Latest / Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast / #10144 - Limping Along With God’s Full Blessing - Genesis 32

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#10144 - Limping Along With God’s Full Blessing - Genesis 32 · Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast

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Welcome to the study of God's word with pastor and author.
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Ed, Taylor recorded live at Calvary Church in Aurora,
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Colorado to learn more about the many resources available,
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through abounding Grace Media or to tune into our live stream
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Services. Visit us online at Calvary, Co
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dot church or download our free Calvary Church app.
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Now, here's Pastor Ed to take us into our study.
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Amen. Open your Bibles to Genesis
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chapter 32, we're going to pick up where we left off last time
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Genesis 32 and I've entitled our Bible study limping along with
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God's full blessing. And let me say you don't have to
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limp along to receive God's full blessing.
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But this is the route that Jacob chose.
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He chose to receive the blessing of God, but as a result, he's
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going to limp He is wrestling with God today in our text in a
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very real way Laban laban's. Yolk has been broken, Jacob is
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free. Now, he's moved on from Laban,
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he's moved on from a very difficult situation.
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God has brought him through this great trial.
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Even you today. God will bring you through great
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trials. I know that we want to be
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delivered from them in on occasion God will.
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Take you out. But most often he delivers us
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and takes us through. And for 20 years, Jacob, dealt
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with Laban 20 years, same trial, same difficulty.
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And yet even in the midst of the difficulty, there was blessing
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God protected him and Laban ends up.
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Leaving them alone. Jacob through it.
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All is changed in molded. It's all been used.
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Even though at this point in chapter 32, he's probably a
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mixed up man. Filled with all sorts.
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Sorts of emotions, fear Anxiety, Relief regret, but Jacob moves
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forward. I want you to mark this in your
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life. What we see in Jacob's life,
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although he may not necessarily see it as he's living it.
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But we look at his life and we can see this principle for us
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all that. He went through.
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He moved forward, he continued going forward.
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He continued taking the steps that he needed to go through the
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next day or as Elizabeth Elliott.
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I learned this from Elizabeth Elliott, she said, The midst of
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deep difficult things that you learn to do the next thing and
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you got to learn to do the next thing.
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You got to learn to move forward, the trials in your
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life, may not be solved as fast as you desire.
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They may not be lifted as quickly as you would want.
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But while you're waiting on the Lord, your strength is being
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renewed and in that newness of strength, you learn to move
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forward. I found a scripture, this is a
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principle throughout the scriptures but I found one in
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particular that encouraged me in a season of my life, many years
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ago in Joshua chapter Are 13 and verse 1.
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I'll just read it to you. It says, now, Joshua was old
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advanced in years and the Lord said to him, you are old and
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advanced in years. And listen, there remains very
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much land yet to be possessed. Josh.
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Oh, you've come to this place in your life but there's still more
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progress. You still have more ahead of you
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there, still more and for Jacob, and for you.
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And for me, there's still more notice with me.
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Now in verse 1, chapter 32, do Jacob went on his way.
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And the angels of God met him. When Jacob saw them, he said,
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this is God's camp and he called the name of that place.
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Maja and I am now. Jacob continues on his journey.
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He separated from Laban. Here he continues and he's met
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By Angels and when he saw them, he proclaimed the place as Gods
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as a reminder of God's faithfulness that God has been
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faithful with him. Now, it's important to realize
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that angels are real. We're not going to get deep into
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a study on what would be known as NG ology here?
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But sufficient for our time today, Jacob has dealt with real
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angels. Remember, back with Jacobs
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dream, he saw real angels on the ladder here.
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He is met by real angels. Angels are real and Powerful
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Spiritual Beings, they're not weird but rather a class of
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creation from God and I'm convinced that there are angels
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in the room right now. We know Biblically that angels
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are ministering Spirits. According to Hebrews chapter 1
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and verse 14. And we studied that when we went
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through Hebrews, we know in First Peter chapter 1 and verse
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12 to them, it was a revealed not to themselves Peter writes.
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But to us, they were ministering the things which now they've
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been reported to you, through things who have been, who have
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preached, the gospel to you. By the Holy Spirit, Sent From
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Heaven things, which Angels desire to look into.
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There are even angels looking out for us.
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Matthew chapter 18, verse 10. Jesus says, take heed that you
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do not despise one of these little ones for I say to you
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that in heaven, their Angels, always see.
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My face of my father, who is in heaven, that that principle of
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guardian angels comes from. This passage here in Matthew 18,
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somehow angels are involved and sent by God their Messengers and
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Supernatural beings both on the good side loyal to God.
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And on the bad side, what we would call an angel that has
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rebelled against God, we refer to them as demons and the
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Demonic realm is very real and it's unfortunate at times that
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the Demonic realm gets more attention than the angels that
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are two to one loyal to God, and these are real angels loyal to
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God being sent. To encourage Jacob along the way
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verse 3. It says, then Jacob sent
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Messengers before him to Esau his brother, in the land of
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seir, the country of Edom. And he commanded them saying
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Speak. Thus to my Lord, Esau.
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Thus your servant. Jacob says I have sojourn with
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Laban and stayed there. Until now, I have oxen donkeys,
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flocks, male and female servants.
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And I've sent to tell my Lord, that I may find favor in your
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Cite something in Jacob at this point.
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Seeks peace with his brother. Probably because he's a little
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scared and a little concerned. It could be also that he's a
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little burnt out by having a deal with Laban all these years
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and just having this difficult almost life-threatening
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situation with Laban but since he's in the mood to make peace,
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there is this appearance. Let's go.
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Let me send some Messengers to my brother, maybe the Lord might
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be in it and I think Jacob knows of the promise of God, it's the
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same promise that that caused his mom to deceive.
