2020/God Prevails in the Lives of People (Sermon)_transcript.txt

[0.00 --> 7.00]  There we are, there we are. Nice and loud, coming through clearly. It's good to be with
[7.00 --> 10.50]  you all once again this morning. It's been a few weeks since I've been here, and it's
[10.50 --> 16.40]  a joy to be in this building again with so many familiar faces here as well. Even though
[16.40 --> 20.36]  2020 has been one of the strangest years, probably the strangest year that I have ever
[20.36 --> 25.52]  lived through, in some ways it's actually flown by. I don't know about any of you, but
[25.52 --> 29.18]  the last couple months for me especially have really seemed to truck along. I've had a very
[29.18 --> 35.16]  full last couple of months. Since I last preached here on the 14th of June, I've done some camping,
[35.52 --> 40.74]  I've done a lot of reading, I handily defeated both Matt and Aaron in golf. I wasn't even
[40.74 --> 46.04]  close actually, it felt bad for them. And I started and finished a course on the book of
[46.04 --> 50.60]  Genesis, which we're going to look at today. In those two months, of course, our world has
[50.60 --> 55.86]  kept spinning as well. Once again, this week, social injustice, it's been brought to the
[55.86 --> 60.24]  forefront of our minds. It's been all over the news due to another black man being shot
[60.24 --> 65.72]  by a cop in Wisconsin. To remind you that while we can talk and while we can listen and while
[65.72 --> 72.26]  there's things posted on social media, we live in a very, very broken world. And it's full
[72.26 --> 75.38]  of sin, and it's in need of much prayer.
[75.38 --> 82.58]  Today's sermon is going to be about God prevailing in the lives of His people. Now, today's not
[82.58 --> 88.34]  specifically a text on racism. It's not specifically a text on social injustice.
[89.32 --> 96.04]  And I don't want to be guilty of trying to spin God's Word and fit it into a context that we find
[96.04 --> 100.88]  ourselves this week here in 2020 North America, because I don't think you can manipulate the Word
[100.88 --> 107.24]  of God that way. But I don't want to shy away from the reality of the culture and the times that we
[107.24 --> 114.00]  find ourselves in as well. What I want to do is I want to open up the Word of God today, and I want
[114.00 --> 120.78]  to let God speak through that Word. This is a text about God prevailing over all. So while I read it,
[120.78 --> 125.36]  I want to challenge us all while we think about this. We can think about this ancient story that
[125.36 --> 132.62]  happened so long ago. How do we grasp the deep-rooted truths within this story, and how do
[132.62 --> 138.60]  we apply it to this context that we find it today? See, God prevailing over all, it might just be the
[138.60 --> 144.28]  greatest hope that we have in the midst of all of this stuff happening right now. So in that vein,
[144.32 --> 147.32]  I'd like to challenge you all, and actually not challenge you, I'd like to encourage you all. I hope
[147.32 --> 151.80]  many of you have your Bibles with you here. If you're online, please grab a Bible close to you. Hit
[151.80 --> 156.82]  pause even if you have to, and go grab your Bibles. We're going to read through this story
[156.82 --> 165.08]  of Jacob wrestling God. It's found in Genesis 32, verses 22 to 32. It's a lot of twos. Genesis 32,
[165.18 --> 169.56]  22 to 32. Now we're going to read the whole thing through first, and then my message, I'm going to do
[169.56 --> 173.26]  something a little bit different today. We're going to walk our way through each verse, one or two verses
[173.26 --> 177.84]  at a time, and we're going to specifically dissect it that way. So you're going to want to have your
[177.84 --> 185.60]  Bibles open in front of you as well this whole time. So Genesis 32, verses 22 to 32. It reads like
[185.60 --> 194.06]  this. That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons,
[194.56 --> 201.68]  and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his
[201.68 --> 209.66]  possessions. So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw
[209.66 --> 215.02]  that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob's hip so that his hip was wrenched
[215.02 --> 220.34]  as he wrestled with the man. Then the man said, let me go, for it is daybreak. But Jacob replied,
[220.44 --> 228.38]  I will not let you go unless you bless me. The man asked him, what is your name? Jacob, he answered.
