Peter Tan-Chi - Do Not Grab, But Grab On to God
You are watching Great Commission Church of Christ Changing Lives for Eternity God uses ordinary people, turn to the person next to you Tell your neighbor: God uses ordinary people Is God using you right now? If God uses ordinary people, is God using you? How many of you can honestly say that deep down in your heart you believe God is using you? Please raise your hands and praise God. Lift your head high and praise God. God really wants to use you. If you feel you are not qualified, you are welcome! Because God uses ordinary people, I discovered that in our series on biblical characters, what do you notice about them?
The Bible is so honest, the Bible tells us about their weaknesses. Almost all the people God used had character flaws. They were not perfect, but God did something to qualify them. Do you know what the process is? From Ordinary to Extraordinary From Ordinary, Unqualified to Extraordinary God makes them extraordinary. What is the process? This process is called brokenness. Turn to the person next to you and tell your neighbor: Brokenness. The men of God you read about in the Bible who were used mightily by God all experienced brokenness.
Now you may have forgotten what brokenness is. Brokenness is deep. Deep repentance Deep humility Acknowledging that God is our everything and trusting Him completely I want to show you some pictures and you tell me what comes into your mind, OK? Not pictures but I want to show you some tools and now what do you think of? When you see these instruments, honestly, tell me, what are these instruments? Ahhh, carving, you are awesome! Do you make sculptures? Well you are right this is for carving we have lost the art of carving stone and the reality is that the master of art used different tools to create the image in his mind so he would remove the excess that is, you have to Realize that the artist will be very careful that he will use the right tools with the right amount of force to make the image he wants.
Spiritually, God is doing the same thing in your life. God has all kinds of tools but they are It may not be very pleasant and a lot of the time it may be painful so this morning I want to share with you a very important character that is very close to my heart. Before I show you the character I want to give you a Are you ready for the biblical foundation? Let's read Philippians 1:6 together. For I am confident that He who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. Please note: He will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus. So God is in your life today. At work Whether you see it or not, He is at work but many times we don't like what He is doing because God uses people, what kind of people?
Difficult People, God Uses Every Situation What kind of situation? Difficult situations God uses time because life transformation takes time you're going to see that in today's role but I want you to understand this morning God is using ordinary people God is working in your lives believe it or not you probably haven't. Realize this: God is at work in your life today. He uses situations. He uses people. Now tell me honestly how many of you are living with difficult people? They are difficult to deal with. You like them, but you don't hate them. But they are difficult to deal with. Do you have someone like this in your life? Can you raise your hand?
Oh my gosh I hope it's not your wife or your family but you have those people in terms of situation? Have you ever been in a situation that you wish you could change? You are living in a difficult situation. Are you in this situation? Raise your hands. Good, good. This is a message for all of us. I'm going to talk about a special man called Jacob. Why is Jacob so special to me? Because in a sense, I'm like Jacob. What does the word Jacob mean? Why is this role so important? Let me share with you Jacob how he got his name The context here is Genesis Chapter 25 God promised Jacob's father Isaac that he would have children but Isaac's wife was infertile so Isaac prayed for 20 years 20 years later, this mother was pregnant and this mother said: How come I have fetuses fighting in my belly? So the fetuses started fighting while they were still in the belly.
So here's the background, so let's read: Let us now read that the body of the first born was red and hairy, like a sweater. They named him Esau, because Esau means red. Then came Esau's brothers who took hold of Esau. The heel of the sweep therefore called him Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when Rebekah gave birth to her two sons. What does the word Jacob mean? His hand is on Esau's heel. So Jacob means grabber, you're grabbing. Are we clear? Can you imagine a child named this? In Tagalog, grabber, can you imagine? Grabber, come here. You see, the word Jacob has a bad connotation. Grabber, schemer, manipulator. So you name him Jacob, Grabber.
How is that going to affect his whole future? You know a lot of times you don't live up to your name, so if I were you be careful when naming your kids, OK? Don't call them stupid. Do n't call them Bobo because they'll believe you. Jacob, that was his background. So today's message is simple. Don't be a Jacob. Attention everyone: don't grab. What does don't grab mean? To grab means to get something by hook or by crook, to take something by force, let me give you an example I have seen people, they grab, fight for money. When the father is alive there is no problem but when the parents die the children start grabbing, they Go to court and they sue each other it's called snatching when single people want to marry someone, let's say but the person you want to marry doesn't have your parent's blessing or the Bible says that person is not a follower of Jesus but in your opinion, If you don't marry this person you will miss the last train.
