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Welcome to the live big broadcast with Derek Greer. We believe this teaching from God's Word will empower you to live a full, impactful life in Christ. Let's dig in.
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So today we're going to start in the New Testament, but we're going to end up in the Old Testament. So we're going to start in one of those verses that if you read through the Bible every year with me, you probably just kind of read over and get to the next verses. But we're going to start in Ephesians, chapter 1 and verse 3. Paul says, by the Holy Spirit, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has literally having already blessed us. Meaning when Paul wrote this church, he understood that they should no longer be trying to get blessed. They had already been blessed. Everything they needed had already been accomplished and announced at the cross. And no angel and no devil could add or subtract. Now, when we wait until God does something and we're thankful, we call that gratitude. But when we praise him in advance, we call it faith. Does anyone in this room have any faith this morning? Okay, a couple of you on this side of the room who has already blessed us, watch this. With every what's not included in every nothing. With every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ. Now, we may not be in heaven, but how many of you are in Christ? Yeah. Now, everything Noah needed to make it through the flood was already on the ark. How many know that everything recorded in the Old Testament, types and shadows pointing to Jesus. So if you are in Christ, everything you need to make it through your storm has already been designed and placed in you. Because Jesus is the ultimate ark of safety in Christ, God has already given us whatever it takes. It's just a challenge to that. Sometimes it takes everything we got. Now, we just read that scripture again. It's one of those scriptures you read and go on to the next. But I want to show you a picture of it in Genesis, chapter 25, beginning with verse 21. Now, Isaac pleaded with the Lord for his wife because she was barren. And what we see here is even the first family has trouble at times. You see, God had already promised Abraham that the Messiah would come through his son Isaac and not Ishmael. How many y' all remember that part of Scripture? But. But what I've learned in my life, often the places of my greatest struggle are the places of God's greatest promise. You see, the. The devil is evil, but he's not stupid. How many don't know that the enemy fights the Hardest in the areas that God plans to do the greatest. So if you're struggling in an area, it might just be a sign, Pay attention. And the Lord heard and we need folks praying for us and with us. Even, you know, faithful people, righteous people, people who love God, need prayer. And the Lord granted his plea. James 5:16 says, the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous person avails much. Jeremiah 33 and verse 3 says, Call to me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things you do not know. Little prayer, little blessing, more prayer, more blessing. Much prayer, much blessing. And because of the prayer of his husband. Now, typically it's the women in the Bible that do all the praying. But finally a man got it right. And because of his prayer, Rebecca, his wife, conceived. But the children struggle together on the inside or within her. And she said, well, if all is well, why am I, why am I like this? She, she thought, how could answered prayer be causing me so much pain? But we're about to see that even our pain has a purpose. So she went to inquire of the Lord. And what we see here is her pain caused her to turn to God for answers. And maybe the struggle going on inside of you has been God trying to tell you something. Maybe God's trying to get your attention the same way he did here with Rebecca. And the Lord, the Bible says, said to her, and we see here that God speaks to women too. Frederick Douglass was discouraged. Major speech in Boston. The room was full of people. And in his speech he began to bemoan the situation of the American slave. And he began to say out loud that he felt the only way forward for the American slave was insurrection. Now that sounds real interesting and even heroic, but the challenge is it probably would have been just a bloodbath. And most of the people knew that. Where were they going to get the arms? How was this going to happen? So while he was giving this speech, this six foot tall skinny woman in shabby clothes stood up and said, frederick, is God dead? Now, this is the man that was known for his quick wit, his sharp replies, particularly to heckler's. But he stood in silence and he went back to waiting on God's timing. Now, you might get tired of hearing me say this, but this is important. Faith in God includes having faith in his timing. So God is explaining to Rebekah all that's going on. He said, two nations are in your womb. Two people shall be separated from your body, and one people shall be stronger than the other. And the older watch this the older shall serve the younger. Now, a whole lot is said in this verse, but the big thing I want you to notice is that before Jacob was born, God determined which boy would lead, though culturally, the older, you know, was supposed to get the birthright. Though the older we're about to discover was physically stronger and more capable, though the older would also eventually become daddy's favorite. God just has a way of choosing