313: Stephen Whitehouse – (Wrestling) Face to Face with God

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Welcome to good Chris.
Elphin talks.

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I’m Levi.
I’m Chris.

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I’m Gdiston, and I’m Brian.
Thank you for joining us this

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week.
On this podcast, we select one

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talk a week to help us get the
Bible in our Daily News feed.

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Each week we post talk that we
previewed from suggestions sent

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in by listeners from around the
world.

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Then we record a short intro
beforehand as a personalized

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recommendation to you on why we
are sharing the talk.

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And now let’s talk more about
this week’s talk.

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Welcome to the 7th season of the
Good Chris Adelphian Talks

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podcast.
This is brother Brian.

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And that’s right, folks, this is
officially the 7th full year or

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going into the 7th year of
running one talk a week now.

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Pretty amazing.
So first, we want to say thank

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you to all of our listeners,
those of you who have sent in

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recommendations over the years.
You really are what keeps this

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project going for the sake of
the gospel.

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This week’s talk is the third
class in a series that was given

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by Brother Steven Whitehouse
this past summer at the Midwest

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Bible School.
Brother Stevens spoke on the

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theme of Jacob growing into
Israel and the idea of the many

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faces that he had or saw.
And what we’re listening to is

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Class 3 called Wrestling Face to
Face with God.

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And I don’t know if it was
necessarily the standout class

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of the week since I think
they’re all phenomenal.

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And I hate having to choose just
one when you end up getting a

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really solid series of 456
classes, because then having to

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post just one feels a bit like a
RIP off sometimes from a host

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point of view.
So they all will be on the GCT

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extended channel along with the
slides that will be made

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available through YouTube.
But this class can definitely

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stand on its own as it breaks
down the iconic and mysterious

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wrestling match that Jacob had
with an Angel before his name

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was changed to Israel.
And Brother Steven answers so

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many questions along the way.
Drops in a ton of great gems.

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Very practical takeaways for us
as well in the perspective of

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wrestling with God while he is
working through US via trials

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and tribulations.
This class was a multi repeat.

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Listen for me and I advise you
not to be a silly person.

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Make sure you listen to the
whole series and pass this along

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to someone who you think needs
to hear it as well with the

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message.
Hold on, he is with you.

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So as always, we hope that this
strengthens your faith and

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brightens your day.
Brother Steven Whitehouse

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wrestling face to face with God.
Well, good morning, brothers and

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sisters, young people, I think
this is the halfway point.

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Hope you’re feeling good.
Well, we explored Jacob’s

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journey yesterday, didn’t we?
From deceit to a divine

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encounter at Bethel.
He laid that foundation stone,

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the Lord Jesus Christ, in
figure, the chief corner.

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And we reflected, didn’t we, how
we too are stones being shaped

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by life’s challenges.
And we are poised to join at

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Bethel, the chief cornerstone
being our Lord.

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But we’re going to change gears
now.

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And I want you to imagine in
your minds at the beginning of

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today, a moonlight jewel by the
Jabok.

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We have Jacob and a mysterious
figure.

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We have a a battle of faith and
destiny.

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And the lesson, the lesson for
Jacob and the lesson for us all

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this morning is to hang on, to
hang on in faith.

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Well, let’s open up our
scriptures then.

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And we’re going to begin our
story today in Genesis chapter

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32.
So we’ve gone forward in time.

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It’s 20 years, 20 long years for
Jacob since we last saw him at

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Bethel yesterday.
And here he leaves Laban’s house

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with his two wives and his
family, and a big showdown is

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looming.
Jacob sends this lavish offering

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of 580 animals to Esau in Eden.
So Esau 20 years later is still

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on Jacob’s mind.
But here there’s a twist.

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Remember how Isaac told Esau
that he would receive a land?

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Remember this from chapter 27
and verse 39.

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A land away from the fatness of
the earth and away from the Jew

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of heaven.
He was going to claim Edom and

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Seer, and it’s at this very
moment that Esau now is

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engaging, embarking on claiming
that place for himself.

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And so then Jacob would be very
much in Esau’s mind, the

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frustration that he didn’t take
the land.

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He hadn’t received the blessing.
And so the tension here is

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electric.
And make no mistake, Jacob is

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terrified at the prospect of
coming face to face with Esau,

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and he prays to God.
Look at the words there in

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chapter 32 and verse 11.
So we see here that he’s still

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concerned about Esau.
Deliver me, he says, I pray

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thee, from the hand of my
brother, from the hand of Esau,

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for I fear him.
And the mother with the

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children, that phrase there, the
mother with the children should

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be in the Hebrew Mothers,
mothers and the children.

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He had his whole family with
him.

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There was Rachel and Leah, there
was Bilhar and Zilpah.

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There were eleven sons.
Young Joseph was there with him

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and Dinah.
We have to go on a few chapters

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to chapter 35 for him to have
Benjamin.

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The whole family is with him.
And he imagined in his mind the

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mighty hunter approaching him.
It was an ominous picture.

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His wives, his children
slaughtered, bodies piled high

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in a grisly mound of blood
soaked flesh.

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This was the mind, the
imagination of Jacob.

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His thoughts were flooded with
sheer terror.

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Don’t you worry.
Don’t you wrestle and have

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sleepless nights.
Don’t you worry about husbands

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and wives, children,
grandchildren, family.

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Here was Jacob.
He was tormented.

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He was grappling with fear.
He was in imagining a a worst

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case scenario.
And aren’t we the same brothers

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and sisters?
But the lesson that he had at

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Bethel.
I am with you Jacob, and I’m

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never going to leave you.
We must remember that, brothers

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and sisters, when we too are
being tormented, when we too are

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fearful, our family, that our
imaginations are running wild,

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we, we, we, we think about a
worst case scenario.

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We must always remember that
even in our darkest hours, our

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Lord is there with us at our
side.

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But Jacob, he feels compelled to
meet Esau.

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He’s haunted by two decades of
guilt.

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Look at these words here.
I want you to notice this.

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This, this Hebrew word is a
particularly strong word.

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There in verse 20, he says, I
will appease Esau with the

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present that goeth before me.
I want you to notice that word

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appease.
It’s a strong word.

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If I said the word kapaa, you
would know, I’m sure what that

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word means.
It means cover, purge, reconcile

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to make atonement.
Here Jacob is seeking Esau’s

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forgiveness.
He’s fully aware of the depth of

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his wrong to his brother.
So imagining the worst case

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scenario, the bleakest
situation, he’s imagining that

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that that that disaster is about
to strike.

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Jacob now separates himself from
his family.

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He’s imagining the worst, and
here he is.

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I want you to picture this in
your minds, with all these

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things going through his head.
He’s alone, He’s restless.

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Esau’s confrontation looms.
He’s consumed by guilt and past

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experiences with his brother,
and the face of Esau that he had

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at Bethel the first time is
still with him even after the

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long 20 years in Laban’s house.
He fears the face of Esau.

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So that’s the picture.
And then suddenly, out of the

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blue, something totally
unexpected happens.

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Verse 24 of chapter 32.
And Jacob was left alone with

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all these pictures in his mind,
and there wrestled a man with

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him until the breaking of the
day.

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And when he saw that he
prevailed not against him, he

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touched the hollow of his thigh,
and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh

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was out of joint, and he
wrestled with him.

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So without warning, Jacob finds
himself in the middle of a

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wrestling match.
So there’s lots of confusion as

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you read these two verses.
It’s between night and day.

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There’s an unknown, unknown
location.

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And, and we’re wondering as we
read this with Jacob, who was

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it?
Who is this unidentified person?

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Was it Esau?
As Esau’s face burned in his

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mind, was it Esau?
First detail I want you to

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notice is that it takes place
here at Jabok.