Do you know what this means? Single people like we've been going to singles camps for years and after 30 years you're still single and then all of a sudden someone comes along and he's nice and he wants to marry you but your parents don't like it what do you do? You grab. You grab the relationship. Grabbing means forcing yourself to get what you want. I asked my son: Why do people grab? When people snatch, when you are selfish people snatch, when you sincerely believe it is the most important thing, you want it even if it will hurt other people, you snatch when you are impatient, you are not willing to wait on God.
You see the opposite of snatching is you are willing to trust God you are willing to wait on Him that is different in my life I am learning: Don't snatch wait on the Lord I see this happen all the time but the biggest lesson in my life One is Peter, don't grab you know some people they grab position they push for recognition you see you get irritable so what's the message today? Do not scramble. Can you turn to the person next to you and tell your neighbor: Do not scramble, but what must you do? Attention everyone: Don't snatch, but hold on tight God say it with me: Don't snatch, but hold on tight to God Whatever you're snatching, that becomes your idol God doesn't want us to have idols if something becomes like this It's so important that you need to hold on to it. That one becomes your idol.
So don't rob things or people, but hold on to God. This is Jacob's lesson. Are you willing to learn it? How God did something in Jacob's life that made him so available and he became such an effective man for God and I'm going to share this outline with you, it's very simple don't snatch but hold on to God and you'll see This: Jacob and Esau, How He Was a Seizer You'll see how God began to work in Jacob's life When Jacob was with Laban God uses people, He uses Laban, and then you'll Discover Jacob and God, in the last part of this sermon how God intervened, kept intervening but eventually Jacob discovered God, in an intimate way This is how our lives are transformed Remember: Transformation is a Process, there are no shortcuts.
Brokenness is a process. If you want to experience rest and God's best, you have to learn to do things God's way, in God's time, remember? God's will, is this enough? You have to do it God's way. You have to do it in God's time. That's God's best. Don't rob. Well, let's check it out: Jacob and Esau. When the boys grew up, Esau became a proficient man. A hunter, he was always in the fields and doing outdoor sports. Jacob was a quiet man and always lived in a tent. He was a mama's boy. Isaac loved Esau because he often ate his game meat, but Rebekah loved Jacob. I want to ask everyone to do this. Parents, stand up.
All parents, if you have children, please stand up! Let me warn you: If you want future problems in your family, if you want future problems between your children, if you want future headaches, then you are biased. The problem with Isaac and Rebekah is that they did not participate in CCF parenting. workshops so they favor the results and you will see problems arise you will develop jealousy you will develop resentment but you don't know but your children will be affected so my advice to all parents is to love your children equally but you It's not enough to love them equally you have to show them: You have to convince them.
If you want to learn parenting I have great news for you In July and August we are launching a parenting series Got it? Sunday sermons in July and August will be on parenting and during the week we will have parenting seminars on raising young children raising young children raising teenagers raising young people we will teach you but that will be in July and August at the same time The lesson I want you to learn is: Don't be partial, love them equally. Praise God, you can sit down now. Let's look at Esau and Jacob. Because of the background of this family, you will notice what happened to Jacob. Making soup Esau came back from the field and was exhausted and hungry. So Esau said to Jacob: I am exhausted and faint. Please give me this red soup to drink. So Esau was also called Edom. Edom means red, so that Soup is also called red soup.
Now listen to me. If your brother comes to you and your brother is hungry, what will you do? Will you give him food? If you are a normal family and you love each other, no problem. Are you hungry? Eat it! But that was not the case with Jacob. What does the name Jacob mean? Grabber, schemer He wants to be first What is the name of Jacob in Garuk? Don't say that to me, Jacob, you liar and grabber. Well, let me explain it to you. Jacob said: Sell me your birthright first. Esau said: Look! I'm dying. What does this birthright do to me? So Jacob said: You must first swear to me. Esau swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. Esau did the most foolish thing. He gave up long-term benefits in exchange for temporary benefits.
What's the meaning? In the Middle East, the eldest son is very important. In many cultures today, the eldest son is very important. It has financial significance. In the culture of the Middle East, the eldest son will receive a double share. Not only that, he becomes the head of the family. He becomes The spiritual leader of the clan. This has serious long-term spiritual implications. Esau. Like many Christians, you have forgotten your birthright. You are willing to give up God's plan for us in exchange for temporary joy. That's Esau. He gave it up and Esau forgot that the birthright was very important that was another sermon on the importance of the birthright and now the Bible tells us that he sold it so when the father was old, when Isaac was old His eyes were so dim that he could not see. He called his eldest son Esau, and Esau came over.
