Greg Laurie - Wrestling With God

Good afternoon. Wasn’t that a great video that we just saw? I came across it on Instagram, and I thought, «Whoa, this is really good!» So I reposted it, and then I found out the guy who made it-I’ve known him for years. He’s actually here, sitting up front. It’s David and his wife Wendy. Where are you guys? Right there! Stand up! They made this beautiful video. Great job, right? And I love the video we showed earlier for our new song, «Have You Met My Jesus?» Fantastic! What a great representation of so many stories of lives that have been changed at the Harvest Crusades.

Speaking of Harvest Crusades, have you been praying for our Utah event? It’s five weeks away-one night at UVU. It’s going to be a significant event, and there’s a lot of excitement about it for obvious reasons. This is the actual place where Charlie lived his life for the afterlife, and we want to go into this place of darkness and shine the radiant light of the gospel and call people to Jesus Christ. So we’re looking forward to going there. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, we’ve been discussing with pastors in Utah for a couple of years about doing a crusade there. We tentatively scheduled it for 2027, but after the tragic assassination of Charlie Kirk, we contacted the pastors and asked, «Is there anything we can do for you?» They said, «Yes, come sooner. We need help. We need hope. We need the gospel in Utah.» So we did something we’ve never done before; we said we would come six weeks out. It normally takes us a year to two years to plan one of these events. So we need your prayer.

We’ve launched an initiative called Ephes, actually just 3:20. So set the alarm on your phone to 3:20, morning or evening, whenever you want to set it. And when your alarm goes off, it’s a reminder to pray. Why 3:20? Because Ephesians 3:20 says that God is able to do exceedingly above and beyond that which we could ask or think. So I’m going to ask every one of you to set your alarm for 3:20, and let’s pray for this event in Utah that we’re calling «Hope for America.» It’s right around the corner, November 16th.

Let’s pray together now. Father, we pray for this event, and we pray that thousands will hear the gospel. We pray there will be a great move of your Holy Spirit and that many will come to Christ. We place it in your hands right now, and we ask you to bless this message as we talk about wrestling with God. Lord, there are some of us here who have been praying for something for a long time, and we’re wondering why it hasn’t happened. Or maybe there is another area of our lives where we’re resisting your will. Lord, help us to understand how you want us to approach you, and instead of wrestling, instead, choose to nestle and trust in you. So bless this time as we open your word. We ask this now in Jesus' name. Amen.

Who wants to hear a Bible study? Raise your hand. Okay, anybody who doesn’t want to hear one? No, you all want to hear it. Good! Okay, grab your actual Bible and turn in it to Genesis 32. As I said, the title of my message is «Wrestling with God.»

Years ago, I was visiting a church, and we were in the back room having a little something to eat. One of the folks there said, «You know, our pastor has been going to the gym a lot, and he’s in great shape. You guys should arm wrestle.» I said, «Oh, I’m okay; I don’t really need to.» «No, no, arm wrestle our pastor,» they insisted. «I think he’ll beat you.» You know, I said, «He probably would.» «No, come on, arm wrestle him!» And then the pastor says, «Come on, arm wrestle me.»

Okay, so we lock arms, you know, when you’re getting ready to arm wrestle someone and you start, and you know you’re going to win. I’m sorry, this guy-there wasn’t much there. I just waited a little and let him get me down a little; then I beat him. And then they’re all mad at me because I beat their pastor arm wrestling. I said, «It was your idea!» Then there was this very petite young lady who said, «I want to arm wrestle the pastor.» I looked at the pastor and said, «Don’t do it! Don’t do it, because you could lose. You never want to arm wrestle a girl because if you beat her, you’re a bully. Toxic masculinity! But if she beats you, you’re a wuss.» Okay, so this is a lose-lose situation. Don’t arm wrestle girls!

