Jacob's crisis experiences reveal God's faithfulness and the necessity of confronting one's own nature. The sermon traces Jacob's journey through four pivotal encounters: with angels, with God in a wrestling match that renames him Israel, with himself in self-recognition, and finally with his brother Esau. The core lesson is that admitting one's weakness and yielding to God's transformative power leads to becoming a blessing to others. The message concludes that translating spiritual learning into daily living is essential for navigating life's challenges with God's help.
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We want to continue tonight with our thoughts of how to deal with a crisis, the crisis experiences of life. And we're looking at Jacob, how God dealt with Jacob. And if we can learn these four lessons that Jacob met in these four meetings of Jacob, we'll be able to come through a crisis. So we're looking and reading tonight from Genesis chapter thirty two. And we want to begin our reading at verse twenty four. Genesis thirty two and verse twenty four.
And Jacob was left alone. And there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. 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. And he said, Let me go for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go except thou bless me. And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. I believe that's the shortest speech Jacob ever made. Just telling what his name was. And he said, That is the Lord. Thy name shall be called no more Jacob but Israel, for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
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. And Jacob called the name of the place Penel, for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. And as he passed over,Panuel, that's another way of saying, Peniel. And as he passed over,Panuel, the son rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh. Therefore the children of Israel, eaten out of the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh unto this day, because he touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh in the sinew that shrank.
And Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, Esau came. And with him four hundred men, and he divided the children unto Leah and unto Rachel and unto the two handmaids. And he put the handmaids in their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindermost. And he passed over before them and bowed himself to the ground seven times until he came near to his brother. And Esau ran to meet him and embraced him and fell on his neck, and kissed him and they wept. And he lifted up his eyes and saw the women and the children, and he said, Who are these with thee?
And he said, The children which God hath graciously given thy service. Then the handmaids came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves. And Leah also with her children came near and bowed themselves. And after came Joseph near and Rachel, and they bowed themselves. And he said, What meanest thou by all this drove which I met? And he said, These are to find grace in the sight of my Lord. And Esau said, I have enough. My brother, keep that thou hast unto thyself. And Jacob said, May I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand.
For therefore I have seen thy face, as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me. take I pray thee my blessing that he's brought to thee because God have dealt graciously with me and because I have enough and he urged him and he took it and he said let us take our journey and let us go and I will go before thee that was Esau who said that verse thirteen and he that's Jacob said unto him my Lord knoweth that the children are tender and the flocks and herds with young are with me And if men should overdrive them, one day all the flock will die. Let my Lord, I pray, thee pass over before his servant.
And I will lead on softly, according as a cattle that goeth before me, and that children be able to endure until I come unto my Lord unto seer. And Esau said, Let me now leave with thee some of the folk that are with me. And he said, What needeth it? Let me find grace in the sight of my Lord. So Esau returned that day on his way to Seer. And the Lord bless his word. Let's pray. Our Father, we're conscious of the fact that a crisis experience doesn't make us. It reveals our root system.
It reveals the foundation upon which we're building. And we pray, O God, that thou wilt use the word tonight to supplement that which was given this morning as we examined the first two meetings that Jacob had. Meet with us now in this hour. Deliver us from anything that would detract and enable us to lay hold of the truth, that the truth may lay hold of us, and that we'll be more like Christ. For Jesus' sake, amen. This morning we noted in the meetings of Jacob that the first meeting that Jacob had was with the angels.
Chapter thirty-two, verses one and two, at a place called Nahaneum. And the purpose of the meeting was a revelation from God to tell Jacob that it is God who protects him. The two hosts, The two armies, the two camps are round about Jacob. This is God's business. And then the second meeting was he met with God. And we read about that tonight. We read that the angel of the Lord wrestled with Jacob, and he wrestled all night. And the lessons that we learned this morning were many.
especially to my own heart. And first of all, we must remember that Jacob was a man who had never faced a problem he couldn't solve. He was a schemer. He was a plotter. For Jacob was a man who always had plan A, plan B, plan C, and D, and E, and F if you need more. That was Jacob. And Jacob was always working on a plan. And Jacob completely forgot what God had told him, that the elder shall serve the younger, and he grovels in the presence of Esau.