[228.38 --> 233.36]  Then the man said, your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with
[233.36 --> 239.78]  God and with humans and have overcome. Jacob said, please tell me your name. But he replied,
[239.86 --> 245.70]  why do you ask my name? And then he blessed him there. So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying,
[245.88 --> 252.66]  it is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared. The sun rose above him, and he passed
[252.66 --> 258.32]  Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip. Therefore, to this day, the Israelites do not eat the
[258.32 --> 263.62]  tendon attached to the socket of the hip, because the socket of Jacob's hip was touched near the
[263.62 --> 271.32]  tendon. The reading, the word. And before we dig into these verses, we do have to figure out how we
[271.32 --> 276.06]  got here. Where does this story fit into the grand story? Well, after spending years away from his family,
[276.26 --> 284.26]  Jacob has now decided he wants to return home. He wants to return home. He wants to confront his
[284.26 --> 289.92]  brother, whom you might remember. Jacob tricked Esau, his brother, out of his blessing, out of his
[289.92 --> 295.46]  birthright. As he got closer to home, though, Jacob's fear of his brother and what Esau might do to him
[295.46 --> 301.40]  grew, and he was getting nervous about meeting him again. But he trudged onward, and he actually even
[301.40 --> 306.38]  sent a peace offering, a gift ahead of him, to meet with Esau, maybe to soften the blow a little bit.
[306.38 --> 313.88]  Now, lots had changed since Jacob had left. He had married Leah and Rachel. He had obtained a number
[313.88 --> 319.50]  of servants. He even had enough children to form a new reality TV contract at that time.
[320.28 --> 324.84]  He's got a ton of possessions. Most of those possessions, he actually tricked his uncle Laban
[324.84 --> 332.14]  out of. And now he was very close to home. He just had to cross this one last river. And that's where
[332.14 --> 337.18]  our text begins. So again, we're going to go through this verse by verse, one verse at a time,
[337.22 --> 339.50]  and we're actually going to start—I lied—we're going to start with two verses. We're going to
[339.50 --> 342.70]  start with these first two verses, because it sort of sets the scene for this text.
[342.94 --> 347.42]  That night, Jacob got up, and he took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons
[347.42 --> 352.62]  and crossed the fort of the Dabak. After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his
[352.62 --> 358.18]  possessions. So after sending a peace offering ahead of him to meet with Esau ahead of time,
[358.18 --> 362.62]  Jacob sends his wives, his servants, his children, and his possessions across the river.
[363.50 --> 369.98]  But Jacob doesn't go. He doesn't cross the Dabak with his family. It's actually a little bit unclear
[369.98 --> 374.96]  why he doesn't go. The chapter beforehand, he spent praying to God. He was really nervous about meeting
[374.96 --> 380.66]  his brother, and so perhaps it was anxiety or fear that kept him on the other side of this river.
[381.82 --> 385.40]  That being said, it was actually really important for the events of this story that he was alone,
[385.40 --> 393.22]  so it might have been even providential that he doesn't go. Either way, Jacob's alone on the one
[393.22 --> 399.84]  side of a river, and he's there for the night. And then we get to what we might assume is the climax
[399.84 --> 405.78]  of this story already here in verse 24, and that reads like this, so Jacob was left alone,
[405.78 --> 415.16]  and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. Jacob was alone at night, and he wrestled a mysterious man
[415.16 --> 422.42]  until dawn. That's the most well-known part of this story, that the wrestling match between Jacob and
[422.42 --> 427.98]  this mystery man. However, it actually only makes up one small part of one verse in this whole 10-verse
[427.98 --> 433.78]  story. That's crazy, isn't it? I find that fascinating. That shows that perhaps the main point of this
[433.78 --> 440.04]  story is not actually this wrestling match. It's not actually this fight between this man. So let's hold
[440.04 --> 444.12]  on to that for a second while we continue to look at this verse a little closer. There's two things about
[444.12 --> 450.70]  this verse that stand out. The first is, we don't know anything about this man right now. The text
[450.70 --> 456.48]  reveals nothing about his identity yet. And so at this point, we're left to wonder, who is this man?