Well, he arm wrestled her and you already know what happened. She beat him! And then the pastor said, «Well, I was tired from arm wrestling you!» You just shouldn’t have done it! This is a picture of us fighting with God or wrestling with God. You’re going to lose. As it has been said, your arms are too short to box with God. But actually, that’s a good thing because you don’t want to win in a wrestling match with God. You want to submit to his purpose and his plan for your life. But we all know what it’s like to pray for something and wonder why the answer has not come. Maybe you’ve prayed for months, maybe even years, for your unsaved mate to come to Christ. Or you’ve prayed for your prodigal child to return to the Lord. Or you’ve prayed for that healing touch in your life or in the life of someone you love. Or maybe you’re single and you’ve prayed that God would bring a mate to you. Or maybe you’re praying for a door of opportunity to open for you to serve the Lord. Or you’re praying that the pastor’s sermon will finally end. I don’t know what you’re praying for, but it’s a good thing to pray.

In fact, the Bible encourages us to bring our needs and requests to God. The Bible tells us not to worry about anything; pray about everything. We’re also told to pray, and the reason we haven’t received an answer to our prayer could be that we have not asked the Lord. You have not because you ask not. And Jesus says, «Ask and it shall be given. Seek and you shall find. Knock, and the door will be opened.»

But often-we may not say often, but sometimes-we find ourselves praying, and nothing is happening. God is not budging. What’s going on? In effect, you are wrestling with God. Or perhaps God’s been leading you to do something, and you have simply refused. You won’t let him have access to a certain area of your life, or you’re unwilling to break up that bad relationship that’s dragging you down spiritually, or you’re not going to give up that vice that is hurting you, or you’re not willing to take that step of faith. Jonah comes to mind. God said, «Go preach to the city of Nineveh,» and he flat-out refused and went in the opposite direction. God said, «Go,» and Jonah said, «No.» God said, «Oh.» He was wrestling with God.

But wrestling with God is not necessarily a bad thing. For before us in scripture is the story of a man who did just that. His name was Jacob. He got into a wrestling match with what he thought was an angel, and it turned out to be the Lord himself. And ultimately, he submitted to God’s will. It started with him resisting God and ended up with him resting. He actually said to the Lord, «I won’t let you go until you bless me.» President Abraham Lincoln, reflecting on the Civil War, once said, and I quote, «My concern is not whether God is on our side. My greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.»

See, that’s the whole objective of prayer. It’s not to get God to do what I want him to do; it’s to get me in alignment with his will because his will is better than my will. Jesus taught us in the Lord’s Prayer to say, «Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.» Jesus said, «If you abide in me and my word abides in you, you shall ask what you will and it shall be done to you.» So if I get into alignment with God’s will and pray accordingly, I will see my prayers answered in the affirmative.

Offering a little commentary on Jacob’s wrestling match with the Lord, Hosea 12 says, «Before Jacob was born, he struggled with his brother. Then he became a man and even fought with God, and he wrestled with the angel and won. He wept and pleaded for a blessing from him.» And there at Bethel, he met God face to face, for God spoke to him.

So we’re in this series that we’re calling «Jesus and You.» We’ve done the New Testament edition; now we’re looking at the Old Testament where Jesus appears many times in what we call Christophanies. Some people would say, «Well, Jesus isn’t in the Old Testament.» Well, of course he is! He’s in the Old Testament concealed. He’s in the New Testament revealed. And there are so many types and pictures that point to Christ. We looked at one last time with Abraham taking his son Isaac and offering him, and a last- minute reprieve was given, but it was a picture of what happened at the cross when God the Father and God the Son, in perfect cooperation with the Holy Spirit, went through with it. But no last- minute reprieve was given, and the judgment of God came upon his own Son who died in our place. But it was pointing to Christ, and it was the Lord himself, I believe, who stepped in and told Abraham not to take the life of his son.

A Christophany. And we’re going to look at another Christophany as well. Why do I believe this is a Christophany? Jacob was not actually wrestling with an angel but with the Lord himself because he says that he saw God or met God face to face, and he actually called the name of the place Peniel, which means «the face of God.»

So Isaac was spared. Isaac married Rebekah and they had two sons, Jacob and Esau. They were twins; they were womb-mates. There’s an interesting passage about them in Genesis 25:23 that shows God had a plan for both of them before they were born, where we read, «The Lord said to Rebekah, 'There are two nations in your womb, and the older will serve the younger.'» Two nations. Isn’t that interesting? It doesn’t say there are two lumps of tissue in your womb, or two embryos, or two cells, but two nations because at the moment of conception, we are made in the image of God.

