WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:12.200 Great. Good morning, everyone. That's good. It's been a hard week for me. A very sad night 00:00:12.200 --> 00:00:20.660 last night. We're talking about being broken and blessed today, so I feel like a broken 00:00:20.660 --> 00:00:32.039 man this morning. Let me just pray for us, actually, before we start. Father, we want 00:00:32.039 --> 00:00:37.219 your word not to just go in our ears and out the other ear, but we want it to go in our 00:00:37.219 --> 00:00:42.900 ears and down into our hearts and to change and transform our lives. So I pray that you 00:00:42.900 --> 00:00:47.179 would do that this morning. Take my words. Lord, remove anything that's not from you, 00:00:47.179 --> 00:00:53.100 but, Lord, bring your power into our hearts so that we would actually see you this morning. 00:00:54.299 --> 00:01:00.100 Let us encounter you, I pray, through your word. In Jesus' name. Amen. 00:01:02.019 --> 00:01:10.960 I don't know how many of you come from a dysfunctional family. In fact, I do. All of us come from 00:01:10.960 --> 00:01:16.840 dysfunctional families. It doesn't matter how good your parents were, how amazing your siblings 00:01:16.840 --> 00:01:25.640 were. There is something about family life that sin enters into it in different ways and causes 00:01:25.640 --> 00:01:33.060 different levels of dysfunction. Sometimes brothers don't get on because of money. Sometimes parents 00:01:33.060 --> 00:01:38.480 and children are distant because they never knew how to show affection. And we're going to look at a 00:01:38.480 --> 00:01:46.719 story today which is very much about family dynamics. But the whole of the Bible story can be told in 00:01:46.719 --> 00:01:53.039 this idea of a family relationship with God as the head of the family and us as his children 00:01:53.039 --> 00:02:00.299 together, supposed to be living under his wise, loving, gracious counsel, provision, and rule. 00:02:01.359 --> 00:02:07.200 And yet sin comes in and brings dysfunction. So Adam and Eve, they start fighting each other. They blame 00:02:07.200 --> 00:02:12.939 each other. They start having a go at each other in different ways. And the cycle just kind of continues 00:02:12.939 --> 00:02:19.719 throughout generation and generation and generation. And what happens is the Bible story shows we're like 00:02:19.719 --> 00:02:27.500 the Thai boys who have an amazing story just this week. But we wander into caves of our own selfishness, 00:02:28.079 --> 00:02:35.120 doing our own thing, and we get trapped in sin. And no matter how strong we think we are, 00:02:35.479 --> 00:02:39.860 no matter how great a leader we think we are, we could have Abraham, we could have Jacob, 00:02:39.860 --> 00:02:44.680 we could have David, we could have Solomon. It doesn't matter where you go through the whole story, 00:02:45.080 --> 00:02:52.900 not one leader, not one person is able to swim out against the tide of God's anger and judgment at 00:02:52.900 --> 00:02:59.520 our sin. And instead, the Old Testament story leaves us like those boys trapped in a cave, 00:03:00.300 --> 00:03:07.720 scared and waiting for rescue to come. Who is going to rescue us? That is the question the whole of the 00:03:07.719 --> 00:03:13.780 Old Testament is leading towards. And the New Testament comes with the answer and it says, 00:03:14.000 --> 00:03:20.419 the diver who comes to carry us out is Christ. That's the one who's going to rescue us. 00:03:21.240 --> 00:03:25.919 And so we're going through this series looking at Christ in the Old Testament because we want us 00:03:25.919 --> 00:03:32.620 to see that the Bible is one big story. Some of us kind of, we camp out, we read the New Testament, 00:03:32.620 --> 00:03:37.900 it's like the Old Testament seems like scary, angry God. New Testament seems like lovey-dovey God. 00:03:38.180 --> 00:03:44.980 But actually, the whole of the Bible is actually saying, God, the Old Testament is providing signposts 00:03:44.980 --> 00:03:52.099 to show you and to reveal you who this rescuer, who Christ truly is. And so that's what we're doing 00:03:52.099 --> 00:03:59.379 in this series. And last week, we looked at Abraham and showed how Abraham prayed for a righteous 00:03:59.379 --> 00:04:06.019 one to come, pointing us to see that only Jesus Christ was the only one who is righteous and who 00:04:06.019 --> 00:04:12.479 could make us righteous. And so today, we're going to look at what I think is an amazing story in the 00:04:12.479 --> 00:04:18.740 life of Jacob, who is Abraham's grandson. Okay? And what I'm going to do is I'm going to tell the story 00:04:18.740 --> 00:04:23.480 and just walk us through it and give a bit of background to Jacob's life. And then I'm going to 00:04:23.480 --> 00:04:28.439 go through just three points, which I think the story shows us. Okay? You with us? 00:04:29.379 --> 00:04:40.379 Good. One person. That's great. Let's go. So Jacob's story. It's nighttime. And Jacob has just told 00:04:40.379 --> 00:04:48.300 his family and everything he owns to go over a river ahead of him because his brother Esau is coming. 00:04:49.959 --> 00:04:58.579 And Jacob stays on this bank of the river alone. It's pitch black. And running through his mind 00:04:58.579 --> 00:05:06.399 are the events of his life. From the moment he was born, he's been fighting, competing, trying to get 00:05:06.399 --> 00:05:14.120 ahead in life. In fact, when his mom gave birth, he was grabbing onto the heel of his older twin brother, 00:05:14.240 --> 00:05:23.099 Esau. His father doted and loved Esau, the older brother, more than him. And he craved to be noticed by 00:05:23.100 --> 00:05:32.280 his father. Jacob just wanted to hear his father say, I love you. But he never did. And like a streetwise 00:05:32.280 --> 00:05:39.700 kid, he learned how to hustle and cheat his way through life to survive. To get ahead, he cheats his 00:05:39.700 --> 00:05:48.300 brother Esau out of two things. Out of his birthright, that is the right of an older son to inherit all the 00:05:48.300 --> 00:05:55.879 father's possessions. And he also cheats him out of his blessing, which is basically he dresses up, 00:05:56.020 --> 00:06:04.580 pretends to be Esau, tricks his father, his blind father to bless him instead of Esau. And how do you 00:06:04.580 --> 00:06:11.699 think Esau feels about this? He's not happy. In fact, he's so furious, he threatens, he wants to kill him. 00:06:11.699 --> 00:06:20.819 And he even says, isn't, he's deceived me, this Jacob. Isn't he rightfully called Jacob? That's what he says. 00:06:21.319 --> 00:06:29.060 Which actually means, the word Jacob means, he grabs the heel, he cheats, he deceives. That's what his name meant. 00:06:30.360 --> 00:06:37.120 And so the story continues. Jacob runs off for his life, goes to his uncle, sees a beautiful daughter there 00:06:37.120 --> 00:06:44.519 called Rachel, wants to marry her. But he gets tricked into working for her for 14 years to get her. 00:06:45.480 --> 00:06:51.920 But Jacob is smart. He's a smart guy. And what he basically does, he cheats his uncle out of his 00:06:51.920 --> 00:06:59.319 best possessions, his cattle and sheep, and he runs away again. You know, in Hong Kong, we would think 00:06:59.319 --> 00:07:05.340 Jacob, like Jacob would get serious street cred, because he knows how to get ahead. He gets respect, 00:07:05.339 --> 00:07:08.899 because he can get wealth whichever way he wants to. 00:07:10.899 --> 00:07:17.219 But with all the physical blessing he has, all the wealth, the women, beautiful wife, kids, 00:07:17.859 --> 00:07:22.899 Jacob's missing something. He's had 20 years of a broken family. 00:07:23.859 --> 00:07:28.019 Parents who haven't seen him, a brother who hates him and wants him dead. 00:07:28.699 --> 00:07:35.179 And he sends a message to Esau saying, hey, let's forget about the past. Let's kind of, let's just kind of meet up again. 00:07:35.339 --> 00:07:44.719 And then he hears, Esau is coming with 400 men. Does that sound like good news to you? 00:07:45.379 --> 00:07:51.620 That's like saying, Esau's coming with four tanks and machine guns. And Jacob is terrified. 00:07:53.120 --> 00:07:57.599 And so he goes into the only mode he knows, which is kind of this hustle mode, okay? 00:07:57.600 --> 00:08:01.220 And he hopes to try and buy him off with providing lots of gifts for him. 00:08:01.400 --> 00:08:06.480 So the time he comes, he's not going to be so angry, because he's so many gifts that he doesn't know what to do with them. 00:08:08.160 --> 00:08:10.840 And for the first time in the story, Jacob prays. 00:08:11.439 --> 00:08:17.439 And then he sends his family off ahead of him, knowing this could be his last night. 00:08:17.439 --> 00:08:21.439 And that's where the story we read picks up. 00:08:22.439 --> 00:08:29.339 He could lose everything he has cheated and hustled for all of his life, including his own life. 00:08:30.060 --> 00:08:36.700 And then suddenly, out of the blue, he gets knocked to the ground, into the dust of the ground, 00:08:36.879 --> 00:08:41.500 by a man who starts wrestling with him, like WWE style. 