Esau said: "I am here. Do you know what your father told Esau"? I want you to go hunting and prepare a very tasty dish. Prepare me a delicious dish and bring it to me to eat. Please read: So that my soul may bless you before I die. In other words, the father said : I want to bless you when I am old and go hunting and find my favorite food called game caldereta. So they did it, only something went wrong. When he went hunting Jacob's mother told Jacob: Come here! Your father is going to bless Esau and don't let this happen. You go and prepare food for him before your brothers do. So the mother and Jacob conspired together to prepare the food.
So Jacob prepared the food because the mother helped him. The Bible tells us that when Jacob went This happened when he saw his father, he came to his father and he said: My father. The father said: He said, here I am. My son, who are you? The father asked: Who are you? Jacob said to his father, "I am Esau your firstborn son. I have done as you commanded me. Rise and sit down, eat my game, and bless me. What did Jacob do"? He lied. He lied. Why? Grab What is the topic of today's sermon? Don't grab, Jacob was a grabber. The Bible tells us: The father said to him, "My son, how come you find so quickly"? He said: Because the Lord your God has brought me into good opportunities, I tell you, liars often use the name of God. They use the name of God to excuse their actions. Single people wave to me.
I waved, a little higher, waved to me. You know, CCF is a young church with a lot of single people. Single people, listen to me. If a single girl or a single man comes to you and says: Lord tell me you. To be my wife, will you marry me? What would you say? You gotta say sorry the Lord hasn't told me yet so relax don't use God's name in vain I've seen a lot of people and I feel bad people always use God's name don't do that Jacob did it and he said: You really Is it my son Esau? Are you really Esau? He said: I am. Isaac said: You hand me my son's game to eat and give you a blessing. So the Bible tells us: Jacob lied and he was a seizer and he got his father's blessing.
Now if you want to make a movie you Now you see this scene: Jacob and his father the father blesses him and then all of a sudden you see another scene: The other son comes back, who comes back? Esau When Esau saw his father, his father said, "What's going on"? I thought I had blessed you. Esau said, No, no, not yet. The father said: Oh! No! This is what happened. The father was so shocked. The father said: Your brother has used trickery to take away your blessing. A trickster, a seizer, a liar, a schemer. That is Jacob. How could God use a man named Jacob? What about the people? Then look at what Esau said about his name being Jacob. Isn't that right? Isn't it right that he should be called Jacob? Everyone read: He has deceived me twice: He once took away my birthright.
You see, now he has taken away my blessing. Esau said again: Have you not left any blessing for me? In other words, the father said: Once I give my blessing, that's it. So Esau felt very bad. Why? Because of this blessing, they quarreled over the blessing. Let us read together. Esau was bitter and bitter toward Jacob because of the blessing his father had given Jacob. Esau said to himself: The days of mourning for my father are near. Now, I'm going to kill my brother Jacob. You understand the scene now. Jacob brought a lot of unnecessary trouble into his life because of his scheming, because of grabbing. Don't snatch because you will create unnecessary trouble as a mother. The mother was shocked when she heard this and told her son: Your brother Esau wants to kill you for revenge.
Now, my son, listen to my words: Get up and flee to Haran, my brother La Go to Ben to find your uncle, go to my brother Laban. What happened here? Jacob had no choice but to run away. You know God changes our lives. He knows how to break us, with the help of various tools. One of them is called the Law of Sowing and Reaping. You make bad choices and you reap the consequences. The truth is that many of us are being hurt because of our past choices. Based on our past decisions, in this case Jacob didn't realize it because of what he did. The mother didn't realize it because of what she did. Any idea what happened? Jacob never saw her mother alive again and that was the last time they saw each other. God is amazing and God is so faithful. Even when we do stupid things God doesn't give up on us.
Remember: God is always at work. Remember: Don't Become a grabber, don't snatch but hold on to God, how does that happen? There is a process, and this process takes time. This process is called breaking. Who will break? God. God is always at work so appeal to Jacob, God told Jacob as he was running away Jacob! I am still here and the LORD stood on top of the ladder and said: I am the LORD, the God of your fathers Abraham and the God of Isaac. Please note: God is not just the God of Jacob. Jacob did not yet know God. He had heard of it. God So God said: Listen! I am the God of your grandfather, Abraham, and I am the God of your father, Isaac, and I will give the land where you lie now to you and to your descendants, so the promises that God gave to Abraham and Isaac will be exactly the same.