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If Dad, and just for you, if you want to look back in chapter 25,
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just by way of reminder, in Genesis 25 and verse 23, Jacob
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knows this truth, even though it was used differently in Genesis,
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25, notice with me in verse 23. It says, and the Lord said to
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her two nations are in your womb to people shall be separated
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from your body. One people shall be stronger
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than the other and the older. Shouts serve the younger.
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Jacob knows this. He knows the difficulty he has
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with his brother, and he sends Messengers to Esau to pave the
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way for peace. I notice in verse 4.
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He says he's the brother here and you notice what he says, he
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calls Esau his Lord. He says, tell my Lord told to
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speak. Thus to my Lord, he saw thus
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says your servant. Jacob, it's not true that he's
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going to be as Servant. But again these are terms of
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Peace, he has the right idea but he's not fully convinced in his
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mind that God will bring him through.
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Remember this with Jacob Jacob vacillates between manipulating
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things and trusting God manipulating things and trusting
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God. And this is one of those
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vacillating moments here, verse 6.
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He says, then The Messengers returned to Jacob saying we came
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to your brother, Esau. He is also coming to meet you
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and 400 men are with And so what happens in verse 7?
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Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed.
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He divided the people that were with him and the flocks and
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their herds, and the camels into two companies.
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And he said, if Esau comes to the one company attacks, it then
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the other company, which is left will escape 400 friends.
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So now there's fear and distress on top of everything else.
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Jacob is going through his plot. Jacob, this causes him to be
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Very upset, he arranges the flocks and everything into two
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companies, he's got a plan, he's got a scheme, he's got a plot to
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be safe, but step back for a second and let's just understand
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this for what it is. Jacob has plans, but he's not in
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control. You might want to jot that down.
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Jacob has plans. But he's not in control.
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Jacob has ideas to preserve in this case, at least half of what
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he has at this particular scheme.
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And plot has him in a position that if he loses he's going to
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still most likely keep half of what he has.
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So this plot and scheme God has for him a perfect will exactly
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what Jacob needs. Jacob right now thinks he needs
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at least half, And he set it up. He set it up from a position of
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weakness, because he's not in control.
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He tries even with this plan, he is still not in control.
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This would be what we call today, a contingency plan.
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A contingency plan. There are lots of contingencies
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that we have in life as we make our own decisions.
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But there is no contingency plan with God.
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God's perfect will will be worked out in your life.
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He has, he has something worked out and working out with you, as
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you turn to him and trust him. Let me say that it's very
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unsettling when things are outside of your control so much
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so you're unwilling to admit, that things are outside of your
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control. You're unwilling to submit.
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That things are outside of your control and it crushes.
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You A crushes. You sometimes.
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It's disturbing, it's unsettling.
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And this is the beginning, the beginning stages of worry and
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fretting and manipulation and Screen schemes and plots, turn
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over to Matthew's gospel. With, with me, would you right
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there in the beginning? In Matthew chapter 6, Matthew
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chapter 6, Early on is Jesus is teaching Kingdom principles,
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understanding The Sovereign control of God was a big piece
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of living in the kingdom. It is a big piece of literally
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giving you the peace of God. Matthew here, chapter 6 in verse
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19, you see it in contrast to some of the things that we do.
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Trust in verse 19, do not lay up for yourselves, Treasures on
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Earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break
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in and steal. But lay up for yourselves,
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Treasures, in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys
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and where thieves do not break in and steal for where your
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treasure. Is there, your heart will be
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also verse 24, no one can serve two masters for either, he will
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hate the one or love the other or else he will be loyal to one
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and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
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Then in verse 25, it's the conclusion.
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When you see therefore You could also replace that word because
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it's a conclusion statement of what was just previously.
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Previously said? Therefore, I'm telling you,
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don't worry. Jesus says notice, he says,
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don't worry about your life. That's pretty much everything,
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but then he breaks it down. Don't worry about what you're
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going to eat, or what you're going to drink, nor about your
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body. What you're going to put on
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isn't life more than food and the body more than clothing.
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Look at the birds of the air. For they neither sow nor reap,
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nor gather into barns. Yet your heavenly father feeds
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them. Are you not of more value than
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they which of You by worrying can add one cubit to his
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stature. So why do you worry about
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clothing consider the lilies of the field, how they grow?
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They neither toil nor spin verse 29 in yet.
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I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed
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like one of these now if God so clothes the grass of the field
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which today is and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he
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not much more clothe you? Oh you of little faith?
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Therefore, do not worry saying, what shall we eat?
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Or what shall we drink? Or what shall we wear for after
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all these things? Things.
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The Gentiles seek your heavenly father knows that you need all
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these things. But seek first, the kingdom of
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God, and his righteousness and all these things will be added
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to you. Therefore do not worry about
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tomorrow for tomorrow. Will worry about its own things.
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Sufficient is the day for its own trouble.
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Jacob faces trouble here thinking about his brother and
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having Laban come after him with a murderous desire.
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And now thinking of Esau and wondering what's going to
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happen, there he comes up with a plan that's bird thin worried,
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he's concerned. God allows these difficulties
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into our lives. One of the reasons is to remind
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us of who is in control to remind us that our lives are to
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be lived by faith. He remember again in Hebrews
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when we were studying through Hebrews, we learned that
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foundational principle that without faith.
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It's impossible to please. God.
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Anything outside of trusting. God does not please him.
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It does not help us along the path in our lives.
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When we Act without Ate without trust.
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It's impossible to please God and quite impossible to please
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ourselves as well. When you think that a plan that
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gives you peace is really going to last because there's so many
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things, there's so many variable variables.
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What if he saw it? What if he saw ends up splitting
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his whole Camp into for companies and he takes two to
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each and since since them after both of yours, Jacob, what do
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you do then? And what about?
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And what if there aren't enough contingencies to cover things
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that are simply outside of our control?
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Again Jacob those being developed, he's being the deep
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down. God is working in him.
