding himself at a place where he has no more stamina from all of the running. Have you ever looked in the mirror and didn’t recognize who you’ve become and now you’re here…in need of hope and help. 

Observations

Scene 1: Wrestling Match

ALONE (verse 22): His entire life, Jacob wanted to be wealthy and have a family. (birthright/blessing) He has it. He worked hard at it. (Laban) He did it on his own but he’s made it. However, now that he has everything he’s ever wanted, he’s still unsettled. He still lacks peace. He’s restless. He’s all alone. After taking his family and all of his resources and wealth across the Jabbok River, Jacob is on the other side alone. His family and his wealth and accomplishments are on the other side of Jabbok. Jabbok was in between Jacob and his family and everything he’s ever worked for. Jabbok means emptiness. Have you ever had felt that you had everything you ever wanted but still felt that there was an emptiness that kept you from feeling fulfilled? Got the job but still feel like you lack provision? Built your dream home but still feel like you haven’t accomplished your dreams? What do you do when there’s an emptiness that seems to be separating you from the blessings you worked so hard for? It’s in this lonely place we are forced to deal with our own mortality. It’s in this place we ponder and fight for our purpose. The emptiness that you feel, is meant to be filled with the presence of God. Man can’t fill God sized gaps. When we give God the space, it gives Him the room to create. He creates distinctions: light/dark; heaven/earth; water/land. When my cousin died, I had this empty feeling. I went to church and was compelled to respond to the gospel of grace. In one moment I became son, I went from darkness to light. God showed me a glimpse of my future and told me my first responsibility was to steward the relationship with my girlfriend/wife. In one moment, my emptiness was filled with purpose, identity, destiny, value, peace. When you give God space, He will create something amazing in your life.

• 22 During the night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two female slaves, and his 11 sons, and crossed the ford of Jabbok. 23 He took them and sent them across the stream, along with all his possessions. ( HCSB)

• (HCSB) In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth., 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

OPPONENT: Jacob has been running his entire life and finds himself with nowhere to run. His nerves are shot but he sees a shadowy figure emerge from the darkness. Perhaps it’s his brother, maybe an assassin. Jacob’s fight or flight kicks in and he has no more flight left, so he decides to fight. The text tells us a “man” wrestled with Jacob. Jacob was on the defensive. Have you ever felt that something unsolicited has invaded your comfort zone forcing you to go on the defensive? Wrestling is meant to bring about submission. You’ll find your biggest place of resistance is to reveal where there needs to be submission. Jacob is at the end of his rope and find himself in the fight of his life. Have you ever felt that you had nothing left to give, put life still has it’s hand out? I want you to notice that the text says he wrestled with a man. This is a theophany, which manifested the tangible presence of God prior to Christ. God would take on the form of an angel when He wanted to deliver a message or when there was a battle or judgment. He would take the form of a man when He wanted the recipient to see something about himself. When God steps into the shoes of humanity, He brings a mirror to reflect truth. Why would God engage in a wrestling match with Jacob? He could have certainly sent one of His angels to handle this. God doesn’t delegate His presence. In our darkest, most lonely empty moments, God is with us. We often wrestle with fear, doubt, uncertainly, insecurity. When we wrestle with God it’s to bring us to a place of surrender. What does God want you to tap out on? Your soul is the territory that your flesh and spirit are fighting for. Jacob was wrestling with every aspect of himself. When he was in his mothers womb. We are told this represents 2 nations; the flesh and the spirit. Paul tells us about it in and . Perhaps you are in a wrestling match right now. We wrestle with choices, we wrestle with life and death but there’s hope. The older shall serve the younger. That means your flesh will serve your spirit because greater is He that’s in you than he that’s in the world!! What you feed will succeed.

• 22  But the two children struggled with each other in her womb. So she went to ask the Lord about it. “Why is this happening to me?” she asked. 23  And the Lord told her, “The sons in your womb will become two nations. From the very beginning, the two nations will be rivals. One nation will be stronger than the other; and your older son will serve your younger son.” 24  And when the time came to give birth, Rebekah discovered that she did indeed have twins! 25  The first one was very red at birth and covered with thick hair like a fur coat. So they named him Esau. 26  Then the other twin was born with his hand grasping Esau’s heel. So they named him Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when the twins were born ( NLTSB)

• 3 In the womb he grasped his brother’s heel, and as an adult he wrestled with God. 4 Jacob struggled with the Angel and prevailed; he wept and sought His favor. He found him at Bethel, and there He spoke with him. ( HCSB St)

• 17 For the desires of the flesh are opposed to the [Holy] Spirit, and the [desires of the] Spirit are opposed to the flesh (godless human nature); for these are antagonistic to each other [continually withstanding and in conflict with each other], so that you are not free but are prevented from doing what you desire to do. ( AMP)

• 15 I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. ( NLT)

6 For the mindset of the flesh is death, but the mindset of the Spirit is life and peace. ( HCSB)15 But if it doesn’t please you to worship Yahweh, choose for yourselves today the one you will worship:the gods your fathers worshiped beyond the Euphrates River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. As for me and my family, we will worship Yahweh.” ( HCSB)4 You are from God, little children, and you have conquered them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. ( HCSB)