Now Jacob is sore distressed when he learns that Esau is coming. And we noted this morning that word in the Hebrew distressed, it means to be confined, to be made narrow. It's what the late L.E. Maxwell used to call being crowded to Christ. And you see, this is the purpose of God in it all. And of course, Jacob is the plotter. When he learns that Esau is coming, he gets a great host. And my count this morning was five hundred eighty animals that he prepared as a present to give to Esau. But in Jacob's prayer, he acknowledges God's mercy and God's truth.
And God reveals his mercy in order that he may teach us his truth. However, when Jacob meets the Lord, we find he wrestles. Instead of submitting to the Lord, he wrestles with the Lord. And again, I'd like to ask the question tonight. Is there an area in your life where you're saying to God, hands off. Hands off. Is there an area in your life that you're touchy about? Now, you can talk about anything, but don't you dare talk about that. May I remind you tonight, you cannot beat God.
You may as well learn to cooperate with the inevitable. You must. And if we fight against God, God will fight against us. If we scheme, God will not scheme us. But at the end of the wrestling match, the Lord touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh. And Jacob's power for wrestling was gone. He could no longer wrestle when we find him clinging to the Lord. And as he clings to the Lord, he says to the Lord, I will not let you go unless you bless me. So now he has a third meeting.
Meeting number three. Jacob meets Jacob. Oh, this is the most important one, as it were. Now it's one thing to meet with the angels. Jacob met the angels and he looked. learned or he should have learned that God will take care of him. God's providential dealings are continuously at work on behalf of his people for all things do work together for good to them that love God. And then he met the Lord who wants to bless Jacob. But now Jacob meets himself and that's the hardest meeting of all.
For when Jacob says to God, I will not let you go until you bless me, unless you bless me. God said, what is your name? Now, in the Bible, names are important because names are attached to nature. The name a person had revealed the nature of that person. Isaac was called laughter. That's what Isaac means. because he brought joy and happiness into the family of Abraham in their old age. And many others, Jabez, for instance, means sorrowful.
His mother bore him with sorrow. We read there in First Chronicles four. Jabez means sorrowful. So when God said to Jacob, what is your name? Jacob had to say, my name is Jacob. One of the shortest statements Jacob ever made. And when he said, my name is Jacob, it meant that he's a schemer. He's a supplanter. He's a manipulator. He's the man who has a plot for every problem. That's Jacob. Now, what is your name tonight? Oh, it may be John or it may be Mary.
See, things are just a bit different today. But really, what is your name? And if you're honest in the presence of a holy God, you may have to say, my name is liar. My name is liar. I cheat or lie whenever I believe it is to my advantage. Or maybe you would have to say, my name is stubborn. Up until this time, I called a conviction. But it's really not conviction, it's stubbornness. What is your name?
Maybe you have to say, my name is deception. I say one thing to one group and another thing to another. I'm a deceiver. What is your name? Maybe you would have to say, my name is fear. I'm fearful. My name is Rost. My name is pride. Oh, I'm so full of pride. And yet I have nothing to be proud about when I really read the scriptures concerning myself. But there it is. You see, beloved, there comes a time when we, like Jacob, have to face ourselves. What is your name? My name is Jacob.
And God says to him your name shall no more be Jacob. No more but Israel. as a prince with God. You had power with God and has prevailed. You see, God is saying to Jacob, you have been Jacob the schemer who got his hands on things and hands on people, and he manipulated them. And Jacob was a manipulator, but from now on you're to be God-controlled, a God-controlled person. He said to him, you have power with man. Power with man.
Now we ask, what kind of power? Power to be a blessing. Why did God call Abraham? God called Abraham in order that Abraham might be a blessing. Why did God call Isaac in order that Isaac might be a blessing? Why did God call Jacob? He called him to be a blessing. And why did God save you? He saved you in order that you might be a blessing to others. Oh, you may have come to the meeting tonight to receive a blessing. But you know it's a lot better to be a blessing than to receive one. So whom are you a blessing?
So whom are you a blessing? You see, it's better to be an answer to prayer than to get an answer to prayer. Have you ever been an answer to prayer? Has anyone ever come to you and said, Oh, I thank God for you. You were an answer to my prayer. God sent you just at the right time. That's why God calls us. You see, up to this point in Jacob's life, he had been the schemer, the selfish one. Jacob walked on people to get higher, and he hurt people to get whatever he wanted.
