Holding On To God’s Promises

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Recap

When last we left Jacob and Esau...

Jacob, the heel-grabber had stolen the birthright AND the blessing from Esau, the most deceiving of ways.

Esau clearly did not cherish these eternal things like Jacob did. Jacob was going after them, even if it meant wrong-doing.

In the end, Esau was left begging for a lesser blessing, because truly, he didn’t cherish such things to begin with. Anger and bitterness were boiling in his heart at this point.

Text

Genesis 32:24–26 NKJV

24 Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. 25 Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him. 26 And He said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks.” But he said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!”

Lesson Connection

Holding On For Dear Life

In 1987, there was a plane… which had just left Portland, Maine, headed for Boston. It was Eastern Express airlines.

The pilot, Henry, and the co-pilot, Paul, began hearing what they thought was a strange sound coming from the back of the plane. They knew that whatever was making that noise didn’t sound familiar. What was it? There it was again… what on earth was that?

Henry decided to go investigate. He had no idea the series of events that would take place and forever change his life. Henry Dempsey was about to experience terror beyond imagination.

As he reached the tail section, the plane hit an air pocket. Henry was tossed against the rear door. And at that point, his investigation was over; he quickly discovered the source of that noise. The rear door had not been properly latched before takeoff, and it suddenly flew open!

Henry… was instantly sucked out of the jet.

Paul, the co-pilot, seeing the red lights telling him there was an open door, called the nearest airport to make an emergency landing. He reported that the pilot had fallen out of the plane and he requested a helicopter search of that area of the ocean.

Once the plane had landed, ground crews discovered something that astonished them. It wasn’t only remarkable and unbelievable - it bordered on the miraculous...

They found Henry… holding on to the outdoor ladder of the plane.

Somehow, after being sucked out of the plane, falling to his death, he had caught the ladder. And he held on for ten minutes as the plane flew two hundred miles per hour at an altitude of four thousand feet. And then, when the plane touched down while traveling close to one hundred miles per hour, Henry’s head missed hitting the ground be just six inches.

It took airport personnel several minutes to pry his fingers from the ladder. He survived the whole ordeal with only a cut hand.

He was holding on with everything he had and probably with more conviction than he knew he had! He was desperate in his commitment to live and not die! He held on to that ladder with every ounce of strength he had! It was a conviction that said, “If I hold on, I live; if I let go, I die.”

This morning, I’m teaching about Holding On To God’s Promises. And we all need that same kind of life or death conviction when it comes to holding on to the promises of God.

Jacob Was Left Alone

In the setting of our text, Jacob really didn’t have anything left to hold on to.

He had no longer had a home or family to be his focus. He was simply alone. He had sent his friends and companions away from his presence. He had walked away from a secure future at least twice in his life. Now, standing on the bank of the River Jabbok, after sending away his family and what little security he had left, he just wanted to pray.

Obviously, prayer is always a good thing to do when we feel we have nothing left to hold on to.

The Wrestling Match

Jacob just wanted to have a simple, late-night prayer meeting with God to clarify and reaffirm the promises he had been given. And suddenly, the door of his life flew open, and he was sucked out into a spiritual fight for his life.

It MIGHT be… that he initially thought it was Esau he was struggling with.

Perhaps… he thought it was a total stranger who had come to rob and kill him.

Whoever it was, this was a fight like he had never been in before - all night long, rolling and tussling in the dirt. Getting sweaty, dirty, and tired, Jacob struggled on through the long hours into the early morning. He finally realized that this was more than a mere human struggle; it was a wrestling match with God!

Is there anybody who’s ever wrestled with God over anything???

Sometimes God requires there be a struggle with Him.

Let Me Go

Somewhere in the midst of the struggle, the angel commanded Jacob, “Let me go, for the day is breaking!”

They had wrestled throughout the long night hours, and the sun was beginning to come up now. I’m quite sure that it had been a long, grueling night for both. And while we are not given some specific reason for the angel commanding Jacob to let him go other than the day breaking, the angel was giving Jacob a chance to give up and let go.

So the thought might have ran through Jacob’s mind to stop fighting and surrender - the temptation to simply give up and let go.

I Will Not Let You Go

But he held on! The weariness was telling him to let go, but he held on. The bruises and open wounds from the fight were screaming, “Give up and just let go!” But he held on! Why? Because somewhere deep in his spirit, he knew he had to hold on to God and not let go. Something in his spirit was telling him that if he let go now, he would never receive everything God intended from this encounter.