the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, just to remind us he's God. You see, it doesn't matter what culture says, what circumstances might say, sometimes even what family says. If God hasn't said it, their opinion doesn't matter and their approval isn't needed. So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed, just like God said, God's word never fails. There were twins in her womb, and the first came out Red. He was a wild looking boy. He was like a hairy garment all over. So they called his name Red or Esau. Now, this is my message, so I'm gonna tell it the way I want. So the first boy came out with a teardrop tattoo right under his left eye. Both of his ears were pierced and he was smoking a cigar. How many of y' all have a kid like that, by the way? But afterwards, his brother came out and his hand took hold of Esau's heel. So his name was called Jacob. So mom and dad understood that the boys wrestling in Rebecca's meant something. So they also figured that the way they came into this world would also mean something. So, you know, the ancients were not as touchy feely as we are, and they tend to call things as they saw it. So they called his name Jacob, which means trickter, scoundrel, Kong. If I was Pharrell, I'd say a hustler. Baby, y' all bring this stuff out of me, but has anyone ever been labeled before? So the boys grew, and as they grew, they were complete opposites. Esau was a skilled hunter, a man of the field. He was the consummate man, a great outdoorsman. But Jacob, on the other hand, the Bible says, was a mild man dwelling in tents we're about to discover. He was really something of a mama's boy. But don't get that wrong, because mild doesn't mean exactly what you might think, because that same term translated mild, in the book of Job is translated blameless. Other places it's translated perfect. So what we see here is Jacob was a good guy, basically a good guy. But like many of us, he Had a dark side to conquer, by the way. Anyone ever struggled with a dark side. And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game. So what would happen is Esau again, I'm going to tell it the way I want. He come back from his hunting, he'd tell dad his stories, and he and dad would wipe their faces with their sleeves, and they'd grunt and do manly things and as they ate. And it was a bond between father and son. But Rebekah loved Jacob. Mama loved the emotion and the poetry in her son's soul. But all the while, Jacob was constantly studying the angles. You see, be an opportunist when it comes to helping people, but never be an opportunist when it comes to taking advantage of them. Now, Jacob was a man of the tents. He was a good cook, and he had a lot of skills in places his daddy didn't celebrate. But Jacob was a smart guy, and he knew his brother's weaknesses. And Jacob, in this verse, is about to show his butt. The first service told me I could say that in church. And Esau came in from the field, and he was weary. The problem with bad company is you can't let your guard down around it. And Esau said to Jacob, please feed me with that red stew, for I am tired, I am weary, I am exhausted. But again, Jacob is a man that has studied the angles. He knows his brother's weaknesses. He said, sell me your birthright as of this day. Now, this is important. God had already told Rebekah, and I'm sure Rebekah communicated to Jacob that the older would serve the younger. So what we see here is Jacob already had it. The problem was he didn't believe it. And he kept trying to get what God already had for him in his own strength. And sometimes it's not the thing is not for you. It's the way you're going at it that's causing you all the trouble and all the struggle. A famous comedian said. She said, the trouble with the rat race is even if you win, you're still a rat. Insecurity will always make you do things you regret. Verse 33. So Esau swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. Problem is, this would not be the last time Jacob would do something like that. This. It would get worse before it got better. And we all know the story. Finally, Jacob ended up dressing up like Esau. And by the way, if you understand who you are, you don't try to be somebody else. And he used the disguise to try to trick his dad into giving him the blessing that he already had. Now watch the Results, though. Genesis 27, verse 33. Then Isaac trembled exceedingly. Nothing can exasperate you more than family. Those who you should be able to trust the most often disappoint us the most. 36. And Esau said he was just as angry as his dad. But Esau went to swearing. We're about to see what he sweared. Is he not rightly named Jacob? Trickster, cheat, heel, catcher, scoundrel, thief. 41. So Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him. And Esau said in his heart, now, it's one thing to say it out of your mouth, but when you say stuff in your heart, that's a whole nother level. He said, the days of the mourning for my father are at hand, Meaning my daddy's getting old, and it's just a matter of time before he goes away to the rest of the earth. And daddy gonna die. And I'm not trying to upset Daddy, so I'm a wait, but when Daddy dies, I'm gonna kill my brother Jacob. And it was because of this that Jacob was sent away to his uncle Laban. But the issue here is, you know, some of that hustler kind of ran in the blood. And Laban was not just a hustler. He was the ultimate hustler. And Jacob had to be swindled by him for about 20 years or so. You see, sometimes we don't recognize how our behavior impacts others until it happens to us. So five chapters pass, and finally, Jacob