“God Speaks in Solitude” (part 3) Genesis 32-22-32
“God Speaks in Solitude”
Ol Old
“Raise your hand if…”
1) What did God do while Jacob was alone?
1) What did God do while Jacob was alone? • God wrestled with Jacob. o God invites us to struggle so that we can give up our own way and surrender to His way.
1) What did God do while Jacob was alone? • God dislocated Jacob’s hip. o This was a gift, not a punishment.
1) What did God do while Jacob was alone? • God gave Jacob a new name, “Israel”.
1) What did God do while Jacob was alone? • God gave Jacob a blessing that he didn’t have to lie for.
1) What did God do while Jacob was alone? • Jacob knew he had truly met with God.
2) What happened to Jacob after time with God?
2) What happened to Jacob after time with God? • Jacob’s relationship with Esau was healed. Genesis 33:4 “But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept.”
2) What happened to Jacob after time with God? • Jacob became the father of the nation of Israel – just as God had renamed him. Isaiah 40:27 “O Jacob , how can you say the Lord does not see your troubles?”
2) What happened to Jacob after time with God? • Jacob’s identity was changed forever. o “Jacob” was about his past sins; o “Israel” was about God’s future.
2) What happened to Jacob after time with God? • Jacob learned how to hold on tightly to God and never let go.
2) What happened to Jacob after time with God? • Jacob learned the joy of God-dependence. o Jacob’s hurting hip reminded him that he had met God.
3) Application – what is this story teaching us? • Forgiveness – Loving God and having God’s blessing is tied to healthy, humble relationships. 1 John 4:20
“If someone says, ‘I love God,’ but hates his brother, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see?”
3) Application – what is this story teaching us? • Forgiveness – Loving God and having God’s blessing is tied to healthy, humble relationships. o What sin is keeping God from using me?
3) Application – what is this story teaching us? • Determination – God rewards “wrestlers” who pursue Him. Psalm 24:6; Jeremiah 29:13
“They will receive the Lord’s blessing and have a right relationship with God their savior. These are people who seek you … O God of Jacob.” “If you look for me with your whole heart, you will find me.”
3) Application – what is this story teaching us? • Determination – God rewards “wrestlers” who pursue Him. o What am I holding onto more than God?
3) Application – what is this story teaching us? • Satisfaction – In our God-encounters, we learn that God is enough. Psalm 73:25 “I desire you more than anything on earth.”
3) Application – what is this story teaching us? • Satisfaction – In our God-encounters, we learn that God is enough. o Does Jesus satisfy me? “I desire you more than anything on earth.”
3) Application – what is this story teaching us? • Dependence – Need for God is not weakness, but a sign of maturity. John 15:5; Philippians 4:13
Jesus: “For apart from me you can do nothing.” Paul: “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”
3) Application – what is this story teaching us? • Dependence – Need for God is not weakness, but a sign of maturity. o What reminder is required for me to need God?
3) Application – what is this story teaching us? • Identity – Our view of ourselves will often determine our usefulness to God. Psalm 95:7; 100:3
“… he is our God. We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care.” “Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.”
3) Application – what is this story teaching us? • Identity – Our view of ourselves will often determine our usefulness to God. o Is my identity based on my past or on God’s future?
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