HOW CAN I EVER CHANGE? GENESIS 32
Get attention by : Whats’ a sermon worth—3 sermons, 1,000 hk, 15 mins, 400 hk 30 mins, 50 HK (2 hours) lets all stand and ask the ushers to circulate the offering plate and know what sermon you would like to have today.
Most of us want some change, in our lives, we want an improvement. If I would ask you today what would you want to change in your life, what would it be? Your spiritual life, Amen, ako diyan. I want to serve the Lord more, I want to have more time with Him.
I want to change many things in my life, for those too kind, I want to learn to say NO!
For many more, they want to change their features, ayan! Your nose (too big), your ears (Too small), Your eyes (too droopy), Your skin (I want it to be fairer).
Illustration: There was an old woman about 65 and she was in the hospital, she asked the Lord, will I die now Lord how many years have I still got? And the Lord spoke to her in a dream and the Lord said, you will still have 15 more years. Wow! The woman was so happy that she decided, since I got a lot of more years that I want to change my looks. I like to look younger, so she asked for the Doctor to change her nose, change her skin color to tan, nag pa buttocks siya, tapos lypo suction. After all was finished she looked in the mirror and found herself 20 years younger. She was so happy and left the hospital, she walked jolly down the street, when a bus rammed into her, she died. When she got to see the Lord, she asked, Lord you told me I still got 15 years. The Lord looked at her intently and said, ay ikaw pala iyan di kita nakilala kanina. (Definitely this is not a true story)
But to we are all interested in Change, the best selling book is entitled 30 days to a new you. Many go to seminars, try diets, watch self-help shows, but somehow the effects of what we have learned does not last. Maybe we will change for a while but it does not have a permanent effect.—The main reason for that is, we work on the exterior (panlabas) and not on the iinterior (Inside). Any lasting change must come from the Inside and that’s the work of God.
In GENESIS 32, we see the process on how God changes us. In helping the person that we should be. You see its not only you who wants to change but God also wants to change you. Well see how to change by looking at the life of Jacob. It can serve as a dramatic example of how God can change us.
JACOB – not a so good person, even his name means cheater, “mandaraya”. But a turning point in his life came and the once “Mandaraya” became Israel. An entire nation named after him. Wow, that to me is a great transformatrion. From a manloloko to a Nation. This is a story is an encouragement to us that we should not stay in the rut but God can truly help us change our weakness into strength.
READ: Gen 32:24 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. 26 Then the man said, "Let me go, for it is daybreak." But Jacob replied, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." 27 The man asked him, "What is your name?"
"Jacob," he answered. 28 Then the man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, [a] because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome." 29 Jacob said, "Please tell me your name." But he replied, "Why do you ask my name?" Then he blessed him there. 30 So Jacob called the place Peniel, [b] saying, "It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared."
The First Phase in a NEW YOU.
I. CRISIS PHASE
A. Jacob had a long wrestling match with an Angel but it was a no-win situation. They were both struggling. It was day break , and Jacob was so very tired, it was a situation beyond his control.
We are always in situations beyond our control, we went to the immigration, we are at the mercy of the Immmigration. Your Employer terminated you for no reason, it is a situation beyond your control, you cannot go to your boss and say no I am not terminated, you are terminated get out of here. No, no, no it is a situation beyond our control. You are here nagkaloko-lokopamilya mo, it comes as a situation beyobd your control, I go t mumps, it’s a situation beyond my control.
TRANSITION: The lesson we see in this, is that when God wants to do something in you, get your attention, change you. He puts you in a situation beyond your control. Situations that we cannot win. We struggle, we fight with all our strength but, malapit na ang umaga, hindi tayo manalo-nalo, We get frustrated.
If you are experiencing a crisis situation right now, God is preparing you for a change for the better.
You see, we never change until we are fed-up in our current situation. We never change unless we become uncomfortable at sasabihin nating, ayaw ko na ng ganito. When we get miserable, dissatisfied, and uncomfortable enough, we finally get motivated to let God do something in our lives.