He amassed his fortune, and he got it over other people. But now, from this time on, he's a prince with God. God says to him, Jacob, I want you to be on the throne, and I want you to dispense the blessing of God to others. God met Jacob. And God changed Jacob. You see, beloved, there's a lesson here. When we admit what we are, God will make us what we ought to be. When Jacob admitted what he was, it was then that God made Jacob what he ought to be.
Oh, there's a verse we can all quote. The Gospel of John chapter one and verse twelve. To as many as received him, to them gave he the power to become the sons of God. Power to become. When Simon Peter met the Lord for the first time and his brother Andrew brought him to the Savior, the Lord looked at him and he said, Thou art, thou shalt be. Thou art Simon, thou shalt be. And in the gospel of saving grace, when God saves a man, he gives to him the power to become.
God is making sons out of sinners. He's taking them and making them the sons of God, power to become. Jacob met himself, and then he turns to the Lord, and he said, Tell me your name. What is your name? You see, up to now Jacob wanted a blessing. He wanted a blessing, but now he wants a blesser. What a difference. A.B. Simpson wrote, Once it was a blessing, now it is the Lord. What's your name? Oh, if you can bless me, if you can change my name.
Tell me yours. Who are you? You see, you know, beloved, there's a lesson here. It's so important. We shouldn't study the Bible to know the Bible better, but to know God better. If all we do is study the Word of God to know the Word of God better, all we have is a big head but if I study the word of God to know God better in John seventeen the Savior could say this is life eternal that they might know thee the only true God all beloved the essence of Christianity is to know God to know God and what Jacob is really saying is Now I realize the source of all blessing is to know God.
Jacob now has a new desire, and his new desire is to know God. He has a new name. Israel, he's a prince with God. There's a new beginning, verse thirty. He names this place Penel, I've seen the face of God. There's a new day. Oh, the sun rose upon him as he passed over.Panuel, the sun rose upon him. There's a new day. Oh, there's a new walk. There's a new walk the rest of his life he lived. You see, it's good he had a staff. He began when he prayed with God.
He said, with my staff, I passed over this Jordan. With my staff. and the close of his life he still had his staff. Now he really needs it. He limps. He limps. You see, sometimes God must break us, even physically, to make us what He wants us to be spiritually. He has to do that sometimes. He has to break us physically to make us what He wants us to be spiritually. And all friends, when Jacob limped, what an opportunity for a testimony.
Ever think of that? You know, we try to hide all our deformities. Oh, we try to hide them. And Jacob, as he came along limping, when he met his wife the next morning, you see, she had been across the brook. And he met her, she looked at his what happened to you oh bless you Rachel bless you Leah I met God last night and God crushed me and he changed my name he made me a prince with God oh beloved instead of hiding our deformities wouldn't it be far better and say you know God had a deal with me what an opportunity to preach a gospel what an opportunity to exalt the Lord you see Jacob, if you're going to walk through life, you're going to limp through it.
You've got to limp through life. Why are you limping? And that brings us to the fourth meeting of Jacob. And that's his meeting with Esau. And we have that beginning in verse one of chapter thirty-three. Now you remember, Jacob met with the angels. He met the Lord. And he met himself. And now he must meet Esau. And Jacob falls flat on his face. Why? Well, verse one is a good verse.
And Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked. What's wrong? He's walking by sight and not by face. You know you can have a great meeting with the Lord and be blessed and turn right around and walk by sight and not by faith. That's what he did. And what does he do? He starts plotting again. And as he plots, he divides the family. And I tell you, when you look at it, you knew where you stood with Jacob when you looked at the lineup that he had. Boy, if you were in Jacob's camp, you knew where you were on the totem pole. I'll tell you that. And you see who he had at the very back.
He had Rachel and Joseph. That's who he had at the back. They were his favorites. Oh, what a lesson here. He divides the family. He substitutes sight for faith. But then he did something else. He substituted bowing for limping. Oh, you say all the Easterners are given to a lot of diffusion and bowing and all. Yes, I'm aware of that. But oh, what an opportunity. Had he said to Esau when he met him, Oh, brother, God crushed me last night.