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Now that’s very significant.
I, I think this, this begins to,

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to reveal a narrative that’s
going to unravel.

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Now, before us, Jabok was the
the border where Israel first

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triumphed over the Kingdom east
of Jordan as they made their way

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into the land.
And that’s very significant.

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That was the first battle, That
was the first victory for Israel

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under the leadership of Joshua
as they took, as they, as they,

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as they went into the land of
promise.

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So it’s telling us here that
Jacob in chapter 32 is standing

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on the threshold of the promised
land.

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This was where the first victory
took place.

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He’s on the threshold.
He’s on the verge of the

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promised land.
This is where Jacob is.

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It’s almost as if, as we begin
this narrative now with Jacob

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and the wrestling, that Jacob
needs a push, a push.

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He’s on the threshold.
He needs a push to enter the

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land, to enter God’s Kingdom.
And isn’t that the case for all

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of us brothers and sisters?
We’re very needful of pushes,

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aren’t we?
From time to time says there

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that they wrestled.
I want you to notice that word.

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It’s the Hebrew word aback and
it means to grapple, to get

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dusty.
So, so the image here is that

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they that the two of them fought
so hard that they created a a

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cloud of dust.
It was hard if you were a a

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bystander, if you witnessed this
moment, it would be very

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difficult to identify who was
who.

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That’s the whole idea.
It created a dust ball as they

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fought.
This was a a terrific battle, a

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terrific battle.
And notice here that there’s a

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play on words.
Jacob, Jabok, Abak to wrestle.

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They all share the same Hebrew
root.

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Jacob, Jabok, Abak to wrestle.
It’s almost as if when we’re

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reading the scriptures now, that
the whole scene is wrestling.

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The whole world was shaking,
trembling violently from the

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unfolding drama.
It’s as if we’re seeing a

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rebirth.
A rebirth.

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There was a tremendous shaking
so under the dim moonlighter, a

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fierce struggle between two
silhouettes.

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And it was an even match, an
encounter between the

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terrestrial and the celestial,
the human, the divine, the

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temporal and the eternal.
And this wasn’t just a a

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physical battle, it was a
spiritual battle too.

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And upon Jacob’s face would have
been a face of intense

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concentration as he embarked
upon this wrestling match with

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this unidentified man.
It tells us, doesn’t it, that he

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wrestled with a man not named.
The identity’s not disclosed

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there.
And we have to wait 1000 years.

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We have to wait one 1000 years
to find out who this man was.

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Come with me now to the book of
Hosea.

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I’d like you to put a marker in
Hosea, Hosea chapter 12.

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If we are to interpret just as
we’ve interpreted Esau through

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Hebrews 11:00 and 12:00, we have
to use Hosea to interpret what’s

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taking place here in the battle
between Jacob and this

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unidentified man, this wrestling
match, and we have to wait 1000

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years for the identity to be
revealed.

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That’s incredible, isn’t it?
That’s absolutely amazing.

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So here then, Hosea, chapter 12,
verse four, we read these words

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from this minor prophet with a
major message.

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Yeah, Jacob noticed there had
power over the Angel.

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That’s the disclosure.
Now Jacob eventually knew he was

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wrestling with an Angel, but the
Scriptures do not reveal the

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fact until 1000 years later.
Yeah, he had power of the Angel

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and prevailed.
He wept and made supplication

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unto him.
He found him in Bethel and there

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he spake with us.
So it’s not confirmed until now.

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00:16:36,280 –> 00:16:43,400
An Angel, remember at Bethel an
Angel stood by him.

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00:16:43,400 –> 00:16:46,840
Remember that when we were
talking about the staircase and

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00:16:46,840 –> 00:16:50,280
how the Angel stood by him, you
can put in your margin.

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00:16:50,280 –> 00:16:57,240
Genesis 28, verse 12, I believe
it’s the same Angel, the same

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00:16:57,240 –> 00:17:00,400
Angel that told him I am with
you and I will not leave you in

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00:17:00,400 –> 00:17:03,400
verse 15.
And that Angel had followed him

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00:17:03,400 –> 00:17:07,280
into Laban’s house.
He had followed him like a twin

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00:17:09,079 –> 00:17:13,440
and still now, 20 years later,
Jacob didn’t know that he was

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00:17:13,440 –> 00:17:15,359
being divinely protected by his
God.

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00:17:15,359 –> 00:17:21,200
And so suddenly now that Angel
appears to him and wrestles with

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00:17:21,200 –> 00:17:24,480
him.
I believe that Angel was

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00:17:24,480 –> 00:17:29,000
Michael, the Angel in Daniel 12
verse one that standeth for the

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00:17:29,000 –> 00:17:32,240
children of thy people.
And that journey and that

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00:17:32,240 –> 00:17:36,640
adventure was going to begin
with this man, Jacob.

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00:17:36,960 –> 00:17:42,920
Perhaps Michael was the guardian
Angel of Jacob who was made

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00:17:43,840 –> 00:17:48,560
Israel.
And there this man who carries

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00:17:48,560 –> 00:17:51,480
the name of Yahweh himself stood
there.

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00:17:53,120 –> 00:17:55,840
Now it’s interesting, isn’t it,
that there was there was Jacob

236
00:17:55,840 –> 00:17:58,280
20 years early, and he’d seen
the staircase and the angels

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00:17:58,280 –> 00:18:01,480
ascending and descending.
And there was perhaps Michael,

238
00:18:02,120 –> 00:18:06,840
the great Archangel of God, who
told him, I’m with you, I’m with

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00:18:06,840 –> 00:18:09,880
you, Jacob.
And he goes into Laban’s house

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00:18:10,240 –> 00:18:12,880
and all the affairs that
transpired there.

241
00:18:12,960 –> 00:18:15,960
And now, 20 years later, he
still doubts.

242
00:18:16,120 –> 00:18:19,320
As we reflect upon our own
lives, the moment where God has

243
00:18:19,440 –> 00:18:21,720
has clearly intervened,
intervened in our own lives.

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00:18:21,720 –> 00:18:23,520
And we still doubt, don’t we,
brothers and sisters?

245
00:18:23,520 –> 00:18:26,800
Of course we still doubt.
And now this Angel wants to make

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00:18:26,800 –> 00:18:30,080
certain that Jacob understands
and believes.

247
00:18:30,080 –> 00:18:34,440
And so then this Angel holds on
to him and grips him and says,

248
00:18:34,600 –> 00:18:39,760
I’m with you, Jacob.
Make no doubt about it.

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00:18:41,840 –> 00:18:50,480
I am with you, Jacob.
Now, if this Angel had been with

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00:18:50,480 –> 00:18:54,720
Jacob for 20 years, this Angel
would know everything about

251
00:18:54,720 –> 00:18:59,200
Jacob, wouldn’t he?
It’s in every day of Jacob, his

252
00:18:59,200 –> 00:19:05,240
ups and downs, his crests and
his, his valleys, his tears and

253
00:19:05,240 –> 00:19:08,760
his triumphs.
He would know everything about

254
00:19:09,120 –> 00:19:13,040
Jacob.
He would know all his

255
00:19:13,040 –> 00:19:18,560
weaknesses.
This Angel had an advantage over

256
00:19:18,560 –> 00:19:24,320
Jacob as they wrestled.
This Angel knew everything about

257
00:19:24,320 –> 00:19:27,760
Jacob, yet what does Hosea 12
tell us?

258
00:19:28,800 –> 00:19:33,360
Verse four?
Yeah, Jacob had power over the

259
00:19:33,440 –> 00:19:40,240
Angel and prevailed.
How is that so brothers and

260
00:19:40,240 –> 00:19:44,240
sisters?
How does a man who is 100 years

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00:19:44,240 –> 00:19:51,880
of age prevail perhaps over
Michael, an Angel of God?