I gave it to Jacob, and I will give it to you. Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth. He was not yet married. But God said: I will give you descendants. All the families of the earth will be through you and your descendants. Being blessed is called prophetic prophecy. All the families on earth will be blessed through your future descendants. So God has given the same promise. No matter where you go, I will protect you and bring you back to this land. I will never abandon you until I Take the initiative to fulfill the promises made to you by our God but God wants you to encounter Him personally Jacob knows God. He's a schemer. He's made a lot of mistakes and now he's on the run.
God isn't going to give up on Jacob. God is pursuing Jacob, okay? So where did God take Jacob now? Going to see his uncle Laban, but before Jacob went to see Laban Jacob bargained with God He was a schemer, he was a manipulator You know how he negotiated with God? This is what he told God, everyone read: Jacob made a vow: If God would be with me and protect me in all my ways and give me food to eat and clothing to wear, it would be easy for him to be satisfied. Lord, please keep him. My life give me food, give me clothes and go back to my father's house he only asked for three things then the LORD the LORD will be my God you see? Conditional.
And there are many Christians today who come to God with crazy conditions because your relationship with God is a business transaction, a transactional relationship, and God doesn't want His relationship with you to be transactional. He wants to be your God. But many of us come to God because we want something. If God doesn't give you what you want, you turn away from God. That's what Jacob was like. He was a schemer, a robber. He wanted God because He wanted something from God and that's what most of us do, you went through that phase, right? You were spiritually immature when you first came to the Lord and you had all these crazy ideas I'm going to use God for my purposes, I'm going to use God for my purposes.
Notice what Jacob did everybody Please read together: I will give you a tenth of everything you give me. He is bribing God: My Lord, if you give me money, I will give a tithe to the church as if God needs him. Tithing is really interesting, is Jacob like us? Just like us so transformation takes time. So Jacob met Laban. Well, the word Laban means white. So Laban said to Jacob, How can you serve me in vain, even though you are my own flesh and blood? Please tell me, what do you want for wages? So you get here and you meet Laban. Let me tell you who Laban is. If Jacob has a BA in robbery and intrigue, Laban has a PhD in robbery and intrigue. Got it?
If Jacob was the Master of Trickery, then Laban was the Master of Trickery. Let me prove it to you. See what happened. Laban had two daughters. The eldest daughter's name was Leah. The younger daughter's name was Rachel. Leah's eyes were none. Please don't ask me about your expression. I don't know what it means to have dull eyes. But Rachel was born beautiful and handsome. Jacob loved Rachel and said: I will serve you for seven years for your little daughter Rachel. Wow! Jacob was so excited that he served Rachel for seven years. Because he loved Rachel so much, he regarded these seven years as just a few days.
Ladies and gentlemens, if you are in love, don't you feel that time flies by? wrong? When you're on a date and you're so happy with your girlfriend/boyfriend, all of a sudden, oh! Time is up! Time flies so slowly when you're married. Anyway, that's the story. Jacob was happy because he loved Rachel. Jacob said to Laban that the time was up, please give me my wife so that I can be with her. You see, at that time, the marriage was consummated after the wedding. Even though they were already engaged and the date was over, please give me my wife. Please note: Give me my wife. Not married yet just engaged, already considered a wife but the consummation was done after the wedding that's why I am telling all of you single ladies because you are still young that is your birthright you Birthrights are very precious to God.
God has promised us wonderful blessings. But don't sacrifice what God has given you for temporary pleasure. If you are a virgin, keep it for your future spouse. Don't. Surrender to temporary pleasure. But if you've made a mistake I want you to know that mistakes are usually overcome by God's goodness. So don't despair, but you'd better learn from it. Here's an example from Middle Eastern culture. Laban put it up. Feast, invite everyone in the place. A wedding is public in nature. You don't marry in secret. Families will be there to bear witness. It's a happy time. By evening, Laban brings his daughter Leah to Jacob.
So Jacob and When the Bible uses the word night, don't think it's like night now because today we have electric lights and we can see that in Jacob's day it was total darkness at night and you couldn't see anything and you were going to experience this when you and I Let's go to the Holy Land together. When we climb Mount Sinai, you will see how dark it is when there are no lights. The only lights are the stars. Now this happened and Jacob was excited the next morning when he got up and behold! It's Leah! Gentlemen, I want you to imagine that you love this girl Rachel and then when you wake up in the morning she is not Rachel but Leah and he says to Laban to this father, to his father-in-law: What have you done? I serve you, isn't it for Rachel? Why did you deceive me?