00:08:41.500 --> 00:08:44.539 It's pitch black. 00:08:44.679 --> 00:08:46.539 He can't see who this guy is. 00:08:47.340 --> 00:08:48.080 Is it Esau? 00:08:48.200 --> 00:08:49.220 Come to get revenge? 00:08:49.820 --> 00:08:51.279 This guy's strong. 00:08:52.159 --> 00:08:54.240 And they're wrestling on the ground. 00:08:54.740 --> 00:08:56.659 But Jacob is also strong. 00:08:57.539 --> 00:09:00.379 And they wrestle all night. 00:09:01.460 --> 00:09:04.159 Have you ever seen two people wrestling, like two kids wrestling? 00:09:04.299 --> 00:09:06.440 Like, after ten minutes, they're just exhausted. 00:09:07.360 --> 00:09:07.600 Right? 00:09:07.600 --> 00:09:07.639 Right? 00:09:08.080 --> 00:09:13.360 So for the wrestle all night, just think how much determination, just think how much strength 00:09:13.360 --> 00:09:14.420 you've got to have to do that. 00:09:16.300 --> 00:09:22.659 And then it says this, when the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched 00:09:22.659 --> 00:09:28.920 his hip socket, and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. 00:09:30.240 --> 00:09:33.120 Do you know how much force it takes to dislocate a hip? 00:09:33.120 --> 00:09:37.980 Now, I'm not a doctor, but I looked up on Wikipedia, which is very reliable. 00:09:38.879 --> 00:09:45.980 And it said, okay, I'm just quoting, it said, hip dislocations are typically due to a significant 00:09:45.980 --> 00:09:49.799 trauma, such as a car collision or a fall from height. 00:09:50.840 --> 00:09:54.679 But this man dislocates his hip with just a touch. 00:09:55.980 --> 00:10:00.440 Do you see how powerful this man is? 00:10:01.159 --> 00:10:02.700 How strong he is? 00:10:04.080 --> 00:10:06.139 And it, but it's kind of weird. 00:10:06.299 --> 00:10:10.000 Why does he wake all night wrestling with him? 00:10:10.200 --> 00:10:13.039 He could have done that right at the beginning and saved a whole lot of time. 00:10:14.120 --> 00:10:15.060 But he doesn't. 00:10:16.240 --> 00:10:21.639 And actually, it gets even weirder, because then the guy who's got the advantage now says, 00:10:21.960 --> 00:10:24.919 let me go, for the day is broken. 00:10:25.879 --> 00:10:27.519 And you go, but I thought you were winning. 00:10:29.259 --> 00:10:30.919 There's something going on in this story. 00:10:30.919 --> 00:10:33.459 And then Jacob says, this is even weirder. 00:10:33.719 --> 00:10:36.699 He goes, I will not let you go unless you bless me. 00:10:37.799 --> 00:10:40.399 The guy has just smashed your hip. 00:10:41.039 --> 00:10:42.360 He's just been wrestling. 00:10:42.500 --> 00:10:43.159 That's agony. 00:10:43.259 --> 00:10:44.219 You've just exhausted. 00:10:44.679 --> 00:10:46.500 And the guy wants to let you go. 00:10:46.659 --> 00:10:47.559 And you won't. 00:10:47.559 --> 00:10:49.579 And instead, you're asking him to bless you. 00:10:51.279 --> 00:10:53.299 Do you see there's something going on in this story? 00:10:53.739 --> 00:10:59.399 Because somewhere in the wrestling, Jacob realizes he's not wrestling with an ordinary man. 00:10:59.399 --> 00:11:03.120 He's wrestling with God himself. 00:11:03.120 --> 00:11:07.720 Because this is God himself. 00:11:08.840 --> 00:11:15.440 God is seeking to protect Jacob from seeing his face with the dawn coming. 00:11:15.679 --> 00:11:18.360 Because you can die if you see God's face. 00:11:19.960 --> 00:11:22.419 But Jacob is stripped of everything. 00:11:22.560 --> 00:11:23.179 He's alone. 00:11:23.460 --> 00:11:24.500 And he's desperate. 00:11:24.500 --> 00:11:29.700 And he realizes God is the only place I can run to for blessing. 00:11:30.820 --> 00:11:34.200 And he says, I'll not let you go unless you bless me. 00:11:34.320 --> 00:11:35.879 I'm willing to be broken more. 00:11:36.120 --> 00:11:40.620 I'm willing even to die to find the blessing that I've been looking all my life for. 00:11:43.480 --> 00:11:46.320 Now, what is he asking for when he's asking for blessing? 00:11:47.440 --> 00:11:54.259 You know, when we ask for blessing, we're asking for what we think will make us happy and fulfilled and live a flourishing life. 00:11:54.559 --> 00:11:56.500 That's what we're asking for, right? 00:11:58.580 --> 00:12:11.139 And Jacob had spent all his life looking for that blessing in his father's approval, in women, in wealth, in family, in intelligence, his own smarts. 00:12:11.980 --> 00:12:13.879 But now he's at the end of himself. 00:12:15.019 --> 00:12:19.639 And he's looking to the only true source of blessing, which is God himself. 00:12:22.000 --> 00:12:24.100 And it's interesting, as the story goes on. 00:12:24.100 --> 00:12:26.659 God doesn't say, okay, I'll bless you. 00:12:27.019 --> 00:12:28.720 I'll make your life work great. 00:12:29.500 --> 00:12:32.980 Promotion, new Lamborghini, kids all in the best universities. 00:12:33.220 --> 00:12:34.080 He doesn't say that. 00:12:35.779 --> 00:12:37.800 God asks him a question. 00:12:38.820 --> 00:12:41.519 He says, what's your name? 00:12:42.800 --> 00:12:47.120 And that's kind of nice after a whole night's wrestling to just kind of, hey, and by the way, what's your name? 00:12:47.120 --> 00:12:52.519 But, you know, when God asks you a question, he's never asking for information. 00:12:53.840 --> 00:12:56.940 What he's doing, he's exposing and revealing your heart. 00:12:58.220 --> 00:13:02.740 Do you know, like, when God asks Adam in the Garden of Eden, where are you? 00:13:02.740 --> 00:13:05.340 It's not because he couldn't find him. 00:13:05.919 --> 00:13:07.700 It wasn't a game of hide and seek. 00:13:08.180 --> 00:13:16.980 It's because when he asked, he wanted to open Adam's eyes to see the reality of his own sin and his own situation. 00:13:17.399 --> 00:13:18.940 That's why God asks the question. 00:13:18.940 --> 00:13:22.560 And when God asks Jacob, what's your name? 00:13:23.460 --> 00:13:25.600 It's a very personal question. 00:13:26.920 --> 00:13:30.560 Because in Hebrew thought, your name is your character. 00:13:31.000 --> 00:13:32.520 It's who you really are. 00:13:34.420 --> 00:13:36.860 And so what he's doing, he's exposing his heart. 00:13:37.400 --> 00:13:40.200 And Jacob's reply is actually his confession. 00:13:40.720 --> 00:13:42.680 He says, my name is Jacob. 00:13:43.940 --> 00:13:45.220 What does Jacob mean? 00:13:45.220 --> 00:13:49.180 It means he grabs the heel. 00:13:49.320 --> 00:13:50.000 He cheats. 00:13:50.259 --> 00:13:52.800 He'll do anything he can to get his own way in life. 00:13:53.700 --> 00:13:54.779 You see what he's doing? 00:13:56.420 --> 00:14:00.519 You know, I remember watching the confession of a New Zealand cricketer. 00:14:01.060 --> 00:14:02.320 Now, Bernard's not here today. 00:14:02.920 --> 00:14:09.180 But there was a guy who'd been caught match fixing, which is basically receiving money to lose matches. 00:14:11.100 --> 00:14:15.180 And he posted a video after being caught of his confession. 00:14:15.920 --> 00:14:17.100 And you can go and Google it. 00:14:17.160 --> 00:14:18.540 It's an extraordinary confession. 00:14:19.040 --> 00:14:20.100 This is how he started. 00:14:20.899 --> 00:14:25.500 He started, my name is Lou Vincent, and I am a cheat. 00:14:26.899 --> 00:14:28.000 That's how it starts. 00:14:29.240 --> 00:14:35.879 Now, how many of us, if we tell a lie to our family member or a friend and we get exposed, 00:14:36.240 --> 00:14:38.360 do we go, yeah, I'm sorry I lied. 00:14:38.480 --> 00:14:39.620 It's because I'm a liar. 00:14:40.120 --> 00:14:40.899 How many of you say that? 00:14:41.879 --> 00:14:45.299 Don't we normally go, no, I'm sorry, I was only exaggerating. 00:14:46.259 --> 00:14:48.879 No, I'm sorry, I didn't mean you to take it like that. 00:14:49.519 --> 00:14:50.399 Isn't that what we do? 00:14:51.500 --> 00:14:54.819 But what happens here is that is not biblical confession. 00:14:55.039 --> 00:14:56.840 Jacob is actually confessing. 00:14:56.840 --> 00:15:02.940 He's facing up to the painful reality of who he is and what his behavior shows him about him. 00:15:03.340 --> 00:15:05.440 He says, my name's Jacob and I'm a cheat. 00:15:07.139 --> 00:15:14.019 I'm dysfunctional, just like my father and my father and his father and his father, all the way back to Adam. 00:15:14.019 --> 00:15:20.360 Just like you and me, all the way back, my father, his father, his father. 00:15:22.340 --> 00:15:27.899 And biblical confession, when you encounter God, is not just saying sorry. 00:15:27.899 --> 00:15:38.000 It's recognizing what your sin reveals about who you really are and owning it and saying, my name's Chris and I'm a liar. 00:15:40.319 --> 00:15:41.459 Painful, to be honest. 00:15:41.460 --> 00:15:50.100 And you will never encounter, truly encounter God until he exposes you with that question. 00:15:50.240 --> 00:15:50.980 What's your name? 00:15:54.960 --> 00:15:57.360 But do you see how God replies to that confession? 00:15:58.100 --> 00:15:59.040 And I love this bit. 00:16:00.019 --> 00:16:07.500 He doesn't say to Jacob's confession, finally, you've seen what I've been trying to tell you all along. 