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Salt + Light Community is a SOMA church plant in the heart of Fort Worth, TX. Here you’ll find teaching and discussions from our gatherings on Sunday afternoons.
Well, kids, um, who are in the room.
Lucky for you, Kate, um, badgered
me enough to bring back candy today.
So for uh, for today, I'm
gonna give you a word.
We're gonna do the whole thing where
you're gonna keep track of a word and then
come up to me at the end and let me know
how many times I said it, and we've got.
Peanut butter cups and Jolly
Ranchers, I think very exciting.
Yeah.
Okay, so the word is you're
gonna try and keep track of how
many times I say the word Jacob.
We're, we're looking at the
rest of Jacob's story today.
Okay.
Okay.
So, um, last week, or I guess now it's
probably two weeks ago, Matt and I
celebrated our 20th anniversary and
we were up in the mountains, beautiful
part of the country, which, uh.
We're on this hike, and I said to
Matt, I said, Hey, I got a question.
What do you like about me, but like,
also what don't you like about me?
And he says, can you please
rephrase the question?
I was like, that's a good,
good response, you know?
Um, but essentially, well, you know,
we're on this this week, uh, without kids
together celebrating our anniversary.
And so there was a lot
of like looking back and.
Uh, looking back and looking forward
and talking about all of it and who
we once were and who we are now.
And let me tell you, it was a relief,
um, to be able to celebrate, um, that
some of our biggest issues we had
when we got married are much smaller
now, or really no longer an issue.
You know, for example, it used to take
me days to apologize for something.
And now it only takes
me like hours, you know?
Uh, so like progress, progress is
happening because we've grown and changed
so much over the past two decades.
But it is without a doubt because
of the work of God in our lives.
And I believe that that is actually
true for a lot of us in this room.
Like we, most of us, many of us
have a history with each other
and we can look back and think of.
Ways, uh, people that we once
were to who God is making us
now, that is the work of God.
And that's something to celebrate.
Uh, so then we come to
this passage of scripture.
We've been in the Book of Genesis,
and we get to the final part of
Jacob's story and we finally get
to see some progress in his life.
And I love this part of
scripture because we get to see a
redemptive arc to Jacob's story.
Up to this point, he hasn't
really come across great.
You know, it makes us wonder
like, are you sure about this guy?
Uh, this is the guy you wanna use.
God, his name literally means deceiver.
Are we sure we're gonna stick with him?
But these final chapters that
we're in, that zoom in on Jacob,
they give us this redemptive arc
that we always want in a story.
My creative writing professor in
college, she, uh, was known for saying
you have to show the bad with the good
and the good with the bad, otherwise
you don't have a believable character.
And so when I look at this passage of
scripture, I think this is an excellent
example of good writing, um, because
we get the fullness of Jacob here.
We get to see his faults and his
failures, but also his good desires
and his grit and his persistence.
Um, so it's just such a great story.
So I'm excited to, uh, look
at the rest of it today.
So we're in chapters Genesis.
Uh, we're in 20, uh, 32 and 33, and
there's three movements in this section
of scripture, if you're familiar
with it, where we get to see the
growth in Jacob and what we do, what
we see in the beginning is we see
him move into a prayerful posture.
Uh, when he gets to begin
his journey back home.
He's been gone for a long time.
And then we see him move into this
posture of surrender when he wrestles
with God what we just heard read.
And then finally after that he moves
into a posture of humility when
he reunites with his brother esol.
And the best part of Jacob's redemptive
arc is how it highlights the steadfast
character and the sanctifying work of God.
That's what we wanna focus on.
So we're gonna work through this
passage considering God's sanctifying
work in Jacob, in the ways that
he creates a prayerful heart, a
surrendered heart, and a humble heart.
So, we'll first look at prayerful heart,
looking at the first part of Genesis 32.
So this passage of scripture, um,
this is where Jacob returns to Canaan.
Okay?
And this marks a new chapter in his story.
God has been molding Jacob's character
through 20 long years under his
father-in-law, uh, who has worked
him hard and has somehow even been
more deceitful than Jacob was.
And so finally there's this peace
treaty that happens between them.
We looked at this last week and Jacob is
now ready to return to the land that God
has promised him and his descendants.
So Jacob's heading home, uh, but
while he was away, he has acquired
a large family and lots of animals.
But as you can imagine, if you
put yourself in Jacob's shoes,
you have to realize he is probably
so nervous right now, um, to
run into his estranged brother.
And this is understandable because a
few chapters before, um, Esau hated
Jacob and Esau declared that he would
kill him once their father died.
So that is how their
relationship was left.
Um, so that's how Jacob
left in the first place.
Like that's what they were dealing with.
So Jacob doesn't know what
he's about to encounter and
how he's going to be treated.