Feel sorry! Does this situation sound familiar? Why did you deceive me? How do you teach someone a lesson so that he will stop lying? Let Himself have a taste of His own medicine (being deceived) You see God uses circumstances God uses the laws of sowing and reaping God uses people to teach us If you want to know how painful it is to be deceived then we God will let you Experience how you were cheated on so you will learn not to cheat on others. My friend told me that when he committed fornication, he thought it was no big deal until he experienced the pain of fornication when his own wife committed adultery. Next he saw him. The pain of his wife during his adultery He said Peter I will never commit adultery again I said: Why? I see this pain.
You see, God uses situations. God uses Laban this time. Is there a Laban in your life today? Do you have Laban in your life? Please don't raise your hand, because he may be sitting next to you, but Laban said look at Laban, I'm sorry for the deception of the doctorate, give the younger daughter to others before the eldest daughter is given to others, there is no such rule in our place, why are you doing this? After seven days, I will give that to you as well. Can you imagine that you will serve me for another seven years? Fourteen years of work! How do you think Jacob felt? Cheated, right? Well, after fourteen years Jacob said it was time to go home. So he went to see his father-in-law and asked you to give me the wife and children that I have gained from serving you. Let me go. I want to go home.
You know Laban is very smart. Laban said: I'm sorry, I want to make a deal with you. I noticed that God has blessed me because of you. So please don't leave me. No matter what you ask of me, I will give you whatever salary you want? Wow, you see Laban is a master negotiator. Don't leave me. Tell me how much salary you want. Then Jacob is also a master negotiator. He reminds Laban: Dad, before I come to the future, you have very little but now you are giving it to the public. How the LORD has blessed you according to my steps. Now, when will I build a family and a business for myself? In other words, he is setting the stage for demanding very high wages. Do you understand? So there was a master negotiator and a counter-negotiator with a Ph.D, so they finally came to an agreement.
The Bible tells us that Jacob grew extremely large, and he got many flocks, male servants, camels, and donkeys. You would have thought that from then on everyone All lived a happy life. The father-in-law became rich. Jacob became rich. Everyone was happy. No, not so. Laban's brothers and children became jealous because when they saw Jacob becoming rich, they felt Jealousy What happened next? God is amazing. At the right time, God said to Jacob: You are going back to the land of your ancestors and your father, to your relatives, and I will be with you. Why didn't God let Jacob go? Will each go back after 14 years? Why did God wait 20 years? Have you ever thought about this? God waited because there are no shortcuts and in the process of transforming your heart, transforming your character, many times it takes time.
I'm very impatient and I don't like waiting, but I can tell you the older I get the more I realize I need to learn not to grab but to hold on to God to trust God and wait for His timing. What about you?? Are you impatient too? Well, God told Jacob: It's time to go home. The Bible tells us, everything has changed. I see your father's attitude towards me is no longer as friendly as it used to be. But my father's God is always with me. Jacob began to realize, God is at work Then Jacob told his family how many times has your father deceived me? Ten times of deception that changed my salary Dr. Laban God wouldn't allow him to hurt me Jacob began to see that real blessings did not come from my manipulative abilities Blessings came from God.
The Bible tells us that Jacob took his wife and children with him and all the livestock fled. They all fled. When his father-in-law found out, he was angry and went after Jacob. The night before his father-in-law confronted Jacob, God appeared to this father-in-law. God appeared to Laban. You Don't touch Jacob because this father in law was very angry God told him not to do anything stupid to Jacob so that was the background so when he met Jacob Jacob explained to him why he had to run away and then Jacob told This is what happened to me. I suffered from dry heat during the day and frost at night. This is called desert weather.
If you are in the Middle East, you will notice that it is very hot during the day and very cold at night. You cannot sleep with your eyes closed. Work is very hard. God uses all kinds of circumstances. I have served you in your home for your two daughters for twenty years, for fourteen years and for your sheep. You have changed my salary ten times. Either the God whom my father Isaac feared, or the God of Abraham, is with me and you will surely send me away now empty-handed. God saw my distress and my toil and rebuked you last night. In other words, God appeared to you last night. In other words. Say, now listen to me Jacob learned something from Laban.
No matter how people treat you God can protect you from those who deceive you Laban deceived Jacob but God blessed Jacob Jacob also Learn that His blessings don't come from men but from God and that's what God was doing in Jacob's life because Jacob wanted to bless Ladies and gentlemens, listen to me if you want to be blessed, there's nothing wrong with that God We were created to desire blessings. The only question is: Where do you find blessings? If your blessing depends on people, it becomes idolatry. If your blessing depends on your career, your money, and you think that's going to make you happy, that becomes idolatry. God is saying: No, no, you have to understand that ultimately what's really going on is The blessing is God Himself, do you understand?