And that is why abortion is such a horrible thing, because you are destroying what God has declared precious. You’re wiping out a story that God was writing before birth. David spoke of this in Psalm 139. He says, «You knit me together in my mother’s womb, and all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one came to be.» Jeremiah said, «Before I was formed in the womb, you knew me, and you set me apart.»

But even before they were born, you can already see the nature of these two boys. They could not have been more different. So they named them according to what happened at birth. The firstborn was Esau, which means «hairy.» Why did they name him that? Because he was hairy! Apparently, this kid was covered in hair from head to toe. And they looked at that dude and said, «Let’s call him Hairy!» Out comes his brother Jacob, hanging on to Harry’s heel. «Oh, let’s call this one Heelcatcher,» which can also be translated «supplanter» or «deceiver.» So, Harry and Heelcatcher. You know, parents give strange names to kids these days. Like no one names their kids Greg anymore! Is there anyone here named Greg? Raise your hand. I rest my case!

Okay, but I read that these are names that parents have given to their children. I’m not making this up. One set of parents named their child «Hashtag.» Really? Hashtag? What’s the middle name? Trending? I mean, come on, don’t do that! Another set of parents named their child «This is for Real Facebook.» Facebook? I don’t get this. Here’s the weirdest of all: a couple from New Zealand named their child «Number 16 Bus Shelter.» Strange names!

Well, Hairy is not a lot better nor is Heelcatcher, but pretty much they lived up to their names. Jacob was always manipulating, scheming, and striving to get ahead. Now under normal circumstances, the firstborn would become the heir of the blessing of the father, which means that when the father passed, he would give the blessing to the firstborn. They would be the patriarch of the family, receive the inheritance, and be the spiritual leader of the tribe, and so forth. But in this instance, God clearly said that the secondborn was going to be the one who received the blessing. So God reversed the order. He stated it ahead of time, which means God said this was going to happen.

But old Jacob couldn’t leave it in the hands of God and trust him to bring it about. So he thought he would help God out a little bit. But God had plans for Jacob, and one of those plans was to change his name from Jacob to Israel. Israel means «a prince with God» or «one who rules with God.» That happened after his little wrestling match with the Lord that we’ll read about in a few moments, which reminds us that God doesn’t just see you for what you are; He sees you for what you can become.

See, we see ourselves for what we are. You look in a mirror, right? You look in a magnifying mirror, right? But God sees potential. You know, you look at yourself and you see the past, but God sees the future. You see sin; God sees restoration. You see a blank canvas; God sees the finished painting. You see an end; God sees a new beginning. You see a mess; God sees a message.

A story is told of the great sculptor Michelangelo, who wanted to create a sculpture of King David. I’ve seen this in person, and it’s unbelievable to see! Even in our modern day, you are just amazed at how a single man could sculpt something that magnificent and impressive out of a single piece of marble. This piece of marble that David was sculpted from by Michelangelo was actually flawed and was rejected by other sculptors. But Michelangelo loved it, and he was looking at it, walking around, and said to the workers, «Do you see it?» They said, «See what?» He said, «I see King David.» They said, «We just see a slab of marble!» But Michelangelo saw what it could become.

And God sees the same for each of us. Now Jacob and Esau couldn’t have been more different. At first glance, Esau almost looks like the more impressive of the two. He’s an outdoorsy kind of guy; we would call him a man’s man-hunting wild game, preparing meals out of it that his father really favored. Meanwhile, Jacob would be kind of like to stay home with mom and help in the kitchen. You know if they subscribed to magazines, Esau would subscribe to Field and Stream, Outdoor Life, and Sports Illustrated. Jacob would subscribe to Good Housekeeping, Martha Stewart Living, and maybe Bon Appétit, right? So, Esau would be out in the field hunting, and Jacob would be making avocado toast and charcuterie with mom, you know?