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A faith. That's going to be necessary.
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Moving forward now, come back to Genesis and verse 32.
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Then Jacob said, oh god of My Father, Abraham God of my
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father. Isaac the Lord who said to me
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return to your country and to your Kindred and I'll deal well
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with you. I'm not worthy of the least of
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all mercies and all the truth, which you have shown your serve
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and I crossed over this Jordan, when my staff, and now I've
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become two companies deliver me. I pray from the Hannah, my
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brother from the hand of Esau, for I fear Him lest he come, and
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attack me the mother and the mother, and with the children
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for you said, I will surely treat you well, and make your
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descendants as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered
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for multitude. Dude, it's never too late to
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pray. He plans first but then he prays
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it is better to pray first. Then plan to seek God first,
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then receive Direction but it's never too late to pray, he's in
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a desperate situation. He says it from his own lips
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that he's afraid for his life. And I want you to see two parts
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to his prayer. We are going to develop it as
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we're just going through the chapter, but there's two parts
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to his prayer that are very important.
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The first one is in verse 9, where he declares God's past
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faithfulness, And I desire for you today to recall, God's past
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faithfulness in your life. Pick a point in time.
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Pick a point of Deliverance, pick a point of faithfulness,
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pick a point where or or one or two or five or six instead of
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only thinking back on all the difficulties, he says Hear o God
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of my father who said to me, return return to your country
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and your Kindred and I'll deal well with you, God, you have
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dealt well with me. You are faithful.
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You are faithful. Oh, god of My Father, Abraham.
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You've been faithful to Abraham. You've been faithful to Isaac.
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You are faithful to me. We don't want to forget of the
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faithfulness of God. A reminder of his promises not
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our schemes, and not our plots, but his promises, his past
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faithfulness. And then, secondly, he matches
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in verse 10. He matches God's past
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faithfulness with his own personal weakness, his own
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personal weakness. He doesn't, he's not suffering
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here in verse 10 of what the world would call Poor
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self-esteem. This is not what he suffering
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from. He's speaking the truth.
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He's not speaking down on himself, he's not.
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Oh woe is me. He is speaking of fact in my
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current condition compared to your promises and your
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faithfulness and my fears and anxieties and all that, I am, I
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am not worthy of the least of the mercies and all of the truth
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which you have shown your servant.
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I'm not worthy. It's a statement of fact as he
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stands there. Under the mercies of God as he
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stands there, alive and protected, and guarded as he
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stands there with the privilege of prayer as he stands there, in
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his weak knees and his desperate prayer.
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I am not worthy. I know who I am.
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It's the exact opposite of the way.
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The world teaches to speak for truth.
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In our lives is actually a place of great strength Not poor
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self-esteem. The idea of knowing who you are
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is one of the strongest places you can be, it's a place of
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great self-esteem where you recognize who you are in Christ.
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And what he has done and where he is taking you, he's facing
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another thought in his life and he's going to meet he saw later
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if you read ahead. But he's thinking another
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thought in his life. Like, you know, I've got to I'm
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going to have to meet my brother.
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My brother is mad at me and the last time we talked, he wanted
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to kill me. Me, I think I need a clear that
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part up in my life and it's all coming back now.
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He's released from Laban, he's no longer under the, he's out on
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his own, forging forward. Taking those steps and he's
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standing there in God, Ike, I'm not going to make it without
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you. I'm knocking.
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It's a great beginning. When You Face a problem.
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Pray, when you and I send we should admit it.
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And understand that there are times when you reading things in
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the scriptures, that if you're not careful, you'll read it
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through the lens of the way, the world speaks.
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When I say world. I mean our culture and the way
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they think and the way that we were raised, we were raised in
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this culture. We went through the public
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school system, we learned it from this culture, if we're
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playing sports or hanging out with like the culture has a
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message. And it is simply this to not
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love God. To not love God, that's
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competing loves the culture places.
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A very strong emphasis our world place has a very strong emphasis
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and here's the choice. Love us or love God.
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You can't have both. Now God, of course, teaches us
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that we don't need the culture to tell us that John would tell
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us that if you have the love of the world in you and I'm
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paraphrasing, you don't have the love of God in you.
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Jesus would just say when it comes to worry and fear this
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speaks loudly to those of you and worry and fear right now.
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That you need to seek first. The kingdom of God, that's the
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answer to the problem. That's the answer to the crisis.
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Jacob, before Jesus ever speaks this, he has it.
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Yes, he isn't seeking first. I okay, we give it to him.
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He plotting and scheming but he gets there.
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You can see does it suck in so if you keep not going to do it,
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first, you're going to be disobedient.
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Then get up and do it. Do it s.
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So until you can get a habit in your life where you will be
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Jesus completely, you don't think well, you know, I already
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plotted and schemed. Alright, repent and seek first.
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No man falls seven times. He will rise again.
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And we'll see this is the pathway that Jacob gets to where
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he truly surrenders. He's not there.
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Even though he's got a great prayer in his lips, he's still
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not there. Even though he is at a place of
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great fear, he's not there, he's turned away from his plots to
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the Lord. He's not there.
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There's a need in his life for repentance.
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He asked for deliverance and verse 11, when I need your help,
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you said verse 12, they I will surely treat you well and make
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your descendants as the sand of the sea.
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He's almost there. You know, God is leading us to
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not lives of almost there. But complete repentance.
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One of the things we taught our kids in our home is that I'm
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sorry, isn't going to work. It's a great beginning but it
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doesn't really work when you're do something to eat, you know,
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one of the siblings or something in our home and so I'm sorry,
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I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Yeah, that's not quite there.
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You're almost there because you probably stop hitting pushing
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pulling hair whatever you did, you probably stopped it because
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you're caught in your busted. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry
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but what we wanted our kids to do, and what we want to
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cultivate is this. Not I'm sorry, but this will,
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you forgive me for punching you in the face?