262
00:19:52,800 –> 00:19:54,960
And we read these words.
You can just flip back to

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00:19:54,960 –> 00:19:57,560
Genesis chapter 32.
We’ll come back to Hosea

264
00:19:57,560 –> 00:20:00,880
immediately, but just look at
these words here in Genesis

265
00:20:00,880 –> 00:20:06,400
chapter 32 just to confirm this
message that that Hosea here is

266
00:20:06,480 –> 00:20:09,440
accurately interpreting Genesis
chapter 32.

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00:20:09,440 –> 00:20:11,560
Of course he would.
But just let’s just see the

268
00:20:11,560 –> 00:20:15,240
details in Genesis 32 here.
Look at verse 25.

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00:20:15,240 –> 00:20:21,880
It says there very clearly the
Angel saw that he prevailed not.

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00:20:22,520 –> 00:20:27,600
Against Jacob.
I want you to reflect upon that.

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00:20:27,600 –> 00:20:30,360
Brothers and sisters, come back
to Hosea 12.

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00:20:31,200 –> 00:20:38,240
How was that possible?
How does a mortal man who was

273
00:20:38,240 –> 00:20:43,760
fearful of Esau, who was 100
years of age, how does he

274
00:20:43,760 –> 00:20:48,640
overcome an Angel?
Well, we’re told the answer in

275
00:20:48,760 –> 00:20:55,560
Hosea chapter 12.
You see there he had power over

276
00:20:55,560 –> 00:20:58,280
the Angel and prevailed.
So you can put in your margin

277
00:20:58,320 –> 00:21:05,080
Genesis 32, verse 25.
And then we see how He did it.

278
00:21:05,400 –> 00:21:09,760
He wept and made supplication
unto him.

279
00:21:10,360 –> 00:21:16,640
He wept and made supplication.
Jacob fought with prayers and

280
00:21:16,640 –> 00:21:20,280
tears.
These were his big and powerful

281
00:21:20,320 –> 00:21:24,360
weapons.
And so imagine picture as this

282
00:21:24,360 –> 00:21:29,920
man is wrestling.
He’s he’s praying, he’s crying,

283
00:21:30,800 –> 00:21:34,960
he’s pleading, he’s in utter
pain.

284
00:21:35,680 –> 00:21:40,040
This was a, a spiritual warfare
that that that resulted in a, a

285
00:21:40,040 –> 00:21:44,120
physical battle.
But this was a a wrestling with

286
00:21:44,120 –> 00:21:53,920
his mind as he prayed, as he
cried, as he pleaded with his

287
00:21:53,920 –> 00:21:57,520
God.
Want us just to reflect upon our

288
00:21:57,520 –> 00:21:59,200
own battles, brothers and
sisters?

289
00:21:59,200 –> 00:22:03,440
And is that the way that we
approach our own battles, that

290
00:22:03,440 –> 00:22:10,840
we pray, that we cry, that we
plead?

291
00:22:12,440 –> 00:22:17,960
If we are to be a Jacob, to be
transformed to Israel, These are

292
00:22:17,960 –> 00:22:25,000
the steps that we need to take.
I want you to notice something

293
00:22:25,000 –> 00:22:27,960
else here.
Notice it says there in verse 3,

294
00:22:28,680 –> 00:22:33,960
Hebrews, Hosea 12, verse three.
He took his brother Jacob.

295
00:22:34,120 –> 00:22:36,840
He took his brother Esau by the
heel in the womb.

296
00:22:37,280 –> 00:22:40,040
So that’s the meaning of the
name Jacob, the heel catcher.

297
00:22:40,800 –> 00:22:47,280
And then we read and by his
strength he had power with God.

298
00:22:47,520 –> 00:22:50,400
I want you to notice that now.
Now look in your margin, please.

299
00:22:50,760 –> 00:22:53,920
By that phrase, by his strength,
He had power with God.

300
00:22:53,920 –> 00:22:56,240
What do you see?
This is a really important

301
00:22:56,240 –> 00:22:57,240
detail.
What do you see?

302
00:22:57,480 –> 00:23:00,920
By that phrase, By his strength,
he had power with God.

303
00:23:01,120 –> 00:23:04,520
If you look carefully in your
margin, you should see in his

304
00:23:05,160 –> 00:23:06,720
manhood.
Have you got that?

305
00:23:07,920 –> 00:23:14,560
Yes, in his manhood.
So the battle, the wrestling,

306
00:23:15,760 –> 00:23:20,680
Jacob reaches adulthood.
Something is now changing in

307
00:23:20,720 –> 00:23:23,640
Jacob.
He has hit maturity as he

308
00:23:23,640 –> 00:23:29,840
wrestles with the Angel.
And so as he grows, he becomes

309
00:23:29,840 –> 00:23:34,360
more and more powerful.
He becomes stronger and stronger

310
00:23:34,360 –> 00:23:36,400
in God’s strength.
Now this is really interesting,

311
00:23:36,400 –> 00:23:38,000
isn’t it?
Because look at the contrast

312
00:23:38,000 –> 00:23:40,200
now.
It says there at the beginning

313
00:23:40,200 –> 00:23:42,840
of verse three, he took his
brother by the heel in the womb.

314
00:23:43,280 –> 00:23:49,520
He’s an infant, he’s a child,
and by his strength in his

315
00:23:49,520 –> 00:23:52,560
adulthood, can you see that
We’ve got this progressive step

316
00:23:52,560 –> 00:23:55,360
of maturity here.
He had power with God.

317
00:23:55,480 –> 00:23:59,080
So he starts off as a child, an
infant, and as an infant he’s

318
00:23:59,080 –> 00:24:03,840
holding on to the heel of Jacob.
And then something happens to

319
00:24:03,840 –> 00:24:07,960
him that he reaches adulthood.
And in this adulthood, he has

320
00:24:07,960 –> 00:24:13,640
power with God, and he applies
that power with God against the

321
00:24:13,840 –> 00:24:16,200
Angel there in verse four.
And he prevailed.

322
00:24:16,200 –> 00:24:18,760
Can you see that?
So he starts off holding the

323
00:24:18,760 –> 00:24:21,240
heel.
He hits this point of maturity.

324
00:24:21,280 –> 00:24:24,320
He has power with God, and he
directs that power over the

325
00:24:24,320 –> 00:24:26,880
Angel.
And in that wrestling, he

326
00:24:26,880 –> 00:24:35,200
prevails against the Angel.
So in his immaturity, he’s a

327
00:24:35,200 –> 00:24:38,720
heel catcher.
And in this wrestling here in

328
00:24:38,720 –> 00:24:44,320
Hosea chapter 12, he becomes a
man because he realises the

329
00:24:44,480 –> 00:24:51,520
power, the power only comes from
God.

330
00:24:52,840 –> 00:24:55,040
That’s an important lesson,
brothers and sisters, in our own

331
00:24:55,040 –> 00:25:01,200
challenges in life, the strength
only comes from God.

332
00:25:04,240 –> 00:25:08,480
So the question is then, why
couldn’t the Angel overcome

333
00:25:09,480 –> 00:25:12,920
Jacob?
Well, think what we’re seeing

334
00:25:12,920 –> 00:25:16,880
here in Hosea chapter 12.
Jacob was locked in prayer.