So here's the process. The Bible tells us that as Jacob was about to send... He was getting ready to obey God, God told him you are going home. Why was Jacob afraid to go home? Why? Tell me why, because his brother I discovered something about this story You need to face your fears God will guide you in the transformation of your character You can't run from your fears You can't always run from people Sooner or later you have to face You have to face your fears about people Jacob is about to face the fear of his life - His brother Jacob sent people first to the land of Seir, which is the land of Edom, to meet his brother Esau. Edom was near where the messengers of Israel were going. His brother reported: The boss Jacob is coming, and he wants to get your blessing.
The people he sent back to Jacob said: We have arrived at your brother Esau and he is coming to meet you. Is this good news or bad news? information? Good news, he wants to see you. Four hundred more are coming with him. Good news or bad news? ah! You are thinking negatively, why are you afraid of four hundred people? You see, Jacob was very smart. He was so afraid of 400 people. So Jacob was very afraid and troubled. So he divided the people who were with him into two groups, the flocks, herds, and camels. Do you know why? What was he thinking about? He is always planning, he is always thinking. He said: If Esau comes and kills this group, the remaining group can still escape. So he is always thinking.
Do you understand Jacob? There's nothing wrong with thinking. But you can see, this guy is upset. He's always scared. He's scared. What do you do when you're scared? What do you do when you're scared? do you know? God has many tools. One of them is your fear. God will use your fear to build character. How? Because you are afraid, you are motivated to pray. Do you know why cancer patients pray? Because they are afraid of death so God uses everything in your life. The only question is can you see the hand of God in your life? Or are you rebelling? Are you at war with God today? Because you can't see God at work because it's all problems, but I'm telling you God uses problems He can use illness, He can use difficult people but He wants to build your character.
Years ago someone shared with me that God cares more Your character not your physical comfort I say it again God will sacrifice your physical comfort for your character I tell you why when you go to heaven the only thing you will take with you is that you, your character body, will be thrown away in the back so if I were you, I would start to discern what God is doing in my heart, in my character because that is God's primary mission He wants to shape your character so that you will become more and more like Him He can To use you for His glory but many of us don't like what God is doing in our lives because we don't like problems we don't like trouble, why? We want our way but God's way is different He wants to break us and humble us. Help us see what's wrong with us.
God used Laban God used time God used Esau so you know when What happens when you're scared? You will pray. Praise God, you will pray. Finally Jacob prayed, and Jacob said: O LORD, the God of my father Abraham, the God of my father Isaac, you said to me: Go back to your own country and your people, and I will treat you well. Please pay attention, he begins to pray if you want to have an encounter with God I suggest that you pray, you need to learn to pray. Notice how he prays, out of gratitude it is his prayer. Come read with me, everyone, about all the love and truth you showed to your servants. I am not worthy at all.
The story of Jacob is the story of God's faithfulness and grace. Really, if you look at the life of Jacob, it is all about God's intervention. faithfulness, but notice what he said. I crossed the Jordan with only my staff, but now I have crossed the Jordan in two companies. You know what Jacob is saying? When I stole my father's blessings by lying the only thing I got was his crutch and now I'm back Jacob found out that all his blessings didn't come from blessings stolen from his father his blessings came from God Ladies and gentlemens, are you starting to see it? Real blessings come from God, not from man, not from your manipulation.
You see, the Bible says that the blessings of the Lord make people rich and He does not add worries. It is God's blessings that truly bring true happiness and do not add sorrow to the world. Blessings bring sadness, I attended a memorial service this week and it was a very unusual memorial service where there were two of the richest families in the Philippines one on one side and the other on the other side, super rich but the truth is this: People regardless No matter how rich you are, sooner or later you will die. The question is this: What is your inheritance? Money, business, prestige is a temporary inheritance for most people, God does not want a temporary inheritance, God's blessings are eternal, it is your choice to bring into eternity, it is up to you whether you want to collaborate and learn. Or go on living your life and keep grabbing, you can keep grabbing your whole life but you will notice when people die notice: you come up empty handed.
What is the topic of today's sermon? Do not grab, but hold fast to God. Look at his prayer: Deliver me out of the hand of my brother Esau. You see, he has been brought to a point of helplessness. Lord, I need you to pray. The Bible tells us that the transformation process is like this: Jacob was left alone, and a man came to wrestle with him until dawn. When the man saw that he could not overcome him, he touched the hollow of his thigh and the hollow of Jacob's thigh while he was wrestling. It's time to twist. First of all, I want you to pay attention to this: To be alone is to meet God. He uses situations. He uses people. He uses pain. He uses disappointments. He uses prayer. But most of all God uses solitude. You need to learn to be alone.