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Will you forgive me for gossiping about you will you
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forgive me for breaking your toy?
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Will you forgive me? Because there is a true
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repentance and admission when you and you make yourself
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vulnerable to that person asking, will you forgive me in
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acknowledging the sin that you committed against them?
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So, you know, because sometimes that we have in today and even
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in the church world like, you know, something grevious
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happened and the responses. Well, you know, I'm sorry, kind
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of like me. Be sorry that.
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You feel that way that it made you feel that way.
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I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
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You're so jacked up because I really didn't do anything to
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you. That's not repentance.
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That's not acknowledging. The pain that you inflicted that
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that's not helpful to relationship.
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I'm sorry. You know, you have the problem
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but maybe next time you won't have.
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No. I'm sorry that my words hurt
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you. It wasn't my intention to hurt
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you, but I acknowledge to you that what I said, hurt, you will
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you forgive me. I want to learn how to
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communicate to you because I have something to say But I want
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to say it the right way, isn't that a far cry?
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Then I'm sorry. Oh, I'm so sorry.
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I mean, maybe I'm sorry, I'm not even sure if I'm sorry, but when
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you stop being jacked up, maybe you'll feel better.
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That's not the Lord. Remember we're to think of
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others more highly than ourselves.
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Repentance before man. But repentance before God is the
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acknowledgement first and foremost that I have sinned
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against you God And sin has a name of behavior and action.
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It is long, the sin is the root. The feelings are the fruit in
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many times will stop and go. I just have these feelings.
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I just have these feelings and I'm shouldn't be sorry for my
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feelings. No, you don't need to be sorry
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for your sealant, feelings. You need to be repentant for
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your sin. That's created those feelings.
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That's created that approach, that's created that bitterness
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or that anger, it's created that separation.
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That's why there's so much resistance on.
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Well, I don't have to, I'm not, I don't need to feel sorry for
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my feelings. Why?
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I don't know what you're supposed to do with it feeling?
25:38
I don't even know what feelings were referring to, but I do know
25:41
this. If your feelings have become a
25:43
barrier between you and someone else there, maybe send behind
25:46
them. Deep down just between you and
25:50
the Lord and it doesn't make you a bad person.
25:53
It makes you a normal person. It doesn't make you a horrible
25:57
believer. It makes you normal.
26:00
That you go through life with hurts and pains and sometimes
26:04
they're deep. And they go back years, doesn't
26:08
make you bad things. You've done to yourself.
26:11
You wish you never would have done even worse things that were
26:14
done to you. That should have never ever been
26:19
allowed or happen but they have And to hold onto them and
26:24
bitterness and anger, and unforgiveness will not get you
26:27
where you want to go. It will take you on a detour of
26:30
pain and heartache and difficulty, and the response
26:34
can't just be. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
26:38
But rather, will you forgive me? And ask the Lord because some
26:43
some listening to me right now. It even think I don't even know
26:46
what the sun is at I'm not even sure.
26:50
Don't, you know, the Lord will show you.
26:54
Don't, you know, he wants to release you and free, you don't,
26:58
you know, he wants you to move forward that if you will turn to
27:02
him with this simple prayer of Jacob.
27:04
Oh, he might lead you. And as you turn the page because
27:07
it's my page in the Bible and my it's the next page, he might
27:10
lead you to some wrestling match.
27:14
We're more needs to come out of you, and it's going to be a
27:16
fight to the Finish. But even in the fight to the
27:20
finish, the Lord is going to have his way with you.
27:24
He's going to break your pride. And your stiff neck.
27:29
Why won't you repent? Because you pride in your stiff
27:32
neck. Exactly what would happen all
27:36
along the way, you're not a willing to admit you're wrong.
27:39
You're not willing to admit and change direction.
27:44
Two of the hardest words, sometimes are just to say I'm
27:47
sorry let alone will you forgive, but that's the pathway
27:52
that God is taking you. And if today, those are the only
27:54
two words, you can get out of your mouth.
27:56
Say them, I'm certainly not suggesting.
27:59
You don't use that phrase anymore.
28:01
But what I am suggesting is that you mean it true repentance is
28:05
not going to place the burden on someone else.
28:08
I have sinned. Psalm 51 David says Before you
28:12
God and man and I believe this is where this is where Jacob is.
28:20
And lest you think that it doesn't apply to you as a New
28:23
Covenant blood-bought born-again woman or man today, the
28:29
beautiful truth. And first John 1:9 needs to be
28:32
said over our congregation. If we confess our sins, he is
28:36
faithful and just to forgive us, our sins and to cleanse us from
28:39
all unrighteousness. And that's the truth for us
28:44
verse 13. So he lodged there that same
28:46
night and took what came to his hand.
28:50
As a present for Esau, his brother 200, female goats 20
28:54
male, goats 200, use, and 20, Rams, 30, milk camels with their
28:59
Colts, 40 cows, 10 bowls, 20, female donkeys, and 10 foals.
29:04
Then he delivered them to the hand of his servants.
29:06
Every drove by itself, and said to his servants Passover, before
29:10
me and put some distance between successive draws, again, he's
29:13
teetering between trusting in the Lord and controlling this
29:18
whole thing verse 17. And he commanded the first one
29:21
saying when he saw my brother meets you and asks, you saying
29:26
to whom do you belong and where you going whose are these in
29:28
front of you you'll tell him. These are your servant Jacobs,
29:32
it's a present sent by my to my Lord, he saw, and behold he also
29:35
is behind us. So he commanded the second, the
29:37
third, and all, who followed and drove saying, in this manner,
29:40
you shall speak to Esau when you find him.
29:43
First 20 also, say behold, your servant Jacob is behind us.
29:46
For he said, I will appease him the president goes before me.
