Jacob Week 2
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1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
Today we are going to talk about Jacob. There is a lot about Jacob in the Bible. We could look at his life for a while.
When Your Life isn’t turning out the way you hoped...
When Your Life isn’t turning out the way you hoped...
Tell story of Jacob
Jacob was manipulating his life from birth literally.
Hw reached out and grabbed his twin brother’s heel to try and pull him back in so he could be born first.
Jacob had a lot of encounters with God throughout his life.
He tricked his brother into trading his birthright for some food.
He worked for his wife and his father in law tricked him. Jacob manipulated his father in law fro crops.
He ends up in a crisis.
You can go though it and learn or you can learn from these and not have to go through it.
If Jacob could tell you from his life what you need to do is ...
Let God have control of your life.
Let God have control of your life.
Turn your life over to the Lord. Christians are guilty of doing this too. They go to church, but tell God I love you but I’m not giving you my future, my career, my money, my relationships… they like the fire insurance part of Christianity. You are afraid it won’t work out, but when we do this, it will lead to a crisis. God doesn’t cause them, but he will allow times of testing.
Some of us are going through times of testing right now because we are too stubborn to give God control of our life.
“You will never know God is all you need until He is all you have.” Mother Teresa
“You will never know God is all you need until He is all you have.” Mother Teresa
You don’t have to get to this point… these stories are in the bible for us to learn from them. We don’t have to go through the hard times ourselves if we will learn. We need to give God control of our lives.
Jacob eventually gives God control of his life. He met God face to face.
When God is in control, You’ll get new strength.
When God is in control, You’ll get new strength.
You don’t have to rely on you supporting you. You don’t have to build your life yourself. Give him control.
This is the only place you will ever find happiness… when you give him control.
Some of you are wrestling with God.
24 This left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled with him until the dawn began to break. 25 When the man saw that he would not win the match, he touched Jacob’s hip and wrenched it out of its socket.
If you are trying to be self reliant, it will wear you out. Many of you came to church exhausted from fighting. Look at what Jesus said....
28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Yoke - two pieces of wood to tie two animals together to work together. The other meaning is a well managed custom fit yoke. It would perfectly if the animal.
Some of you are living a life that does not fit you. It’s a life that you built yourself. God will give you a life that although you are still working, you don’t get tired.
They will mount up with wings like eagles. Eagles glide … they don’t flap their wings to fly, they glide. They catch a thermal updraft so they fly effortless. They fly effortlessly unlike other birds that fly under their own power… they flap like crazy.
When God is in control, You’ll get a new identity.
When God is in control, You’ll get a new identity.
27 “What is your name?” the man asked. He replied, “Jacob.” 28 “Your name will no longer be Jacob,” the man told him. “From now on you will be called Israel, because you have fought with God and with men and have won.”
God doesn’t see actualities, He sees possibilities.
God doesn’t see actualities, He sees possibilities.
42 And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter).
When God is in control, You’ll have a new joy.
When God is in control, You’ll have a new joy.
29 “Please tell me your name,” Jacob said. “Why do you want to know my name?” the man replied. Then he blessed Jacob there.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Jacob’s Words of Encouragement
Jacob’s Words of Encouragement
1. Brokenness precedes breakthrough.
1. Brokenness precedes breakthrough.
We cannot be who God intends us to be and at the same time hold on to what we think we should be.
We cannot be who God intends us to be and at the same time hold on to what we think we should be.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
5 Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.
2. You must lose yourself to find yourself.
2. You must lose yourself to find yourself.
34 Calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how.
35 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.
Don’t allow what you think you want to get in the way of who God made you to be.
Don’t allow what you think you want to get in the way of who God made you to be.
3. When you find yourself on God’s terms, you find fulfillment.
3. When you find yourself on God’s terms, you find fulfillment.
1 So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. 2 Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
You’ll never know what your life could become until you hand it over to One who created it.
You’ll never know what your life could become until you hand it over to One who created it.