When I met God, before my mother-in-law died, my father-in-law told her: Her name was Kitty Kitty. We have always been together, we traveled together. But this journey you are going to take, I cannot go with you. My mother-in-law is dying, and my father-in-law said : I can't go on this journey with you. The lesson is this: Sooner or later you will have to take life's journey alone to meet the Savior. Before you have learned to be alone with God. Before you have met God personally. You have not met Him. Many of us come here and you enjoy the Sunday service you enjoy the music and you enjoy the testimonies but these are other people's testimonies God wants you to have a personal testimony your personal story of what God has done in your life because you need to experience alone to meet God personally.
That's what happened. Jacob was alone. The focus was on being alone. His family, his children, his wife, they all passed before him. He stayed alone. Why? Because he wanted to spend time with God. The Bible tells us: A man came and wrestled with him until dawn. Do you know how long that was? How many of you know a thing or two about wrestling? Raise your hands. Do you know anything about me? I love judo, I love wrestling, I love karate so be careful when you try to mess with me oh but one thing I can tell you guys in wrestling when someone grabs you you want to get away from that hold you want to get away from You just want to get away from it.
Please note: Who's that guy they've been wrestling with Jacob all night? If you asked me, none other than Jesus, I would tell you why. But Jesus was so gentle to Jacob. He could have easily overcome Jacob. But notice, when it was almost daybreak, he touched the hollow of his thigh. The word touch, listen to me, the word touch comes from a Hebrew word like light touch Have you ever watched Kung Fu Master? One touch and the man went numb Jesus could have defeated James easily, right? But what is He? Touch the strongest muscle, the thigh muscle in the human body. Now it's useless. My friend, the moment your thigh muscle dislocates, you are completely powerless. You can't fight, you can't run. You are hopeless and helpless.
That's what happened to Jacob. God made sure to bring Jacob to a place of complete surrender. Completely helpless because he was so helpless. Notice what happened. He said, "Let me go, because it's almost daybreak". This time it's the other way around. This one who was wrestling said, "Let me go"! But Jacob said: "I won't let you go unless you give me your blessing". Remember in wrestling you just have to walk away. But this time he held the man. I won't let you go. You know why? He found out that the man he was wrestling with was God I want God I won't let you go This is the highlight of Jacob's life I won't let you go unless you bless me This is the right source God is the one Well-wishers, please pay attention to what you answer: What is your name? Why does God associate blessing with this issue? May I have your name? What did Jacob say? My name is... to know the power here.
What's your name? Jacob. In other words, God wanted Jacob to face reality. Who are you? Jacob said I was a liar, I was a grabber. You see, when you see your truth, brokenness comes. Jacob saw his truth. He saw himself. One touch. God touched him. He said: Lord! I need you. I have a friend who is very unloving. He is always angry with other people. He told me a story about how bad his temper was. How God changed him. He said it took me three years after he came to Christ. It takes time to change. I said: What changed you? Someone gave him 1 Corinthians 13 and he began to meditate on 1 Corinthians 13. Love is patient, love is kind, but he couldn't control his temper. He said, The Lord asked me to quickly review his life, and I said: What do you mean by quick review?
The Lord showed me, how I treated my first wife, how I treated my second wife, how I treated my third wife, what do I mean by you? He said, Peter, I ruined them because of my temper. I never saw how terrible I was. But God showed me: I had no patience. I couldn't control my temper. I had no love. When the Lord convicted him, I remember he spent a year and a half just meditating on 1 Corinthians 13: Love is patient. When I lose control of my temper because I have no patience. When I say bad things because I have no kindness, he goes.
To his first wife I met my first wife and after 25 years he said honey, I want to tell you and he started apologizing and the wife said: I wish I could be a better wife you see, this My wife was once destroyed because she had been blaming herself for the divorce. He said, it's not your fault. You are a good wife. It's my fault that you are a good mother. I am a bad person. Can you forgive me? My friend when people are broken they accept responsibility when people are broken they become humbled Jacob is broken: I am a schemer My friend went and apologized to his three wives one by one I want to talk to You share the importance of encountering God. God uses situations to make you aware of the struggles and wrestling you have been wrestling with in Jacob's mind: I'm wrestling with Laban.