And so he declared, “I will not let you go, except you bless me!” Jacob had already received a touch from God, but that would never be enough for him.

I wonder how many times we are in a moment with God, and we are satisfied to only be touched!!! And we don’t get our blessing.

Jacob knew that without the blessing, he would still not be whole! If he let go now, he would be defined by just a touch and not a blessing!

If he didn’t hold on until the blessing came… the entire wrestling match would have been for nothing! Really, we can say that Jacob had this strong conviction that was: “If I hold on, I live! If I let go, I die!”

Pentecost is more than just a chill bump every now and then!

You don’t need to be satisfied with a few brushes of the Spirit when you can have the fulfillment of WALKING in the Spirit!

When We Are Alone, We Must Cling to God

It’s often preached about Jacob holding on to God. But quite honestly, God was also holding on to Jacob! God could have ended this fight anytime He wanted. But He wanted to hold on as long as Jacob was willing to hold on.

There are times when we are really struggling with God. And we feel like all we are doing is just holding on. And in those times, we can’t forget that God is also holding on to us! He is wanting to see if we can hold on to the promise even through the struggles of life!

Jacob’s Name Was Changed

Like in many other instances in Scripture, God renamed Jacob to reflect the transformation taking place in him. You might remember not too long ago I taught about Abram becoming Abraham.

Jacob would now be called Israel. And he was never going to be the same.

Jacob Was Blessed

After this all-night fight, Genesis 32:31 says...

Genesis 32:31 NIV

31 The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip.

This was a mark on Jacob that was life-defining. It was like evidence that he had been thrown out of the plane but had held on. And it was part of his victory to be able to say, “I got the blessing. It took some struggling, but I got the blessing. It took some difficulty, but I got the blessing. At one point in the night I thought I would have to let go, but I held on. I am bloodied, bruised, and exhausted, but I got the blessing. I wrestled all night long and wanted to give up, but I held on, and by morning I got the blessing!”

Israel, Prince of God

Now, when Jacob was refusing to let go, Jacob was questioned by the angel, “What is your name?”

That’s an interesting question, isn’t it? After all, had God forgotten who was wrestling with Him? There had to be a reason God was asking.

But Jacob gave an honest answer and said, “My name is Jacob.” And when he did this, he was owning up to all that he had done in life - exactly who he was! You might remember that after Adam and Eve had sinned, God came calling in the garden, “Adam where are you???” And it wasn’t that God was actually clueless about where they were. He knew that, for sure. The point was that he was giving them an opportunity to come to Him in their sin. It’s a form of repentance!

And so Jacob had to answer God’s question! God knew his name! But he had to say it: “Yes! I am Jacob! I am the heel-grabber! I am the deceiver!” Owning up to all of his actions of the past! “Yes - I did wrong! I need a change in me! This is who I am, Lord!”

Before God could ever bless him, Jacob would have to be brutally honest with God. And it was in that moment of honesty, Jacob opened the door to the blessing he had been waiting for.

That angel immediately looked at Jacob and said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob! It will now be Israel! Because, as a prince, you have power with God and with man and you have prevailed!”

God Will Bless Those Who Seek After Him

Aren’t you glad that God is merciful - and He sees our possibilities instead of our past!

Jacob probably should have received punishment! Many probably thought that is what he deserved. But with God, JACOB GOT A NEW IDENTITY!

God honored his willingness to persevere in the struggle and hold on to God, and He bestowed a blessing on his life that wouldn’t have come any other way.

This isn’t a real big, revolutionary point today, but God will bless the people who are seeking after Him!

Jeremiah 29:13 NKJV

13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

God is looking for those who will hold on to Him and His promises, even in the worst struggles of their lives!

Jacob and Esau Meet

So the next morning, after receiving the blessing, Jacob looked up… and saw 400 men being led by his brother, Esau.

Jacob Was Afraid

This was the brother Jacob had deceived and taken both the birthright and the blessing from. Jacob had been running from Esau, and now there he was in the distance.

I can imagine that fear was gripping his heart. Would Esau kill him? Would this be the last sunrise that he would ever see? Was the wrestling match and the name change all for nothing?

So what Jacob ended up doing was to take the humblest approach he could, and he walked toward Esau, bowing seven times as he went. And he was just praying in his heart that Esau would show mercy and not judgment. Genesis 32:10-11 actually tells us the prayer Jacob prayed...