So he just liked to hang out at the house; that’s all there was to it. And clearly, Isaac favored Esau, and Rebekah, his wife, favored Jacob. And by the way, it’s never good to favor one child over another because they will know. They’ll know who mom’s favorite is or who dad’s favorite is. My own grandchildren have asked me, «Papa, who’s your favorite grandchild?» «Well, you’re all my favorites!» «No, who’s your favorite?» Three of them have broken into my contacts, and now when they call me, it just comes up as «Your Favorite Grandchild.» But three of them do it, so I’m thinking, «What favorite grandchild is it?»

Never good to favor one child over another. But actually, the Bible gives us a profound insight into Esau. It says that Esau was a profane man. The word profane means without God. It doesn’t mean overtly wicked; it just means he was godless. He was common. He was worldly. The Bible calls it a natural man. 1 Corinthians 2 says the natural man doesn’t understand the things of God.

And there are people like this. They just don’t get it. It’s like, «Why go to church? I could stay home and sleep in and watch the game.» «You know why read the Bible? I’d rather scroll TikTok!» «Why pray? Why not just go out and get it done?» You know, they just don’t understand spiritual things.

And there’s nothing you can do to make a natural man believe, except pray that God would prepare their heart. And I say natural man; I mean natural woman as well-just a person without God. That was Esau-a natural man, a godless man.

So one day, he’s out in the field and didn’t catch anything that day. He was really hungry, and he comes in, and there’s brother Jacob whipping up a nice little feast. He smells it and says, «Hey bro, can I have some of that stew?» And Jacob says, «Oh, you hungry? Are you? Oh man, I’m starving to death!» «Oh really? How much would you be willing to pay me for this stew?»

«I don’t know. What do you want?»

«How about your birthright?»

He didn’t need to ask him for the birthright; God was going to give it to him! «How about your birthright?» says Jacob.

Esau says, «I’m a natural man. I don’t care about a birthright! What do you want? You can have it. Here’s your stew, bro.» He eats the stew. Man, that was a bad mistake! Just showing he did not understand how important that birthright actually was.

And then later it got even worse. Isaac was ready to give the blessing. Even though God said it should go to Jacob, he was determined to give it to Esau. He said, «Boy, go out there and get me my favorite kind of venison! You know how to make it. Bring it in here, and I’m going to give you the blessing.» Meanwhile, Rebekah’s eavesdropping. She goes, «Jacob, go cook up something and serve it to your father before your brother gets back, and he’ll give you the blessing.» So Jacob does that and literally covers himself in animal skins while Isaac was losing his eyesight at this point.

So Jacob is covered in animal skins and tries to imitate the voice of his brother, who I imagine had a deeper voice: «Hey Dad, how are you doing?» Instead of whatever his normal voice was: «Here’s the food you asked for.» Isaac says, «That sounds a lot like Jacob, not Esau.»

Then he feels his arms and goes, «Oh, you’re hairy, like that.» And then he lets me smell you. «Oh yeah, you smell like him.» And he eats the stew or eats the meal, and he gives the blessing to Jacob that he intended to give to Esau.

When Esau heard about this, he was absolutely ticked off and said, «I’m going to kill that brother of mine.» So mom says, «You better head for the hills; go visit my brother Laban.» See, here’s the problem: Jacob wasn’t waiting on the Lord for his timing and his purpose. So now he’s going off to a far country, leaving his home.

While he’s on his way, the Lord gives him a vision of angels going up and down a ladder. God was effectively saying to Jacob, «I can accomplish this on my own. You need to just trust me.» And it reminds us that we are in a spiritual battle, and angels are actively involved in our lives. The Bible says we don’t wrestle against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers and spiritual might.

And so we need to put on the armor of God. But Jacob was trying to do everything in his own way. God was saying, «I’ve got this; I don’t need your help.» But Jacob didn’t want to wait on God’s timing. And I relate because I don’t like to wait.

How many of you are naturally patient people? Raise your hand. Well, you’re an impatient bunch. How many of you are impatient people? Well, okay. Interesting. I’m one of you; I don’t like to wait in lines. If I get a pizza and I’m bringing it home, half of it will be gone by the time I arrive.