00:16:08.440 --> 00:16:09.220 He doesn't say that. 00:16:09.220 --> 00:16:16.300 He says, your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel. 00:16:17.019 --> 00:16:21.019 For you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed. 00:16:22.360 --> 00:16:23.840 Now, do you see what he's just done? 00:16:24.200 --> 00:16:26.620 He said, Jacob is who you were. 00:16:27.920 --> 00:16:35.180 But because you've confessed and been real about who you are before me, that's no longer who you are. 00:16:35.639 --> 00:16:37.240 I give you a new identity. 00:16:37.240 --> 00:16:38.700 I give you a new name. 00:16:39.220 --> 00:16:40.700 You are now Israel. 00:16:42.460 --> 00:16:54.519 All you have been, all the dysfunction of your family, all of your own decisions which were so self-centered, all the ambition that you had for yourself, all the craving you had for love and blessing in your life, 00:16:55.519 --> 00:17:00.160 no longer defines you, no longer binds you, no longer holds you. 00:17:00.159 --> 00:17:01.159 You're a new person. 00:17:01.159 --> 00:17:04.159 You're a new person. 00:17:06.839 --> 00:17:10.139 You know, there's a guy called Chuck Colson, Charles Colson. 00:17:10.980 --> 00:17:15.339 He was one of the most brilliant political strategists in the 1970s. 00:17:15.339 --> 00:17:20.079 In fact, it was he who got the American president, President Nixon, elected. 00:17:21.119 --> 00:17:25.079 And he had this reputation for being a dirty tricks artist. 00:17:26.639 --> 00:17:33.899 He built lists of political opponents just to be able to discredit them and find ways to break them down. 00:17:33.900 --> 00:17:44.080 But he got arrested for his involvement with the Watergate scandal, if any of you remember that or know what that is, which actually brought down the president. 00:17:44.079 --> 00:17:51.939 And during this time where he was in such turmoil, where he had been exposed, he met God. 00:17:51.940 --> 00:18:00.400 And at his trial, he acted against all the advice of everyone who he'd ever associated with. 00:18:00.799 --> 00:18:04.640 And he pleaded guilty to the obstruction of justice. 00:18:05.160 --> 00:18:06.100 And this is what he said. 00:18:07.240 --> 00:18:15.080 He said, pleading guilty was a price I had to pay to complete the shedding of my old life and to be free to live the new. 00:18:16.960 --> 00:18:18.200 Do you see what he's doing there? 00:18:18.200 --> 00:18:21.140 He's owning up to his sin, whatever the cost. 00:18:21.819 --> 00:18:28.000 But in that so doing, he is able to receive the new identity that God had for him. 00:18:28.240 --> 00:18:30.500 That is what is going on with Jacob here. 00:18:31.019 --> 00:18:34.900 In fact, Chuck Colson became one of the leading activists for prison reform. 00:18:35.380 --> 00:18:37.380 Thousands became Christians through him. 00:18:38.160 --> 00:18:40.600 But that was a defining moment for him. 00:18:40.840 --> 00:18:43.779 And this is a defining moment for Jacob. 00:18:44.840 --> 00:18:47.440 Confession and repentance leads to freedom. 00:18:49.160 --> 00:18:50.880 And the story just continues. 00:18:52.000 --> 00:18:53.759 Jacob asked God for his name. 00:18:54.580 --> 00:18:56.580 He thought, well, you ask mine, I'll ask yours. 00:18:57.880 --> 00:19:01.480 But he knows you can't dictate terms with God. 00:19:02.819 --> 00:19:04.120 And God doesn't tell him his name. 00:19:05.000 --> 00:19:06.299 But he blesses him. 00:19:06.299 --> 00:19:13.960 And this was the first blessing Jacob had ever received in his life, which he didn't have to cheat for. 00:19:14.240 --> 00:19:15.500 He didn't have to deceive. 00:19:15.960 --> 00:19:19.039 He didn't have to try and manipulate to get what he wanted. 00:19:19.039 --> 00:19:21.920 It was a pure gift of grace. 00:19:22.920 --> 00:19:24.440 Because he had met with God. 00:19:26.579 --> 00:19:30.460 And he calls the name of the place where he encounters God, Peniel. 00:19:31.000 --> 00:19:32.740 Which means the face of God. 00:19:32.879 --> 00:19:34.619 Or the presence of God. 00:19:34.619 --> 00:19:39.599 And as the sun rises, Jacob has met with God. 00:19:39.599 --> 00:19:46.819 And he crosses over the river to meet his family, Esau, with a new name. 00:19:47.719 --> 00:19:49.819 But he's walking with a limp. 00:19:49.819 --> 00:19:52.799 That's the story. 00:19:54.319 --> 00:19:56.039 It's an incredible story. 00:19:57.179 --> 00:19:59.899 I want to just draw out three things from this story. 00:19:59.900 --> 00:20:03.500 First thing. 00:20:04.320 --> 00:20:06.440 God wants you to wrestle with him. 00:20:08.440 --> 00:20:10.400 God wants you to wrestle with him. 00:20:11.220 --> 00:20:11.380 Okay. 00:20:12.280 --> 00:20:17.040 Throughout the story of Jacob, Jacob actually has experiences of God. 00:20:17.400 --> 00:20:19.519 He's actually a religious guy. 00:20:19.680 --> 00:20:23.900 He even builds a little pillar to God saying, oh, this is a pillar to God. 00:20:23.900 --> 00:20:24.019 God. 00:20:25.500 --> 00:20:30.120 But he knows that there is this God. 00:20:30.320 --> 00:20:33.180 And he calls this God in his prayer before this incident. 00:20:33.420 --> 00:20:35.740 He calls him, you're the God of my father, Abraham. 00:20:36.060 --> 00:20:38.019 And you're the God of my father, Isaac. 00:20:38.960 --> 00:20:40.880 But he wasn't fully his God. 00:20:41.680 --> 00:20:45.019 He didn't truly know him personally for himself. 00:20:46.680 --> 00:20:50.960 For him, God was a bit like, do you know there's pest control? 00:20:50.960 --> 00:20:54.319 Or, you know, you bring them in when you have cockroaches in your flat. 00:20:54.920 --> 00:20:59.279 And then, you know, when life's not working for you, when you've got problems, you just bring in help. 00:20:59.720 --> 00:21:01.980 And then when it's fine, you just forget about him. 00:21:02.640 --> 00:21:04.620 That's what Jacob's God was for him. 00:21:07.079 --> 00:21:12.039 And, you know, I've chatted with many students and many people actually over the years, 00:21:12.620 --> 00:21:14.960 many of whom have even been brought up in Christian homes. 00:21:15.299 --> 00:21:17.180 You've been in church for a long time. 00:21:17.180 --> 00:21:18.420 You know the ritual. 00:21:18.779 --> 00:21:21.060 You know the answer is always supposed to be Jesus, 00:21:21.460 --> 00:21:23.980 even if the question is, what's the capital of France? 00:21:24.180 --> 00:21:25.200 You know it. 00:21:28.160 --> 00:21:31.560 And yet, when I talk to some of you, 00:21:32.519 --> 00:21:35.180 you tell me honestly, if I'm really honest, 00:21:36.940 --> 00:21:39.560 I'm wrestling whether 00:21:39.560 --> 00:21:42.560 this is really true or not. 00:21:42.559 --> 00:21:45.220 It seems distant to me. 00:21:45.319 --> 00:21:46.679 I understand it here, 00:21:46.839 --> 00:21:48.259 but there is something missing. 00:21:48.539 --> 00:21:51.259 I can never truly say I've really encountered God. 00:21:52.940 --> 00:21:54.659 That's some of us here this morning. 00:21:57.779 --> 00:21:58.940 And some of us 00:21:58.940 --> 00:22:01.619 have said to me in the past, 00:22:02.379 --> 00:22:02.759 actually, 00:22:03.000 --> 00:22:04.419 doing what my friends do, 00:22:04.539 --> 00:22:05.819 doing what my peers do, 00:22:06.059 --> 00:22:07.480 actually, if I'm really honest, 00:22:07.480 --> 00:22:09.899 seems more attractive to me than Christianity. 00:22:09.900 --> 00:22:11.480 If I'm really honest. 00:22:12.560 --> 00:22:13.980 It's more attractive for me 00:22:13.980 --> 00:22:15.340 just to chase my career, 00:22:15.680 --> 00:22:16.240 have sex, 00:22:16.340 --> 00:22:16.860 get drunk, 00:22:16.980 --> 00:22:17.840 get a reputation, 00:22:18.060 --> 00:22:18.780 get respect, 00:22:18.960 --> 00:22:21.140 whatever it is that my peers are trying to do. 00:22:21.240 --> 00:22:22.680 That seems more attractive 00:22:22.680 --> 00:22:24.019 than really Jesus, 00:22:24.120 --> 00:22:25.960 even though I know I'm supposed to love Jesus. 00:22:29.240 --> 00:22:30.300 And do you know what? 00:22:33.440 --> 00:22:33.880 Often, 00:22:34.259 --> 00:22:35.580 our faith can be based 00:22:35.580 --> 00:22:37.080 on somebody else's faith. 00:22:38.040 --> 00:22:38.780 It can be based, 00:22:38.779 --> 00:22:39.180 you know, 00:22:39.240 --> 00:22:40.019 somebody once said, 00:22:40.339 --> 00:22:41.240 come into church. 00:22:42.980 --> 00:22:44.139 Driving into McDonald's 00:22:44.139 --> 00:22:45.160 doesn't make you a burger. 00:22:45.539 --> 00:22:46.319 Going into church 00:22:46.319 --> 00:22:47.559 doesn't make you a Christian. 00:22:48.220 --> 00:22:49.779 Because a Christian is defined 00:22:49.779 --> 00:22:50.379 by having 00:22:50.379 --> 00:22:52.039 the encounter with God. 00:22:54.759 --> 00:22:55.920 And so what happens 00:22:55.920 --> 00:22:57.500 if we haven't encountered God, 00:22:57.619 --> 00:22:59.259 we actually start looking for blessing 00:22:59.259 --> 00:23:00.180 in all other places, 00:23:00.299 --> 00:23:01.740 even though we may be very religious. 