29:50
Me and afterward. I was see his face.
29:51
Perhaps he will accept me. So the president went on over
29:55
before him but he lodged himself that night in the camp and he
30:00
arose that night. It's about midnight.
30:03
If you want to jot that just TimeWise, it's later in the
30:05
evening here and he arose at night and took his two wives, as
30:08
to maidservants and his eleven sons and crossed over the Ford
30:12
of Jae Bok. He took them sent them over the
30:16
brook and sent them over what He had had Jacob.
30:21
There was left alone, will pause there for a second.
30:25
This is just like us we go from Faith to control faith to
30:29
control faith control. This is the pattern here in this
30:32
chapter. Oh man, let's set it all up.
30:34
Oh God, I need your help. Okay, let's set it up a little
30:37
bit more and and he's back and forth.
30:40
As we come to the end of ourselves.
30:42
We struggle with these issues. We Face these problems.
30:45
We admit our human weakness. We cry out to God In Prayer.
30:48
We surrender it to him. And then we pick it up, it's
30:51
like a church service where the Lord speaks to your heart,
30:54
there's some awesome move of the Holy Spirit.
30:56
We do a big altar, call everybody's up here, crying and
30:59
yes, Lord deliver me help me, Lord.
31:01
And not even before you're in the foyer, you're worried about
31:03
it again. And maybe not even before the
31:05
first row here. Like you're already back because
31:08
there is a natural Battle of the Spirit In the Flesh.
31:11
I believe, I don't believe, I trust, I don't trust, I'm not
31:14
sure last time and Jacob is in that wrestling.
31:18
He's already wrestling before he's Going to wrestle, he's
31:21
already wrestling before he's going to wrestle, you try to
31:26
jump in and fix things. Now let me speak to A part of
31:32
this, I think is pastors faults and on behalf of all of us
31:36
pastors. I apologize and ask for your
31:39
forgiveness for pastors that may have caused you to believe this
31:42
and taught, you incorrectly. And being a pastor myself, that
31:46
means it's a blight on all of us, but perhaps will be one
31:50
church that seeks to correct this error in the modern church
31:54
today, but many today and even some of you may approach the
31:58
Bible, like it is a self-help book.
32:01
Because you've been taught your whole life, three steps to
32:04
happiness and five helps to make a better life and on and on the
32:09
list goes and while I do believe lists are helpful and I
32:12
certainly use them in my teaching, they help remember and
32:16
they give you something to write down.
32:18
I do need to tell you. The Bible is not a self-help
32:20
book jot that down. If you're taking notes just say
32:23
it to yourself. The Bible is not a self-help
32:27
book, it is a God help book It's not a self-help book so you can
32:32
improve your life a little bit and you can overcome a little
32:35
Challenge and you can learn a few new skills to get through.
32:39
The Bible is not filled with coping mechanisms.
32:43
The Bible is filled with instructions on how to die to
32:45
yourself and live to God, and that's the problem.
32:49
Nobody wants to die to themselves.
32:51
It's always finding good for everyone else.
32:53
Yes, I've got a friend. She needs a dye to herself, and
32:55
I told her that and I've got a husband, he needs to die to
32:58
himself. And I tell him that every day,
33:00
And we got a pastor, that needs a lot of help and I tell him an
33:03
email him all the time. No.
33:04
No it's not a self-help book. God doesn't need your help.
33:09
He needs Your Surrender. That's what he works with.
33:12
He works with your surrender. Your faith and trust in him.
33:18
And while you may learn three things to help you move forward
33:22
in life because the Bible does give instruction on how to live
33:24
a life that pleases. God, it's not in the context of
33:28
some self-help books, some new Guru somebody to follow, like,
33:31
he's going to be the answer person for the rest of your
33:34
life. Just look it up and here's two
33:36
scriptures and call me in the morning, your life in Christ is
33:39
a process. Day by day and Moment by moment.
33:45
The Bible is a God help book. If we use that terminology It's
33:50
alive and Powerful sharper than any two-edged sword.
33:54
It's a table. According to second Timothy
33:56
chapter 3. Beginning, in verse 16, it's
33:59
able to cut to the heart of the matter in your life and isn't it
34:04
true, the matters of the heart heart.
34:07
The heart of the matter is almost always a matter of your
34:09
own heart. And the problem is, we don't
34:11
even know our own Hearts. We think the best of ourselves
34:15
far, far the far quicker than we think of the best of others.
34:19
Isn't it interesting? How we are very aware of sin
34:23
when someone else is doing it? But then we see it in our own
34:27
eyes. Oh no, no, no, there's a reason
34:28
for that. There's a reason I know you
34:31
don't understand. There's, there's some
34:33
extenuating circumstances in my life.
34:36
You, you need to stop it when we've all sinned and fallen
34:40
short of the glory of God. It's not.
34:42
You and me, it's us. We all need the help of the Lord
34:46
along the way and the Bible says, Jesus did in Matthew
34:49
chapter 16. He says, if you want to follow
34:52
me, Deny yourself. And in the process of denying
34:57
yourself, pick up your cross. And in case you misunderstand
35:00
what denying yourself means, it means to die to yourself.
35:05
Then you can follow me. Jacob is on the path here.
35:08
He's learning these new testament, truths back in the
35:11
old Covenant, God is doing a work in him.
35:14
He gathers these 550 animals, he tries to bribe his brother and
35:19
there is some wisdom in Jacobs plans is not an unwise plan.
35:24
Not necessarily a sinful plan. It's a gift it's going to keep
35:29
on giving it's going to be a blessing, it should appease his
35:33
brother but that's not what God's looking for.
35:35
God's Not Looking for peace in your family, he's looking for
35:39
peace with you. That's what will bring peace in
35:42
your family. The Bible says that my wife is
35:46
please Lord, he'll make even my enemies.