By the way, eating pizza on the road is not easy because it kind of comes over your hand and gets greasy, and you’re trying to eat it. Then for me, I’ll burn the roof of my mouth out because I don’t want to wait for it to cool down. If you’ve ever been on the freeway and you see someone weaving in and out, trying to get ahead, that could be me! I’ll avoid a line at all costs. The other day, I said to my wife, «Let’s go try out this new little restaurant. I read a good review on it.» So we drive over; long line. I said, «Let’s go somewhere else!» And we went to a place that wasn’t even that good, but there was no line. I didn’t want to wait in the line!

I went to pick my grandson up the other day from school, and there was a long line getting out of the school. So I went the opposite direction. I said, «I’m going to take an alternate route.» Then I hit a light and turned, hit another light, hit another light. About 20 minutes into this, my grandson says, «Papa, where are we?» I said, «I’m not really sure.» It added at least 20 more minutes to the trip because I’m impatient.

But the Bible says, «They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint.» So wait, the Bible says, on the Lord. The Bible tells us that God makes everything beautiful in his time. And just as surely as there is the will of God, there is the timing of God.

Well, anyway, Jacob made it and he met his uncle Laban. He also met his wife-to-be, the beautiful Rachel, whom he fell in love with immediately. Now Jacob and Laban were like two peas in a pod. It was like a used car dealer met a telemarketer; it was like the trickster met the trickster extraordinaire. They kind of deserved each other.

Some time passed, and it was now time for Jacob to return home and deal with his brother whom he had betrayed. He had to face the consequences of what he had done. He had to face his past. And you know, it’s not easy to reconcile with some people. The Bible says in Proverbs 18:19, «A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city.»

Reminds me of a story from years ago when we were doing a crusade in a certain city and there was one very significant church that was not involved. So I had a friend who knew the pastor; I said, «Call that pastor and see if I could take him to lunch.» My friend called the pastor and asked, «Would you go out to lunch with Greg Laurie?» The guy said, «No, I don’t want to go to lunch with him.» Oh wow! Really?

So I was speaking at an event, and it turns out the pastor was speaking at the same event, and he was signing his book afterward. I thought, «I’m going to get in the line with all these other people.» And you know how much I like lines, and I’m going to wait to speak to this pastor. So I’m waiting and I noticed that he saw me, and he was taking his sweet time! I tell you, he was chatting up people. He did not want to talk to me.

I just waited and waited, and finally, I got to the front and said, «Hi, my name is Greg Laurie.» He goes, «I know who you are.» «Yeah, hey pastor, could we talk for a few minutes?» «Okay, sure, come on.»

We go over, and I sit down at a table. I said, «I was wondering if you would help support our crusade in your city.» «Let me tell you what I don’t like about evangelistic events,» he said, and he went through a list of things he disliked. I listened. When he was done, I said, «You know it’s a funny thing; I agree with everything you said. I don’t like those things either, and we don’t do it that way.»

Then he interrupts me, «You don’t need to talk anymore.» «Okay, yeah, we’re totally in! You can count on us. We’ll be involved in your crusade.» I said, «Well, thank you! What brought about the change?»

He said, «The fact that you stood in that line and waited for me and then listened to me go on this rant makes me want to help you! I think you’re okay!» It works out. Sometimes you have to do that. Some people don’t want to be reconciled with. The Bible says, «As much as it is possible, live at peace with all men.»

Aren’t you glad the Bible says, «As much as it is possible?» Sometimes it’s not possible, but you need to make the effort. So here is Jacob, now headed home. He sends his family ahead. Ah, he’s nervous. What’s Esau going to do? Is he going to kill me?

And then the Lord comes to him. The Lord engages him, and I love how He does it. It just reminds us that God will come to us in our time of need. The Bible says he’s a present help in time of trouble. He won’t give you what you need necessarily ahead of time. He’ll never give you what you need after you need it, but it’ll always be there at the right moment.

And He adapted the way He came to Jacob. You know, in our earlier series, Jesus and You, we looked at how Jesus encountered people in the New Testament. The way Jesus dealt with Nicodemus is far different than the way he dealt with the woman at the well. The way that he dealt with the woman caught in the act of adultery is far different than the way he dealt with the rich young ruler.