00:23:05.379 --> 00:23:07.599 And I want to challenge each one of us 00:23:07.599 --> 00:23:10.859 are we like that? 00:23:11.740 --> 00:23:13.159 Are we actually like Jacob 00:23:13.159 --> 00:23:14.839 looking for blessing everywhere else? 00:23:14.959 --> 00:23:17.519 Or are we coming to wrestle with God? 00:23:19.279 --> 00:23:20.919 Do you know how you wrestle with God? 00:23:22.539 --> 00:23:23.819 I had a friend 00:23:23.819 --> 00:23:26.779 who really liked this girl. 00:23:28.219 --> 00:23:29.439 He really liked her. 00:23:29.440 --> 00:23:30.960 In fact, 00:23:31.019 --> 00:23:31.960 he asked her out, 00:23:32.039 --> 00:23:33.900 I think about 20 times. 00:23:35.299 --> 00:23:35.539 Now, 00:23:35.600 --> 00:23:37.160 he wasn't a kind of creepy guy. 00:23:37.340 --> 00:23:37.799 So like, 00:23:39.000 --> 00:23:39.840 let's add that, 00:23:39.900 --> 00:23:40.799 otherwise he'll shoot me. 00:23:41.400 --> 00:23:41.539 But, 00:23:42.220 --> 00:23:45.000 and so every time she said, 00:23:45.059 --> 00:23:45.240 no, 00:23:45.900 --> 00:23:47.220 for one reason 00:23:47.220 --> 00:23:47.960 or another reason 00:23:47.960 --> 00:23:48.759 or another reason. 00:23:49.400 --> 00:23:50.380 And most guys 00:23:50.380 --> 00:23:51.240 would have gotten the hint 00:23:51.240 --> 00:23:52.360 after the first time. 00:23:52.359 --> 00:23:53.859 but not my friend. 00:23:54.959 --> 00:23:56.179 And he pursued her 00:23:56.179 --> 00:23:57.279 and pursued her 00:23:57.279 --> 00:23:58.979 wisely, 00:23:59.179 --> 00:24:00.179 not unwisely, 00:24:00.779 --> 00:24:02.279 because he knew that he, 00:24:02.379 --> 00:24:04.079 he saw all the other options 00:24:04.079 --> 00:24:04.399 and he's like, 00:24:04.500 --> 00:24:04.619 no, 00:24:04.719 --> 00:24:06.000 I want her 00:24:06.000 --> 00:24:07.339 because that is what I think 00:24:07.339 --> 00:24:08.799 is right before God. 00:24:09.759 --> 00:24:11.719 And after three or four years, 00:24:12.719 --> 00:24:14.099 that's persistence, 00:24:14.339 --> 00:24:14.519 right? 00:24:17.199 --> 00:24:17.639 Yeah. 00:24:18.640 --> 00:24:20.140 She finally said yes. 00:24:21.340 --> 00:24:21.700 And you know, 00:24:21.759 --> 00:24:23.060 actually now they're happily married 00:24:23.060 --> 00:24:23.680 with kids. 00:24:24.759 --> 00:24:25.380 Three kids, 00:24:25.480 --> 00:24:25.780 I think. 00:24:27.259 --> 00:24:27.900 But you see, 00:24:28.740 --> 00:24:29.600 that is somebody 00:24:29.600 --> 00:24:31.380 who is willing to wrestle 00:24:31.380 --> 00:24:32.320 with a determination 00:24:32.320 --> 00:24:33.759 because he knows 00:24:33.759 --> 00:24:35.820 what is important to him. 00:24:37.780 --> 00:24:39.040 Sometimes God 00:24:39.040 --> 00:24:40.700 will wrestle with you 00:24:40.700 --> 00:24:42.160 because he wants you to see, 00:24:42.160 --> 00:24:44.240 are you really serious about me? 00:24:44.540 --> 00:24:46.320 Or are you just fooling around with me? 00:24:47.640 --> 00:24:48.880 And if you're a Christian, 00:24:49.140 --> 00:24:49.800 I wonder 00:24:49.800 --> 00:24:50.820 how many of us 00:24:50.820 --> 00:24:52.800 actually wrestle with God 00:24:52.800 --> 00:24:54.940 in that kind of determined way. 00:24:55.280 --> 00:24:55.500 God, 00:24:55.580 --> 00:24:56.640 I've got to have you. 00:24:56.820 --> 00:24:57.880 I need you. 00:24:58.460 --> 00:24:59.040 Because sometimes 00:24:59.040 --> 00:25:00.200 we read the Bible 00:25:00.200 --> 00:25:00.580 and we're like, 00:25:00.660 --> 00:25:00.860 yeah, 00:25:01.380 --> 00:25:02.500 I didn't get much out 00:25:02.500 --> 00:25:03.180 of reading the Bible. 00:25:03.820 --> 00:25:05.020 So we just kind of give up, 00:25:05.420 --> 00:25:05.700 right? 00:25:06.460 --> 00:25:07.180 Anyone do that? 00:25:08.180 --> 00:25:09.300 Or sometimes we like, 00:25:09.400 --> 00:25:10.300 we pray a prayer, 00:25:10.420 --> 00:25:11.280 maybe we pray like 00:25:11.280 --> 00:25:12.180 for a week, 00:25:12.759 --> 00:25:13.460 two weeks, 00:25:13.640 --> 00:25:14.540 and then God doesn't seem 00:25:14.540 --> 00:25:15.040 to answer 00:25:15.040 --> 00:25:16.120 and then we kind of give up, 00:25:16.200 --> 00:25:16.259 well, 00:25:16.280 --> 00:25:16.780 it didn't work. 00:25:16.779 --> 00:25:18.379 Let me just go to something else. 00:25:20.559 --> 00:25:21.740 But this passage 00:25:21.740 --> 00:25:23.099 is shouting to us, 00:25:23.420 --> 00:25:24.399 God wants you 00:25:24.399 --> 00:25:25.779 not just to read the Bible, 00:25:25.899 --> 00:25:27.220 not just to pray prayers, 00:25:27.299 --> 00:25:27.740 but he wants you 00:25:27.740 --> 00:25:28.799 to encounter him. 00:25:30.000 --> 00:25:30.599 Did you get that? 00:25:30.720 --> 00:25:31.160 He wants you 00:25:31.160 --> 00:25:32.279 to encounter him. 00:25:33.940 --> 00:25:35.399 How much do you want that? 00:25:36.460 --> 00:25:38.240 How much do you want that? 00:25:39.500 --> 00:25:40.399 How much of us 00:25:40.399 --> 00:25:41.099 are willing to pray 00:25:41.099 --> 00:25:42.200 when we read the Bible 00:25:42.200 --> 00:25:42.920 or when we pray, 00:25:43.019 --> 00:25:43.160 saying, 00:25:43.240 --> 00:25:43.460 God, 00:25:43.639 --> 00:25:45.079 unless you bless me, 00:25:45.339 --> 00:25:46.700 unless you reveal yourself 00:25:46.700 --> 00:25:47.059 to me, 00:25:47.200 --> 00:25:48.580 unless you take the words 00:25:48.580 --> 00:25:49.720 off of this page 00:25:49.720 --> 00:25:51.039 and reveal yourself 00:25:51.039 --> 00:25:51.519 to me, 00:25:51.600 --> 00:25:52.960 I'm just going to find delight 00:25:52.960 --> 00:25:53.799 and look for blessing 00:25:53.799 --> 00:25:54.960 in all kinds of other ways 00:25:54.960 --> 00:25:56.400 because I need to see 00:25:56.400 --> 00:25:57.299 that you are the one 00:25:57.299 --> 00:25:57.980 who satisfies. 00:25:58.400 --> 00:25:59.460 I need you. 00:26:00.860 --> 00:26:02.240 I wonder what would happen 00:26:02.240 --> 00:26:03.360 in our church, 00:26:04.160 --> 00:26:05.660 and I've been praying this 00:26:05.660 --> 00:26:06.400 for myself 00:26:06.400 --> 00:26:07.340 because I'm convicted, 00:26:07.339 --> 00:26:08.980 but how much of us 00:26:08.980 --> 00:26:10.159 would we change 00:26:10.159 --> 00:26:11.059 the way we view God 00:26:11.059 --> 00:26:12.039 if we actually started 00:26:12.039 --> 00:26:13.119 wrestling with him, 00:26:13.220 --> 00:26:14.259 not just kind of doing 00:26:14.259 --> 00:26:15.539 a little thumb war with him. 00:26:18.259 --> 00:26:20.659 And maybe we are serving a lot, 00:26:20.759 --> 00:26:21.240 maybe we're doing 00:26:21.240 --> 00:26:22.759 a hundred things for God, 00:26:24.019 --> 00:26:24.759 but God is actually 00:26:24.759 --> 00:26:25.879 after your heart 00:26:25.879 --> 00:26:26.559 and saying, 00:26:26.939 --> 00:26:27.819 will you come to me 00:26:27.819 --> 00:26:29.059 and wrestle with me 00:26:29.059 --> 00:26:31.119 until you see me, 00:26:31.500 --> 00:26:32.500 until you realize 00:26:32.500 --> 00:26:33.480 that I am the place 00:26:33.480 --> 00:26:35.000 which can give you blessing 00:26:35.000 --> 00:26:36.420 more than anything else. 00:26:37.799 --> 00:26:38.579 God wants you 00:26:38.579 --> 00:26:39.440 to wrestle with him. 00:26:41.799 --> 00:26:42.559 Second thing, 00:26:44.099 --> 00:26:45.059 God breaks us 00:26:45.059 --> 00:26:46.039 to bless us. 00:26:46.940 --> 00:26:47.759 God breaks us 00:26:47.759 --> 00:26:48.559 to bless us. 00:26:50.519 --> 00:26:52.359 This is challenging. 00:26:54.500 --> 00:26:55.619 Jacob was strong. 00:26:57.160 --> 00:26:58.140 Jacob was strong. 00:26:58.220 --> 00:26:58.880 He was smart. 00:27:00.299 --> 00:27:00.740 And it says, 00:27:00.880 --> 00:27:02.099 as he wrestles, 00:27:03.480 --> 00:27:04.039 it says, 00:27:04.039 --> 00:27:05.099 the man realized 00:27:05.099 --> 00:27:06.279 he could not prevail 00:27:06.279 --> 00:27:06.899 over him 00:27:06.899 --> 00:27:09.420 and so he touched his hip 00:27:09.420 --> 00:27:10.819 and dislocated it. 00:27:12.200 --> 00:27:13.279 Why does the man 00:27:13.279 --> 00:27:14.019 touch his hip? 00:27:14.659 --> 00:27:15.779 Why didn't he touch his nose 00:27:15.779 --> 00:27:16.319 or his ear? 00:27:16.779 --> 00:27:18.139 Why does he touch his hip? 00:27:19.420 --> 00:27:20.559 Because the hip, 00:27:20.720 --> 00:27:21.519 when you're wrestling, 00:27:21.839 --> 00:27:22.759 is the base 00:27:22.759 --> 00:27:23.899 of your strength 00:27:23.899 --> 00:27:24.480 in wrestling. 00:27:25.119 --> 00:27:25.940 You cut the hip, 00:27:26.059 --> 00:27:26.220 man, 00:27:26.279 --> 00:27:27.779 you've got no way 00:27:27.779 --> 00:27:28.399 to hold yourself. 00:27:29.680 --> 00:27:30.460 And I'm told 00:27:30.460 --> 00:27:31.119 the hip is one 00:27:31.119 --> 00:27:32.339 of the strongest parts 00:27:32.339 --> 00:27:33.220 of the human body. 00:27:34.039 --> 00:27:36.379 Because many of us 00:27:36.379 --> 00:27:37.399 think that 00:27:37.399 --> 00:27:39.180 what holds us back 00:27:39.180 --> 00:27:39.940 from knowing God 00:27:39.940 --> 00:27:40.700 is our weaknesses. 