335
00:25:17,160 –> 00:25:20,560
The effectual fervent prayer of
a righteous man availeth much

336
00:25:20,560 –> 00:25:25,560
James 5 verse 17.
Faith and prayer has the power

337
00:25:25,720 –> 00:25:29,200
to move mountains.
And you can imagine now as Jacob

338
00:25:29,200 –> 00:25:32,680
is wrestling with this Angel,
Jacob is praying to Almighty God

339
00:25:32,800 –> 00:25:35,880
that he overcomes this Angel
because he wants a blessing.

340
00:25:36,480 –> 00:25:40,200
And although the Angel is is
strengthened and empowered by

341
00:25:40,200 –> 00:25:44,960
Almighty God himself, God was
answering the prayer of Jacob.

342
00:25:47,320 –> 00:25:53,640
The Angel was powerless,
helpless, incapable of defeating

343
00:25:53,640 –> 00:25:56,400
Jacob in this moment.
It is an extraordinary moment,

344
00:25:56,400 –> 00:26:00,240
brothers and sisters, an
extraordinary moment in time.

345
00:26:03,760 –> 00:26:08,360
Come back to Genesis chapter 32.
You might be thinking, well,

346
00:26:09,600 –> 00:26:14,680
perhaps the Angel allowed Jacob
to prevail.

347
00:26:17,480 –> 00:26:21,480
Or look what Scripture says.
Brothers and sisters, let’s not

348
00:26:21,480 –> 00:26:25,720
use our own imaginations.
Let’s keep close to Scripture.

349
00:26:26,000 –> 00:26:30,560
It doesn’t say that, does it?
Genesis 32, verse 55.

350
00:26:30,560 –> 00:26:34,280
We’ll read it again.
And when the Angel you can put

351
00:26:34,280 –> 00:26:37,080
there instead of he, the Angel,
because sometimes we get

352
00:26:37,080 –> 00:26:40,440
confused there.
And when the Angel saw that he

353
00:26:40,440 –> 00:26:48,400
prevailed not against Jacob, he
touched the hollow of his thigh.

354
00:26:48,840 –> 00:26:51,120
If you have a look at other
translations, you’ve got the new

355
00:26:51,120 –> 00:26:54,840
Living Translation.
When the Angel saw that all he

356
00:26:54,840 –> 00:26:58,440
would not win the match by when
the Angel saw that he prevailed

357
00:26:58,440 –> 00:27:02,080
not the new living translation,
he would not win the match.

358
00:27:02,080 –> 00:27:06,360
The ESP he did not prevail
against him the net Bible he

359
00:27:06,360 –> 00:27:13,920
could not defeat Jacob.
This was not the Angel letting

360
00:27:13,920 –> 00:27:20,280
Jacob win.
So here we have after a close

361
00:27:20,280 –> 00:27:25,800
match, the Angel was forced to
do something to make a move, to

362
00:27:25,800 –> 00:27:31,000
create an advantage for himself.
We, we, we can see in a way that

363
00:27:31,000 –> 00:27:36,440
the Angel here needed some help
as he wrestled against Jacob.

364
00:27:37,360 –> 00:27:43,640
And so he touched Jacob’s thigh.
It’s literally the socket of his

365
00:27:43,640 –> 00:27:45,440
hip.
Now think about that.

366
00:27:45,440 –> 00:27:49,040
The the hip is where you get
your mobility and your strength.

367
00:27:49,360 –> 00:27:51,960
It’s in a wrestling match.
It’s the it’s the joint where

368
00:27:51,960 –> 00:27:54,680
you exert pressure on the
opponent.

369
00:27:59,200 –> 00:28:03,160
And so by touching the hollow of
his thigh, it would have been

370
00:28:03,160 –> 00:28:08,360
excruciating for Jacob.
He would have been writhing in

371
00:28:08,360 –> 00:28:11,840
pain.
And instantly for the Angel, the

372
00:28:11,840 –> 00:28:16,440
tables now are turned.
Jacob was prevailing against the

373
00:28:16,440 –> 00:28:18,800
Angel.
And so then the Angel needs to

374
00:28:18,800 –> 00:28:22,280
touch the hollow of his thigh to
give an advantage to the Angel.

375
00:28:22,720 –> 00:28:24,680
It’s what’s taking place,
brothers and sisters, it’s

376
00:28:24,680 –> 00:28:28,080
amazing, it’s astonishing, it’s
unbelievable, but it’s true.

377
00:28:35,430 –> 00:28:42,510
And Jacob now was no match.
The fight was now over.

378
00:28:44,070 –> 00:28:49,960
But this is Jacob, and now Jacob
shows unparalleled

379
00:28:49,960 –> 00:28:53,800
determination.
Jacob now can’t overcome the

380
00:28:53,800 –> 00:28:56,080
Angel, but he’s going to hold
on.

381
00:28:56,880 –> 00:29:01,640
He’s going to hold on until the
Angel blesses him.

382
00:29:03,480 –> 00:29:06,760
Now, brothers and sisters, have
you in your own life, when

383
00:29:06,760 –> 00:29:10,480
you’ve been going through life
happily, comfortably, and then

384
00:29:10,480 –> 00:29:15,320
suddenly in your own personal
circumstances, all your strength

385
00:29:15,480 –> 00:29:20,040
has been taken away, that you’ve
been broken, that you’ve been

386
00:29:20,040 –> 00:29:22,200
literally reduced to nothing
unexpectedly.

387
00:29:22,200 –> 00:29:24,480
Has that ever happened to you?
I’m sure it has.

388
00:29:25,000 –> 00:29:28,080
I’m sure it has.
And, and when we reflect upon

389
00:29:28,080 –> 00:29:31,600
those moments in our own lives,
it’s in those moments, isn’t it,

390
00:29:32,040 –> 00:29:34,760
that our true selves are
revealed.

391
00:29:35,040 –> 00:29:37,720
It’s when our true character
shines through.

392
00:29:39,520 –> 00:29:42,480
And the lesson in all of this,
brothers and sisters, Jacob

393
00:29:42,480 –> 00:29:45,080
couldn’t overcome the Angel.
The the, the, the battle, the

394
00:29:45,080 –> 00:29:49,640
wrestling match was over,
naturally speaking, but not in

395
00:29:49,640 –> 00:29:54,600
Jacob’s mind.
He was in excruciating pain.

396
00:29:54,840 –> 00:29:57,040
Everything was stacked against
this man.

397
00:29:57,600 –> 00:30:02,640
But he’s holding on now for dear
life until he gets the blessing.

398
00:30:02,800 –> 00:30:04,960
That must be the lesson for you
and for me.

399
00:30:04,960 –> 00:30:06,920
Brothers and sisters, we’re
never going to overcome an

400
00:30:06,920 –> 00:30:10,120
Angel.
But what we can do is hold on

401
00:30:10,120 –> 00:30:14,280
tight until we are blessed by
God.

402
00:30:14,880 –> 00:30:18,360
That surely must be the lesson
for us all.

403
00:30:18,600 –> 00:30:21,240
And and in all of this and in
all our challenges in life and

404
00:30:21,240 –> 00:30:26,320
whatever life throws at us, we
need to appreciate all times

405
00:30:29,240 –> 00:30:33,520
that we only have strength and
power.

406
00:30:34,280 –> 00:30:42,680
With God, we only have strength
and power with God.

407
00:30:45,120 –> 00:30:49,960
Now this is such a momentous
moment that the psalmist now

408
00:30:50,080 –> 00:30:53,560
picks this up.
I just want you to notice a

409
00:30:53,560 –> 00:30:59,680
phrase before we go there, Verse
25, that Jacob’s thigh, I want

410
00:30:59,680 –> 00:31:08,360
you to remember was the little
phrase out of joint, out of

411
00:31:09,080 –> 00:31:11,840
joint.
Let’s have a look now at Psalm

412
00:31:11,840 –> 00:31:19,760
22.
The psalmist here inspired,

413
00:31:20,040 –> 00:31:23,680
guided by the Spirit, picks up,
I believe, the wrestling match

414
00:31:23,920 –> 00:31:30,160
of Jacob with the Angel and now
applies it to the Lord Jesus

415
00:31:30,360 –> 00:31:33,280
Christ.
Look at these words here Psalm

416
00:31:33,520 –> 00:31:38,280
22, the messianic Psalm begin
there in verse one.