Genesis 32:10–11 NKJV

10 I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which You have shown Your servant; for I crossed over this Jordan with my staff, and now I have become two companies. 11 Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he come and attack me and the mother with the children.

He recognized the fact that he was worthy of no mercy at all.

There’s a story of a Civil War soldier who was condemned to die for treason. His mother, who was beside herself with grief, wrote a letter to President Lincoln asking for mercy. In his response, the President said, “Ma’am, I have reviewed the case and see that the court was fair and see no reason why your son deserves mercy.” The mother quickly sent a reply letter back, saying, “Mr. President, if he deserved it, it wouldn’t be mercy, would it?”

I believe it would do us well to realize and remember the road we were headed down and the punishment that was due to us, when Jesus came into our life… and bestowed… mercy.

Esau Was Kind and Forgave Jacob

With this prayer finished… to Jacob’s shock… Esau RAN to him and fell on his neck, the Bible says! The tears began to flow. They embraced as only brothers can do.

Then Jacob made an incredible statement:

Genesis 33:10 NKJV

10 And Jacob said, “No, please, if I have now found favor in your sight, then receive my present from my hand, inasmuch as I have seen your face as though I had seen the face of God, and you were pleased with me.

When Jacob looked at Esau’s face... he said it was as if he saw the face of God.

This doesn’t mean Esau suddenly became God. What actually took place was that something had happened in Esau to cause his appearance to be as God’s would be. And what Jacob saw in Esau’s eyes was incredible, undeserved mercy.

Jacob Continued His Journey

Now that he was relieved of this weight that had followed him al his life, Jacob was free to continue on his journey.

He turned toward Succoth. There, he bought some land, spread out his tent and built an altar that he named Elelohe-Israel which means “God, the God of Israel.”

The name chance for him was actually just the beginning of the greatest season of blessing he ever had. And it shows that God will bless us with amazing things in the future, if we will hold on to Him and His promises in the present.

There are times when it feels like we should give up. The struggle is real, and we don’t think we can stand any longer. But the greatest thing we can achieve in living for God is faithfulness!

I Will Hold Tightly to God and His Plans for My Life

Life gives every one of us plenty of opportunities to mess up, and many times, we do. But what’s sad is, too many people get discouraged because of bad decisions that have made, and they let go of the promises of God.

Think about the years that Jacob had lived with a bad name. Not only that - continually living up to that bad name. And not only that - everyone labelling you as they see you live up to that name! That’s got to have taken its toll on him.

But deep down, in the bottom of his soul, he knew God had a greater plan for his life. And so he just kept holding on.

If we’re all being honest, we’ve all had times when the temptation is wildly strong to let go of God. And some people have grown so comfortable with being uncommitted that their continual holding on and letting go of God almost looks as if their playing hot potato.

But when that temptation is strong - and it always comes back again sometime - remind yourself: “God has a plan for me.”

Grab on to His promises and refuse to let go! HOLD ON!

Conclusion

Internalizing the Message

“Never trust a man without scars. A man without scars has not felt the hardship or pains of life. Be proud of your scars and let them tell your story.”

Viking Proverb

I think we could easily put that in the context of our text today and say, “Never trust a man without a limp. That limp may be what proves he held on to the promises of God even though his flesh was telling him to give up. That limp tells his story.”

Jacob wasn’t the only one.

Paul had a thorn, but he held on.

Hosea had a broken heart, but he held on.

I’ve got a friend named Jason who grew up in an Apostolic home. Over the course of several years, all of his family turned their backs on God… but he has held on. And because he did, today every last one of those backsliders have been refilled, and I have no doubt they are worshiping in their church this morning!

That’s because he held on! As long as you hold on, the devil has to hold off!!!

Why should we hold on??? The Bible says that we’ve got to hold on to our faith because there is a great reward in doing so...

Hebrews 10:35 NLT

35 So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you!

And then verse 36 goes on to tell us what God is hoping to accomplish with all of this...

Hebrews 10:36 NLT

36 Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.

Tell someone, “Patience is what we need.”

If we will be patient in the process, God will fulfill His promises in our lives. Hold on!

No matter what you are going through or struggling with today, hold on! If you’re battling sickness, He has promised to be your healer. If you are struggling to find peace of mind, remember He has promised to be your Prince of Peace. If you don’t know how you’re going to balance your budget, don’t forget - He’s promised to supply all our needs...

Philippians 4:19 NKJV

19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.