[456.60 --> 465.04]  Why does he wrestle with Jacob? The second is that this wrestling match was probably hours long.
[467.04 --> 471.58]  An hours-long wrestling match between Jacob and this mystery man occurs. Now, it would have taken
[471.58 --> 479.18]  a ton of energy and a ton of strength for Jacob to wrestle this man for hours at night. But if we
[479.18 --> 483.56]  look at Jacob's life, we realize that physical strength is a large characterization of it.
[484.54 --> 489.18]  In Genesis 25, right at the beginning when he's born, he grabs the heel of Esau, his twin brother,
[489.26 --> 495.04]  as he's coming out of the womb. In Genesis 29, he moves this giant stone away from a well
[495.04 --> 502.12]  so that Rachel, his future wife's sheep, can drink. And in Genesis 31, it says that he worked at Laban's
[502.12 --> 510.04]  herd for 20 years in extremely difficult condition. His own physical strength was something that Jacob
[510.04 --> 516.16]  had come to depend on all his life. And so this wrestling match for a knight was something that
[516.16 --> 521.32]  he could excel at. And yet, this is a story that we'll find out about transformation.
[521.32 --> 529.04]  And what Jacob goes through because of this man changes him forever. Verse 25, we'll keep moving
[529.04 --> 533.94]  on. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, so the man could not overpower Jacob,
[534.44 --> 540.40]  he touched the socket of Jacob's hip so that his hip was wretched or dislocated, as other translations
[540.40 --> 547.54]  say, as he wrestled with him. So this mystery man realizes that Jacob's not giving up. He's not
[547.54 --> 553.36]  going to let up. He's going to keep wrestling. And so he touches Jacob's hip, and he dislocates it.
[556.10 --> 559.32]  Now, only someone with supernatural powers could do that. Agreed?
[561.94 --> 566.26]  Now, there's a few thoughts on who the supernatural man, who the supernatural being could be.
[566.64 --> 571.66]  In Hosea, in his book, in chapter 12, Hosea calls this man in this story an angel.
[572.84 --> 576.32]  St. Augustine, a little bit later, he thinks this man was actually a Christ figure,
[576.32 --> 580.58]  Christ coming down early and wrestling with Jacob. Jacob later on in this story, we'll find out later,
[580.90 --> 582.28]  he thinks it was God himself.
[585.08 --> 590.58]  But be it an angel, be it a Christ figure, be it physically God incarnate,
[592.14 --> 598.30]  for us here today, the importance is not who this man was, but who this man represented.
[598.30 --> 608.92]  He represented the living God. Jacob wrestled with God that night, either literally or symbolically.