417
00:31:38,280 –> 00:31:40,280
My God, my God, why hast thou
forsaken me?

418
00:31:40,280 –> 00:31:45,040
The whole Psalm is is littered
with with messianic references.

419
00:31:45,360 –> 00:31:51,480
But where I’d like to look at is
verse 14 personal pronoun.

420
00:31:51,480 –> 00:31:59,320
Here I am poured out like water
and all my bones are out of

421
00:32:00,040 –> 00:32:03,320
joint.
My heart is like wax.

422
00:32:03,840 –> 00:32:07,280
It is melted in the midst of my
bowels.

423
00:32:08,320 –> 00:32:12,560
So we’ve got the same phrase
here, out of joint.

424
00:32:14,280 –> 00:32:17,640
But there’s something incredibly
significant about this because

425
00:32:17,720 –> 00:32:23,320
out of joint with the Angel and
Jacob, the out of joint in the

426
00:32:23,320 –> 00:32:26,640
Hebrew simply means to be
dislocated.

427
00:32:27,840 –> 00:32:34,640
So his thigh was dislocated,
excruciating, painful, but it

428
00:32:34,640 –> 00:32:38,640
was dislocated.
But brothers and sisters, when

429
00:32:38,640 –> 00:32:42,480
the psalmist picks up, I believe
the wrestling of Jacob, he

430
00:32:42,480 –> 00:32:47,400
applies now guided by the
Spirit, a much stronger Hebrew

431
00:32:47,400 –> 00:32:50,760
word to describe the wrestling
of our Lord.

432
00:32:51,320 –> 00:32:57,720
Because out of joint here in
Psalm 22 is to separate and to

433
00:32:57,720 –> 00:33:01,520
divide.
Not, not at all to be

434
00:33:01,520 –> 00:33:08,800
dislocated, but to separate, to
break away.

435
00:33:13,160 –> 00:33:15,760
So for our Lord, it wasn’t out
of joint.

436
00:33:15,840 –> 00:33:20,920
It’s as if although we know that
not a bone was broken to fulfill

437
00:33:20,920 –> 00:33:29,160
the Passover lamb, the pain for
our Lord was if every single

438
00:33:29,480 –> 00:33:36,960
bone was broken.
That was the feeling of our Lord

439
00:33:37,920 –> 00:33:40,960
as He wrestled.
He gave everything.

440
00:33:42,560 –> 00:33:46,280
The whole idea is that every
bone was broken from another.

441
00:33:47,840 –> 00:33:49,520
Think of that, brothers and
sisters.

442
00:33:49,840 –> 00:33:53,840
And there’s a real play here
because it says there I am

443
00:33:53,840 –> 00:34:01,200
poured out, and the meaning of
the name Jabok is to pour here

444
00:34:01,920 –> 00:34:07,640
in this moment in verse 14 was
our Lord’s Jabok moment.

445
00:34:09,040 –> 00:34:13,480
Now look at this.
Come with me to Hebrews chapter

446
00:34:13,480 –> 00:34:19,600
5 now.
And suddenly these words that we

447
00:34:19,600 –> 00:34:23,719
know familiar, we can see how
they are rooted in the life of

448
00:34:23,719 –> 00:34:28,480
Jacob.
Hebrews 5 verse 7, concerning

449
00:34:28,480 –> 00:34:33,600
the Lord, who in the days of His
flesh, when He had offered up

450
00:34:33,600 –> 00:34:37,880
prayers and supplications, with
strong crying and tears unto

451
00:34:37,880 –> 00:34:40,880
Him, that was able to save him
from death, and was heard in

452
00:34:40,880 –> 00:34:43,080
that He feared.
And you can put right by there

453
00:34:43,159 –> 00:34:47,239
verse 7, Hosea 12, verse 4,
where it says He prevailed

454
00:34:47,360 –> 00:34:51,840
Jacob, He prevailed, He wept and
made supplication unto him.

455
00:34:51,840 –> 00:34:54,639
Can you see that the writers of
the Hebrews now picks up the

456
00:34:54,639 –> 00:34:57,600
Jacob moment?
And the way that Jacob contended

457
00:34:57,600 –> 00:35:01,000
with the Angel with prayers and
supplication and tears is

458
00:35:01,000 –> 00:35:05,840
exactly the experience of our
Lord throughout his life,

459
00:35:08,080 –> 00:35:12,240
throughout his life.
So that when he died, the

460
00:35:12,240 –> 00:35:18,520
feeling within him was that
every bone had been broken, the

461
00:35:18,520 –> 00:35:24,040
sacrifice was complete.
He had given all for you and for

462
00:35:24,040 –> 00:35:25,640
me.
Isn’t that amazing, brothers and

463
00:35:25,640 –> 00:35:28,000
sisters?
Isn’t that absolutely

464
00:35:28,000 –> 00:35:32,880
astonishing?
And so the words then that we

465
00:35:32,880 –> 00:35:38,480
hear each Sunday take eat, this
is my body which is broken for

466
00:35:38,480 –> 00:35:40,440
you.
Suddenly, I believe that makes

467
00:35:40,440 –> 00:35:42,360
sense, isn’t it?
Which was broken for you.

468
00:35:42,360 –> 00:35:47,560
And we think the Lord’s body
wasn’t broken, but it was.

469
00:35:49,200 –> 00:35:56,160
It was in terms of how the Lord
felt that every bone he felt had

470
00:35:56,160 –> 00:35:59,640
been broken in that Jacob
experience.

471
00:35:59,640 –> 00:36:06,000
Brothers and sisters, isn’t this
so moving and so humbling that

472
00:36:06,000 –> 00:36:09,240
our Lord did this for you and
for me?

473
00:36:11,600 –> 00:36:13,800
Come back then to Genesis
chapter 32.

474
00:36:16,160 –> 00:36:18,760
So we left Jacob here wrestling
with an Angel.

475
00:36:19,440 –> 00:36:22,880
His hip is outer joint.
He’s in excruciating pain, but

476
00:36:22,880 –> 00:36:25,760
he’s holding on his Jacob, He’s
not letting go.

477
00:36:26,360 –> 00:36:31,560
Verse 26 So now the Angel,
although the Angel has an

478
00:36:31,560 –> 00:36:34,440
advantage, he now can’t let go
of Jacob.

479
00:36:36,200 –> 00:36:38,480
Verse 26, the Angel said let me
go.

480
00:36:38,480 –> 00:36:42,240
Can you see this, that there’s a
feeling here, there’s a sense of

481
00:36:42,240 –> 00:36:46,840
anxiety with the Angel that the
day was breaking, this battle

482
00:36:46,840 –> 00:36:48,800
was over as far as the Angel was
concerned.

483
00:36:48,920 –> 00:36:52,520
But Jacob was holding on and the
Angel couldn’t do anything about

484
00:36:52,520 –> 00:36:55,080
it.
That was the determination of

485
00:36:55,080 –> 00:36:57,760
this man.
Let me go, says the Angel for

486
00:36:57,760 –> 00:36:59,320
the daybreaker.
Can you see this?