00:27:41.319 --> 00:27:41.539 You know, 00:27:41.579 --> 00:27:42.480 the times you fail, 00:27:42.599 --> 00:27:43.700 the things you mess up in. 00:27:45.019 --> 00:27:45.740 I don't think 00:27:45.740 --> 00:27:46.259 that's true. 00:27:47.559 --> 00:27:48.740 The thing that holds you 00:27:48.740 --> 00:27:49.559 back from really 00:27:49.559 --> 00:27:50.059 knowing God 00:27:50.059 --> 00:27:51.159 is actually your strength. 00:27:52.460 --> 00:27:53.619 It's your strengths. 00:27:54.359 --> 00:27:55.220 Because that's what 00:27:55.220 --> 00:27:56.399 we tend to rely on. 00:27:56.599 --> 00:27:57.359 That's where we tend 00:27:57.359 --> 00:27:58.019 to feel good 00:27:58.019 --> 00:27:58.659 about ourselves. 00:27:58.859 --> 00:27:59.720 That's where we base 00:27:59.720 --> 00:28:00.359 our security 00:28:00.359 --> 00:28:01.220 and our identity 00:28:01.220 --> 00:28:01.920 on what we think 00:28:01.920 --> 00:28:02.560 we can do. 00:28:04.580 --> 00:28:05.140 You know, 00:28:05.700 --> 00:28:06.360 and it's actually 00:28:06.360 --> 00:28:07.120 that which often 00:28:07.120 --> 00:28:08.019 ends up devastating 00:28:08.019 --> 00:28:08.720 relationships. 00:28:10.259 --> 00:28:10.480 You know, 00:28:10.539 --> 00:28:11.200 you're smart. 00:28:11.440 --> 00:28:11.779 You know how 00:28:11.779 --> 00:28:12.360 to get ahead. 00:28:12.640 --> 00:28:13.380 You're educated. 00:28:13.539 --> 00:28:14.360 You're experienced. 00:28:14.500 --> 00:28:15.100 You're talented. 00:28:15.320 --> 00:28:16.220 You can speak well. 00:28:16.320 --> 00:28:16.940 You've got money. 00:28:17.060 --> 00:28:17.660 You're disciplined. 00:28:17.980 --> 00:28:18.820 Whatever it is, 00:28:18.860 --> 00:28:19.320 I don't know 00:28:19.320 --> 00:28:20.380 what your strength is. 00:28:21.860 --> 00:28:22.860 That was Jacob. 00:28:23.080 --> 00:28:24.160 He had his strengths. 00:28:24.160 --> 00:28:26.380 But you see 00:28:26.380 --> 00:28:27.220 how afraid 00:28:27.220 --> 00:28:28.120 Jacob gets 00:28:28.120 --> 00:28:29.320 when Esau is coming. 00:28:30.259 --> 00:28:31.480 When you're in a situation 00:28:31.480 --> 00:28:32.440 when your client, 00:28:32.600 --> 00:28:33.400 when your friend, 00:28:33.500 --> 00:28:34.100 when your kids 00:28:34.100 --> 00:28:34.600 and you don't know 00:28:34.600 --> 00:28:35.440 how to handle it. 00:28:35.800 --> 00:28:36.759 And if that's the base 00:28:36.759 --> 00:28:37.620 of your strength, 00:28:37.860 --> 00:28:38.540 you realize 00:28:38.540 --> 00:28:39.019 it's actually 00:28:39.019 --> 00:28:40.500 a very shaky foundation 00:28:40.500 --> 00:28:43.040 when Esau starts 00:28:43.040 --> 00:28:44.160 coming into your life. 00:28:46.040 --> 00:28:47.240 And right there, 00:28:47.380 --> 00:28:47.620 you know, 00:28:47.700 --> 00:28:48.440 sometimes the most 00:28:48.440 --> 00:28:49.279 gracious thing 00:28:49.279 --> 00:28:50.340 God can do to us 00:28:50.340 --> 00:28:51.220 is to dislocate 00:28:51.220 --> 00:28:51.640 our hip, 00:28:52.580 --> 00:28:53.259 is to break 00:28:53.259 --> 00:28:54.099 our strengths, 00:28:54.740 --> 00:28:55.519 to show us 00:28:55.519 --> 00:28:56.279 that we need God 00:28:56.279 --> 00:28:57.400 for everything in life. 00:28:59.559 --> 00:29:00.019 You know, 00:29:00.359 --> 00:29:01.259 I had another friend. 00:29:02.099 --> 00:29:03.119 Let's call him Frank. 00:29:03.859 --> 00:29:05.400 He was a top executive, 00:29:06.480 --> 00:29:07.279 well known 00:29:07.279 --> 00:29:08.319 for his expertise 00:29:08.319 --> 00:29:09.599 in his field. 00:29:09.700 --> 00:29:10.799 He was highly respected, 00:29:11.039 --> 00:29:11.879 highly experienced, 00:29:12.079 --> 00:29:12.819 highly driven. 00:29:13.299 --> 00:29:15.099 He was a good guy. 00:29:16.819 --> 00:29:17.640 And yet his marriage 00:29:17.640 --> 00:29:18.700 was actually a mess. 00:29:20.039 --> 00:29:21.680 But he flies into New York 00:29:21.680 --> 00:29:22.319 for a meeting 00:29:22.319 --> 00:29:23.180 with his boss. 00:29:23.839 --> 00:29:24.819 He's only got a few minutes 00:29:24.819 --> 00:29:25.579 to get his input 00:29:25.579 --> 00:29:26.799 on a number of decisions. 00:29:26.920 --> 00:29:27.879 So he starts off saying, 00:29:28.000 --> 00:29:28.279 hey, listen, 00:29:28.359 --> 00:29:28.900 I need a decision 00:29:28.900 --> 00:29:29.900 on this and this and this. 00:29:29.920 --> 00:29:31.220 And his boss cuts him off 00:29:31.220 --> 00:29:32.379 and says, 00:29:32.500 --> 00:29:33.359 thanks, 00:29:33.519 --> 00:29:34.660 but I wanted to tell you 00:29:34.660 --> 00:29:36.140 that we don't need 00:29:36.140 --> 00:29:36.980 your post any longer. 00:29:41.119 --> 00:29:42.240 His whole world 00:29:42.240 --> 00:29:43.680 came crashing down. 00:29:45.359 --> 00:29:46.619 He was broken. 00:29:46.879 --> 00:29:48.440 Everything that he'd worked for, 00:29:48.519 --> 00:29:49.819 his whole identity, 00:29:50.539 --> 00:29:52.039 broken in one second. 00:29:52.039 --> 00:29:54.559 his hip dislocated. 00:29:57.119 --> 00:29:58.720 And at that moment, 00:29:59.779 --> 00:30:01.420 as he processed it, 00:30:01.519 --> 00:30:02.639 as he wrestled, 00:30:03.339 --> 00:30:04.940 he realized he'd built 00:30:04.940 --> 00:30:06.379 his whole sense of identity 00:30:06.379 --> 00:30:07.700 and value on his work 00:30:07.700 --> 00:30:11.200 because he was good at it. 00:30:13.579 --> 00:30:14.579 But actually, 00:30:14.579 --> 00:30:16.839 as God humbled him 00:30:16.839 --> 00:30:17.919 and broke him 00:30:17.919 --> 00:30:18.859 in the pain, 00:30:19.179 --> 00:30:20.579 he found that actually 00:30:20.579 --> 00:30:21.859 he had another place 00:30:21.859 --> 00:30:22.519 he could run to, 00:30:22.599 --> 00:30:23.359 which was an identity 00:30:23.359 --> 00:30:24.119 in Christ, 00:30:24.559 --> 00:30:25.179 which is actually 00:30:25.179 --> 00:30:26.519 a much surer foundation, 00:30:26.899 --> 00:30:27.919 that nothing is going 00:30:27.919 --> 00:30:28.799 to else break you. 00:30:28.799 --> 00:30:31.019 and what happened 00:30:31.019 --> 00:30:31.519 in his life, 00:30:31.599 --> 00:30:31.980 he actually, 00:30:32.339 --> 00:30:33.299 as he was humbled 00:30:33.299 --> 00:30:33.839 and broken, 00:30:33.940 --> 00:30:34.799 he began to see 00:30:34.799 --> 00:30:35.379 some of the things 00:30:35.379 --> 00:30:35.759 he was doing 00:30:35.759 --> 00:30:36.440 in his marriage 00:30:36.440 --> 00:30:37.980 and he began to own up 00:30:37.980 --> 00:30:39.319 to the sin in his own life 00:30:39.319 --> 00:30:39.799 and just say, 00:30:39.899 --> 00:30:40.159 man, 00:30:40.399 --> 00:30:42.480 I've really just been 00:30:42.480 --> 00:30:44.119 blinded by myself. 00:30:45.599 --> 00:30:46.339 And there began 00:30:46.339 --> 00:30:47.159 to be healing 00:30:47.159 --> 00:30:48.539 that began to come 00:30:48.539 --> 00:30:49.940 and God gave him 00:30:49.940 --> 00:30:51.980 a new path in life 00:30:51.980 --> 00:30:52.539 where he was actually 00:30:52.539 --> 00:30:53.059 able to serve 00:30:53.059 --> 00:30:54.000 many, many people 00:30:54.000 --> 00:30:55.000 through his next career. 00:30:57.259 --> 00:30:57.779 You see, 00:30:57.859 --> 00:30:58.759 God wants to break you 00:30:58.759 --> 00:30:59.500 to bless you. 00:31:00.819 --> 00:31:01.980 Someone once said this, 00:31:02.619 --> 00:31:04.259 God uses broken things. 00:31:05.099 --> 00:31:06.420 It takes broken soil 00:31:06.420 --> 00:31:07.500 to produce a crop, 00:31:07.899 --> 00:31:08.899 broken clouds 00:31:08.899 --> 00:31:09.779 to give rain, 00:31:10.139 --> 00:31:10.920 broken seed 00:31:10.920 --> 00:31:11.759 to give bread, 00:31:12.079 --> 00:31:12.759 broken bread 00:31:12.759 --> 00:31:13.759 to give strength. 00:31:13.759 --> 00:31:14.720 It's the broken 00:31:14.720 --> 00:31:15.799 alabaster box 00:31:15.799 --> 00:31:17.159 that gives forth perfume. 00:31:18.539 --> 00:31:19.920 Jacob, 00:31:20.200 --> 00:31:21.440 after he is broken, 00:31:22.019 --> 00:31:23.799 in the next chapter, 00:31:23.920 --> 00:31:24.920 which we haven't read, 00:31:25.359 --> 00:31:26.460 he goes to meet 00:31:26.460 --> 00:31:27.519 with Esau, 00:31:28.039 --> 00:31:28.480 humbled, 00:31:29.240 --> 00:31:29.879 walking 00:31:29.879 --> 00:31:31.240 with a limp, 00:31:32.279 --> 00:31:33.619 the base of his strength, 00:31:34.839 --> 00:31:35.220 broken. 00:31:36.619 --> 00:31:37.859 But he's able 00:31:37.859 --> 00:31:38.779 to face 00:31:38.779 --> 00:31:40.259 his brother 00:31:40.259 --> 00:31:41.539 regardless of how 00:31:41.539 --> 00:31:42.000 his brother 00:31:42.000 --> 00:31:43.019 is going to respond 00:31:43.019 --> 00:31:43.599 to him 00:31:43.599 --> 00:31:46.019 because he's been 00:31:46.019 --> 00:31:47.119 in the presence of God, 00:31:47.119 --> 00:31:49.099 because he now knows 00:31:49.099 --> 00:31:50.239 that he's got acceptance 00:31:50.239 --> 00:31:51.199 and approval 00:31:51.199 --> 00:31:52.399 and the blessing 00:31:52.399 --> 00:31:52.919 from God 00:31:52.919 --> 00:31:53.719 that he'd been chasing 00:31:53.719 --> 00:31:54.819 everywhere else for. 00:31:55.000 --> 00:31:56.039 Now he didn't need 00:31:56.039 --> 00:31:56.939 his brother for that. 00:31:57.639 --> 00:31:58.279 He didn't need 00:31:58.279 --> 00:31:59.299 his family for that. 00:31:59.599 --> 00:32:01.099 He had a security. 