[609.58 --> 613.38]  But the significance of the interaction remains, whether this man was an angel,
[613.86 --> 619.94]  Christ himself, or God incarnate. And so God initiates this wrestling match with Jacob,
[619.94 --> 625.62]  and when Jacob doesn't back down, God makes life even more difficult for him by dislocating
[625.62 --> 632.22]  his hip. Now, this to me raises all sorts of questions. Why would a good God come down to
[632.22 --> 639.02]  earth and physically harm someone? Why would God intervene in someone's life only to cause them
[639.02 --> 646.36]  pain? As the story continues, we start to see some answers to those questions. Even though Jacob's hip
[646.36 --> 652.02]  gets dislocated, the wrestling continues. But here the story shifts a little bit. You'll notice the
[652.02 --> 657.02]  tone shifts. Up until now, it's just this physical battle between two men, but the tone is about to
[657.02 --> 667.74]  change. Verse 26, then the man said, let me go, for it is daybreak. But Jacob replied, I will not let you
[667.74 --> 677.20]  go unless you bless me. That is strange, isn't it? I find that very peculiar. Jacob's been wrestling
[677.20 --> 682.50]  with this man all night, fighting this man for hours, and then all of a sudden, he doesn't actually
[682.50 --> 692.94]  care about winning the fight anymore. He wants a blessing. Now Jacob's crippled in his physical
[692.94 --> 699.86]  strength with his hip, and all of a sudden, he becomes very bold in his faith. See, even though
[699.86 --> 705.28]  the text doesn't identify who this man is until a little bit later, the fact that Jacob believed
[705.28 --> 712.20]  that this man could bless him is a telltale sign that he understood who this man represented, or perhaps
[712.20 --> 720.46]  who this man was. Jacob, the stealer of his brother's blessing, was now looking for a blessing
[720.46 --> 728.12]  from God. And while the wrestling match between God and Jacob is the centerpiece of this story,
[728.68 --> 734.18]  it's these next two verses that we're going to read in a second, verses 27 and 28, that contain
[734.18 --> 740.54]  the deep-rooted truths in this story for us today. Verse 27 and 28, they read like this,
[741.38 --> 749.34]  the man asked him, what is your name? Jacob, he answered. Then the man said, your name will no longer
[749.34 --> 757.60]  be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome,
[758.28 --> 767.72]  or as the ESV more accurately puts it, have prevailed. That's it. That's the focal point of this story.
[767.98 --> 772.46]  While the emphasis of the story is the wrestling match for sure, the purpose of that wrestling match,
[772.46 --> 782.16]  the reason the wrestling match was initiated in the first place was to bless Jacob and change his name.
[784.06 --> 789.66]  Names are important. They were especially important back in the ancient Near East. They signified
[789.66 --> 795.56]  one's character or one's personality. In the cultures of the Old Testament, your name was linked to your
[795.56 --> 802.04]  nature. So what you were named often reflected the person that you would become. For example,
[802.72 --> 812.42]  Abraham means father of many. Ruth means friend. Ezra means help. Jeremiah means God will raise up.
[813.18 --> 820.94]  All of those people in the Old Testament embodied what their names meant. So what does Jacob mean?
[820.94 --> 832.44]  It means deceiver. Something that he did all his life. For years, Jacob relied on himself and his own
[832.44 --> 838.62]  wit to get through life. He deceived his way to his brother's inheritance in Genesis chapter 27. He tricked
[838.62 --> 844.96]  his uncle Laban into getting the best herds for himself in Genesis chapter 30, and he misleads his uncle
[844.96 --> 852.84]  once again in Genesis 31 as he flees from him. Jacob relies on himself all his life. He relies on his
[852.84 --> 863.22]  strength. He relies on his deception. But God changes that. God had a new plan. God changed Jacob's name.
[864.60 --> 872.08]  No longer was he Jacob the deceiver. Now he was Israel, which means God prevails.
[872.08 --> 878.64]  Jacob wasn't going to be the deceiver anymore. He wasn't going to be able to rely on himself going
[878.64 --> 885.62]  forward. God was stepping in, and he was taking charge of Jacob's life. First, God chose to fight
[885.62 --> 895.10]  with Jacob, dislocating his hip in the process. Second, God was going to fight for Jacob, for Israel,
[895.90 --> 898.14]  prevailing for him and prevailing for his future.
[898.14 --> 903.66]  We're going to stay on these two verses for a while because it's so important. Then this new name
[903.66 --> 909.22]  for Jacob, it has far-reaching implications for his descendants as well. See, the nation, of course,
[909.38 --> 916.10]  was named after Jacob's new name. The nation was Israel, symbolizing how God was going to prevail for
[916.10 --> 922.34]  them as well. God would lead them to triumph over their enemies and fight for them throughout time.