487
00:36:59,480 –> 00:37:02,080
This is not this is not the the
words of an Angel that we would

488
00:37:02,080 –> 00:37:08,760
expect, but it was true.
And Jacob said, I will not let

489
00:37:08,760 –> 00:37:15,880
thee go except thou bless me.
So even with a dislocated hip,

490
00:37:16,680 –> 00:37:22,440
Jacob wasn’t letting go.
The Angel wasn’t getting his own

491
00:37:22,440 –> 00:37:26,640
way, was he?
Brothers and sisters, the Angel

492
00:37:26,640 –> 00:37:30,200
wanted to stop.
And why did the Angel want to

493
00:37:30,200 –> 00:37:33,800
stop?
Because Hosea Chapter 12 tells

494
00:37:33,800 –> 00:37:39,480
us that when the Angel looked at
Jacob, the wrestling had changed

495
00:37:39,480 –> 00:37:44,360
him.
He’d gone from an an infant to

496
00:37:44,360 –> 00:37:49,400
an adult in the wrestling during
that night, he had reached

497
00:37:49,520 –> 00:37:53,920
manhood and for the Angel, his
work was over.

498
00:37:55,080 –> 00:37:58,360
But for Jacob, there was more to
go.

499
00:37:59,720 –> 00:38:02,160
Now when you reflect upon that
and you you see now that the

500
00:38:02,160 –> 00:38:05,440
Angel wanted to stop and and
Jacob wanted to continue.

501
00:38:05,440 –> 00:38:11,080
You can see here that in one
contest during a long night,

502
00:38:11,720 –> 00:38:13,240
there’s 2 battles that are going
on.

503
00:38:13,360 –> 00:38:14,480
Have you ever reflected upon
this?

504
00:38:14,480 –> 00:38:16,080
There’s actually 2 battles that
are going on.

505
00:38:16,520 –> 00:38:22,160
That the Angel is wrestling with
Jacob so that the Angel can

506
00:38:22,160 –> 00:38:28,360
change the character of Jacob.
And when the Angel sees that he

507
00:38:28,360 –> 00:38:31,960
reaches adulthood, that he’s
fully mature, that no longer is

508
00:38:31,960 –> 00:38:35,640
he holding onto the heel of
Esau, the Angel wants to stop.

509
00:38:35,880 –> 00:38:37,720
His mission is complete.
Can you see that?

510
00:38:40,200 –> 00:38:42,360
But there was another battle
going on.

511
00:38:43,040 –> 00:38:46,600
Jacob was wrestling with an
Angel.

512
00:38:47,480 –> 00:38:51,200
And why was Jacob wrestling?
Because he wanted to receive the

513
00:38:51,200 –> 00:38:52,680
blessing.
Now, brothers and sisters,

514
00:38:52,760 –> 00:38:54,960
that’s a very important lesson
for you and for me.

515
00:38:56,600 –> 00:39:01,760
God works with us in our lives,
in our challenges, and in our

516
00:39:01,760 –> 00:39:07,800
problems to change our character
and we ought to hold on in that

517
00:39:07,800 –> 00:39:13,080
experience, hold on for dear
life, however hard that

518
00:39:13,080 –> 00:39:16,800
experience is in order to
receive the blessing.

519
00:39:16,800 –> 00:39:18,800
Can you see that?
It’s a two way thing.

520
00:39:20,560 –> 00:39:23,520
When our characters are being
changed, it’s painful.

521
00:39:24,120 –> 00:39:29,280
And the lesson in all of this is
to hold on, to look past the

522
00:39:29,280 –> 00:39:36,630
pain.
A little surprising.

523
00:39:36,630 –> 00:39:43,720
Then in verse 27, you read these
words and he said unto him, the

524
00:39:43,720 –> 00:39:48,760
Angel, what is thy name?
And he said Jacob.

525
00:39:48,760 –> 00:39:52,120
Now just imagine that in in the
middle of the the wrestling

526
00:39:52,120 –> 00:39:56,200
match, Jacob’s adversary here
the the Angel, this mighty Angel

527
00:39:56,200 –> 00:40:01,800
said something really odd.
He asks a Jacob, what is your

528
00:40:01,800 –> 00:40:04,360
name now?
Now the Angel knew Jacob, didn’t

529
00:40:04,360 –> 00:40:05,880
he?
He’d been with Jacob for 20

530
00:40:05,880 –> 00:40:09,320
years.
It was most unconventional,

531
00:40:09,320 –> 00:40:10,680
wasn’t it?
He’d fought all night.

532
00:40:10,680 –> 00:40:15,800
And now Jacob, his hips out of
out of joint, his heart is, is

533
00:40:15,800 –> 00:40:17,880
bursting, his legs are
unbearable.

534
00:40:17,880 –> 00:40:20,880
He’s his arms are numb.
He’s been wrestling with an

535
00:40:20,880 –> 00:40:25,080
Angel all night long.
And then out of that moment, the

536
00:40:25,080 –> 00:40:30,720
Angel has the audacity to ask
Jacob politely.

537
00:40:31,000 –> 00:40:40,920
Excuse me, what is your name?
Why, brothers and sisters, this

538
00:40:41,160 –> 00:40:46,520
is where it happens.
It’s not an unusual moment.

539
00:40:46,520 –> 00:40:50,040
It’s a development of a
storyboard.

540
00:40:50,360 –> 00:40:54,120
Can we have a look back to
chapter 27, Chapter 27, as I I

541
00:40:54,120 –> 00:40:57,280
mentioned yesterday, was going
to cast a long shadow over

542
00:40:57,280 –> 00:41:01,640
Jacob’s life when he stole, he
robbed Esau of the blessing.

543
00:41:01,760 –> 00:41:05,120
And remember, and I emphasized
and I told you to take note of

544
00:41:05,120 –> 00:41:09,320
it yesterday, that Jacob lied
twice, didn’t he?

545
00:41:09,800 –> 00:41:18,120
Verse 19 when when Isaac, when
his curiosity was aroused, he

546
00:41:18,120 –> 00:41:24,000
was asked, verse 18 Who art
thou, my son?

547
00:41:24,640 –> 00:41:30,880
What is your name?
Verse 19 I am Esau.

548
00:41:34,280 –> 00:41:38,600
Verse 24 Art thou my very son
Esau?

549
00:41:38,760 –> 00:41:44,240
What is your name?
And he said, I am.

550
00:41:46,640 –> 00:41:51,440
Can you see what’s happening?
The very same question is being

551
00:41:51,440 –> 00:41:55,000
asked of Jacob in the middle of
the wrestling match.

552
00:41:56,000 –> 00:42:02,000
What is your name?
And when that question was asked

553
00:42:02,000 –> 00:42:11,400
before Jacob received the
blessing of his father and he

554
00:42:11,400 –> 00:42:18,160
deceived his father, and in
order to receive the blessing of

555
00:42:18,160 –> 00:42:23,600
God, how is he going to answer
now?

556
00:42:25,520 –> 00:42:30,320
And he has to answer, he has to
reveal his name in order to

557
00:42:30,320 –> 00:42:39,520
receive the blessing.
And he says, I am Jacob.

558
00:42:42,520 –> 00:42:47,640
I’m a heel catcher.
I have held onto my brother’s

559
00:42:47,640 –> 00:42:54,960
heel all my life and now I’m a
man.

560
00:42:57,080 –> 00:43:01,360
I have maturity.
I have power.

561
00:43:01,360 –> 00:43:08,080
With God, I’m a cripple.
I can no longer run from the

562
00:43:08,080 –> 00:43:12,400
face of Esau.
I am Jacob.

563
00:43:12,520 –> 00:43:16,520
Can you see that in order for
him to receive the blessing, he

564
00:43:16,520 –> 00:43:20,360
has to renounce Esau?
Remember, he was the twin.