I'm wrestling with Esau. I'm wrestling with my father. I'm sorry. God is showing Jacob: All your life, you have been wrestling with me, not with Esau, not with Jacob, not with men. Throughout our lives, we have been wrestling with God and finally surrendered, praise God! The Bible tells us: God said: Your name will no longer be called Jacob, but Israel because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome. Then Jacob asked him, please tell me your name. He said, "Why should you"? Want to ask for my name? And He blessed him. You know why? He clung to the Lord. I've asked my wife to come here and share with you what it means to cling to God. What is the topic of today's sermon? Do not grab but hold fast to God He is blessed He holds fast God. Let us welcome my wife.
Praise God! To hold on to God is to admit your shortcomings, to admit your weakness, to tell God: Lord! I can't do this. I need you, but until you're broken, until you admit your shortcomings, you're not going to follow the Lord. Notice the end of this story. The Bible tells us: Jacob called the name of this place Peniel. Because he said: I saw God face to face, it was Jesus wrestling with Him but my life was still saved God could have easily dealt with Jacob, right? In a wrestling match, but God controls His strength just like you, like me a lot of times God appears to us as if in weakness He is gentle to us, but in His weakness He wants to give you strength in you In your weakness, you will experience His strength. Note: Now the sun rises and passes over Peniel, and his thigh becomes lame.
What happened to Jacob for the rest of his life? Limping, why? In our weakness we experience His power Jacob was never the same My friend, you and I don't like limping But many times, God will allow you to limp throughout your life Do you know why? This is a reminder: Jacob, you can't run away anymore. You can't keep playing tricks on people. You just have to trust me. The Bible tells us that Jacob learned an amazing lesson. You know what God says about himself? God is not ashamed to be called the God of Jacob. You know in the Bible the Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob. God identifies himself as the God of Jacob.
The context of the God of Jacob, such as in Psalm 1. The 46 chapters are all about various problems. God is our refuge, our strength, and our ever-present help in trouble. The God of Jacob is with us in trouble, so we are not afraid. Why? Everyone read: The Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob... The context is He is our refuge and our strength. Notice the last verse. Rest and know that I am God! Why? Many of us are restless, grabbing, plotting, and God is saying: Stop working in vain. Stop, be willing to rest. Know that I am God. Who is this God? He tells us: The Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob… So my friend I don't know your life, I don't know your situation Some of you are restless, you are anxious but God is saying: I am Your refuge but are you willing to be broken?
Brokenness is a process that lasts a lifetime. Have you surrendered everything to the Lord? Jacob said: You alone I will hold on to you I don't know what's going on in your heart Some of you haven't surrendered yet You're still struggling, you're still struggling with God He's asking you for everything you need to commit to you I don't know what else you haven't committed but if there's something you haven't committed today you want to surrender everything you have, just like Jacob, are you willing to live your life with a lame leg from now on? In your weakness, you will experience His power. Are you willing to give your pain, your weakness to the Lord? If you are willing, why don't you stand up? Praise God.
Stand up and I will pray for you and you will commit your all, just like Jacob and you say: "Lord! I'm tired of the fighting. I'm tired of the intrigue. I surrender your whole future. Lord! I Surrender. May You be my strength". Is there anyone else? I know some of you, you're struggling. You feel like you're wrestling with people, the people you love, but you're actually wrestling with God. Why don't you surrender to God today? Let Him fight your battles. Praise God! Is there anyone else? Let God fight your battles. What you need to do is surrender your life to Jesus. Because God became weak on the cross, He died on the cross so that we could experience His power and His love.
Some of you need Come to Jesus because Jesus represents how God became human. How God was willing to make Himself weak so that you and I might become strong through Jesus. Anyone else? This is the most amazing truth about the gospel of Jesus. In His weakness, He becomes our strength. In your weakness, He becomes your strength. Is there anyone else? You are at war with God and you know that God can easily touch you. God can easily get rid of you. But He won't do that. He is patient. Is there anyone else? Praise God!
Father God in heaven! I pray for this group of men and women that they are willing to surrender everything they have, their futures, their struggles, just like Jacob. I pray that you will look upon them as you have been at work in their lives. Working in situations helps us learn to be like Jacob. May we hold on to you and we will hold on to you. Don't have any idols in our lives. It can be people. It can be places. It can be property owners. Whatever it is we will not snatch it we will wait on you we will patiently receive it Lord! I know you want to bless us, but please teach us the right way to receive your blessing. This blessing is you, Lord. You are the ultimate blessing. We want you, Lord! We don't want to use you, manipulate you but we want you for who you are you are the King of kings and Lord of lords the God of the universe our God the God of Jacob thank you thank you for your love and Patience Lord, I ask you to change all of our lives including mine I know this is a day by day process make us into your own image as you sculpt us and transform us we pray in the name of Jesus, amen!