But Jesus would meet them where they were. So who is Jacob? He’s a conniver, a schemer, a fighter. So how did the Lord come to him? As a fighter! Almost like, «Hey, you want some of this? Let’s go, buddy!» Like New York, «You want some of this? Come on! You want to have a little fight? Let’s go!»

And He came to him as a wrestler. Proverbs 18:26 says, «To the pure, you show yourself pure; but to the devious, you show yourself shrewd; you save the humble.» So He comes to him in a way that Jacob can understand.

That brings us to our text, Genesis 32. Let’s read together, verse 24. Jacob is all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled with him until the dawn began to break. When the man saw that he would not win the match, he touched Jacob’s hip and wrenched it out of its socket. Then the man said, «Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.» Jacob said, «I won’t let you go until you bless me!»

«What is your name?» the man asked. He replied, «Jacob.» «Your name will no longer be Jacob,» the man told him. «From now on, you’ll be called Israel, because you have fought with God and with men and have won.»

«Please tell me your name,» Jacob said. «Why do you want to know my name?» the man replied. Then he blessed Jacob there, and Jacob named the place Peniel, which means «the face of God,» for he said, «I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been spared.»

Why do I believe this is a Christophany? Because Jacob said, «I’ve seen God face to face.» I don’t think Jacob was wrestling with an angel; I think he was wrestling with God.

It’s hard to get time away to be with God. You know, God can’t compete with all of your push notifications. It’s hard. If you want to hear from Him, maybe you need to silence them. Have you been alone with God lately? You know, our phones are buzzing, our messages are dinging, and our Instagram reels are autoplaying, and we wonder why we never hear from the Lord.

I would recommend that you get alone with God without your electronic devices, with an actual Bible. This is called a Bible! Look at it; it’s not digital! It doesn’t beep, it doesn’t chirp, it doesn’t need to be recharged. But if you read it and believe it, it will recharge you. So take time for the word of God, and turn off all that noise and listen.

You know, Elijah went to a cave, and the Bible says there was a big fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. Then there was lightning striking, but the Lord was not in the lightning. And then there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And then it says, «And after that, there was a still, small voice,» which was the voice of God; and the Lord said, «What are you doing here?»

So God does want to speak to us, but we need to listen. Here is now the scheming, conniving, plotting Jacob, alone with God. And the wrestling match continued on until the break of day. He was one stubborn guy, wasn’t he?

Lifeguards know a little bit about this. At lifeguard training, they’re taught that a drowning person in panic is dangerous. More than one lifeguard has drowned by the person they were trying to save. Many lifeguards understand they have to wait until the person they’re rescuing reaches exhaustion so they can take them to safety.

Sometimes the Lord allows the same with us. When we just are done, we’re done fighting. We’re done resisting, and we just say, «God, if you don’t come through for me, I’m dead in the water.» The Lord says, «That sounds good to me!» Because when you get to the end of yourself, you get to the beginning of God.

So as they’re wrestling together, the Lord takes Jacob’s hip and pulls it out of its socket. By the way, I know a good hip doctor! They didn’t have titanium hips back in those days, but I have one now! So now he has a limp for the rest of his life, but he’s hanging on.

And now finally, he goes from resisting to resting. I love this! He says, «I won’t let you go until you bless me!» So finally he’s surrendering. Let me come back to our verse I quoted already; Hosea commenting on this event says, «Before he was born, he struggled with his brother, and then he wrestled with the angel and won. He wept and pleaded for a blessing and there at Bethel, he met face to face with God.»

Wait, he wrestled with the angel and won? I thought he lost. Oh, he did! But he won by losing. See, that’s how it is when we wrestle with God. You win by losing. You win by submitting. Jesus said, «If you want to save your life, lose your life.» That makes no sense to me!

It means you take your life; you say, «Here’s what I want; here are my plans; here are my hopes; here are my aspirations.» But I place these in your hands. I place my unknown future in the hands of a known God. And I’ve learned, Lord, to realize that your will is better than my will. So as Jesus said in the garden of Gethsemane, «Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done.»