565
00:43:20,440 –> 00:43:24,040
He had Esau within him.
And then when he he deceives his

566
00:43:24,040 –> 00:43:30,640
father, he says I am Esau.
But now after the wrestling, I’m

567
00:43:30,640 –> 00:43:34,120
no longer Esau.
I’ve let go of the heel.

568
00:43:35,000 –> 00:43:39,800
I am Jacob.
I am the heel catcher.

569
00:43:41,680 –> 00:43:45,120
I am the one who is not fully
made like my brother.

570
00:43:45,840 –> 00:43:50,440
I am the one who is made in your
strength.

571
00:43:52,480 –> 00:43:54,080
Isn’t that wonderful, brothers
and sisters?

572
00:43:54,080 –> 00:43:55,960
So moving.
It caught me just a moment

573
00:43:55,960 –> 00:43:58,720
there.
Just so incredibly moving.

574
00:43:58,720 –> 00:44:02,040
It was a, it was an open
confession, wasn’t it?

575
00:44:02,440 –> 00:44:05,520
I’m Jacob.
I’m a mast.

576
00:44:06,720 –> 00:44:10,600
I’ve always been Jacob.
I’ve always been a heel catcher.

577
00:44:10,800 –> 00:44:12,840
I’ve always been running from
the face of Esau.

578
00:44:15,280 –> 00:44:22,040
That’s who I am.
I am nothing, he was saying.

579
00:44:23,440 –> 00:44:26,120
Now.
It’s in that moment that

580
00:44:26,120 –> 00:44:31,000
everything happens to Jacob.
Notice this as soon as he

581
00:44:31,000 –> 00:44:34,520
confesses who he is.
What is your name?

582
00:44:36,240 –> 00:44:43,040
Verse 28 And he said, can you
see that suddenly as soon as he

583
00:44:43,040 –> 00:44:47,640
confesses who he is, God now can
work with him.

584
00:44:49,080 –> 00:44:52,480
Thy name shall be called no
more, Jacob.

585
00:44:53,080 –> 00:44:55,520
I am a heel catcher.
He’s just acclaimed.

586
00:44:55,520 –> 00:45:02,280
No, no, no, no, says the Angel.
Thy name now shall be called no

587
00:45:02,280 –> 00:45:07,520
more, Jacob.
You’ve hit maturity, says Hosea,

588
00:45:07,520 –> 00:45:10,920
chapter 12.
You now have power with God.

589
00:45:11,600 –> 00:45:16,320
The work of the wrestling Angel
was complete.

590
00:45:17,200 –> 00:45:22,280
For as a Prince hast thou power
with God and with men hast

591
00:45:23,040 –> 00:45:28,600
prevailed, so he now bears the
name of Israel.

592
00:45:28,600 –> 00:45:30,640
So important, brothers and
sisters, this is the first

593
00:45:30,640 –> 00:45:35,560
mention of the name Israel in
Scripture, the first mention of

594
00:45:35,560 –> 00:45:39,360
the name Israel in Scripture.
And it’s after this wrestling

595
00:45:39,360 –> 00:45:43,960
match with the Angel.
Now, given that we believe in

596
00:45:43,960 –> 00:45:48,360
the hope of Israel, I think
sometimes we get confused with

597
00:45:48,360 –> 00:45:51,600
the meaning of the name Israel.
And it’s not surprising, is it,

598
00:45:51,720 –> 00:45:53,960
that we’re a little confused
with the meaning of the name

599
00:45:53,960 –> 00:45:57,800
Israel because verse 2028 is not
entirely clear, is it?

600
00:45:58,960 –> 00:46:02,280
So just look at different
translations on the screen here.

601
00:46:03,760 –> 00:46:07,120
So the new King James Version
says your name shall no longer

602
00:46:07,120 –> 00:46:09,960
be called Jacob, but Israel.
Why?

603
00:46:10,160 –> 00:46:13,440
For you are struggled with God
and with men and have prevailed.

604
00:46:15,480 –> 00:46:18,600
And then the the new living
translation has these words.

605
00:46:18,640 –> 00:46:22,360
From now on you will be called
Israel because you have fought

606
00:46:22,360 –> 00:46:25,760
with God and with men and have
won.

607
00:46:26,920 –> 00:46:31,400
OK, just just think about those
different renderings there.

608
00:46:33,680 –> 00:46:38,560
Look in your margin in chapter
32 and verse 28 by the name

609
00:46:38,680 –> 00:46:40,360
Israel.
As I mentioned, that’s the first

610
00:46:40,360 –> 00:46:44,200
time and you can see in your
margin, and perhaps this is the

611
00:46:44,200 –> 00:46:46,200
reason why it triggers some
confusion.

612
00:46:46,200 –> 00:46:48,040
You’ve got, you’ve got two
meanings there, haven’t you?

613
00:46:48,160 –> 00:46:52,560
By the name Israel, you’ve got a
Prince with God or a striver

614
00:46:52,560 –> 00:46:55,320
with God and they feel very
different things, don’t they?

615
00:46:55,320 –> 00:46:58,160
A Prince with God and a striver
with God.

616
00:46:58,160 –> 00:47:03,080
But perhaps we can think of this
in a dual way, that the lesson

617
00:47:03,080 –> 00:47:12,160
in Jacob’s life was that if you
strive with God in faith, then

618
00:47:12,160 –> 00:47:15,680
you will become a Prince with
God.

619
00:47:16,680 –> 00:47:22,360
So if we in the present strive
with God, then we will be a

620
00:47:22,360 –> 00:47:24,840
Prince with God.
So in fact, rather than two

621
00:47:25,160 –> 00:47:29,800
separate meanings, it’s a
development, it’s a progression,

622
00:47:30,640 –> 00:47:34,880
it’s a narrative of our lives.
If we strive, then we will

623
00:47:34,880 –> 00:47:39,280
become a Prince.
But I think there’s something

624
00:47:39,280 –> 00:47:43,120
even more beautiful than that.
As you, as I said, if you look

625
00:47:43,120 –> 00:47:46,760
in your margin there, Israel’s
name means striver with God.

626
00:47:46,760 –> 00:47:50,400
Just just see that in your
margin, striver with God.

627
00:47:50,800 –> 00:47:53,280
And the explanation is given in
the verse there.

628
00:47:53,520 –> 00:47:58,400
You have fought with God and
with men and have prevailed.

629
00:47:59,240 –> 00:48:04,200
You have fought with God and
with men and have prevailed.

630
00:48:09,360 –> 00:48:13,120
Think about what we’ve just seen
in Jacob, and I believe this is

631
00:48:13,120 –> 00:48:20,360
the meaning of the name Israel.
If you wrestle with God in

632
00:48:20,360 –> 00:48:26,600
faith, you will prevail against
worldly foes.

633
00:48:26,680 –> 00:48:30,160
I’m going to repeat that because
I believe this is the meaning of

634
00:48:30,160 –> 00:48:33,560
the name Israel, something so
fundamental to us as followers

635
00:48:33,560 –> 00:48:37,160
of the Lord Jesus Christ.
If you wrestle with God in

636
00:48:37,160 –> 00:48:43,960
faith, then you will prevail
against the enemies and the foes

637
00:48:44,040 –> 00:48:47,720
of God.
Now, if that’s the case, and I

638
00:48:47,720 –> 00:48:50,360
believe that is the case, I
believe that is at the heart the

639
00:48:50,360 –> 00:48:53,240
meaning of the name Israel.
Think about that.

640
00:48:53,240 –> 00:48:56,320
What’s taking place if you
wrestle with God and then you

641
00:48:56,320 –> 00:48:59,400
prevail against the enemies?
But what’s going on?

