The God Of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob -21 - Lame, But Walking

[0:00] Welcome. Thank you for choosing to listen to another faith-building message by Pastor David Entry. Faith comes by hearing and by hearing the Word of God.

[0:12] May your knowledge of Jesus Christ increase as you listen. Be blessed. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Abraham, Isaac and Yaakov.

[0:26] The God of Jacob. We've been talking about Jacob the schemer. Jacob the supplanter. Jacob the intelligent man who has always managed to find his way through his intelligence.

[0:42] And as long as his strength was in place, God could not hold him. But God wanted to take hold of him. So the only way God can grab hold of him was to give him an epineal experience.

[0:59] Where God gives him a mortal blow. God gives him a blow. And the hollow of his thigh was out of joint. That he couldn't walk anymore.

[1:12] Lameness. God gave him lameness. Genesis chapter 32. Verse 24. Okay, verse 24.

[1:23] Then Jacob was left alone and a man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. Now, when he saw that he was not prevailing, he touched the socket of his hip. And the socket of Jacob's hip was out of joint.

[1:36] As he wrestled with him, he said, let me go for the day breaks. But he said, I will not let you go unless you bless me. And he said to him, what is your name? And he said, Jacob.

[1:47] And he said, your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel. You have struggled with God and with men and have prevailed. Very interesting. Very interesting. This is a man who was going to face his enemy.

[2:01] His schemes always worked for him. But he got to a place where it's not about the scheme. Even though at that stage, he still skimmed. Still skimmed.

[2:11] Sent gifts ahead of him to appease his brother. Divided his camp. So that when Esau gets one, one will escape. That guy, his mind was sharp.

[2:23] His intelligence was good. Accurate. God didn't need his intelligence. And so God had to meet him. And Bible says that God wrestled with him. A man wrestled with him at the crossing of Jabok.

[2:37] A man wrestled with him. And when he saw that, he was not prevailing. As I explained, God, some of us, God has been struggling or fighting, wrestling with us on an issue. And God is not prevailing in your life.

[2:49] You see, it's very easy to live the Christian life and amend things in your life. And still bring your personal strength into trying to achieve things for God.

[3:02] It's very easy. There's a way we can still be doing the work of God by engage our physical strength. Engage our, the lodging place of our human strength.

[3:15] And that's why I was teaching on God has to dislodge your natural man. So that comes to a time where you realize that it's not you anymore. Look at verse 29.

[3:26] I want to show you something. Verse 29. Then Jacob asked him, tell me your name, I pray. And he said, why is it that you ask about my name? And he blessed him there.

[3:37] So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel. For I have seen God face to face and my life has been preserved. Just as he crossed over Peniel, the sun rose on him and he limped on his hip.

[3:54] Therefore, watch this. Therefore, to this day, the children of Israel do not eat the muzzle that shrank, which is on the hip socket. Because he touched the socket of Jacob's hip in the muzzle that shrank.

[4:08] Now, when after the encounter, Jacob went on, but now his walking changed. God's plan is to change your walking. After the encounter, he needed a staff.

[4:22] And he leaned on that staff the rest of his life. He couldn't walk normal. You'd be laughing at him. He's lame by walking. That's the title of my message.

[4:33] Lame, but walking. Lame, but walking. It's not so much who you know. What you know.

[4:45] Where you have been. It's not your experience that determines your value. It's your encounters with God. Your encounters. Your encounters.

[4:56] Jacob has had an encounter with God for the rest of his life. Do you know what? He may not realize that his walking had changed. People see him. But Jacob is a different person. Not the way the guy moves.

[5:08] You know, when a man is drunk, sometimes he doesn't know he's drunk. For God to be able to use you the way he wants to eat foolish, he will have to prove to you that his strength is only made perfect in your lameness.

[5:22] 2 Corinthians chapter 12 verse 9. Verse 7 says that because of the abundance of the revelation that was given to me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

[5:37] The turn in my flesh was given to me. A messenger of Satan lest I be exalted above measure. For this reason, for this particular verse 8, it says that I went concerning this thing.

[5:49] I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. Verse 9. And the Lord said to me, My grace is sufficient for you.

[6:00] And my strength is made perfect in weakness. The strength of God. If you want to really see the strength of God, it's in weakness.

[6:13] Not in human strength, but in human weakness. What do I mean by human weakness? Let's define this thing very well. Human weakness, as I've been explaining, Jacob was good at some stuff.

[6:23] How many of you have come to a stage where you realize that nothing seems to be working? In spite of the stuff you've got. Anybody God has ever used them, God is going to use them, God is using check.

[6:36] They have been stripped. They have come to the place where they know that God, I'm useless. Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to the cross I clean. Paul said, All my riches gains, what the things that were gained to me, I count them as dank that I might know Him.