00:32:02.539 --> 00:32:02.919 And actually, 00:32:03.059 --> 00:32:03.479 restoration 00:32:03.479 --> 00:32:04.839 after 20 years 00:32:04.839 --> 00:32:05.659 takes place. 00:32:06.099 --> 00:32:06.919 It's a beautiful story. 00:32:07.000 --> 00:32:08.039 Read the chapter afterwards. 00:32:08.039 --> 00:32:13.859 When you find 00:32:13.859 --> 00:32:15.379 that you don't need 00:32:15.379 --> 00:32:15.859 your love 00:32:15.859 --> 00:32:16.559 and acceptance, 00:32:17.200 --> 00:32:17.920 you don't need 00:32:17.920 --> 00:32:18.559 your security 00:32:18.559 --> 00:32:19.519 from any of these 00:32:19.519 --> 00:32:20.039 other things 00:32:20.039 --> 00:32:21.139 that you're chasing for, 00:32:22.159 --> 00:32:23.299 he was not defined 00:32:23.299 --> 00:32:24.079 by his father's 00:32:24.079 --> 00:32:24.819 lack of love 00:32:24.819 --> 00:32:26.039 or his need 00:32:26.039 --> 00:32:26.680 for approval. 00:32:28.079 --> 00:32:29.659 It opens you up 00:32:29.659 --> 00:32:31.000 to find healing 00:32:31.000 --> 00:32:32.259 and blessing 00:32:32.259 --> 00:32:33.839 and to be released 00:32:33.839 --> 00:32:34.720 to love 00:32:34.720 --> 00:32:35.859 and serve other people. 00:32:35.859 --> 00:32:37.619 You know, 00:32:37.659 --> 00:32:38.559 many of us here, 00:32:38.939 --> 00:32:39.559 we are actually 00:32:39.559 --> 00:32:40.500 nursing wounds 00:32:40.500 --> 00:32:41.439 from our past, 00:32:42.479 --> 00:32:43.899 from our parents, 00:32:44.859 --> 00:32:46.199 from colleagues. 00:32:47.599 --> 00:32:48.459 Maybe we wanted 00:32:48.459 --> 00:32:49.119 someone to say, 00:32:49.240 --> 00:32:49.740 I love you 00:32:49.740 --> 00:32:50.859 and you never heard that. 00:32:52.459 --> 00:32:52.939 Maybe 00:32:52.939 --> 00:32:54.839 you've been offended 00:32:54.839 --> 00:32:55.599 by what people 00:32:55.599 --> 00:32:56.459 have said to you 00:32:56.459 --> 00:32:57.259 and you've just 00:32:57.259 --> 00:32:58.419 nursed that wound 00:32:58.419 --> 00:32:59.139 in your heart. 00:33:00.859 --> 00:33:01.839 And there's so much 00:33:01.839 --> 00:33:02.979 tension that's come 00:33:02.979 --> 00:33:04.299 into family relationships 00:33:04.299 --> 00:33:05.539 through these things. 00:33:05.859 --> 00:33:09.219 And maybe you've 00:33:09.219 --> 00:33:09.839 just been working 00:33:09.839 --> 00:33:10.519 really hard 00:33:10.519 --> 00:33:11.439 to try and prove 00:33:11.439 --> 00:33:12.159 yourself, 00:33:12.779 --> 00:33:13.759 make up for all 00:33:13.759 --> 00:33:14.279 those things 00:33:14.279 --> 00:33:15.099 that you didn't feel 00:33:15.099 --> 00:33:15.859 you got before 00:33:15.859 --> 00:33:16.599 in the past. 00:33:17.959 --> 00:33:18.879 But God wants 00:33:18.879 --> 00:33:19.619 to come and wrestle 00:33:19.619 --> 00:33:20.219 with you. 00:33:20.619 --> 00:33:22.099 God wants to break you. 00:33:22.479 --> 00:33:23.899 God wants to humble you 00:33:23.899 --> 00:33:25.199 so that you realize 00:33:25.199 --> 00:33:26.259 you are not defined 00:33:26.259 --> 00:33:27.740 by anything in the past 00:33:27.740 --> 00:33:28.799 that has happened to you. 00:33:29.019 --> 00:33:30.039 You are not defined 00:33:30.039 --> 00:33:31.619 by even your own sin 00:33:31.619 --> 00:33:32.619 in the past. 00:33:32.759 --> 00:33:34.179 You can come before him, 00:33:34.180 --> 00:33:36.680 be broken of your strength 00:33:36.680 --> 00:33:37.759 and find strength 00:33:37.759 --> 00:33:38.220 in the God 00:33:38.220 --> 00:33:39.000 of all creation. 00:33:41.200 --> 00:33:42.240 There's no one 00:33:42.240 --> 00:33:43.720 who knows God deeply 00:33:43.720 --> 00:33:44.600 who doesn't walk 00:33:44.600 --> 00:33:45.100 with a limp. 00:33:46.019 --> 00:33:46.539 No one. 00:33:47.700 --> 00:33:48.320 No one. 00:33:49.460 --> 00:33:50.060 And so I've been 00:33:50.060 --> 00:33:51.060 praying for myself, 00:33:51.220 --> 00:33:51.420 God, 00:33:51.480 --> 00:33:52.480 would you touch my hip? 00:33:54.200 --> 00:33:54.580 Do you know 00:33:54.580 --> 00:33:55.140 how scary 00:33:55.140 --> 00:33:55.900 that prayer is? 00:33:55.900 --> 00:33:58.560 But God, 00:33:58.740 --> 00:34:00.440 do I want to know God 00:34:00.440 --> 00:34:01.120 that much 00:34:01.120 --> 00:34:01.680 that I'm willing 00:34:01.680 --> 00:34:02.740 for him to dislocate 00:34:02.740 --> 00:34:03.160 my hip? 00:34:05.100 --> 00:34:05.700 I don't know 00:34:05.700 --> 00:34:06.580 what your hip is. 00:34:07.259 --> 00:34:08.039 What's your source 00:34:08.039 --> 00:34:08.720 of strength? 00:34:09.220 --> 00:34:10.160 What are you looking for? 00:34:10.200 --> 00:34:10.840 Is it your friends? 00:34:10.940 --> 00:34:11.660 Is it your grades? 00:34:11.780 --> 00:34:12.460 Is it your health? 00:34:12.539 --> 00:34:13.220 Is it your work? 00:34:13.280 --> 00:34:14.019 Is it your appearance? 00:34:14.139 --> 00:34:15.200 I don't know what it is. 00:34:15.420 --> 00:34:15.940 You know. 00:34:17.400 --> 00:34:18.340 But are you willing 00:34:18.340 --> 00:34:18.800 to pray, 00:34:18.920 --> 00:34:19.200 God, 00:34:19.320 --> 00:34:20.400 would you break my hip 00:34:20.400 --> 00:34:23.240 that I might know you 00:34:23.240 --> 00:34:25.480 and your presence? 00:34:25.900 --> 00:34:27.019 And encounter you. 00:34:29.119 --> 00:34:29.599 You know, 00:34:29.660 --> 00:34:30.519 I'm actually praying, 00:34:31.579 --> 00:34:32.720 maybe this is a little scary, 00:34:32.880 --> 00:34:34.059 but I'm praying 00:34:34.059 --> 00:34:34.820 for some of you 00:34:34.820 --> 00:34:35.700 in this congregation 00:34:35.700 --> 00:34:37.860 that God would actually 00:34:37.860 --> 00:34:38.720 break your hip. 00:34:40.160 --> 00:34:41.059 Because some of us, 00:34:41.139 --> 00:34:41.820 we're relying on 00:34:41.820 --> 00:34:42.539 so many things 00:34:42.539 --> 00:34:43.300 which is actually 00:34:43.300 --> 00:34:44.280 wrapping us up 00:34:44.280 --> 00:34:45.119 and God wants to 00:34:45.119 --> 00:34:46.579 break us free from that. 00:34:48.559 --> 00:34:49.500 And that's what will 00:34:49.500 --> 00:34:49.980 bring healing 00:34:49.980 --> 00:34:50.740 in our lives. 00:34:52.680 --> 00:34:53.680 Some of us are actually 00:34:53.680 --> 00:34:54.579 going through 00:34:54.579 --> 00:34:56.159 you feel like 00:34:56.159 --> 00:34:56.460 you're having 00:34:56.460 --> 00:34:57.119 a train wreck 00:34:57.119 --> 00:34:57.679 in your life 00:34:57.679 --> 00:34:58.199 at the moment. 00:34:59.199 --> 00:34:59.920 You feel like 00:34:59.920 --> 00:35:00.420 your hip is 00:35:00.420 --> 00:35:01.019 being broken 00:35:01.019 --> 00:35:01.739 right now. 00:35:03.259 --> 00:35:04.059 So what are you 00:35:04.059 --> 00:35:04.799 praying for? 00:35:06.219 --> 00:35:07.039 Are you praying, 00:35:07.159 --> 00:35:07.299 God, 00:35:07.380 --> 00:35:07.860 just get me 00:35:07.860 --> 00:35:08.840 out of this situation? 00:35:10.940 --> 00:35:12.019 Or will you pray, 00:35:12.159 --> 00:35:13.380 I will not let you go 00:35:13.380 --> 00:35:14.559 unless you bless me? 00:35:16.000 --> 00:35:17.099 I want to know you 00:35:17.099 --> 00:35:18.639 more through this situation. 00:35:18.639 --> 00:35:20.659 Even if you keep me 00:35:20.659 --> 00:35:22.239 in this place, 00:35:22.279 --> 00:35:23.559 I want to know you. 00:35:25.559 --> 00:35:26.980 It's challenging, right? 00:35:28.079 --> 00:35:29.299 But this is how 00:35:29.299 --> 00:35:31.179 we come to encounter God. 00:35:31.460 --> 00:35:32.440 Because at the end 00:35:32.440 --> 00:35:33.480 of chapter 33, 00:35:33.599 --> 00:35:34.519 which we didn't read, 00:35:35.339 --> 00:35:35.799 Jacob, 00:35:36.079 --> 00:35:36.940 for the first time, 00:35:37.019 --> 00:35:38.019 he erects an altar. 00:35:38.480 --> 00:35:39.819 And he calls this altar 00:35:39.819 --> 00:35:41.639 El Eloho Yahweh. 00:35:42.440 --> 00:35:43.299 He calls him 00:35:43.300 --> 00:35:46.720 not the God, 00:35:46.840 --> 00:35:47.760 the God of Israel, 00:35:48.060 --> 00:35:48.840 which means 00:35:48.840 --> 00:35:50.260 this is my God. 00:35:51.440 --> 00:35:52.640 He was my father's 00:35:52.640 --> 00:35:53.300 God before. 00:35:53.560 --> 00:35:54.780 He was my father's 00:35:54.780 --> 00:35:55.620 father's God before, 00:35:55.700 --> 00:35:56.820 but this now is my God. 00:35:57.660 --> 00:35:58.539 He's my God 00:35:58.539 --> 00:35:59.500 because I've met him, 00:35:59.680 --> 00:36:00.760 I've wrestled with him, 00:36:00.880 --> 00:36:02.280 I've been broken by him, 00:36:02.340 --> 00:36:03.580 but he's restored me 00:36:03.580 --> 00:36:04.039 and given me 00:36:04.039 --> 00:36:04.880 a new identity, 00:36:05.240 --> 00:36:06.360 and now I know him. 00:36:07.240 --> 00:36:08.039 Do you want that? 00:36:08.760 --> 00:36:09.620 Do you want that? 00:36:09.619 --> 00:36:13.319 God wrestles, 00:36:13.460 --> 00:36:14.659 wants us to wrestle with him. 00:36:14.779 --> 00:36:15.460 God breaks us 00:36:15.460 --> 00:36:16.159 to bless us. 00:36:16.440 --> 00:36:17.079 Final thing. 