[922.34 --> 928.40]  And then, in the ultimate act of God prevailing for his people, God is going to send his Son,
[928.92 --> 934.42]  Jesus Christ, to die on the cross and defeat sin and death for all who believe.
[937.96 --> 939.60]  God prevails.
[939.60 --> 949.56]  God prevails. However, while we know how the story gets from Jacob to the cross, and we know what God's
[949.56 --> 956.90]  plan was with Christ's death and resurrection for us, we also know how the nation of Israel
[956.90 --> 964.22]  struggled with this promise throughout history. Countless times throughout the Old Testament,
[964.22 --> 970.72]  the nation of Israel forgets that God is on their side prevailing for them. And what's fascinating
[970.72 --> 978.78]  is this is all tied to Jacob's name as well. There was another name change in Genesis. In Genesis
[978.78 --> 984.62]  chapter 17, there's a man named Abram, and before God gives his covenant, God changes Abram's name to
[984.62 --> 990.30]  Abraham, and from that point on in the Bible, he is only referred to as Abraham. That was his new name.
[990.30 --> 997.26]  Well, there's a name change here too in Genesis 32. But Jacob is not called Jacob, or not called
[997.26 --> 1002.40]  Israel for the rest of Scripture. The rest of Scripture uses Jacob and Israel interchangeably
[1002.40 --> 1008.00]  throughout. He calls them by both names throughout all of Scripture. For example, this story takes
[1008.00 --> 1016.52]  place in Genesis 32. But going forward, the Bible refers to this man as Jacob in Genesis 35 verse 14,
[1016.52 --> 1024.68]  Genesis 37 verse 1, and Genesis 42 verse 29. But he's also called Israel in Genesis 35 verse 22,
[1024.68 --> 1030.60]  in Genesis 43 verse 11, and in Genesis 46 verse 1. Jacob and Israel get interchanged throughout the entire
[1030.60 --> 1036.82]  book of the Bible. And it's really highlighted actually in Psalm 147 verse 19, and in that one verse,
[1037.48 --> 1043.42]  the psalmist refers to both the person and the nation as Jacob and Israel in the same sentence.
[1046.52 --> 1053.08]  Even though God changed Jacob's name from deceiver to God prevails, he has called both names throughout
[1053.08 --> 1060.82]  Scripture from that point on, and this highlights that even though God prevails, Israel, the man,
[1061.38 --> 1068.76]  the nation, his descendants sitting in this room today, they continue to rely on themselves.
[1068.76 --> 1077.74]  Even though this story is talking about God taking Jacob the deceiver and showing him that he no longer
[1077.74 --> 1083.20]  needs to rely on himself anymore, that God prevails, and even though the truth of that provision has been
[1083.20 --> 1092.24]  true throughout history, Jacob would still fail to lean into God's provision and rely on him.
[1092.24 --> 1102.84]  And that should hit us right in the heart. Because that promise of God's prevailing, of God's provision
[1102.84 --> 1109.46]  is for us all, and yet we're all guilty of going our own way, doing our own thing, using deception
[1109.46 --> 1116.98]  to get what we want. We rely on ourselves, not on God. Sometimes we're good. Sometimes we follow God.
[1116.98 --> 1122.30]  Sometimes we depend on him. We lean on him when things get weary. Sometimes we are Israels.
[1123.82 --> 1131.24]  But other times we don't. We rely on our own understanding. Sometimes we're selfish. Sometimes
[1131.24 --> 1137.60]  we're short-sighted. Sometimes we're independent rather than dependent on God. And sometimes we're Jacobs.
[1137.60 --> 1149.48]  And while that tension exists in all our lives, this story is not over. God was still highlighting
[1149.48 --> 1156.64]  some very important truths to Jacob, now Israel, and those truths trickled down to all of us here
[1156.64 --> 1162.36]  today. Let's keep reading. Verse 29. Verse 29 says this, Jacob said, please tell me your name
[1162.36 --> 1168.72]  to this mystery man. But he replied, why do you ask my name? And then he blessed him there.