has learned his lesson from his uncle. But before he could enter the promised land, God had to prepare Jacob to face his past because Esau still lived in that area. You know, your mistakes are never wasted if you're willing to learn from them. Genesis 32 and 22 and. And we're gonna round the bases. And Jacob arose that night and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his 11 sons. Yeah, when you got that many people in your family, you don't get a lot of time alone. And we're about to find out. Jacob needed that. He crossed over the ford of Jabok. Now, what I also want you to see here is God blessed Jacob despite his imperfections. And sometimes we read stories like this in the Bible. We see all the faults. We're like, God, how can you bless him? But I want to ask, how could God bless you? When I read stories like this, they don't discourage. They encourage me. I'm like, God, if you can bless that joker, I'm going to be all right. The issue was, though, he was about to face Esau, who had ruminated. I mean, he's meditated on this thing for over 20 years. And Esau was nobody's joke. I mean, Esau was a fierce, violent man. He knew how to hunt. And the Bible actually said there were 400 men with Esau. So he had 400 mini mes traveling with him. And all that Jacob had was his wife and children and maybe a few servants. Jacob didn't need a trick. He needed God. So Jacob is at this point, you know, he crosses the river. And the thing is, if Esau attacks, the family would be backed into a river, meaning there's no quick escape, meaning they'd be wiped out. So basically, his entire family is at the point of no return and incredible jeopardy. So Jacob goes to be alone, it says. Then Jacob was what? Alone. Now, I want you to get this. Now, I've traveled to far nations in the United States of America. At least let me say this. I'm sure you go into the country, you'll experience this. But, you know, it only gets so dark around here. There's so much ambient light. I mean, there's street lights, there's lights from houses, et cetera. But when you go out in the country, I mean, you can't see your hand in front of your face. So the Bible already said it was dark. Okay? So it was night. So I want you to imagine being in the dark. You're somewhere you've never been before, and out of nowhere, somebody grabs you. Yeah. Now you understand Jacob's reaction. So he's alone, and a man wrestles with him. You see, sometimes we think we're wrestling with people, but we're really wrestling with God. You see, it's not until later that we realize, you know what? He was wrestling, I believe, with the second person of the Godhead, Jesus himself. He was wrestling with God. But at first it looked like a man. And again, sometimes your issues look like just people problems, but in reality, God is trying to tell you something. And he wrestled till the breaking of day. Now, when he saw that, the angel saw that he didn't prevail against him. And by the way, sometimes we read this verse 24 wrongly. I want to read it again. The text does not say Jacob wrestled with God as much as God wrestled with Jacob. And again, you might ask, how could a man wrestle with God all night? I mean, someone as powerful as God and survive. But may I ask you how have you wrestled with God your whole life and still breathe? If it had not been for the Lord's mercies, we would be consumed. So when the Lord saw that he did not prevail against them, he touched. Notice just a touch. God could have wiped him out. Just a touch touched the socket of his hip. God could have reduced him to dust in a blink of an eye. But God remained gentle and firm all night long because God is patient, not willing for any to perish. And he'll even mediate his strength in dealing with us. You think God's being hard on you? You ain't seen hard. God is controlling himself as he addresses the issues in our lives. And the socket of Jacob's hip was out of joint as he wrestled with him. And frankly, Jacob's life had largely been out of joint spiritually up until this point. So God just let it happen to him physically. And then the angel Jesus said, let me go for the day breaks. This is important. God will wrestle with us for however long it takes us to realize we have no one else to hold onto but God. I know the story, the narrative doesn't say this, but. But when you just think about it, this man grabbed him with a steady strength. He didn't say he punched him in the face. That's a different type. It wrestled different. And if this man really wanted to hurt him, he felt his strength. He knew he could be wiped out. The Book of Hosea actually says that Jacob sought God with tears. And when he felt the steadiness but the firmness of this person that was wrestling with him, all he could do is kind of hold on. Now, I've been in enough. I'm not proud of this, but I've been in enough fist fights to say, at some point all you want to do is stop it, and you just hold. But he noticed that he did not prevail against him, and he touched his hip and it was out of joint. And then Jesus said, let me go for the day breaks. But then Jacob said, I will not let you go. You are all I got out here all by myself all night. Just like most of his life, Jacob insisted on fighting for what he already had. And many of us are exhausted, running in circles, trying to get in our own strength, things that only God can provide. I mean, if I could just get that, then I'll have peace. If I could just be with him or her, I'll have joy. If I could just finally maybe accomplish this or go over there, I'll find rest. But Jacob kept living in the arm of his