Wrestling From Carnality to Spirituality

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Jacob's wrestling with the Lord Jesus Christ exemplifies the wrestlings in the Christian life. It is certainly "Christ in you, the hope of glory."

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Introduction:

Open your Bibles to Genesis chapter 32.

As you turn there, we will find in this passage of Scripture one of the most unusual occurrences in all of the Bible.

This passage contains an event that is so rich in instruction for you and I

With that introduction, lets read Genesis chapter 32 starting in verse 22 down through 32.

I would like for you to make note of the phrase found in verse 24, “And Jacob was left alone and there wrestled a man with him..”

Jacob was left alone and wrestled with the Son of God.

Let’s Pray

As we look in the Scriptures we find Jacob exemplifies the plight and struggle of the old man (nature) against the new man.

The Bible tells us in Galatians 5:16,17 “17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.”

When we read the life of Jacob we see a gradual progression in His life from carnality to spirituality but then this defining moment.

And as we would be honest in our own Christian lives, we are often found in the same way.

I want us to look this morning at this particular event recorded for us in this chapter 32 and glean from it these steps to victory; Moving from Carnality to Spirituality.

I dare say we need to see many move from living carnal lives to living spiritual lives.

We need to see many walking in the Spirit and not yielding to the flesh.

Before we come to this point in the Scriptures we would need to understand a little bit concerning Jacob’s life.

Jacob was one of two sons born to Isaac and Rebekah.

Jacob at his birth was named ‘heal catcher’ because of the firm grip he had on his brothers heal even from womb.

And we find as he lives out his life, he firmly lives up to this name of supplanter --- trickster ---- or heal catcher.

He is described as a supplanter and quickly maneuvers his older brother Esau out of his birthright.

We then find that he further connives with his mother and deceives his father lying to his Father no less than 3 times to receive His brothers blessing.

These two serious offences land him being sent away under the guise of finding a bride from mother’s brother Laban. But really this was to allow him to get away from his brother, because Esau had vowed to murder Jacob when His father Isaac died according to Genesis 27:41

Jacob further is found on the way to His Mother’s homeland to be so low and dejected as to have to use a pillow of rocks to sleep upon.

It is at this time that God opens his eyes in a vision and Jacob vows to follow after God but only with conditions.

Jacob comes providentially to the house of his Uncle Laban and there begins to be taught of God, about his carnality and trickster ways, As Jacob is deceived multiple times and ends up in a family situation with two wives and two concubines all fighting for Jacobs affection. He is driven from this situation after God gives Him a clear command to return to the promised land, where Jacob realizes he must confront Esau whom he has deceived. In all of this because of His own actions he has lost the opportunity to his mother, 20 years has passed.

Which brings us to this very text.

God has been working in the life of Jacob to bring him to this pinnacle point in his life.

And is here that we see the wrestling from carnality to spirituality.

I want you to note first:

I. The Personal Work of God

The Bible tells us in verse 24, “And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.”

Might I say this, that every one of us need alone time with God.

There is something to be said for personal time seeking the Lord to move forward spiritually.

The Bible tells us that Jacob is found here to be alone.

Earlier in this passage in verses 9-11 we find that Jacob had already prayed and sought the Lord’s face and yet here was his answer to that prayer… a meeting with the Lord.

In these verses we see the personal work of God in a life of an individual.

A. The Man that wrestled with Jacob

This man was no ordinary man.

This was a Christophany; a preincarnate appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ.

For this man is described as both man and God according to verse 24, 28 and 30.

And so it is that only one Person fits that description and that is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ.

So we see not only The man that wrestled with Jacob in the Personal Work of God, but secondly we must make note of:

B. The purpose of the wrestling

Why would God come to wrestle with Jacob?

First, we would have to say because God loves Jacob.

All that come to Lord Jesus Christ, come to Him under the banner of His love.

It is the marvel of all marvels that we come to understand this truth that ‘Jesus loves even me.’

I am so thankful this morning that I can declare without a doubt that God loves me and desires for me to walk uprightly before him.

Might I say this morning also, that God loves you and desire for you Christian to walk uprightly.