[6:55] God will bring you to a state where you realize that those things that you can normally boast about, that makes you better than others. The things that make you better than others, if God is going to use you, He's going to come after those things.

[7:12] So that you will not be able to say, it is my strength. You always say, this is just by grace. This is by grace. He said, my grace is sufficient for you.

[7:25] So that you can come to a place where you say that, I am what I am. Not by the school I attended. Not by the certificate of God. But by the grace of God.

[7:39] Well formed, well balanced, yet, not marketable. No, sometimes it's not an error.

[7:53] It's God trying to teach you. No, watch this, not everybody. The Bible says that a good father will chastise the ones, the children, he laughs. If God has an assignment for your life, especially those who want to do pastoral work, if you are really cold, God will remove the taste of pleasure from your mouth.

[8:18] The only way the Holy Spirit can use you intensely is when you lose yourself. Some of us are too self-conscious. You are delaying the lifting process.

[8:32] You are delaying it because you are too focused on yourself. God is preparing you. Listen, your time has not passed. But the earlier you yield to God, the better.

[8:44] Because what? His strength, he says that, my strength is made perfect in weakness. He will intentionally supervise your lameness. He will make you lameness.

[8:57] We must learn, not just to leave it in his hands, learn how to embrace his discipline. In the middle of his discipline, he's still saying, God, I'll praise you.

[9:08] You are always God. You are God alone. I will praise you. I will praise you. When you get to a place where you are satisfied with God, it's an emergency.

[9:18] As a man of God. When you get to a place, when you feel, yeah, I'm fine with God. I'm fine. Like the Pharisee went to pray in the temple. Luke chapter 18, verse 11.

[9:31] He said, I'm not like the other one. Yeah, I'm fine. The other one said, Lord, I can't. Bible said, he couldn't even lift up his eyes to look into heaven. But he beat his breast. He said, Lord, I have mercy on you. A sinner.

[9:42] Bible said, that man left justified because he knew he was incapable. When you come to church, please don't enter with your house. Never enter a service with your car.

[9:55] Never enter a service with your certificate. Never enter a service with your bank account. Never. God will discipline you in a way that you may never recover.

[10:08] Jacob never recovered from his normal way of working. Lamed. But in his lameness, guess what? This is very interesting. God was wrestling with him and God was not prevailing.

[10:22] After God gave him a mortar blow, do you know what God said? He said, for you have, what's your name? Jacob. He said, for you have wrestled with God a man and you have prevailed. You don't prevail until you become lame in God's hands.

[10:38] Something has gone. The screaming is too much. You're afraid. You're afraid of God. It's too much. Don't worry. Just keep your focus on him. He said, whenever I'm afraid, I'll trust in you.

[10:50] Some of us, your job situation, your marital situation, is part of the things you have going for you. The things that are not working for you is good for you.

[11:03] Let me run this down. So lameness, but you work. Don't be afraid of the lameness. If God gave it to you, make you become your legs. The reason why he knocked your leg out so that he can be your legs is so that he can be your legs.

[11:21] Let me show you. And then this guy asked God. God said, he said, bless me. I need you to bless me. How many of you want to be blessed? I realized that anyone who desires the blessing tends to get a blessing.

[11:34] I discovered that. Jacob from his infancy, in spite of his works, his bad character and other things, he has always targeted the blessing. And he said, God said, the blessing you target, the blessing you will get.

[11:46] It doesn't matter how much, how your schemes to get it. He was determined that I'll be blessed. Listen, don't never trade your desire for the blessing for anything. If you have a desire for the blessing of God, go all out for it.

[11:59] Don't let anybody talk you out of church. I want to be part of the prayer statistics. Sunday morning, get up, come to church.

[12:11] Sunday morning, don't stay at home. Don't stay at home and I'm fine, I'm fine. I'm polishing my house. You. And God, God, Bible says that God is slow to anger.

[12:25] That means that one day he will. I just, I don't know when he's going to come very slow. I don't know who I'm talking to, but I know you are here. God is slow to anger.

[12:38] Am I talking to somebody? Now, when Jacob now said, bless me, he said, what is your name? He said, my name is Jacob. He said, you shall not be allowed to be called Jacob, but you can be called Israel. Let's go with verse 28 again.

[12:50] Let me show you something. Jesus chapter 28. Thank you, Jesus. Someone say, thank you, Jesus. Let those who laugh at you, laugh. Because it's not a problem.

[13:00] God is preparing you for greatness. So he said, what's your, verse 27, what's your name? He said, my name is, what's your name? So he said to him, what's your name?

[13:11] And he said, Jacob. Verse 28. And he said, your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel. For you have struggled with God and with men and have prevailed. Say, I prevail. I prevail. After the knocking of your hip, after the dislodging of your natural man, God say, you have now prevailed.