[1170.08 --> 1175.00]  Now there's a parallel between this verse and a verse found in Judges 13. In Judges, an angelic
[1175.00 --> 1180.12]  messenger visits Samson's parents and tells them that they will have a son. But when the parents ask
[1180.12 --> 1187.52]  the angel's name, the angel refuses, for they would not understand anyways. The language in that story
[1187.52 --> 1193.32]  and this story are remarkably similar. This is a similar situation. Jacob, though, has refused to
[1193.32 --> 1197.18]  know the name of this, of his assailant, of this man who wrestled with him.
[1200.52 --> 1207.52]  But he has given a new name. And instead, God blesses him. And he promises him that he, that God will
[1207.52 --> 1213.62]  prevail on his behalf. Verse 30. So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, it is because I saw God face to
[1213.62 --> 1221.90]  face, and yet my life was spared. So after Jacob receives a new name and a blessing, Jacob, he's once
[1221.90 --> 1231.58]  again left alone. In this verse, though, Jacob comes to a very important discovery. He calls the place
[1231.58 --> 1237.74]  Peniel, which means the face of God. And the reason for him changing the name of this place is very
[1237.74 --> 1244.44]  important. Notice this. Jacob does not say that he wrestled with God and prevailed, or that he deceived
[1244.44 --> 1251.42]  God and got the blessing he wanted. He called the place Peniel because he saw God face to face,
[1252.24 --> 1262.88]  and his life was spared. Jacob realized that it was only for God's mercy that he escaped that with his life.
[1262.88 --> 1269.36]  It had nothing to do with him. It had nothing to do with his strength. It had nothing to do with his
[1269.36 --> 1277.34]  deception. It had nothing to do with anything he could bring to the table. It was all God. No longer
[1277.34 --> 1283.78]  was he in charge of his own narrative, but God's grace had interceded and showed Jacob that he only
[1283.78 --> 1291.06]  existed because God prevailed in his life. No matter what obstacles would appear before him going forward,
[1291.06 --> 1296.94]  God promised to prevail for him. Again, like he promises for all of us.
[1299.16 --> 1305.24]  Verse 31, the sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip.
[1307.54 --> 1311.28]  It's interesting, Jacob left this altercation a new man in more ways than one.
[1312.76 --> 1318.60]  Yes, he got his name changed, but now he was actually physically forced to rely on God's strength
[1318.60 --> 1325.56]  rather than his own because he now walked with this limp. This was a new man, not only marked with a new
[1325.56 --> 1333.20]  spiritual perspective, but a new physical reality as well, sealed and marked by God as he continued on
[1333.20 --> 1342.92]  his journey. And just like Jacob now walked with a limp, sometimes when God intercedes in our lives,
[1342.92 --> 1349.80]  sure, the promises are great. The ramification of God taking over is amazing, but the reality is that
[1349.80 --> 1359.52]  sometimes when God intercedes, we may be left limping. We may be left limping, unable to rely on our own
[1359.52 --> 1368.70]  strength. Sometimes when God takes over our lives, he reminds us that he is the only way forward.
[1368.70 --> 1380.56]  We all have our limps. The challenge is to view those limps as reminders of how God is in control
[1380.56 --> 1385.00]  and not view them as obstacles that we have to overcome ourselves.
[1388.28 --> 1390.76]  Finally, the last verse of this story says this,
[1390.84 --> 1394.62]  Therefore, to this day the Israelites do not eat the tendon attached to the socket of the hip,
[1394.62 --> 1400.32]  because the socket of Jacob's hip was touched near the tendon. So this passage ends with this cultural
[1400.32 --> 1405.02]  practice that God's people would follow from that day forward. No longer would they eat the meat found
[1405.02 --> 1411.10]  in that location of the thigh where Jacob's hip was touched by God, because by doing that,
[1411.32 --> 1416.90]  the Israelites were then constantly reminded of this promise that God would prevail in their lives.