There may be someone here this morning that is lost and you do not know the Lord Jesus, You do not know that Heaven is your home and as the Bible declares it plainly your sin has separated you from You God. God desire you to turn to him and receive Salvation from corruption and damnation to come by receiving Jesus Christ as your Savior.

The Bible says in I John 4:19 “19 We love him, because he first loved us.”

So often it is that children see the difficulties they have with their parents, the wrestlings appear to the child or young person to be unloving. But this is far from the case for God loves Jacob. And it is true even this morning that the Lord Jesus Christ loves you and therefore strives with you against your carnal nature.

Your Pastor as the undershepherd of this church in service to the Lord Jesus Christ may preach the Word of God and in that preaching it wrestles with you against your carnality. This is certainly the most loving thing that Pastor could do.

No doubt the work of the Holy Spirit strives with the Carnal Christian but He does so out love for you to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ.

What was the purpose of the wrestling? Certainly because God loves Jacob but:

Secondly, we would have to say because Jacob needed to be broken.

Such are some of us here this morning, there is a need for us to broken before God, To be disarmed of our pride and self sufficiency; those carnal attributes that are contrary to our fellowship with Him.

Jacob was God’s chosen vessel to father the nation of Israel. As such, even His name would be changed in this very event.

As God’s servant, he must have this encounter with God.

You might be thinking why must I be here on this earth, why must i deal with these things, why must I live in this way.

So it is with you and I, that we must be broken by our Savior.

The Lord Jesus Christ must be preeminent in our lives.

When the Lord Jesus Christ was asked what the greatest commandment was that God had given his response was, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” in Matthew 22:37

This is what Jacob needed to be broken by the Lord.

You and I can rejoice this morning concerning this passage because of The Personal work of God in our lives.

The fact that He loves us and will not allow us to stay in the state that we are.

I am reminded of the verse found in Philippians 1:6 which states, “6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”

But notice secondly,

II. The Prominence of Our Pride

It does us well when we look at Jacob to see ourselves.

When we come to this passage we can’t help but notice the stubbornness of Jacob.

It should be understood that at the start of this wrestling that Jacob was not wrestling at the first to receive a blessing but rather was resisting the One who was assaulting Him.

Warren Wiersbe stated this concerning this passage, “The Lord wanted to break Jacob and bring him to the place where he would honestly say, “Not I, but Christ” (Gal. 2:20).”Wiersbe, W. W. (1993). Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the Old Testament (Ge 32). Victor Books.

Jacob’s pride was so prominent that we see he refused to surrender.

We, so many times, are blinded by our own pride and self sufficiency.

As Jacob met the Lord in this way he strove the Bible says, “...until the breaking of the day.”

And I thought, Why is it that we resist the Lord so often and so long?

The Bible tells us to do quite the opposite,

In James 4:7 we are told to, “7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

In James 4:10 we are told to, “10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.”

John the Baptist stated in such a powerfully succinct statement, John 3:30 “30 He must increase, but I must decrease.”

You see you and I must recognize this morning that the battle that ensues in our heart and minds is this matter of carnality versus spirituality has to do with the Prominence of Our Pride.

Are you willing to admit to yourself and before God that your wrestlings have to do with pride?

You see your answer to that question will tell alot about where you are in this struggle from Carnality to Spirituality.

Or will we be found a Jacob, continuing to struggle against the work of God in your life?

We find however the situation is not hopeless for thirdly we see:

III. The Precious and Powerful Touch of God

You might be thinking, how can the dislocation of a hip be so precious!

Example: I am reminded of the many that I have heard of over the years have had hip surgery and have been disabled for a time.

The Bible tells us in verse 25 “And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.”

Jacob is in a tremendous straight on this night. His brother Esau whom he tricked, who last seen had vowed to kill is coming with him 400 fighting men according to Genesis 32:6.

Jacob may have been able to run away from Esau before, but now this would have been impossible.

When the Lord saw that Jacob refused to yield He simply touched His thigh.

I want us to consider the precious and powerful touch of God.

A. The Lord simply touched Jacob.

How do we go through this life and fear not to wrestle against God?