35:48
Be a piece with me. And it's always it's always with
35:53
God first you ready? The relationships order is
35:58
always vertical. Before it's horizontal.
36:04
And that's why a lot of our time is wasted as we're going back
36:07
and forth, back and forth, horizontally fighting and
36:09
pressuring, and arguing. And when really, I need to get
36:13
beyond my knees and I need to get right with the Lord.
36:15
Me, that's, that's all I can do. It's all I can do is be
36:20
responsible for me. And the Lord will work in my
36:24
bath. You'll honor his word.
36:26
He's going to honor his word with Jacob, notice.
36:28
Now what happens? He's left alone in verse 24.
36:31
And a man, you're reading from the new King James.
36:34
You'll notice that the translators translated this
36:36
Hebrew word with a capital letter Mark that they did that
36:39
on purpose and it's accurate. Then Jacob was left alone in a
36:42
man. Wrestled with him until the
36:44
breaking of dawn. Now, when he had saw, they did
36:48
not Prevail against him. He touched the socket of his hip
36:51
and the socket of Jacob's hip was out of joint as he wrestled
36:55
with him and he said, let me go for the day breaks but he said,
36:59
I will not let you go unless you bless me.
37:03
And so he said to him, what's your name?
37:04
And he said, Jacob and he said your name shall no longer be
37:08
Jacob, but Israel for you of struggle with God and with men
37:12
and have prevailed and Jacob asked him saying tell me what
37:15
your name, I pray and he said Why is it that you asked about
37:18
my name and he blessed him there and Jacob called the name of the
37:22
place pin? Yo, for I have seen God face to
37:25
face, and my life is preserved. And just as he crossed over,
37:29
penuel the sun rose on him. And he limped on his hip.
37:33
Therefore, to this day, the children of Israel do not eat
37:36
the muscle that shrank, which is on the hip socket, because he
37:39
touched the socket of Jacob's hip in the muscle that shrink as
37:44
we close this section. Now, Jacob Be broken.
37:48
He will be broken in this wrestling match.
37:50
You see in Laban with Laban the 20 years, he spent with Laban,
37:55
he met his scheming match. He met his match with leaving
37:59
Laban was a better schemer than Jacob, but now he meets his
38:04
spiritual match. Is God is greater than Jacob,
38:09
even though he plays with him a little bit.
38:12
And allows him the process. It's been about 20 years now
38:15
since Jacob has had that beautiful dream at Bethel.
38:18
Remember, this is the place God is here, Bethel House of God,
38:24
where he gave his life over to God, but he moves over and it
38:27
says in verse 22, he said the Ford of J Buc.
38:31
Jay book isn't a fancy word to remember but you won't forget
38:34
it. Now as Beth Bethel leads to J
38:37
Buc at Bethel. I want to see some comparisons
38:41
here at Bethel. Jacob, saw a ladder at J Buc.
38:44
He sees the Lord at Bethel. We became a believing man but a
38:48
jaebaek becomes a Broken Man at Bethel.
38:51
We became a Son of God but a ja Bok.
38:54
He becomes a saint of God at Bethel.
38:57
He came he came left with he came and left with New spring in
39:01
his step super excited. Remember, but a daebak, he
39:05
leaves with a lasting limp in his walk at Beth, how he died to
39:09
sin, but at Jabbok, he dies to himself.
39:12
And they're all needed jaebaek. In the word, literally means
39:16
emptying. He said a place of empty.
39:19
He's been on his way to jaebaek. Now for 20 years, he took the
39:22
long way there. As some of us do we learn things
39:26
the hard way. You don't have to learn things
39:28
the hard way, but we choose so nonetheless or we take the long
39:32
way you don't have to take the long way.
39:34
You don't have to take the long painful way.
39:36
You don't have to take the long difficult way.
39:38
You don't have to hurt people, along the way, you can get there
39:41
a lot quicker, but you're going to get there.
39:43
Nonetheless, Jacob arrives and he's left alone here.
39:47
It says, in verse 24, he's left alone to think to stir to Under
39:54
his Fox are gone. His herds are gone.
39:57
His wealth is gone. His beloved, Rachel is gone
40:01
Leah. Bilhah the handmaidens, the
40:03
kids, all gone And he's alone and it's in that moment.
40:08
A man appears to him the Lord himself and starts fighting with
40:11
them, literally. He's has a literal wrestling
40:15
match with God. Now, can I ask you if you ever
40:17
wrestle with God just say it out loud?
40:20
Yes, yes. Alright, maybe have 20 years
40:22
till you get to Jay book but you will.
40:24
I've wrestled with God many times late nights.
40:28
Tear-filled prayer times sleepless nights struggling over
40:35
his will praying over my kids, praying for my wife, praying for
40:40
this church. Some of the things that have
40:43
happened in this church, over the years, fighting wrestling
40:47
struggling, with God, I've had these times were fighting with
40:51
God, where I want my way. And I'm trying to find a way to
40:54
make my way God's way, and that's a battle.
40:59
That's a struggle. I've struggled with God.
41:02
Or what's the next step? What am I supposed to do?
41:06
Where am I supposed to go? What should I say?
41:11
Many, many times. Here.
41:14
Jacob is physically taking all the emotions.
41:18
He's an emotional wreck here. If you want to use that phrase
41:22
and he's alone in the dark, considering his future
41:27
contemplating, his past, remembering the great Promises
41:31
of God. He's declared them in prayer
41:33
thinking about if his plans will work.
41:35
Wonder if he'll see his family again, what Willie saw?
41:38
He's just overwhelmed by the situation.
41:41
And God shows up and begins to wrestle with him.
41:44
That's not an ant. That's not the kind of answer to
41:46
prayer that we think we're going to get, you know, we expect God
41:50
to come and pick us up and carry us.
41:52
Here we go. Jacob, here we go.