So he’s hanging on for dear life. «You got to bless me!» Okay, let me ask you, what’s your name? Why did the Lord ask him that? Didn’t the Lord know his name? Of course He did! What’s your name? Jacob! Heelcatcher, conniver, schemer. «Ah, I’m going to give you a new name.»

Oh, what is it? Israel, which means «a prince with God» or «one who rules with God.» Coming back to my earlier point, God doesn’t just see you for what you are; He sees you for what you can become. And God might ask you what your name is: «Failure?» «I’ve come short.» God says, «Well, I have a different plan for you. I can make you into a new person.»

Remember when Adam had sinned against the Lord? We read that he heard the voice of the Lord God walking through the garden in the cool of the day. So as the sun is setting, the Lord says, «Adam, where are you?» And I think this was a Christophany too, because God took some kind of human form; you could hear Him walking in the garden. «Adam, where are you?»

Well, I hid myself from you, Lord. «Oh, why are you doing that?» «Well, because I sinned.» «But it’s not my fault! That woman you gave me! I was doing great! I fell asleep, and I wake up, and a rib is missing, and she’s here! It’s the woman you gave me!»

Then the woman says, «It’s not my fault! That serpent tricked me!» But God wanted Adam to admit his situation: «Adam, where are you?» God did not ask this because He didn’t know where Adam was. He asked him that because He wanted Adam to acknowledge his situation. The Bible says, «If you will confess your sin, God is faithful and just to forgive you of your sin and cleanse you from all unrighteousness.»

Listen to this: you win by losing. And you’re not losing at all; you’re surrendering to God. Your future is a mystery to you, but it’s history to Him. God doesn’t just predict the future; He authors it. And He has a plan for you that is better than your plan for yourself.

So let me ask you in closing: are you fighting with God? Are you resisting God? Even worse, are you running from God? Stop! Come back to Him or come to Him for the first time. There might be someone joining us here who has never had a relationship with the Lord, where Christ has come to live inside of you as your Savior and Lord.

And yes, Jesus died on that cross for your sin and paid the price for it, and He rose again from the dead. Now He stands at the door of your life and knocks, and says if you’ll hear His voice and open the door, He will come in. Have you asked Christ to come into your life yet? Only you can pray that prayer.

Or maybe there’s somebody here who is a prodigal son or a prodigal daughter, and you’re trying to get away from God when you should be running to Him. He’s the one who can save you! Maybe you’ve made a mess of your life. Maybe you’re facing the consequences of your actions. Maybe things you did a long time ago are catching up with you. Jacob was facing the consequences of things he had done 20 years earlier. But here’s the good news: God will meet you where you are, and He can turn your situation around.

But you must come to Him and ask for His help. We’re going to close now with prayer, and if there’s anybody here that needs Christ to come into their life or you need to come back to the Lord again, you can do it right here, right now.

Let’s all pray. Father, I pray for everyone here, everyone watching and listening, wherever they are. If they don’t know You yet, let this be the moment they believe. Let this be the moment they come to You and ask for Your forgiveness and receive it. We commit them to you now.

While our heads are bowed and our eyes are closed, maybe you would say today, «I need Jesus. I need His forgiveness. I need a second chance. I want this relationship with God you’ve been talking about. Would you pray for me?» If you want Christ to come into your life, if you want Him to forgive you of your sin, if you want to know that when you die you will go to heaven, if you’re ready to start this relationship with Jesus, would you just lift your hand up and let me pray for you, wherever you are?

God bless you. God bless you. Lift your hand up high where I can see it, please. God bless you. Anybody else? I’ll pray for you now. God bless you as well. God bless you. Anybody else? Wherever you are, raise your hand up. Maybe you’re watching a screen right now; I can’t see you, but the Lord sees you. You raise your hand too if you’d like. God bless each one of you! You want Jesus in your life.

Raise your hand up. God bless you! Yes! Well, our heads are still bowed. Maybe there’s somebody here who’s been a prodigal son or daughter. You’ve walked away from God, and you’re facing the full consequences of that, and you’re just not happy at all now, are you?