[1416.90 --> 1420.42]  So what do we take from this story?
[1423.60 --> 1428.80]  Jacob was taught that he no longer was going to be able to lean on his own strengths,
[1429.30 --> 1434.16]  but that he needed the power of God's provision, the power of God's prevailing presence
[1434.16 --> 1440.06]  and faithfulness to walk alongside him. The nation of Israel then, Jacob's descendants,
[1440.26 --> 1445.42]  would learn much the same thing. Israel's ultimate victory was never going to come
[1445.42 --> 1454.66]  by their own power. It was going to come by the grace and mercy of God. Both of the Israels then,
[1454.76 --> 1460.84]  the man and the nation, would learn that self-sufficiency is incompatible with the work of God.
[1461.84 --> 1471.58]  Faith alone overcomes the world. Self-sufficiency is incompatible with the work of God. Faith alone
[1471.58 --> 1479.06]  overcomes the world. G.J. Wenham sums this story up nicely. He says this, he says,
[1479.14 --> 1484.42]  God's sovereignty and faithfulness to his promise, despite all human unworthiness,
[1484.94 --> 1492.76]  is demonstrated right here. Jacob is no longer the strong, victorious controller of the divine,
[1492.76 --> 1500.72]  but he's now Israel, who is totally dependent on God's grace.
[1502.50 --> 1509.68]  Brothers and sisters, that should be our realization as well. As the Apostle Paul wrote thousands of
[1509.68 --> 1515.28]  years later to the church in Ephesus, it is by grace that you have been saved through faith,
[1515.28 --> 1523.86]  and this is not from yourselves. It is a gift from God, not by works, so that no one can boast.
[1525.76 --> 1532.18]  Self-sufficiency is incompatible with the work of God. Jacob's new name, which was birthed from his
[1532.18 --> 1539.94]  wrestling match with God, it highlights this beautifully. And so we're to go out with this
[1539.94 --> 1545.48]  knowledge. We're supposed to understand that it is by faith that we can overcome the shackles of this
[1545.48 --> 1552.58]  world. It is through God who promises to prevail in our lives so that we are free to live out this truth,
[1553.72 --> 1562.14]  unhindered by the sin that so easily entangles us. God will prevail in our lives.
[1562.14 --> 1572.50]  It might be a fight. God's prevailing might cause us to limp even. But God will transform us,
[1572.94 --> 1580.42]  and we can rest in the power of the cross and the grace found in our Lord Jesus Christ as the ultimate
[1580.42 --> 1586.00]  act of God's prevailing for our lives. Amen. Please pray with me.
[1586.00 --> 1594.22]  Our Father in heaven, we hear a story like this,
[1595.32 --> 1601.68]  and when we read it for its face value, sometimes it's hard to see all the nuance in it, Lord.
[1604.34 --> 1608.58]  And God, we see how you intervened in Jacob's life and how you promised to prevail for him,
[1609.42 --> 1614.18]  and we know that that promise was true for his descendants and for us as well.
[1614.18 --> 1619.94]  But Lord, we are so often guilty of trying to take charge of our own lives, trying to do things
[1619.94 --> 1626.36]  ourselves, forgetting that you have a plan for all of us. And so, God, we pray that you will intervene
[1626.36 --> 1636.60]  in our lives. Lord, you have sent your Spirit here to do just that, and we ask that the Spirit empower us
[1636.60 --> 1642.80]  to know that you are continually prevailing in our lives. You have prevailed already at the cross,
[1642.80 --> 1648.40]  Lord. Grace and mercy is for us, and we are grateful for that. And God, as we enter into
[1648.40 --> 1657.42]  this week upcoming, Lord, we ask that we rely on your strength, not ours. We pray this in your name. Amen.
[1657.42 --> 1657.52]  Amen.
[1657.52 --> 1657.56]  Amen.
[1657.56 --> 1657.60]  Amen.