So in fact, he actually gets word while
they're traveling that Esau is coming
to meet him and he's got 400 men.
Okay, so that doesn't make you
feel any more relaxed, right?
So here's where we see the first
sign of growth, though, in Jacob.
Jacob calls out to God in prayer
and this will be up on the screen.
This is, uh, starting in verse nine.
Then Jacob prayed, oh God, of my
father Abraham, God of my father,
Isaac Lord, you who said to me,
go back to your country and your
relatives and I will make you prosper.
I am unworthy of all the kindness and
faithfulness you have shown your servant.
I had only my staff when I crossed this
Jordan, but now I've become two camps.
Save me.
I pray from the hand of my brother Esau,
for I'm afraid he will come and attack me
and also the mothers with their children.
But you have said, I will surely
make you prosper and will make you
make your descendants like the sand
of the sea, which cannot be counted.
So God often uses circumstances that
leave us feeling totally out of control.
What Jacob must be feeling in this moment.
Totally out of control and vulnerable.
He uses those moments to call us to him.
But what's interesting to me is that after
Jacob prayed, he then in scripture, he
then takes action to repair and restore
his relationship to Esau, what was
once a panic situation within his soul.
He now was willing to endure and move
forward in hopes of reconciliation.
And what I love about this is we
don't know if Jacob, uh, is moving
forward, if this was Jacob's idea or
if this was God's guidance that came
as after a follow up from praying.
What we do know is that prayer has a
way of centering us on the heart of God,
which in turn shaped how we respond.
Prayer gives us an opportunity to speak
candidly to God about our fears and our
desires to claim, Lord, you said this.
Are you with me now?
Can I trust you?
Prayer is where we get to pour out our
hearts to God and expect God to answer.
Prayer demonstrates our dependency,
which helps put us in a position
of surrender to God, which is
where Jacob needs to go next.
So in an effort to reconcile.
Jacob then sends ahead a big
gift for his brother and he
sends his family to go on ahead.
And so Jacob is now
alone and it's nighttime.
His family has gone on and I think
that this is an important detail,
uh, that he or that he's alone.
And so we've already heard this
passage of scripture, but it starts
with saying that Jacob was alone Here.
Jacob is in this dark place.
Oh, let's go ahead and
read this part real quick.
So in 22 and 23 that night, Jacob
got up and he took his two wives,
his two female servants and his
11 sons, and crossed the Ford.
After he had sent them across the
stream, he sent over all his possessions.
So Jacob was left alone and a man
wrestled with him till daybreak.
So here he is in the dark
place all by himself.
He's come so far from who he was,
who we've known him to be, to
who he is now trying to become.
But you know, for humans to really
see actual internal transformation,
to experience a heart change in
not just behavior modification,
to experience a growth in our
character, we've gotta do some work.
And the work for us as Christians
is to show up to God to say,
here I am, Lord, I surrender.
The work requires us to get to
a quiet place, and for some of
us, we love the idea of quiet
because your house is never quiet.
But for others, um, the idea of quiet
makes us feel really uncomfortable
because you're tired of quiet.
Your house is always quiet, uh,
and so you fill it with noise.
The reality is though, our culture
is not built to offer us quiet in any
capacity, whether we live alone or we
live with a house of people because
we are always presented opportunities
for distraction all day long.
And so whether we want quiet or
not, it is really hard to come by.
We have to make it happen, but most of us
don't actually want to because the quiet
place, when you find yourself alone, when
you're sitting in silence and solitude,
oh, does that just make any of you squirm?
Just thinking about that, it
brings out your inner thoughts.
The things that we can push away if we
stay busy or if we stay surrounded by
people or if we veg out on a screen.
Um, but it's our inner thoughts that
rise to the surface when we get quiet.
Things like our past, our insecurities
and our fears, or the things
that worry us or disappointments,
um, our sadness or our anger.
I read an article earlier this week
that said, according to Google Trends,
uh, that from one to 4:00 AM there's
a consistent spike in Google searching
that starts with the plea help.
My teen isn't that so sober and I
think about help my teen, you know,
learn how to be kind, help my teen
get into college, help my teen make
friends, like all of those things that
spiral in the middle of the night.
Because when it gets quiet, whether it's
in the middle of the day or in the middle
of the night, we feel really vulnerable
because all of that stuff that we don't
wanna deal with, it comes to the surface.
But you know what?
That's the stuff that
God wants to deal with.
When that stuff comes up, it's an
opportunity for the Holy Spirit to work.
So your goal, my goal, the next time
that happens for us is to resist the urge
to walk away or to distract ourselves.
And instead say, okay, God, here I am, and
then you enter into the rusting because
God wants to work through that hard stuff.
It is uncomfortable and sometimes
it can feel really slow.
Sometimes you have to do a lot
of the work, a lot of wrestling.