41:54
Let me take you through this trial but instead he goes, okay,
41:57
Jacob. In a wonderful way, if that's
42:01
possible. Taking Jacob and wrestling with
42:06
him. Battling with him.
42:10
You notice, none of want you to miss this, it doesn't get easy.
42:13
During the wrestling guy gets harder.
42:16
Because he has it says in verse 25.
42:18
He touched the socket of his hip very painful injury to have.
42:24
We had a brother on our trip to Israel who had a severe hip
42:29
issue come up towards the end of the, the end of the trip.
42:32
And and he's a trooper, man, he got through everything and he
42:35
finished everything. But boy, was he in pain as a
42:38
kind of pain. You can see on your face.
42:40
It's the kind of pain where you just plowing through all the
42:43
difficulties of a trip like that towards the end of the trip.
42:45
He our email me recently as God had used that as an illustration
42:49
in his life to be reminded of some things that God's doing in
42:53
his life. As a great email.
42:54
He just just this week he shared that with me and I'm he so you
42:58
got to understand Jacobson great pain here and he keeps
43:00
wrestling. Do you see that?
43:03
It says, right here. He the hip was the socket of
43:07
Jacob's, hip was Outburst, 25, as he wrestled with him.
43:11
So, this didn't end the wrestling.
43:13
He's just going to keep going. He's going to keep going, he's
43:17
going to keep going and he clings to him. as as we know,
43:23
this theophany says to in verse 26, Let me go for the day breaks
43:29
and I'm not going to let you go. I need your blessing.
43:33
Jacob says, in deep writhing pain, They say Jacob is stronger
43:38
than the Lord. You know, people read this and
43:40
look, Jacob stronger. The Lord therefore he's in a
43:42
position to demand blessings and the again that whole false
43:46
teaching of the health and wealth gospel and all it's not
43:49
even the gospel, don't even call it that.
43:50
But that false teaching about demanding blessings from God.
43:53
As if Jacobson a place to demand blessings from God, he's
43:57
fighting for his life here. He's not standing up.
44:00
I declare a Mercedes-Benz. I stop what he's doing here.
44:03
He's fighting for his life. He's being broken here, not
44:06
come, And then God, he's in writhing pain, he's alone, he's
44:11
fearful, he doesn't know what the future holds out of the
44:14
blue. Somebody knocks him over beats
44:16
him up and he's like, what is happening to me?
44:19
Like when you get sucker punched and then you get kicked when
44:22
you're down and then a whole gang comes up and starts beating
44:25
on you or what is going on in my life.
44:27
Lord bless me. I need the blessing.
44:30
That's the place of safety for me.
44:32
This is not in any way as substantiation of that false
44:35
teaching this Selling match is not to receive what we might
44:39
think. Okay, let's put it this way.
44:41
You ready? The wrestling match is to
44:43
receive the blessing of God and what is the blessing of God
44:47
Brokenness? So you want to demand blessings
44:53
from God, your rest of your life, go for it.
44:56
And know that the blessing of God will be a Brokenness.
45:01
He's going to be broken. This wrestling was designed to
45:05
take Jacobs pride and crush it. God's going to touch whatever we
45:10
feel is the strength and are self-conscious, our
45:13
self-confidence. That's keeping us from
45:15
surrender. Things that we're leaning on
45:19
things that will put up a good fight for things that were
45:22
holding us back on an unwillingness to yield.
45:27
You touch it. And here it is in Jacob's life.
45:35
He asked them the question. What's your name?
45:37
Which is an interesting thing in the midst of us wrestling match.
45:41
And again I think we have to read emotion into this.
45:44
It's not just black and white letters on a piece of paper.
45:47
We have to read emotion into this and understand.
45:52
That this is Deco. This is a declaration of Jacob
45:54
like I think it's a strong declaration.
45:57
I'm I'm Jacob. He's admitting who he is.
46:01
I'm the schemer the heel. Catcher the conniver.
46:05
I'm Jacob. I am Jacob.
46:11
Or too many today, I have synth. I am weak.
46:18
I am powerless. I am.
46:23
And that's what he declares. I'm Jacob.
46:28
And that was the moment. That was the time he cries out.
46:33
I'm Jacob. I'm the deceiver, the conniver.
46:35
The one who takes advantage of people, the one that's fearful
46:39
all of everything that he is and the human realm.
46:42
It's like you can jot it down and Isaiah 6.
46:44
He has a true revelation of who God is just like Isaiah did.
46:48
And what Isaiah saying? Isaiah 6?
46:50
I am a man of unclean lips. That's what happens when we have
46:55
a true revelation of God, we realize who we are its back
46:59
building upon what he said in verse 10.
47:01
It's already in there. I'm not worthy I'm not worthy.
47:04
Lord of the least of all the mercies.
47:07
I'm Jacob. And if you want to progress in
47:10
the spirit, do you want to make Gain spiritually?
47:12
It's going to cost your flesh something.
47:16
You can't combine the teachings. That's why I self-help book like
47:19
you know, self-help books as you can just add this to your life.
47:21
Just add this to your life and you'll be fine.
47:23
This isn't the way of the lord. The Way of the Lord is you need
47:26
to get rid of this in your life. You need to deal with this.
47:32
It's not okay to make excuses for it.
47:34
Any longer you need to if your right hand causes these send,
47:38
Jesus said cut it off. He uses a euphemism.
47:43
He uses an idiomatic phrase of the day that would speak to the
47:47
reality of radical sin needs to be dealt with radically.
47:52
It can't be messed around with anymore.
47:54
Jacob, you want change. You're gonna have to deal with
47:57
who you are at the core level, you are Jacob.
48:01
But in this moment of Declaration, this moment of
48:04
admission this moment, this moment where he comes to that
48:08
place of admission, He says notice in verse 28.
48:16
Your name shall no longer be Jacob.
