A RADICAL ENCOUNTER WITH GOD

Esta es mi Biblia, Palabra viva de Dios. Yo soy lo que ella dice que soy, yo tengo lo que ella dice que tengo, yo puedo lo que ella dice que puedo. Hoy El Señor me va a hablar, mi vida va a ser cambiada, ya no voy a ser el mismo, en el Nombre de Jesús.

INTRO

Let’s see if you can identify yourself with some of these decisions...

“I’ll never drink soda again!”

“I’ll start the gym on Monday!”

“I’ll never gossip again in my life!!”

“From now on, things will change here!”

Illustration of a personal experience:

When I was about 22 years old, already married, I decided to have a RADICAL encounter with GOD, without any planning, strategy, or a previous appointment with the Lord.

I burned all my books, I started using only pants (even to swim in rivers), no shorts, I destroyed every piece of jewelry and I became, frankly, a little nuts about my spirituality!!

Later, I understood that what I needed was a real encounter with GOD, not with myself (which happened short after); I needed to fulfill HIS expectations, and not what I thought it was the right thing to do. The Lord needs to be in this encounter with you, if He’s not there, everything is in vain, and there will be no results.

Our study today will be about radical, definitive, important decisions that we make in life, not those common and unfulfilled ones, but those which will affect forever the story of our existence.

For that, we will examine the story of one of the Patriarchs - Jacob.

After the preaching, by the grace of God, you should be able to understand all the main steps to have a radical encounter with the Lord.

MAIN TEXT

Genesis 32:22–28 RVR95BTO

Se levantó aquella noche, tomó a sus dos mujeres, a sus dos siervas y a sus once hijos, y pasó el vado de Jaboc. Los tomó, pues, y les hizo pasar el arroyo a ellos y a todo lo que tenía. Así se quedó Jacob solo; y luchó con él un varón hasta que rayaba el alba. Cuando el hombre vio que no podía con él, tocó en el sitio del encaje de su muslo, y se descoyuntó el muslo de Jacob mientras con él luchaba. Y dijo: —Déjame, porque raya el alba. Jacob le respondió: —No te dejaré, si no me bendices. —¿Cuál es tu nombre?—le preguntó el hombre. —Jacob—respondió él. Entonces el hombre dijo: —Ya no te llamarás Jacob, sino Israel, porque has luchado con Dios y con los hombres, y has vencido.

CONTEXT

In order to understand the story we’ve just read, we have to go back almost 100 years in Jacob’s life… and this is what we will find:

Son of Isaac and Rebecca - 20 years of prayer of his father;

Grandson of Abraham and Sarai;

Twin brother with Esau - Hunter x Mama’s boy;

Scams: Firstborn rights & stealing of blessings;

Escape to Syria, to his relatives - (at 77 years old)

In foreign land, the deceiver becomes deceived: Laban, marriage with Lia and Rachel, change of salary;

After 20 years, the decision to change everything and come back home.

THEME

A RADICAL ENCOUNTER WITH GOD

Understanding the word “RADICAL”

The word RADICAL comes from “root, raíz”. Not necessarily connected with something bad.

RADICAL has to do with foundation, base, it is basically something that will change drastically the situation in which we live, with changes that were made from the base, from the most deep roots.

Transition:

Now that we know the stories of the Patriarch Jacob a little better, we will study the moment in his life where everything changed radically.

The example is from Jacob, but the principle can be used by all of us.

WHAT ARE THE ELEMENTS OF A RADICAL ENCOUNTER WITH GOD? WE WILL EXAMINE 6 OF THEM

1. PERMISIÓN DE DIOS

The concept here is: Radical changes need to come/be allowed by God Himself:

Genesis 31:3 RVR95BTO

Entonces Jehová dijo a Jacob: «Vuélvete a la tierra de tus padres, a tu parentela, y yo estaré contigo».

When Jacob took the radical decision of changing the way he lived his life, He sought the approval of the Lord first. If the Lord did not promise to go with you (as He did with Jacob), don’t even start!

We will not be successful in our walk with God if we decide that every single major decision will come from ourselves: that’s a big mistake!

So, start making sure that the Lord is in that decision.

2. DECISIÓN CLARA Y FIRME

The decision had been made: to move back home with his whole family back to the land of his parents.

Jacob had to identify the right moment to start unfolding that important decision, and “the trigger” for it - in his case it was his father-in-law, Laban, change of attitude towards him.

The Lord will always guide and show us when we need a major change in our lives.

We must consider at least 3 components on a clear and firm decision:

A. FIRMEZA - Because of the obstacles you will face after our decision which will affect us and our family;

B. CLAREZA - “From now on, I will work for me and my family”;

C. DIRECCIÓN - What is my decision? Where is it gonna take me? In Jacob’s case, Canaan.

3. ESTRATEGIA RAZONABLE

So, what does need to happen in order to “feed my decision”?