strength. And God had to make him come to the end of himself before he'd be ready to move into his future. So in the midst of this, God knows all, understands all, and he says, listen, day is breaking. I gotta cut to the chase. Let me get to the real problem here. So God said to him, what is your name? Pay attention. Jacob's problem was never his lack of blessing. Remember, the older shall serve the younger. He was the younger. His problem, one more time was not a lack of blessing. His problem was the way he identified. One of my favorite Virginians said this. He said, if you can control a man's thinking about himself, you don't have to worry about his actions. And once Jacob got in his mind who he was, he couldn't help but behave. It's a self fulfilling prophecy. As a man thinketh. Yeah. But in this moment, before his creator, Jacob humbled himself and confessed. He admitted, my name is Jacob. I am a trickster. I am a fraud. I am a fake. I am a man who has survived my whole life on my wit and my grit. But when he confessed, when he came clean, the Lord said, your name shall no longer be Jacob. I don't know what your name used to be. I don't know what people call you, what people know about you. I don't know. But what I do know is God wanted him to stop identifying with the man he once was. The man he thought he was, the man people used to say he was. And. And God wants you to stop identifying as the person you think you are. The person people say you are. The people who you. The person you used to be. You see, before Jacob was formed in the womb, just like Jeremiah, God knew him and ordained that he would be the head and not the tail. God had a promise. He predestined you. He had a promise over your life. Before you were born. Your name shall no longer be called Jacob. But I got a new name. And my prayer today is that you discover that name that God has placed on you before you were born. I know some things happened on the way to grandma's house. I recognize there have been some turns in the road. But before you were born, God had a plan and a purpose. Your name shall no longer be tricky. Your name shall no longer be what it once was. You are no longer who you used to be. You wrestled with God and you prevailed. Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, which means prince with God. And Jacob, in your own strength. Yeah, you're going to be slipping in A slide and shucking in the jiving. I know that. But because he held on to God long enough, he discovered his name. And what I'm telling you, if you would hold on, you will discover your real name. The Bible calls us a royal priesthood. We were created to be princes and princesses before God. But many of us settle to be commoners, like everybody. You see, when you recognize you're a prince, you're comfortable going to the king. I just said something, didn't I? Yes, I did. Yes, I did. And my king knows with the princes and princesses need even before they ask. My Bible says, call to him and he will answer you and show you great and mighty things. But some of the greatest things he's gonna show you is not out there. It's the stuff he placed in here. God wants to introduce you to who you really, really are. Your name. And may this be a day in your life that you begin to recognize your new name shall now no longer be what people used to call you, what people like to call you, even what you called yourself. Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel Prince. And what God wants to do is free you from you. There's a famous athlete that used to get bullied, and he would, because of the bullies, he would run home from school. But in his running, he began to discover that, you know, I might not be strong, but I'm fast. And when he discovered his speed, he began to grow over time, he began to play football. He became one of our great running backs. But the point I'm making is sometimes God has to let things happen in order for you to discover what's already on the inside of you. So we face certain things in life. It's like God, how could you? How come I got to go through. Because God knows what's already on the inside of you. You have already been blessed with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Peter said it this way. God's divine power has given us everything that relates to life and godliness. I didn't know what was in me until I had to face some things. And you will not know exactly what's in you till you have to face something. Stop running from the things, because ultimately you're running from yourself. You're running for what God has made you and what he's placed in you. God knows how to pull out of you. What's in you. You see, Jacob didn't really think he was strong, so he wrestled. And in that wrestling, he was also discovering his strength. And God was trying to show him he had what it took to face his brother. But let me add this. If you read the end of the narrative when Esau and Jacob finally meet, they end up just hugging each other. Why? Because while God was working on Jacob, he was also working on Esau. And if you let God work on you, God will begin to work on that thing you're frightened of, you're ashamed of, you're afraid of. But you gotta let God do what he gotta do in you. It starts with you.
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Thank you for joining us. Until next time, remember, you have what it takes in Christ to live big. We also invite you to partner with Derek Greer Ministries in bringing the life changing and impactful teachings of God's Word to the world. Get started by visiting Derek rear.com by clicking the link in the description.