It can be painful or it
can feel really offensive.
But when we peel back what our inner self
is dealing with and bring that stuff to
the surface, we face what God wants to
bring to our attention and what he wants
to do, what good work he has for us.
Because who you are
becoming matters to God.
He doesn't wanna leave
us where we once were.
He's becoming something he
wants to become, excuse me.
He is wanting to shape us
to become more like him.
And so Jacob is alone.
He's fearful, he's worried.
He's got a longing to go back home
and he's not sure if he'll make it.
And God meets him.
Jacob wrestles with a man
who he eventually realizes
is an angel of the Lord.
This is another strange passage
of scripture, um, but I think
it's one that many of us actually
get and we resonate with.
Because many of us have experienced
those dark and lonely nights, we can
identify a time or seasons in our lives
where we've questioned the goodness of
God, where we've questioned whether he's
real or not, whether he really loves
me, whether he's really forgiven me.
We've sat in those dark, uh, spaces alone,
feeling scared or anxious or depressed.
We know what it looks
like to wrestle with God.
And so there are a few things that
I wanna draw out from this encounter
that I think it's so helpful to keep
in mind when we, uh, when we do find
ourselves wrestling with the Lord,
what do we know about the character
of God in the midst of the wrestling?
So first, God is a pursuing God.
God shows up to Jacob.
God did not just give Jacob a blessing
years ago and then leave him alone.
Jacob was a mess when he
received that blessing.
He was kind of the worst
version of a human.
He was selfish and deceitful
and untrustworthy, but God
doesn't let him stay that way.
Like that's the good news.
God does not just accept us as
we are and then leave us there.
If God were to accept us and leave
us as we are, that would be terrible.
Reflect back on your life for a moment.
Um, sure.
There are things that we all wish we
still didn't struggle with, right?
There are sin patterns and
character flaws and bad habits.
Um, but who were you five years
ago, 10 years ago, 20 years ago?
What parts of your life has God redeemed?
I know he's redeemed
parts in all of our lives.
How has God grown and shaped you?
This Christian life.
It is a lifelong journey, but praise
God for his continual work in our lives.
He does not let us go, but by his mercy,
he is always pursuing us to go from
who we were to who God wants us to be.
There's pain in that sometimes,
but there's beauty too.
There's a pursuing God who loves you.
God pursues us to redeem what is
broken in us, and that's his mercy.
The second thing we can see in this
passage is that God is an intimate God.
'cause God doesn't just
sit on the sidelines.
He doesn't just observe Jacob from the
side and look at what he's dealing with.
God is wrestling.
Jacob.
The intimacy of God meets
us in those dark places.
And I think it's because of this
intimate experience that Jacob
has the courage to ask for more.
Jacob says to this man that
he is wrestling, I will not
let you go until you bless me.
Jacob is being vulnerable here.
Jacob's saying, I don't have
what I've been working for.
I've gone about this
in a lot of wrong ways.
You promised me a blessing, but
I need you for that blessing.
Jacob's ongoing struggle to trust
God more than his own resources is
something that we can all relate to.
And you know what happens in this passage?
God breaks Jacob.
Jacob got broken.
And we don't like to be broken.
This sucks.
This part of scripture is uncomfortable.
I don't think God is the
one who always breaks us.
Uh, but we do all experience
wounding in this life because
sometimes transformation is painful.
But in that pain, we remember that we have
an intimate God who walks closely with
us, who is willing to wrestle with us.
God reveals his love to us by
his consistent commitment to
grow our faith and our character.
So God is a pursuing God
and he's an intimate God.
And the third thing that we see with
in this wrestling is it is God who
gives us our true and right identity.
I love this.
I love this part of scripture so much.
Jacob is wrestling and he says, I will
not let you go until you bless me.
And God asks him, what is your name?
Jacob tells him, and God responds
by renaming him Israel, and I love
this because what Jacob has to do
is he has to confront who he is.
He has to tell God, I am Jacob.
My name is deceiver.
That is at the core of who
he knows himself to be.
But God responds and says, not anymore.
Now you'll be named Israel one
who has struggled with God and
with humans, but who has overcome.
There is something so humbling
when you have to confess, this
is who I really am and it sucks.
I wish I wasn't angry all the time.
I wish I wasn't harsh or manipulative
or lazy or selfish or mean.
I wish I wasn't jealous or
difficult, but here I am.
I'm kind of a mess.
But that confession, that recognition,
there's fruit that can come
after that confession because God
says, let me give you a new name.
The only thing that can
truly changes is God.
And the thing that transforms
us is coming face to face with
who we are and who God is.
And what God extends is a new identity.
There is no new identity that
you can create for yourself.
What we do is we show up.
We wait for the transformation.
We welcome it, but the only
thing that can truly change us is
the power of God by his spirit.