But here’s the good news: you can come back home today, and your father will throw his arms around you and forgive you. But you must come. If there’s anybody here that needs to return to Christ, come back to Jesus, would you raise your hand up? Let me pray for you. Raise your hand up.

God bless you. Anybody else? God bless you. Thank you, Lord, for each one of these. Give them the strength to follow You from this moment forward. And we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.

You know those whom Jesus calls, He calls openly and publicly. In a moment, our worship band is going to lead us in a song of invitation. And by that, I mean they’re going to do a song that’s going to invite you to come to Christ.

So I’m going to ask those of you who raised your hand with me during that last moment of prayer, saying you want Jesus in your life, or saying you want to come back to the Lord, that you would get up out of your seat and make your way forward and stand in front of this platform. When you all get here, I’ll lead you in a prayer of commitment to Christ.

Now, why do I ask you to come publicly? Because Jesus said, «If you will acknowledge me before people, I will acknowledge you before my Father and the angels in heaven.» But then He said, «If you deny me before people, I’ll deny you before the Father and the angels.» So this is a way to acknowledge Him publicly.

Maybe you did not raise your hand, but you want Jesus in your life. You want a second chance. You want forgiveness, or you want to come back to the Lord. You get up and come as well.

So again, if you raised your hand-even if you did not-if you want Jesus Christ to come into your life, if you want Him to forgive you of your sin, if you want to go to heaven when you die or you want to come back to the Lord today, right now, get up out of your seat. Walk down these aisles. Stand in front of this platform, and when you get here, I’ll lead you in a prayer. Get up and start coming right now, wherever you are!

Come on now! And if you’re honest and wonder, «Am I too far gone?» His grace will reach you! So come as you are! Don’t be afraid; just reach out and call on the name. Have you met my Jesus? Have you met the friend? Have you met my Savior?

He’s waiting for you! There may be more of you who want to do this. God is speaking to your heart right now. I remember as clear as day when I heard this message for the first time at the age of 17. This is ten years ago and a few more. And I was like, «I need to do this! This is what I’ve been looking for! This is it!»

I knew it, but you have to respond. It’s not enough to just think, «Well, that’s a good idea.» You have to respond! Jesus said, «You’re either for me or against me.» This is an either-or proposition, a yes or no response. I think there are a few more of you who may want to say yes to Jesus. You may never have another opportunity like this again, so get up and come.

Anybody else? Come on! God bless you! And have you met my Jesus? Have you met the friend of all friends? And have you met my Savior? He’s waiting for you!

Heaven is waiting for you! So I want you to open those back doors back there! Open them up! So if there’s anyone in the back there, they can come and join us here. If you’re in an overflow area, come quickly over here to the main sanctuary. I’m going to ask them to sing that chorus through one last time. Maybe one more will come.

That’s up to God, and it’s up to you. But if there’s anybody else that wants to make this commitment, come now! Have you met my Jesus? Have you met the friend of all friends?

And have you met my Savior waiting for you? Waiting for you? Anybody else? Come on! Come on, you guys! God bless you! Praise God for you that came forward! Thank you for dealing with the obstacle course of Harvest Orange County with our little chairs everywhere and weaving your way through.

Just getting up here, you got here! God bless you! Amen!

Okay, this is the most important decision you’re ever going to make because this literally impacts your eternal destiny. So what you’re about to do is pray a prayer that I will lead you in. And this is a prayer where you’re saying to God, «I’m a sinner. You’re the Savior. I’m sorry for my sin. I turn from it, and I ask you to come into my life.»

You pray this prayer, and you mean it, and God will hear it and answer it, and your life will change from this moment forward. So I’m going to pray a simple prayer, and I’m going to ask you to pray it out loud after me. Again, as I pray, pray this out loud after me.

Okay, let’s all bow our heads. Pray this with me now:

«Lord Jesus, I know that I’m a sinner, but I know that You’re the Savior who died on the cross for my sin and rose again from the dead. I turn from my sin; I repent of my sin. I choose to follow You, Jesus, from this moment forward. Thank You for hearing this prayer and answering this prayer. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.»