642
00:49:00,120 –> 00:49:03,000
How can you wrestle with God and
then prevail against the

643
00:49:03,000 –> 00:49:04,480
enemies?
What’s the picture, Brothers and

644
00:49:04,480 –> 00:49:06,440
sisters, have you ever thought
about this?

645
00:49:06,560 –> 00:49:10,120
What’s the picture here of the
meaning of the name Israel?

646
00:49:10,320 –> 00:49:14,880
It is a picture of a father and
son.

647
00:49:16,680 –> 00:49:20,880
We’ve all seen how a father can
toughen up a son or a daughter

648
00:49:20,880 –> 00:49:24,280
with a little bit of wrestling.
That’s the whole picture here.

649
00:49:24,880 –> 00:49:28,360
It’s this really beautiful,
intimate picture of a father

650
00:49:28,360 –> 00:49:35,200
wrestling not to, not to defeat
the child, not to hurt the

651
00:49:35,200 –> 00:49:41,360
child, but to strengthen the
child for the real battles

652
00:49:41,720 –> 00:49:43,160
against the enemies.
Can you see that?

653
00:49:43,280 –> 00:49:46,480
Isn’t that lovely?
That’s the meaning of the name

654
00:49:46,480 –> 00:49:50,040
Israel.
Our experiences in life with

655
00:49:50,040 –> 00:49:55,520
God, our wrestling with the
Angel, is to strengthen us in

656
00:49:55,520 –> 00:50:00,560
faith, in order that we can
really battle against the

657
00:50:00,600 –> 00:50:03,960
enemies of God.
And so then Israel at the heart,

658
00:50:03,960 –> 00:50:11,720
at the centre is all about being
a child of God, being a child of

659
00:50:11,720 –> 00:50:21,680
God, and how God wrestles with
us in order that we will win, in

660
00:50:21,680 –> 00:50:25,880
order that we will win.
We might not feel like that at

661
00:50:25,880 –> 00:50:31,800
the time, but God has got the
true perspective of our lives

662
00:50:32,200 –> 00:50:37,800
and winning is all about being
granted God’s coming Kingdom.

663
00:50:38,480 –> 00:50:42,160
Now the theme of this week is
all about the faces, all about

664
00:50:42,160 –> 00:50:45,080
the faces.
And so then verse 30, at the end

665
00:50:45,080 –> 00:50:51,920
of this wrestling and receiving
this blessing, Jacob called the

666
00:50:51,920 –> 00:50:57,880
name of the place Peniel.
For I have seen God face to face

667
00:50:57,880 –> 00:51:01,680
and my life is preserved.
Now look again in your margin,

668
00:51:01,680 –> 00:51:04,640
please, by the name Peniel,
you’ll see the face of God.

669
00:51:04,640 –> 00:51:06,560
And that’s part of our theme,
the face of God.

670
00:51:06,840 –> 00:51:15,240
And so in that wrestling, in
that wrestling, Jacob saw the

671
00:51:15,240 –> 00:51:19,560
face of God.
But it goes a step further

672
00:51:19,560 –> 00:51:22,200
because that’s not entirely
accurate.

673
00:51:22,200 –> 00:51:27,960
Your margin hasn’t got it
entirely right because Penny L

674
00:51:29,040 –> 00:51:37,840
is 2 root words.
Pen is to turn and L God.

675
00:51:40,280 –> 00:51:50,880
Pen is to turn and L is God.
So the wrestling caused Jacob to

676
00:51:50,920 –> 00:52:00,440
turn his head, see that he went
there seeing the face of Esau,

677
00:52:01,840 –> 00:52:08,160
and the wrestling turned his
head to face God.

678
00:52:09,280 –> 00:52:11,800
And so Penny L means the face of
God because at the end of the

679
00:52:11,800 –> 00:52:14,400
process, when you turn your head
to face God, that’s what you’re

680
00:52:14,400 –> 00:52:15,400
doing.
You’re facing God.

681
00:52:15,480 –> 00:52:16,720
Isn’t that lovely, Brothers and
sisters?

682
00:52:16,760 –> 00:52:18,240
That’s what it’s all about,
isn’t it?

683
00:52:18,480 –> 00:52:21,600
That’s what our wrestling is, so
that we can see our Maker and we

684
00:52:21,600 –> 00:52:23,960
can see the Lord Jesus Christ in
our lives.

685
00:52:24,120 –> 00:52:29,480
That’s what it’s all about for
you and for me, so that we too

686
00:52:29,480 –> 00:52:34,200
can find Penny L, that we can
turn our faces from our

687
00:52:34,200 –> 00:52:38,320
adversaries and all the things
that are causing us trouble, and

688
00:52:38,320 –> 00:52:42,320
we can see God working in our
lives.

689
00:52:46,920 –> 00:52:54,200
That morning, Jacob found
himself to be a cripple for

690
00:52:54,200 –> 00:52:57,760
life.
He was always going to limp.

691
00:52:58,440 –> 00:53:01,960
And brothers and sisters, our
crises are real.

692
00:53:03,120 –> 00:53:09,000
Our suffering and the deep cuts,
they hurt and they are painful,

693
00:53:10,240 –> 00:53:16,160
and when the sun rises it bears
our scars.

694
00:53:17,520 –> 00:53:24,560
But for Jacob that morning they
were honourable scars because

695
00:53:24,560 –> 00:53:28,960
Jacob that night had fought
bravely, hadn’t he?

696
00:53:29,320 –> 00:53:33,360
He had fought bravely and won in
God’s strength.

697
00:53:34,720 –> 00:53:37,520
And so, brothers and sisters,
then at the end of this talk

698
00:53:37,520 –> 00:53:41,160
today, what is the big lesson
for you and for me?

699
00:53:41,320 –> 00:53:47,080
It’s only when we admit to our
God that we are heel catchers,

700
00:53:48,480 –> 00:53:54,240
that we are nothing, that we are
in need of God’s salvation.

701
00:53:54,840 –> 00:53:58,720
It’s only then, brothers and
sisters, when we are reduced to

702
00:53:58,720 –> 00:54:03,200
nothing, that we are broken,
that we are in a state of

703
00:54:03,200 –> 00:54:07,520
despair and we are just hanging
on for dear life.

704
00:54:08,320 –> 00:54:12,680
It’s then and then only, that
God can work wonders and

705
00:54:12,680 –> 00:54:18,560
miracles in you and me.
When we confess to Him who we

706
00:54:18,560 –> 00:54:25,600
are and that we need His help,
then God can change us.

707
00:54:26,760 –> 00:54:30,000
And so then I leave you with
this question.

708
00:54:32,080 –> 00:54:36,360
Have you, brothers and sisters,
as we sit here comfortably at

709
00:54:36,360 –> 00:54:43,040
our Bible school today, have
you, have you taken your mask

710
00:54:43,040 –> 00:54:48,120
off?
Have you taken your mask off and

711
00:54:48,120 –> 00:54:51,720
confessed to God who you really
are?

712
00:54:53,320 –> 00:55:12,560
And if not, why not?
Thank you for listening to the

713
00:55:12,560 –> 00:55:14,120
Good Christadelphian Talks
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714
00:55:15,000 –> 00:55:17,400
We hope this talk helped you in
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715
00:55:17,400 –> 00:55:19,800
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716
00:55:19,800 –> 00:55:21,520
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717
00:55:21,920 –> 00:55:25,160
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718
00:55:26,280 –> 00:55:28,760
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719
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720
00:55:31,600 –> 00:55:34,320
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721
00:55:34,320 –> 00:55:38,200
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00:55:38,200 –> 00:55:41,880
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730
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731
00:56:04,560 –> 00:56:06,480
God bless and talk to you next
week.