SUBMIT: We learn that the fight goes on all night. I’m not sure how many of you have ever been in a fight before but I can tell you it’s exhausting. I remember a fight I had in middle school. It was with a guy who had been bullying me a little since the beginning of the year. I knew it was going down the next day. I prepped by watching Bruce Lee’s Enter the Dragon. Turns out real fights don’t happen that way. It lasted all of 10 seconds and I was drained. Boxing matches have breaks. UFC has breaks. I can’t imagine fighting all night long. I guess I would have to be very motivated. My family would be a great motivator. Survival would be a great motivator. What are you willing to fight for all night long? It’s interesting to see how we have so much stamina when it comes to fighting with God but little patience when it comes to waiting on Him. The Bible says the “man” saw that He couldn’t defeat Jacob so He dislocated Jacob’s hip. Clearly, it’s not saying that He could physically defeat him, I mean look at the ease at which he dislocated his hip. The text infers there’s something more. It reads when the man saw that He could not get through to him. When the man saw that He couldn’t get him to submit. Have you ever tried to get through to someone only to have them not listen to reason? Here, God is trying to get Jacob to submit. To fully surrender but he refused to adapt. The grace of God will pursue you until it gets uncomfortable. Refusal to submit can result in God dislocating your plans. 

Scene 2: What’s Your Name

BLESS ME: The man tells Jacob to let him go. Just let go of your ideology, let go of your way. Jacob says, I can’t let go until you bless me. I won’t let go until you can give me some assurance that if I let go of this way of life, I’ll be ok. This theophany asks Jacob his name. Why is this important? I mean if He is truly God manifested in angel/man form, wouldn’t He know his name? Yes, but Jacob spent his entire life being someone else. He wanted to be his brother just so he could be blessed. He said, I am Esau. It’s amazing how quickly we will shed who we are tempted by the illusion of success. The only way we can truly be altered at the alter is to acknowledge what in our lives doesn’t fit. This is what repentance means. It’s when we recognize are shortcomings change directions and ask God to forgive us. Paul tells the Philippian church to forget that past but the only way to forget the past is to come to grips that there is one. He spent his life pursuing stuff until consumed him. It brought him to a place of emptiness. It’s in these moments, God will ask us what’s your name? Understand, in the Bible, especially the OT, names were almost definitive traits. Jacob means supplanter, trickster, deceiver. This was a moment of clarity for Jacob. There must be a diagnosis of the pain before there is adequate treatment; otherwise we self medicate the symptoms, skipping the source and get no results. God has invaded your place of struggle and wants to know if you are willing to reveal what you want Him to heal. Jacob’s admission gave God permission to heal his condition. The bridge from God’s perfection and man’s brokenness is paved with the blood of Jesus.

• 18 When he came to his father, he said, “My father.” And he answered, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?” 19 Jacob replied to his father, “I am Esau, your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game so that you may bless me ( HCSB)

• 9 The Lord does not delay His promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance. ( HCSB)

• 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do:Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, ( HCSB)

After looking into the mirror of reality and coming to grips with who he was; God says, you are no longer a deceiver. You are Israel because you have fought with God and with man and won. Let me explain what “with” means. It’s essentially saying you have fought alongside God and against humanity and have won. The battle isn’t yours, it’s the Lords!!! You plus Jesus isn’t a fair fight. All things are new when God fights on your behalf. On our own we could never defeat sin. Who you WERE, is not who you ARE. Your identity is found in your dependency. What you hold on to holds on to you; what you let go of, let's go of you. 

• (HCSB Strong's)19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth is already bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth is already loosed in heaven.”

• (HCSB Strong's)19 Again, I assure you: If two of you on earth agree about any matter that you pray for, it will be done for you by My Father in heaven.

•Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come. ( HCSB)

• The Lord is a warrior; Yahweh is His name. ( HCSB)

• The Lord will fight for you; you must be quiet.” ( HCSB)

• The Lord your God who goes before you will fight for you, just as you saw Him do for you in Egypt. ( HCSB)

•31 What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? ( HCSB)

Closing

Scene 3: Face of God

Verse 30-31 says, Jacob named the place Peniel, The face of God. This was a profound revelation. Notice the text went from he wrestled with a man to he saw the face of God. This is the perfect illustration of Jesus. We initially think He is a man who wants to attack us but once we learn to hold on to Him, we discover He is God, full of grace. He changes our identity and blesses us. The sun shined on him as he walked away with a limp. An encounter with grace will change the way we walk. When we have a true encounter with God, He shines on you and changes the way you walk. 

• 7 For we walk by faith, not by sight, ( HCSB)

Last Scene: Hold On; Let Go. As I reflect on my rollercoaster ride and what I thought were my final moments, I noticed that music began to play in my ears. The more I listened, the less I was worried. As I held on to the words that were being sung I noticed that my grip began to loosen up. Before I knew it, I completely let go, had my hands lifted and I enjoyed the ride. It started with my holding on to the words of the instructor, trusting the engineer and listening to the music. As we face some of the ups and downs in our life, it’s important that we trust the creator, follow instructions and listen to the right sources. Jacob had to...

• hold on to his new identity and let go of the old.

• We must hold on to truth and let go of lies.

• Hold on to life and let go of death.

• Hold on to peace and let go of confusion.

• Hold on to grace and let go of condemnation.

• Hold on to faith and let go of facts.

• Hold on to light and let go of darkness.

• Hold on to love and let go of hate.

• Hold on to acceptance and let go of rejection.

• Hold on to your future and let go of the past.

• Hold on to freedom and let go of bondage.

• Hold on to Jesus and let go of fear.

Preached:

Sub30, Celebration Jax (Sunday, January 2015), Celebration Orlando