We teach people not to be disobedient to their parents, not to be disobedient to their government, not to be disobedient to the authorities placed above them but yet we do not have any fear to wrestle with Almighty God.

The Lord at any moment could have disabled Jacob, but allowed Him to continue in the struggle teaching Him.

I am reminded of the Apostle Paul’s desire to have a thorn in his flesh removed. An infirmity that hindered him physically and yet he discovered the reason for the weakness for the Lord told Him in II Corinthians 12:9 “..., My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

B. The Lord disabled Jacob.

This is the precious touch of God.

I think about in this instance that song He Touched Me.

Shackled by a heavy burden 'Neath a load of guilt and shame Then the hand of Jesus touched me And now I am no longer the same

He touched, oh, He touched me And oh, the joy that floods my soul Something happened and now I know He touched me and made me whole

How precious it is that God disabled Jacob.

He no longer could wrestle with God, but discovered He could do nothing in that moment but cling to the Lord.

This real disability was used to teach Jacob the truth that without the Lord He could do nothing.

This is the same truth that you and I must come to as well, our complete and utter dependence upon Him if we are to move from carnality to spirituality.

The Lord Jesus Christ taught his disciples this very truth when he stated in John 15:5, “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”

And so, we see not only The powerful touch of God but also the The precious touch of God.

IV. The Promotion in Our Poverty

What change was wrought in the life of Jacob!

When Jacob goes to meet his brother Esau now in humility he bows himself seven times according to Genesis 33:3.

He halts upon a cane instead walking in his own shear strength. (Genesis 32:31)

He now has the name given to him by God the name Israel meaning a prince with God. (Genesis 32:28)

He has prevailed with God in His supplication because God gave him the prevailing strength.

A. The Personal Desire to Be Blessed.

Jacob after being disabled sought a blessing from God.

The Bible says in verse 26 “And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.”

Many would say today I desire to be blessed of God. I desire for Him to pour out his blessings upon me.

And it is true that, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” according to James 1:17

Jacob certainly sought the blessing in the right place, but the question is:

Are you willing to be disabled by Him?

Are you willing to submit yourself in obedience to Him?

Are you willing to see yourself, as Jacob did when the Lord asked Him what his name was?

Are you willing as the Lord stated in Mark 8:34 to deny yourself, take up your cross daily and follow Him?

Are you willing to admit your poverty to Him?

Jacob’s change is signified in the fact that he sought a blessing from God but then also he also received it.

The point was made clear, the object lesson was understood. Jacob needed God’s blessing upon His life.

B. The Purposeful Seeking to Know God

We see not only Jacob’s desire to be blessed, but now also his purposeful seeking to know God.

At the end of all this, Jacobs desire and design is to know God.

Notice in verse 29, “And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.”

One expositor said it this way, “Those who trust in the God of Bethel and providence are looking to Him for what He gives; but the aspirations of the spiritual man are wholly different. At Bethel Jacob said, “If Thou wilt be with me and wilt do me good.” At Jabbok his first thought was, “Tell me Thy name.” He desired to know more of God, not to get more from God. To gain further spiritual experience—this is the thirst of the spiritual man. To make a friend of God for the good that we can get—this is the idea of the merely religious man.” Exell, J. S. (n.d.). The Biblical Illustrator: Genesis (Vol. 2, p. 280). James Nisbet & Co.

Indeed one of the true earmarks of our move from Carnality to Spirituality is not our seeking to see what we can get from God, but rather our desire to know Him.

I pray as we close that you and I can say as Paul the apostle did under inspiration of the Holy Spirit in Philippians 3:9-11,

“And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.”

I wonder if you have this desire this day to move from Carnality to Spirituality...

Understanding the Personal Work of God in our Lives

Perhaps admitting this morning Prominence of Pride in Your Life

Maybe some might come forward this morning desiring the precious and powerful touch of God upon your life

In that maybe some need to be saved… truly God can touch you this morning. You can be saved this day and walk out of here a new man in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Or lastly, like Jacob you have that spiritual thirst to know him.

Let’s Pray

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