00:36:18.519 --> 00:36:19.319 God chooses 00:36:19.319 --> 00:36:21.039 to be broken himself 00:36:21.039 --> 00:36:22.920 to bless us. 00:36:24.559 --> 00:36:25.500 God says, 00:36:26.259 --> 00:36:26.960 your name 00:36:26.960 --> 00:36:28.059 shall no longer 00:36:28.059 --> 00:36:29.000 be called Jacob, 00:36:29.279 --> 00:36:30.339 but Israel, 00:36:30.719 --> 00:36:31.699 for you have striven 00:36:31.699 --> 00:36:32.420 with God 00:36:32.420 --> 00:36:33.500 and with men 00:36:33.500 --> 00:36:34.839 and have prevailed. 00:36:36.480 --> 00:36:37.839 I've often wondered, 00:36:38.179 --> 00:36:39.239 why does God 00:36:39.239 --> 00:36:40.679 himself 00:36:40.679 --> 00:36:41.979 say 00:36:41.979 --> 00:36:42.979 that Jacob 00:36:42.979 --> 00:36:43.899 has prevailed 00:36:43.899 --> 00:36:44.479 over him? 00:36:46.119 --> 00:36:47.199 Prevailed means 00:36:47.199 --> 00:36:48.239 to win, 00:36:49.219 --> 00:36:49.939 to conquer, 00:36:50.299 --> 00:36:51.179 to overcome. 00:36:52.299 --> 00:36:52.559 Like, 00:36:52.679 --> 00:36:53.599 isn't that weird? 00:36:55.799 --> 00:36:56.579 And then I heard 00:36:56.579 --> 00:36:57.139 someone talk 00:36:57.139 --> 00:36:57.599 on the meaning 00:36:57.599 --> 00:36:57.979 of the name 00:36:57.979 --> 00:36:58.599 of Israel, 00:36:59.599 --> 00:37:00.179 and it's made 00:37:00.179 --> 00:37:00.899 up of two parts. 00:37:01.000 --> 00:37:01.379 The first part 00:37:01.379 --> 00:37:01.919 is Yashar, 00:37:02.179 --> 00:37:02.859 and the second part 00:37:02.859 --> 00:37:03.359 is El. 00:37:03.599 --> 00:37:04.719 El means God, 00:37:04.779 --> 00:37:05.679 and it's the subject 00:37:05.679 --> 00:37:06.399 of the sentence, 00:37:06.479 --> 00:37:07.399 which means he's the one 00:37:07.399 --> 00:37:08.399 who's doing the action. 00:37:08.400 --> 00:37:09.740 Yashar means 00:37:09.740 --> 00:37:11.019 to strive 00:37:11.019 --> 00:37:11.860 or to fight 00:37:11.860 --> 00:37:12.840 or to struggle. 00:37:13.680 --> 00:37:14.099 So actually 00:37:14.099 --> 00:37:15.000 what Israel means 00:37:15.000 --> 00:37:16.780 is God strives, 00:37:16.920 --> 00:37:17.720 God fights, 00:37:17.900 --> 00:37:18.599 God struggles. 00:37:18.920 --> 00:37:19.720 That's what it means. 00:37:20.240 --> 00:37:21.119 But then he says, 00:37:21.840 --> 00:37:23.420 God fights 00:37:23.420 --> 00:37:25.920 for you 00:37:25.920 --> 00:37:26.519 have striven 00:37:26.519 --> 00:37:27.079 with God 00:37:27.079 --> 00:37:28.360 and have prevailed. 00:37:29.380 --> 00:37:30.599 That's even weirder. 00:37:32.180 --> 00:37:33.119 But this name 00:37:33.119 --> 00:37:33.599 of Israel, 00:37:33.720 --> 00:37:34.099 which would come 00:37:34.099 --> 00:37:35.180 to characterize 00:37:35.179 --> 00:37:36.219 as the whole people 00:37:36.219 --> 00:37:36.619 of God 00:37:36.619 --> 00:37:37.339 throughout the whole 00:37:37.339 --> 00:37:38.159 of the Old Testament. 00:37:39.099 --> 00:37:40.019 He's saying, 00:37:41.279 --> 00:37:42.259 your name is God 00:37:42.259 --> 00:37:43.719 fights because Jacob, 00:37:43.879 --> 00:37:44.799 you fought with God, 00:37:44.919 --> 00:37:45.500 but actually 00:37:45.500 --> 00:37:46.519 the God of Jacob 00:37:46.519 --> 00:37:47.199 is the one 00:37:47.199 --> 00:37:47.719 who is willing 00:37:47.719 --> 00:37:49.119 to be prevailed over 00:37:49.119 --> 00:37:50.460 in order that 00:37:50.460 --> 00:37:51.179 he might win. 00:37:52.279 --> 00:37:53.199 He is the one 00:37:53.199 --> 00:37:53.879 who is willing 00:37:53.879 --> 00:37:54.859 to be defeated 00:37:54.859 --> 00:37:55.500 in order that 00:37:55.500 --> 00:37:56.639 he might bring victory. 00:37:57.559 --> 00:37:58.299 That is what 00:37:58.299 --> 00:37:59.219 the word means. 00:38:00.440 --> 00:38:00.859 And you know, 00:38:00.919 --> 00:38:01.179 throughout 00:38:01.179 --> 00:38:02.099 whole of history, 00:38:02.519 --> 00:38:03.639 all the other gods 00:38:03.639 --> 00:38:04.480 of Babylonians, 00:38:04.579 --> 00:38:05.099 Egyptians, 00:38:05.460 --> 00:38:05.859 Greeks, 00:38:06.139 --> 00:38:06.500 Romans, 00:38:06.940 --> 00:38:07.639 even the gods 00:38:07.639 --> 00:38:08.400 you see around, 00:38:08.599 --> 00:38:09.699 how do they express 00:38:09.699 --> 00:38:10.359 their power? 00:38:12.119 --> 00:38:13.199 Through conquering, 00:38:13.460 --> 00:38:14.279 through dominating, 00:38:14.480 --> 00:38:15.579 through crushing people. 00:38:16.420 --> 00:38:17.319 Just read history. 00:38:19.279 --> 00:38:20.239 But this God 00:38:20.239 --> 00:38:20.779 is different. 00:38:22.019 --> 00:38:22.519 This God 00:38:22.519 --> 00:38:23.199 wins victory 00:38:23.199 --> 00:38:24.099 through being defeated, 00:38:25.039 --> 00:38:26.379 through being prevailed on. 00:38:27.639 --> 00:38:28.139 And you know, 00:38:28.199 --> 00:38:28.799 throughout the rest 00:38:28.799 --> 00:38:29.679 of the Old Testament, 00:38:30.079 --> 00:38:30.739 many kings 00:38:30.739 --> 00:38:31.599 came and went. 00:38:32.519 --> 00:38:32.920 In fact, 00:38:32.920 --> 00:38:33.599 all of them 00:38:33.599 --> 00:38:34.420 sought to dominate 00:38:34.420 --> 00:38:35.059 and control. 00:38:35.300 --> 00:38:36.320 Just read the story. 00:38:37.680 --> 00:38:38.240 And then, 00:38:38.400 --> 00:38:39.820 when it comes to Jesus, 00:38:40.619 --> 00:38:41.000 Peter, 00:38:41.400 --> 00:38:42.320 one of his disciples, 00:38:42.780 --> 00:38:43.880 recognizes Jesus 00:38:43.880 --> 00:38:44.980 as the Messiah. 00:38:45.860 --> 00:38:46.300 That means 00:38:46.300 --> 00:38:46.880 the king 00:38:46.880 --> 00:38:47.480 who's coming. 00:38:47.960 --> 00:38:48.980 And he's expecting 00:38:48.980 --> 00:38:49.420 this guy 00:38:49.420 --> 00:38:49.900 to be just like 00:38:49.900 --> 00:38:50.639 all the other kings, 00:38:51.000 --> 00:38:51.480 dominating 00:38:51.480 --> 00:38:52.559 and striving 00:38:52.559 --> 00:38:53.700 and overcoming 00:38:53.700 --> 00:38:54.680 with power. 00:38:54.880 --> 00:38:55.180 And do you know 00:38:55.180 --> 00:38:55.720 what he says? 00:38:57.900 --> 00:38:58.539 Jesus says, 00:39:00.720 --> 00:39:01.220 sorry, 00:39:01.360 --> 00:39:01.820 Peter says, 00:39:01.900 --> 00:39:02.680 you're the Messiah. 00:39:03.800 --> 00:39:04.740 And Jesus says to them, 00:39:04.860 --> 00:39:05.280 you're right, 00:39:05.360 --> 00:39:05.539 Peter, 00:39:05.780 --> 00:39:06.519 but I'm a different 00:39:06.519 --> 00:39:07.260 kind of Messiah. 00:39:07.460 --> 00:39:08.340 I'm going to die. 00:39:08.440 --> 00:39:08.659 And do you know 00:39:08.659 --> 00:39:09.220 what Peter says? 00:39:09.900 --> 00:39:10.380 He goes, 00:39:11.000 --> 00:39:11.700 no way. 00:39:13.300 --> 00:39:13.800 He says, 00:39:13.840 --> 00:39:14.380 no way. 00:39:14.820 --> 00:39:15.720 That ain't the way 00:39:15.720 --> 00:39:16.700 it's written in the book. 00:39:17.460 --> 00:39:18.139 And Jesus says, 00:39:18.240 --> 00:39:18.659 actually, 00:39:18.720 --> 00:39:19.400 yes it is. 00:39:20.159 --> 00:39:20.760 Have you read 00:39:20.760 --> 00:39:21.599 Genesis 32? 00:39:23.280 --> 00:39:23.720 Because 00:39:23.720 --> 00:39:25.380 the God of Jacob 00:39:25.380 --> 00:39:26.360 is the God 00:39:26.360 --> 00:39:27.159 who comes down 00:39:27.159 --> 00:39:27.840 to the dust 00:39:27.840 --> 00:39:28.440 of the earth 00:39:28.440 --> 00:39:29.260 and wrestles 00:39:29.260 --> 00:39:30.659 with sinful humanity. 00:39:31.420 --> 00:39:32.099 Those of you 00:39:32.099 --> 00:39:33.159 like you 00:39:33.159 --> 00:39:33.659 and me 00:39:33.659 --> 00:39:34.440 who compete 00:39:34.440 --> 00:39:36.079 and in this competitive, 00:39:36.240 --> 00:39:36.360 I mean, 00:39:36.420 --> 00:39:37.260 Hong Kong's competitive 00:39:37.260 --> 00:39:37.880 enough, 00:39:38.340 --> 00:39:38.679 right? 00:39:38.900 --> 00:39:40.059 And we're constantly 00:39:40.059 --> 00:39:40.720 competing 00:39:40.720 --> 00:39:41.720 and trying to get ahead 00:39:41.720 --> 00:39:42.700 and trying to wrestle 00:39:42.700 --> 00:39:44.000 and fight with each other. 00:39:44.880 --> 00:39:46.119 But God comes down 00:39:46.119 --> 00:39:47.360 to wrestle with us. 00:39:48.119 --> 00:39:49.400 And then like Judas, 00:39:49.900 --> 00:39:50.099 you know, 00:39:50.159 --> 00:39:51.559 Judas was another hustler. 00:39:52.539 --> 00:39:53.179 He came 00:39:53.179 --> 00:39:54.099 and he was stealing money 00:39:54.099 --> 00:39:54.820 from the disciples' 00:39:54.820 --> 00:39:55.260 accounts 00:39:55.260 --> 00:39:55.740 because he wanted 00:39:55.740 --> 00:39:56.500 to get ahead. 00:39:56.920 --> 00:39:57.539 But Jesus 00:39:57.539 --> 00:40:00.500 knew that he was 00:40:00.500 --> 00:40:01.360 going to betray him. 00:40:01.420 --> 00:40:01.720 And do you know 00:40:01.720 --> 00:40:02.400 what Jesus did? 00:40:03.880 --> 00:40:04.800 He allowed him 00:40:04.800 --> 00:40:05.559 to betray him. 00:40:06.360 --> 00:40:07.220 He allowed himself 00:40:07.220 --> 00:40:08.019 to be arrested. 