48:19
But Israel. For you have struggle with God
48:23
and with men and have prevailed. Jacob, you got it.
48:29
You won. Many people will misinterpret
48:32
this as like he won the wrestling match.
48:34
No, he won at life. He wanted life.
48:40
He admitted who he was. Now, he's in surrender, but even
48:45
in this wrestling match, he went the wrong, he went the long way
48:49
because now he's going to walk away as we see with the limp.
48:51
The rest of his life. Didn't have to didn't have to be
48:55
this way. There's so much pain and sorrow
49:00
ahead for some of you right now that you can avoid.
49:03
You can avoid, it doesn't have to be that bad.
49:07
You don't have to go the hard way.
49:08
You don't have to go the long way, just admit who you are and
49:11
trust God for that inward change, but even so.
49:17
Many of us that did go the long way in the hard way or many of
49:21
us that have been touched by pain and difficulty we to walk
49:24
with a limp. We lead with a limp.
49:28
We live with a limp, we love with the limp and that lymph
49:31
reminds us of our human weakness and the supernatural strength of
49:35
the Lord. The limp reminds me that God got
49:40
me through before. He'll get me through again, he
49:44
is now called Israel. Prince some would translate
49:49
Israel. They'll Prince with God, or
49:51
Prince of God. But another translation it's
49:54
very common for Israel is to be governed or ruled by God.
49:59
Jacob, you used to be ruled by yourself.
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But now your rule by God. and you see church that pain and
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that struggle in that wrestling, it will change your life forever
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if you let it even if it's your own doing or situation outside
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of your control, It'll make you more like Jesus, if you let it.
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I look back at some of the real big episodic difficulties in my
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life and I can see a few of them, some are still ongoing as
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I speak. And and, and I've in the
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beginning, I didn't know this. I couldn't say this but down the
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road a little bit, I can say this with absolute certainty.
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The things that have happened in my life and made me a better
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man. A better follower of Christ, a
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better Pastor, a better counselor.
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Better helper, better everything.
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That I mean, I've read books on these topics and I've listened
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to Bible studies for 30 plus years and they have all helped
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me. But God had a very unique way of
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using the circumstances in my life to change me.
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And if you've been in this church for any length of time,
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let's just say, if you've been in here, in this church more
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than 10 years. Let's say you've been here 12 or
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13 years, you could say, yes that I've seen a change in the
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last 10 years or so Ally dramatically.
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Not Everything's changed. God has retained.
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A lot of what he wants to keep in my life, but circumstances
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happened that like whoa, in and even early on, even though I
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think I did choose sometimes to take the long road and some of
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them but early on I'm like, no, no, no.
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I don't want to go the long way and you can even make that
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course. Correction right there.
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It's like you took a few steps in the long.
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Wait, nope. Nope, nope, back up.
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Back up. Sorry.
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No, let me go here. I'm gonna mess with the cameras
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now, but I co here. Back up and the go right.
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Go the right way. Isn't God so gracious and so
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helpful. And while you may not be able to
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say that today I want you to know as you move forward, one
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day, one day soon perhaps sooner than you believe and even think
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you'll be able to say at a particular situation.
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It's painful and it hurts. I don't like it and I don't want
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it but it's made me a better woman.
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It's made me a stronger follower of Jesus.
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It's helped me to see life a different way and to be more
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empathetic and compassionate or cautious and helpful so that you
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can be a more useful tool in the Masters hands because that
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really would amounts to so you can be more useful.
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Have a more contented peaceful life in Christ, abiding in him
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and he's abiding in you. I know that the world likes to
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make things more complicated and more dramatic but the Lord wants
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to make things more peaceful and contented in your life.
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That's a promise. It's available to you today by
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faith. That's where we leave.
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Jacob will get there. Follow his life in the
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following, but maybe your wrestling tonight and the Lord
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would say, hey, Just stop it. Let me go.
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No, don't, I'm not God to bless me.
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No, no. And then let me, let me tell
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you, I'm going to change your name.
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I'm going to change your life. And so it makes sense that the
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name of this place would change the face of God.
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The place of breaking the place of change.
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Father thank you for your word. Is it speaks to us tonight and
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little bit full tonight Bible study thank you for that and I
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do thank you for the testimony I think eight years ago I couldn't
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say eight or nine years but I can say today with confidence
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God that you have made me in her making me a better man because
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of the difficulties of my life. And there's still a lot of fear
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and anxiety or a lot of Flesh and lie that needs to be dealt
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with. And so I ask you God to continue
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but I don't want to wrestle with you.
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Lord to have my hip all out of socket and go the hard way.
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And I pray that over our church tonight that we don't want to go
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the hard way. I pray that over the precious
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men and women that call Calvary their home, Lord that and even
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if they don't believe it right now, I want to pray it into
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their lives. They don't want to go the hard
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way. There is a better way.
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You have designed us for with a plan and a purpose.
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You want to give us peace and joy Everlasting Abundant Life.
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And it's not found in this world.
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It's not found in resistance and pride and stiff neck - and
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Rebellion. It's found in Simplicity and
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surrender and for those that are wrestling tonight, Lord made
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made end quickly that you might have full control their lives in
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Jesus name. Amen.
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We pray that you've been encouraged by this Bible.
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Study delivered live from the sanctuary of Calvary Church for
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prayer, call us at 877, 30 Grace, that's eight, seven
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seven. 30 4723 to listen to this message in its entirety or to
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join us for our lives dream Services.
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Visit us online at Calvary. Co dot church or download our
55:18
free Calvary Church app be blessed as you worship Jesus
55:22
this week. 30 4723 to listen to this message in its entirety or
55:11
to join us for our lives dream Services.
55:13
Visit us online at Calvary. Co dot church or download our
55:18
free Calvary Church app be blessed as you worship Jesus
55:22
this week.