So the wrestling comes to an
end, but Jacob's been changed.
He leaves with a limp from his wrestling
with God, but he also leaves with a new
name that comes with a new identity.
And so from that, in Genesis 33, Jacob
lives out his new identity and there's
this sanctifying work that has happened
now between God and Jacob, which overflows
into his relationship with his brother.
After the wrestling, Jacob is
now ready to encounter Esau,
and this is what scripture says.
Jacob looked up and there was
Esau coming with his 400 men.
So he divided the children among Leah,
Rachel, and the two female servants.
He put the female servants and their
children in front, Leah and her children
next, and Rachel and Joseph in the rear.
Which side note, obviously he
hasn't like nailed it, like he's
still showing favoritism here, but
like we're still, there's progress.
Okay?
So he himself went on ahead.
So there you go.
He's going first though.
He went ahead, bowed down to the ground
seven times as he approached his brother.
But Esau ran to meet
Jacob and embraced him.
He threw his arms around his neck
and kissed him and they wept.
And then Esau looked up and saw the women
and children who are these with you?
He asked.
Jacob answered There the children.
God has graciously given your servant.
Then the female servants and their
children approached and bowed down next,
Leah and her children came and bowed down.
Last of all came Joseph and
Rachel, and they too bowed down.
Esau asked, what's the meaning of
all these flocks and herds I met to
find favor in your eyes, my Lord.
He said, but Esau said, I
already have plenty, my brother.
Keep what you have for yourself.
No, please said Jacob, if I have
found favor in your eyes, accept
this gift from me for to see your
face as like seeing the face of God.
Now that you have received me
favorably, please accept the
present that was brought to you.
For God has been gracious to me
and I have all I need, and because
Jacob insisted, Esau accepted it.
It.
Jacob is limping toward
Esau with humility.
Now, Jacob sought reconciliation
with his brother, and then he
took the initiative to seek peace.
And then there's this powerful
reunion that happens, and what's
beautiful here is that God has
been at work in Esau's heart too.
Remember, Esau was planning to kill
his brother after his father died.
God has somehow brought
transformation in Esau too.
And we know that re relationships can
be so challenging that Jacob suffered
a severely fractured relationship with
his brother because of his own sin.
But God led Jacob to face his
fears and to take active steps
to reconcile with his brother.
Restoring those broken relationships
requires humility and forgiveness,
but sometimes our efforts
cannot mend what was broken.
This was a beautiful reunion for
Jacob and Esau, but that's not
the way the story always goes.
What relationship in your
life is challenging you?
And so how does God want you to pray?
How does he want you to surrender?
What does it look like to
practice humility in that
type in, in that relationship?
After complaining to a friend once about
a strange relationship, she said, I think
you should pray to see the person pray
to see that person the way God sees them.
And essentially she was saying to me,
it's time for you to humble yourself.
When relationships are hard, it's
easy to focus on the issues in the
other person's life, rather than
seek God and pursue reconciliation.
It's easy to see how right you are
and how wrong they are, but that
doesn't lead to reconciliation.
Reconciliation requires that humility and
forgiveness, which is not something that
we can muster on our own for very long.
It's the sanctifying
work of God in our lives.
That slow transformation through
an intimate relationship that
shapes us to be people of love
and forgiveness and humility.
So, Jacob's life story is one that we
don't really wanna relate to, um, but
most of us probably do more than we want.
We too struggle to surrender to God
the one who knows and loves us best.
Yes, we know in our heads about
God's love and his promises, uh,
but we struggle in our hearts to
trust and believe and surrender.
But God wants us to face our fears
and our flaws and our failures,
but he wants us to do that because
that's how God reveals his love
and shapes us to be people of love.
God reveals his love to us by consistently
pursuing us, by being willing to enter
in and wrestle with us, by calling us
by the name that he identifies us, not
by the names that we've given ourselves.
So our own spiritual growth.
It's not a matter of immediate
transformation, but it's the
slow and consistent progress.
We've been talking a lot about this in
our, uh, weekly book club at our house.
How spiritual transformation, spiritual
formation, it's slow and it's just in
for the long haul, but it's that slow and
consistent progress that produces change.
And the good news of the
gospel is that it isn't.
Try harder to be better because
Jesus' life and death and resurrection
provides what human striving cannot.
And so the beautiful thing that when we
get to gather each week as the people
of God, we get to participate together
in the act of communion, and that's
what we remember, that because of
Jesus, we have access to be transformed.
We don't have to stay
stuck the way we were.
We have access to an intimate God who
loves us, who is willing to pursue
us and be with us in the wrestling.
We can't bless ourselves.
But through Jesus, God blesses us.
So I wanna invite each one of us
to come forward to receive, uh,
the bread and the wine, and we can
take it together as a community.