[13:31] Look at this. Look at this. Verse 29. Then Jacob asked him, tell me your name, I pray. And he said, what, what is it that you ask about my name?

[13:43] And he blessed him there. He didn't tell him his name. If you wait for an experience, I want it like this. I want it. God doesn't peg. He's dealing with you on an experience.

[13:55] Jacob said, I want to name it. But God said, no, I can't give it, this experience a name. I can't give it, I can't peg the way I deal with people on this. I have the way to dislocate you, to dislocate your hip.

[14:08] I know how I will do it. So what we have to be asking is God, what do you want me to do? Instead of, tell me your name. God never told him his name. God never told him that, this is it, this is it, this is the experience that changed you.

[14:21] There are times, something, you know, when you become lame, sometimes if you don't even realize, you probably notice that you have changed. Now, when you become born again, your taste will change. You'll go back to that same boyfriend and, it's not for me.

[14:38] You go back to that same nightclub and, you're wondering, what am I doing here? I don't belong here. Those are the effects of being born again, but, that's not the mortal blow.

[14:52] The mortal blow is things that you can be in church, you are on fire, you can even be the latest powerful preacher in town. And yet, your natural strength is still in place.

[15:05] Those are the things that actually God takes kind of time to dislocate, He will dislodge. The reason is that so you can know that my sufficiency is of God.

[15:17] You can know that it is God that makes me. Psalm 100, verse 4, it says that we are the sheep of His pasture. He's He that made us and not we ourselves.

[15:29] God is making somebody. Amen. Sometimes when you're pushing God and desire something, desire something, desire something, desire something, maybe something that you think should bring you happiness. Increase in your pay rise, good job, house, this, married, husband, wife, babies, and you push and push and push and push and push and push and push and push.

[15:51] As you push and push and push and push and things are not working, God is trying to get your attention that start looking up to Him and not to your strength. Am I communicating to somebody?

[16:03] Start looking up to God because God needs your undivided attention. He wants someone to say, Lord, I surrender all. All.

[16:15] Not half of it. Not part of it. Sometimes he will intentionally allow that nice man with eight pack and you are the most viable candidate who will allow him to pass you by and he say, hello, and he say, hello, he say, no, not you, the other one.

[16:38] Let's learn how to let God take over. You are depending on your, too much on your strength. If this man was struggling to get a job until God tells you the story, then you must know that, you see, those who depend on physical things don't have a future.

[16:57] You must learn to look up to God. I'm happy. Your father was a minister of state and still you don't have a job. You see, when you are doing, you tell me I will get a job when I film and my dad knows everybody.

[17:09] Now look at you. I'm happy for you because it will help you to know that whatever I am, it takes the grace of God. That is the God of Jacob.

[17:23] He will give you a mortal blow to dislodge the natural strength so that he can be your strength. He said, my strength is made perfect in weakness. I am here to announce to somebody that God is changing your story.

[17:36] It doesn't take, sometimes, it doesn't take too much of the screaming in the prayer, though it makes a difference, the violence shall take it by four, but it takes just a bit of faith. Jesus said in Matthew chapter 17 verse 20, if you have a faith, as little as a master's seat, that's all.

[17:54] Not your strength. Some of us, our strength is in our ability to dance. So, we are praising God. All the jumping, you know, you are just displaying your ability to dance.

[18:06] You can be leading praise and worship and just displaying your physical skills. You are happy. I'm moving the crowd. You are not moving the crowd. You are impressing people.

[18:19] But when you are, you step out of the way. Holy Spirit never takes over until the one he uses doesn't want him to be, doesn't want to be seen. He has never responded to people's quest for popularity.

[18:33] Holy Spirit never comes to make anybody popular. He never comes to make anybody famous. He only comes to reveal Jesus. So, the more you don't want to be seen, the more he feels comfortable wanting to manifest through you.

[18:47] So, all I'm saying is God wants you to be healed because definitely he will make you cripple. He will disengage something in you. Paul said, an Israelite of Israelites, a Hebrew of Hebrews, a Pharisee.

[19:03] When you talk about Pharisees, I am, without, without sports, Philippians chapter 3, proper Pharisee. When it comes to the law of God, perfect, just fulfilling it.

[19:13] whatever, whatsoever was anything to me, I count down that I may know him. I pray that may the Holy Spirit help us to all come to that state where we are willing to say, let Holy Spirit have your way.

[19:26] I prophesy over your life that God gives you the grace to be able to surrender all. May you receive the grace to be able to surrender all. Thank you for listening.

[19:40] To hear more from David Entry, follow him on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Why don't you subscribe to our YouTube channel at Karish Church and subscribe to our podcast so you are always up to date.

[19:55] Be blessed. To ArHuh thefront.

[20:05] … To be baptized… … … … … … … … … … …