God crushed me. That would have settled all his problems. I would have settled all his problems. It would have revealed his lips. It would have revealed everything about it. He said, Oh, I have dealings with God last night. You see, but instead of confessing, what do we find him doing? We find him arguing. We find him arguing. You see, Esau didn't want the gift. He said, I have enough. I don't need it. Oh, but Jacob, he argued with him, and he made him take it. And then Jacob, or Esau said, Come with me to Mount Seir.
Jacob promised to do it. But he didn't. He lied. See, Esau went south to Mount Seir, and Jacob went east. Can you imagine a person who had a meeting with God doing that? That's what he did. Oh, you know, they never really did get reconciled, did they? No. They embraced, they kissed, they wept. But when a man is walking by sight and not by faith, there is going to be no genuine reconciliation.
You see, Jacob was bowing. He wasn't limping. He was not trusting God. He was scheming again. He was not giving glory to God for what God had done for him. He said to... If he only had said to Esau, God broke me last night. You know I'm really sorry for the way I've treated you. I schemed against you and I stole the birthright. I deceived my dad. And I... stole your blessing as well. I'm so sorry. Let's go together and see our Father.
Do you know he didn't? He didn't. What was wrong? He wasn't practicing the blessings that God had given to him. What were the blessings? Power to become! You're Israel, a prince with God. I'm making something out of you, Jacob. Power to become. In other words, Jacob is not practicing his position as a prince. He's not practicing.
You know that the hardest problem I have in the Christian life is translating learning into living. That was Jacob's hardest problem. And it's mine too. Had the same problem Jacob had. Translating learning into living. Oh, beloved, I can read Ephesians one, two, and three, and I'm in the heavenly. And I walk out the front door and I'm in the earth, please. Just like Jacob. Just like Jacob.
How to translate learning into living. This is the essence of the Christian life. If I learn to translate learning into living, I'm going to stand and the root system will be revealed when the winds of adversity blow and the foundation will stand in the day of testing. It will. But you see, in order to do that, I must admit my weakness. Proverbs three says, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways, stop plotting and scheming.
In all thy ways, acknowledge him and he will direct thy path. I must admit my weakness I must permit God to break me. Now, when I use that word, I must permit God to break me. I'm not saying that I have control over God. I'm not saying that at all. It means that I have a heart that is yielded to Him, that wants to learn of Him and submit to His Lordship. That's what it means. We can face the past. And we can confront our mistakes.
We can deal with the problems of life only if I can see a few things. Number one, the fact of the angels of God. First meeting. God cares for me. Do I really believe that? Number two, I meet with the Lord. He met the angels. But then he met the angel of the Lord. The Lord Jesus came down. The Lord Jesus is earth's link with heaven and heaven's link with earth. Hereafter the Lord said he shall see the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.
Here's the link between heaven and earth. Jesus Christ our Lord. And then we meet ourselves. And then we see the problem. Just as Jacob saw, Esau. And by faith, beloved, we can limp our way to victory. As God crushed you. You see, this is so important. And as we wait upon the Lord, these four meetings will enable us to face the issues of a crisis and meet them.
God cares for me. The Lord is personally interested in me. I must face myself and recognize my weakness. And when I faithfully approach those three meetings God will enable us to meet the problem. Let's pray. Our Father, we thank you that you have ordained in the universe that night follows day.
You have ordained that mountains and valleys go together. We're not always on the mountaintop. Many times we fall flat on our face in the valley and crisis experiences are part of your pattern for your children. Help us, our God, to grow through thy gracious and tender leading of us as thy children. Our Father, as we think of the good things provided in the back building, we thank you for the purpose tonight. We thank you not only for those who have graciously provided these good things, but we think of Paul and Edwina and Beth as they leave for Pennsylvania.
May they know thy rich blessings. May thy hand be upon them for good. May they be able to write to us and say, As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. And God has put his mark of sonship on us. We know what it is to be led of him. And as we read this morning at the Lord's Supper from the twenty-seventh Psalm, The psalmist could say, Lead me in a plain path because of my enemies. O Father, lead Paul and Edwina and Beth, cause thy good hand to be upon them for good.
And our fellowship tonight, may it be sweet, as we fellowship in them and as we rejoice together in thy matchless grace. But, O Father, lest we forget these four meetings, burn them deeply into our conscience, enable us, O God, to translate learning into living. For Jesus' sake, amen.