00:40:08.360 --> 00:40:09.140 He allowed himself 00:40:09.140 --> 00:40:09.940 to be nailed 00:40:09.940 --> 00:40:11.600 cruelly on a cross 00:40:11.600 --> 00:40:13.260 for you 00:40:13.260 --> 00:40:14.180 and for me 00:40:14.180 --> 00:40:16.100 because 00:40:16.100 --> 00:40:18.220 when he died, 00:40:19.080 --> 00:40:19.800 he gained 00:40:19.800 --> 00:40:20.700 the greatest victory. 00:40:21.120 --> 00:40:22.380 When he was broken, 00:40:23.280 --> 00:40:24.420 that was the sign 00:40:24.420 --> 00:40:25.559 the blessing 00:40:25.559 --> 00:40:26.220 was coming. 00:40:28.280 --> 00:40:28.780 You see, 00:40:29.800 --> 00:40:30.960 he could have hired 00:40:30.960 --> 00:40:32.099 a thousand 00:40:32.099 --> 00:40:33.599 legions of angels 00:40:33.599 --> 00:40:35.200 to come 00:40:35.200 --> 00:40:36.059 and rescue him. 00:40:38.340 --> 00:40:39.240 He had power 00:40:39.240 --> 00:40:39.820 to break 00:40:39.820 --> 00:40:40.820 the strength 00:40:40.820 --> 00:40:41.340 of the Romans 00:40:41.340 --> 00:40:42.139 with a touch. 00:40:43.579 --> 00:40:44.380 But he chose 00:40:44.380 --> 00:40:44.940 not to 00:40:44.940 --> 00:40:46.940 because of you 00:40:46.940 --> 00:40:47.300 and me. 00:40:48.500 --> 00:40:49.360 Some people say 00:40:49.360 --> 00:40:50.099 the God of the Bible 00:40:50.099 --> 00:40:50.900 is just like the God 00:40:50.900 --> 00:40:51.820 of all other religions. 00:40:53.200 --> 00:40:53.920 Let me tell you, 00:40:53.920 --> 00:40:54.559 this God is not 00:40:54.559 --> 00:40:55.420 like any other God. 00:40:56.860 --> 00:40:57.539 The God 00:40:57.539 --> 00:40:58.760 of the Old Testament 00:40:58.760 --> 00:40:59.220 is the God 00:40:59.220 --> 00:41:00.059 of the New Testament. 00:41:00.260 --> 00:41:01.280 Jacob had a limp. 00:41:01.680 --> 00:41:03.300 Jesus has nail prints. 00:41:05.579 --> 00:41:05.880 Do you know 00:41:05.880 --> 00:41:06.760 in the book of Revelation 00:41:06.760 --> 00:41:07.900 there's this amazing bit 00:41:07.900 --> 00:41:08.579 where you see 00:41:08.579 --> 00:41:10.320 the picture of heaven 00:41:10.320 --> 00:41:11.960 with the God 00:41:11.960 --> 00:41:12.920 on the throne 00:41:12.920 --> 00:41:14.960 of all of creation. 00:41:15.539 --> 00:41:15.880 And do you know 00:41:15.880 --> 00:41:16.420 what it says? 00:41:16.460 --> 00:41:16.800 It says, 00:41:16.800 --> 00:41:17.519 and I saw 00:41:17.519 --> 00:41:18.600 a lamb, 00:41:18.760 --> 00:41:19.080 Jesus, 00:41:19.640 --> 00:41:20.680 who was 00:41:20.680 --> 00:41:22.019 slain. 00:41:23.780 --> 00:41:24.280 You saw 00:41:24.280 --> 00:41:25.260 the nail prints. 00:41:25.380 --> 00:41:26.300 Right at the moment 00:41:26.300 --> 00:41:26.960 of glory 00:41:26.960 --> 00:41:28.120 you see the moment 00:41:28.120 --> 00:41:29.740 of brokenness 00:41:29.740 --> 00:41:31.600 because this is our God. 00:41:31.599 --> 00:41:31.699 God. 00:41:35.860 --> 00:41:36.980 So let me finish. 00:41:38.420 --> 00:41:38.980 A God 00:41:38.980 --> 00:41:40.319 who has such power 00:41:40.319 --> 00:41:41.559 to break 00:41:41.559 --> 00:41:42.559 your strength, 00:41:42.839 --> 00:41:43.900 your greatest strength 00:41:43.900 --> 00:41:44.679 with a touch 00:41:44.679 --> 00:41:45.940 is the God 00:41:45.940 --> 00:41:47.360 who in Jesus Christ 00:41:47.360 --> 00:41:48.900 wrestles with us. 00:41:49.179 --> 00:41:49.860 Is the God 00:41:49.860 --> 00:41:50.500 who right now 00:41:50.500 --> 00:41:51.279 is calling you 00:41:51.279 --> 00:41:51.619 and saying, 00:41:51.739 --> 00:41:52.460 what's your name? 00:41:53.860 --> 00:41:55.179 He's exposing you. 00:41:55.259 --> 00:41:56.299 He's wanting to expose you 00:41:56.299 --> 00:41:57.599 today for who you are. 00:41:58.079 --> 00:41:58.659 He's the God 00:41:58.659 --> 00:41:59.739 that if we encounter 00:41:59.739 --> 00:42:00.659 him today, 00:42:00.659 --> 00:42:01.839 we will come away 00:42:01.839 --> 00:42:02.179 saying, 00:42:02.480 --> 00:42:03.319 I have seen God 00:42:03.319 --> 00:42:03.920 and my life 00:42:03.920 --> 00:42:04.619 has been delivered. 00:42:06.259 --> 00:42:06.940 He's a God 00:42:06.940 --> 00:42:08.079 who will break us 00:42:08.079 --> 00:42:08.819 to heal us, 00:42:08.879 --> 00:42:09.619 who will wound us 00:42:09.619 --> 00:42:10.359 to bless us, 00:42:10.420 --> 00:42:11.099 who will bring us 00:42:11.099 --> 00:42:12.239 a new identity 00:42:12.239 --> 00:42:12.940 and a name. 00:42:14.519 --> 00:42:15.559 You're not defined 00:42:15.559 --> 00:42:16.379 by your past. 00:42:16.980 --> 00:42:17.759 You're not defined 00:42:17.759 --> 00:42:18.920 even by your parents. 00:42:19.299 --> 00:42:19.899 You're defined 00:42:19.899 --> 00:42:20.699 by who you are 00:42:20.699 --> 00:42:21.139 in him. 00:42:21.519 --> 00:42:22.519 So will you wrestle 00:42:22.519 --> 00:42:23.420 with him today? 00:42:24.259 --> 00:42:25.099 Will you wrestle? 00:42:26.519 --> 00:42:28.159 Psalm 46 says this, 00:42:28.980 --> 00:42:29.779 be still 00:42:29.780 --> 00:42:30.680 and know 00:42:30.680 --> 00:42:31.480 that I am God. 00:42:32.200 --> 00:42:33.240 I will be exalted 00:42:33.240 --> 00:42:34.120 among the nations. 00:42:34.500 --> 00:42:35.440 I will be exalted 00:42:35.440 --> 00:42:36.180 in the earth. 00:42:36.580 --> 00:42:37.400 The Lord of hosts 00:42:37.400 --> 00:42:38.200 is with us. 00:42:38.640 --> 00:42:39.660 The God of Jacob 00:42:39.660 --> 00:42:41.140 is our fortress. 00:42:42.280 --> 00:42:43.560 You can rest 00:42:43.560 --> 00:42:44.920 in Christ 00:42:44.920 --> 00:42:46.120 right now. 00:42:47.600 --> 00:42:48.440 Let me just pray 00:42:48.440 --> 00:42:49.019 for us. 00:42:49.019 --> 00:42:56.300 So I want you 00:42:56.300 --> 00:42:56.719 just to, 00:42:57.340 --> 00:42:58.219 right now, 00:42:58.519 --> 00:42:59.039 we're going to take 00:42:59.039 --> 00:42:59.820 communion in a minute, 00:43:00.480 --> 00:43:02.320 but I want you 00:43:02.320 --> 00:43:04.460 to think about 00:43:04.460 --> 00:43:05.599 those questions. 00:43:07.820 --> 00:43:08.960 Have I wrestled 00:43:08.960 --> 00:43:09.559 with God? 00:43:10.699 --> 00:43:11.719 Am I wrestling 00:43:11.719 --> 00:43:12.360 with God? 00:43:12.980 --> 00:43:13.800 Or do I just 00:43:13.800 --> 00:43:14.519 treat him lightly? 00:43:14.519 --> 00:43:16.599 Do I really 00:43:16.599 --> 00:43:18.259 know this God? 00:43:18.500 --> 00:43:19.259 Do I want 00:43:19.259 --> 00:43:19.860 to know him? 00:43:20.019 --> 00:43:20.739 How much 00:43:20.739 --> 00:43:21.360 do I want 00:43:21.360 --> 00:43:21.920 to know him? 00:43:23.280 --> 00:43:24.019 Am I willing 00:43:24.019 --> 00:43:24.500 to pray, 00:43:24.639 --> 00:43:24.780 God, 00:43:24.840 --> 00:43:25.380 would you even 00:43:25.380 --> 00:43:26.139 break my hip? 00:43:27.340 --> 00:43:28.300 Would you even 00:43:28.300 --> 00:43:29.079 break my hip 00:43:29.079 --> 00:43:31.079 that I might 00:43:31.079 --> 00:43:31.679 truly know 00:43:31.679 --> 00:43:32.460 your presence 00:43:32.460 --> 00:43:34.460 and who you 00:43:34.460 --> 00:43:35.119 really are? 00:43:37.380 --> 00:43:38.519 Just take a minute 00:43:38.519 --> 00:43:41.039 to reflect 00:43:41.039 --> 00:43:41.659 on that. 00:43:44.519 --> 00:43:45.279 Because in a minute, 00:43:45.380 --> 00:43:45.619 we're going to 00:43:45.619 --> 00:43:46.279 take communion 00:43:46.279 --> 00:43:46.779 where we're going 00:43:46.779 --> 00:43:47.279 to celebrate 00:43:47.279 --> 00:43:47.920 the breaking 00:43:47.920 --> 00:43:49.659 of our Savior. 00:43:51.360 --> 00:43:52.039 If you're not 00:43:52.039 --> 00:43:52.460 a believer, 00:43:52.559 --> 00:43:53.019 I don't want you 00:43:53.019 --> 00:43:53.519 to come up 00:43:53.519 --> 00:43:54.119 to take the 00:43:54.119 --> 00:43:54.960 communion elements, 00:43:55.099 --> 00:43:55.480 but I want you 00:43:55.480 --> 00:43:56.480 to just think 00:43:56.480 --> 00:43:56.920 about that. 00:43:57.000 --> 00:43:57.719 Have I encountered 00:43:57.719 --> 00:43:58.039 God? 00:43:58.099 --> 00:43:58.960 Or am I religious? 00:43:59.360 --> 00:44:00.559 Or do I want 00:44:00.559 --> 00:44:01.699 to encounter God? 00:44:03.920 --> 00:44:04.759 This God 00:44:04.759 --> 00:44:06.159 who is willing 00:44:06.159 --> 00:44:06.739 to be broken 00:44:06.739 --> 00:44:07.340 for you. 00:44:11.039 --> 00:44:11.559 So just do 00:44:11.559 --> 00:44:12.099 some business 00:44:12.099 --> 00:44:12.619 with God 00:44:12.619 --> 00:44:12.940 while we're 00:44:12.940 --> 00:44:13.239 waiting. 00:44:13.360 --> 00:44:13.579 I'll ask 00:44:13.579 --> 00:44:14.079 the communion 00:44:14.079 --> 00:44:14.539 stewards 00:44:14.539 --> 00:44:15.239 to come up. 00:44:20.239 --> 00:44:20.739 And when 00:44:20.739 --> 00:44:21.199 you're ready, 00:44:25.460 --> 00:44:26.539 you can come 00:44:26.539 --> 00:44:27.000 up and take 00:44:27.000 --> 00:44:27.400 the communion 00:44:27.400 --> 00:44:27.860 elements. 00:44:31.019 --> 00:44:31.679 But maybe 00:44:31.679 --> 00:44:32.139 you just want 00:44:32.139 --> 00:44:32.800 to spend time 00:44:32.800 --> 00:44:33.539 repenting and 00:44:33.539 --> 00:44:34.360 confessing before 00:44:34.360 --> 00:44:34.619 him.