The Man And His Destiny Series

THE MAN AND HIS DESTINY

Text: Genesis 32:1-2 " Jacob also went on his way, and the angels of God met him. 2 When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is the camp of God!” So he named that place Mahanaim."

Genesis 32:1-8

New International Version (NIV)

Jacob also went on his way, and the angels of God met him.

2 When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is the camp of God!” So he named that place Mahanaim.[ b ]

3 Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom.

4 He instructed them: “This is what you are to say to my lord Esau: ‘Your servant Jacob says, I have been staying with Laban and have remained there till now.

5 I have cattle and donkeys, sheep and goats, male and female servants. Now I am sending this message to my lord, that I may find favor in your eyes.’”

INTRODUCTION:

Today is father's day.

The title of our message is the man and his destiny.

But this is no just for the man.

This is for all of us: the man, woman, child, students and seniors.

At some point of life, we had to ask ourselves the questions: Where am I going and what do I need to do in life?

How do I have a successful future?

How do I have a fulfilled life?

What is my destiny and how far can I go in my Christian life?

Those are important questions for us to ask.

The father is the head of the family.

He, together with the wife, lead the entire household including the children for a successful future.

We want the best for them and we strive to grasp or struggle for it to be attained.

But of course, we don't know what lies ahead of us in the future.

We don't know what is beyond that mountain.

We only know of what is taking place at the present.

And we have been exposed to the success and failures of the past.

The past is done and these cannot be changed or altered at all.

We can only replay them over and over in our storehouse of memory.

Many times, we cannot move forward because of our past failures.

Somehow, along our life's journey, we had to do something to correct the past mistakes.

One things is for sure - Only God knows what lies ahead.

He knows our future destination in life.

God knows what is going to happen ultimately.

Our duty is to take one step at a time.

We had to seize every moment.

We must take that journey of life with confidence and let God lead the way for us.

Pretty soon, we will reach our destination successfully.

Later on, God's purposes will be fulfilled in us.

But as we take one step at a time, we have to make some major decisions along the way.

And every decision we make in life will determine our future circumstance.

This is what the verse talks about: "Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him."

That means he was at the crossroad of his life.

He does not know WHERE to go and WHAT to do next.

He has just left Paddan Aram and on his way to his home town where he grew up in Beersheba.

He had a lot of things bothering his mind.

He had brought along his growing family and his cattle and sheep.

And as he moved on, he remembered his brother Esau.

He was reminded how this man hated him because of the birth right he took from him.

This is the reason why he fled his hometown in the first place.

His brother wanted to kill him and he had to run for his life.

Now, he had to go back to the place where he came from.

And he has grown a lot since then both in experience and in wisdom.

And so, he had to curve his own destiny.

What would it be this time?

Will he be the same man that he used to be - a grabber, a deceiver?

Or will he be a different man this time - a responsible generous and blessed man?

Will he be a good example to his children?

The text says that he went on his way.

He took that step of faith.

And the angels of God were guiding him.

Today, we will learn two things from this chapter 32 of Genesis.

First, we will look at the issue on relationships.

Relationships are important in order to pursue our destiny.

Jacob however had a broken relationship with his only brother Esau.

How did he try to mend this relationship so that it would not be an obstacle to his future progress?