"Ministering While It Hurts" - Struggles

Scripture

Genesis 32:22–32 KJV 1900

22 And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two womenservants, and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford Jabbok. 23 And he took them, and sent them over the brook, and sent over that he had. 24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. 25 And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. 26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. 27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. 28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. 29 And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there. 30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. 31 And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh. 32 Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day: because he touched the hollow of Jacob’s thigh in the sinew that shrank.

First of all, let's consider Jacob. As you may recall, Jacob was the son of Isaac and Rebecca. The other son was Esau. They were twins. When they were being born, Esau was born first, and as he was being born, his brother Jacob grabbed ahold of his heel, thus interpreted later to indicate that he would rule over his older brother, contrary to unusual custom.

We learn that Esau cared nothing for his birthrights, so, when he was hungry one day, he sold his birthright to his younger brother for a bowl of stew. A lot went with that birthright, including a special place of blessing, and being in the line that the Messiah would someday come from. Jacob began as a "deceitful, trickerster/con-man type" who would try almost anything to get what he wanted.

Later, in the Biblical story, when Esau was pursuing Jacob, to kill him, Jacob divided his family into two groups, to try to save at least one, and was left all alone. In the darkness a figure grabbed him, and began fighting and wrestling with intensity. Later, the "man" Jacob found him-self wrestling with turned out to be an angel, and likely not just an angel, but the Angel of the Covenant, the Lord Jesus Christ, in pre-incarnate form. At the end the "Angel" changed Jacob's name from "trickster," to Israel("Prince with God").

A. Event: Common event that happens daily, a struggle with God. An event that happens within our very being is played out in the natural.

1. Scene: Jacob is on the north bank of Jabbok. Jabbok (In the original Hebrew language) means [to empty, to pour forth, to struggle].

2. Time: Night - a time when the soul exercises self examination.

-Psalm 63:6 “6 When I remember thee upon my bed, And meditate on thee in the night watches.”

3. Circumstances: Jacob was alone, human soul discovers the most of itself when alone. We can reflect who and what we are and what we believe. Know type of person we are.

a. Encounter God: Best time to meet God is when we’re alone, greatest truths.

Quality time - principle same married life [husband and wife alone]. [parent and child relationship] [no other friends, TV, etc.].

-God wants a relationship with no outside influences, just wants one-on-one communication-quality time.

C. The Combat - Jacob and this divine being wrestle until daybreak.

Verse 25 - man could not overpower Him/God could not be overpowered---No.

1. I believe God could not overpower him without hurting him. So he touched his hip and wrenched it.

-God does not want to injure us; but if it helps us spiritually, he will allow it.

2 Cor. 12:7 “7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.”

-Paul cried out to God three different times to remove it, but He would not.

a. God’s patience with Jacob: wrestled with him all night, verse 26, like he ask permission to depart (he could have just left).

II. Significance of the struggle - Lord wants to mold and shape us into the image of His Son.

Jer. 18:6 “6 O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.”

A. God will mold our character - the way He sees fit, if He thinks the pot needs to spend more time being

Melted on the wheel, it will be so. If he wants to put us in the furnace, it will be so.

1. One way God deals with our character flaws is to bring others into our lives who are just like us.

a. Jacob receives blessing, Esau comes home and finds that he has lost his blessing. So he is going to kill Jacob (going to get even).

Q: How many times does God try to show us things that we need to change (blind, stubborn)?

Jacob face himself- God is going to force Jacob to face the things in his life he has not dealt with.

Jacob is going to face his life-long struggle: Trusting in himself (through deception and manipulation, Jacob learned all too well).

1. Time to change: God has been working on him for over 20 years and how it’s time to change. God is going to bring what Jacob fears most. . . his brother.

Point: Lord wants us to overcome our insecurities, fears, character flaws, not through our own strength but in His.

Think about: Reason why our struggles are so great at times is because we are depending on our own strength.

ex Insecure - God brings into situations where insecure (more)

Unforgiveness - God brings into situations where unforgiveness (more)

Fear - God brings into situations where fear (more)

God wants us to lean on His strength!!!

2 Cor. 12:9 “9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

B. Outcome - Jacob that evening wrestles with a Divine Being.

1. Blessing - Name is changed from Jacob to Israel [God governs, God’s prince].

2. Encounter with God gave Jacob courage to face his brother Esau.

-God will give us everything we need to thee the hardest situations in life

CONCLUSION:

Struggle is a normal part of a Christian’s walk. It’s amazing how hard we make it because of our own human nature.

I Cor. 11:23-26 “23 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: 24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. 25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. 26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.”

May be the economic meltdown is affecting you more than others there is a cry you must cry , when you cry it heaven will change poverty to riches.

Jacob should have been crushed, which means God voluntarily held himself back. In this wrestling match, God became voluntarily weak.

In that moment God feigned weakness to bring Jacob salvation, but centuries later, the full weight that Jacob deserved came down on Christ. Jacob held on at the risk of his life to get the blessing for him; but Jesus held on at the cost of his life to get the blessing for us.

Thus, we can be sure he hears us.

So, press in. and never give up.

Sometimes it seems like God is not listening. He is. The cross assures you he is.

Press in and press through.

The greatest insult to God is to doubt his love for you.

God cared enough to come down to Jacob and wrestle with him. God cared enough for us that he came down and took on our flesh and wrestled with our sin until it squeezed the life out of him. And now he has united himself to us forever and said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

The question is, will you allow Jesus to meet you right where you are right now? Will you have your own wrestling match with God, and be forever changed? Will you give Jesus all your conniving, scheming, planning, and deceiving, and allow him to change you forever, hopefully not with a hip out of joint, but to put his mark on you, to figuratively rename you, to remake you from a Jacob to an Israel?

Wrestling with God is not necessarily bad. It is a part of our walks of faith. Wrestling with God is also transformational. Jacob received a limp and a new name. We are different people, also. We emerge from the match with new insights, a new path to travel, a deeper understanding of ourselves and our need for God in our lives.

Thank you, Lord, for Jacob. Thank you for showing us all his flaws in vivid detail. And thank you, most of all, for showing us how you still used him to father a nation, your people, who would struggle with you to learn to follow you. Help us to give up our struggles with each other and with ourselves, and to meet you, turning every worry, every point of control over to you, knowing you will meet us and guide us, and replace our anxiety with your peace. Help someone now to trust you for the very first time with their life.

There is a great spiritual lesson in this because God wants us to seek our safety in complete surrender to His power and love. It is when we reach one hand to Him, while we keep holding on to the things of the world with the other, that we are in danger.