In Jacob’s case, 6 YEARS BEFORE HIS ENCOUNTER WITH THE LORD, he knew he would need to increase his flock (rebaño), and for that he would need the FAVOR OF THE LORD (big time! Genesis chapter 30), otherwise he wouldn’t have gotten it.

God miraculously increased his flock, even before the major conflicts with Laban!

The Lord prepares our way when we don’t even know it yet!

4. DAR EL PRIMER PASO

Even with all difficulties, Jacob finally left Haran (Syria) - 456 miles!

Like his grandfather Abraham, he left his relatives (parentela), and did not care about the reactions of his father-in-law because he knew if he didn’t take the first step, he would never fulfill his dream of coming back home. Laban would NEVER let him go.

Many times we have the Lord’s approval, we’ve decided, we have the strategy, but we lack taking the first step.

MLK on First Step

The truth is, without the first step, there will never be a final destination.

For those of us immigrants, I am sure most of us remember the time when we decided to leave our countries to come to North America. Had we not taken the first step, our history here would not exist, at all.

If you have the guidance of the Lord, TAKE THE FIRST STEP!!

And then we come to the main topic of our study today:

5. TENER UN ENCUENTRO CON DIOS

Now, finally, we have Jacob, at almost 100 years old, and still did not know God PERSONALLY.

How do we know that?:

Genesis 32:9 RVR95BTO

Luego dijo Jacob: «Dios de mi padre Abraham y Dios de mi padre Isaac, Jehová, que me dijiste: “Vuélvete a tu tierra y a tu parentela, y yo te haré bien”,

There will be a time in our lives in which we MUST encounter the Lord!

Another important element when Jacob fought with the Lord is that he was ALONE:

Genesis 32:24 RVR95BTO

Así se quedó Jacob solo; y luchó con él un varón hasta que rayaba el alba.

The Jabbok River (today’s location in Amman, Jordan)

Jacob’s life had always been a farce, full of scams and deceiving. Right now, already as an old man, (but still strong) this was the time to change that, and he wouldn’t miss this opportunity!!

This was a meeting of life and death.

Jacob wanted to be blessed BY THE LORD more than anything!! This was A RADICAL ENCOUNTER WITH GOD that took all night long!

The tricky and cunning Jacob now recognized that what he really needed WAS THE BLESSING OF THE ALMIGHTY GOD, and he wouldn’t let go of it.

Jacob fights with God

And the last element in a real encounter with the Lord is:

6. VALOR PARA ENFRENTAR LOS DESAFÍOS FUTUROS

A real encounter with the Lord will change our lives forever, but it will not make us invisible to challenges and enemies.

Now, we must remember that his brother Esau was coming with 400 hundred armed men to meet Jacob, but Jacob was prepared now;

After a special encounter with God, expect challenges!

The difference is that now it was not Jacob, the deceiver, anymore, it was Israel, the champion with God!

Little knew Jacob that God Himself had already changed his brother’s heart! That’s what the Lord does!

The meeting with his brother was in fact a reconciliation, smooth and peaceful, because GOD HIMSELF had been in all the decisions all along.

AFTER 20 YEARS, JACOB WAS FINALLY HOME! Now people would no longer say: “There comes the deceiver, but there is the Champion with God.

The Lord changes our shame into honor, if we just allow Him.

You see, the fighting with God happened in one night, but the fighting with himself, happened way, way before, for many years. Years of shame, deceitfulness and deceiving.

A real encounter with God can produce - in 1 night or even 1 minute - what no father, mother, wives, servants, friends, relatives, circumstances and difficulties of life could NOT do in 100 years: the encounter with God changed who Jacob was!

ONLY THE SPIRIT OF GOD CAN PRODUCE SUCH CHANGE!

FINAL APPLICATIONS

It’s never too late to have a personal encounter with God: Jacob did when he was almost 100 years old, and he lived for almost 50 years after that! (died at 147);

Jacob was completely changed, not only his name, but also the way he walked; as long as he lived, he would be reminded of the grace which didn’t kill him. The encounter with the Lord had changed him forever!

What stops you from a radical encounter with God?

Indecision? Lack of strategy? Taking the first step? Are you afraid of the outcome?

The reality is that Jacob left his home as a single man in his 70s owning nothing and returned with two wives, two concubines and 12 children and immense wealth. And he still had over twenty years to live in the vicinity of his father, with the privilege to end his life close to his beloved son Joseph.

All of that, because he had a RADICAL ENCOUNTER WITH GOD!

Let’s pray.