Illustration: a mother eagle will take the nest of her young and stir it up. Then little by little take away their comfort, then in the end kick them out, and force them to learn how to fly. --- For their own good in life, because they are born to fly
II. COMMITMENT PHASE. Look at what the Angel and Jacob said…
“Let me go for it is day break” Kacob replied, I will not let you go, unless you bless me”
Jacob was committed, he stayed with the situation until it will work out, he will not just give up. He was in a losing situation, he wasn’t in control, he was frustrated but he said…im with it 100 percent, I will not give up, unless God turns it out for good.
The LESSON: After God gets our attention with a Crisis (Problem). He does not solve it immediately, he waits until he sees we are committed and we will not give up. Most people miss Gods best because they give up too soon. God needs to see and hear us say “Lord I will not give up until you bless me and turn this out for good.
Often when people come to me with a problem I ask them, have you prayed for it? Yes, once. Then they give up.
People have become so conditioned to having instant everything, including instant success.
Illustration: One man came from a poor country and when he came e wasn’t prepared for the incredible variety of instant products available in the grocery stores. He says, "On my first shopping trip, I saw powdered milk--you just add water, and you get milk. Then I saw powdered orange juice--you just add water, and you get orange juice. And then I saw baby powder, and I thought to my self, what a country!"
Even if we really want to change, remember that we didn’t get to the situation in a few days only, like in my gymn, 2 months they give up on theire tummy bulge. They did not get it in one week and so….
Psychologists say that it takes 6 weeks (42days) to do something daily before it becomes a habit. That’s why a lot of people don’t get into the bible or prayer or devotion. They never get into a 6 weeks barrier. Wee don’t give upon people and we don’t give up on our selves.
Illus: I remember reading a Peanuts cartoon strip in which Lucy comes up to her brother Charlie Brown and does something that is very unusual for her. She says--I love you. But Charlie Brown keeps responding by saying: no you don’t. And each time Lucy answers a little louder: yes I do, I really love you. But Charles Brown has been rejected so many times he keeps saying: it can’t be true. So in the last square, Lucy has reached the limit of her patience and she screams out in a loud voice: Hey stupid, I love you.
The 3rd step on being changed by God is the …
III. CONFESSION PHASE.. The angel asked, What is your name, Jacob”
a. What was the purpose of the question? To get Jacob to acknowledge his name—To own to what he really is. In essence Jacob was saying—I am a cheater, I am a lier, I am a bad person. He identified before God his weakness.
b. This is an important process in God changing Jacob. Because we never honestly admit our faults, weaknesses and mistakes, and God will not work on a problem if you don’t think there is a problem. How can God change you if you don’t see anything in you that should be changed. When you admit your weakness that’s when God can start to work.
c. Have you noticed how easy it is to make excuses for our problems, our difficulties, always pointing to someone else, except yourself. God its not really my fault, it’s the environment, its how I was brought up, it was my parents it is my boss fault.
d. Illustration A man in a hot air balloon realized he was lost. He reduced altitude and spotted a woman below. He descended a bit more and shouted, "Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don’t know where I am." The woman below replied, "You’re in a hot air balloon hovering approximately 30 feet above the ground. You’re between 40 and 41 degrees north latitude and between 59 and 60 degrees west longitude."
"You must be an engineer," said the balloonist.
"I am," replied the woman, "How did you know?"
"Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is, technically correct, but I’ve no idea what to make of your information, and the fact is I’m still lost. Frankly, you’ve not been much help at all. If anything, you’ve delayed my trip."
The woman below responded, "You must be in Management."
"I am," replied the balloonist, "but how did you know?"
"Well," said the woman, "you don’t know where you are or where you’re going. You have risen to where you are due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise, which you’ve no idea how to keep, and you expect people beneath you to solve your problems. The fact is you are in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but now, somehow, it’s my fault."
How does it help anyone, if we start blaming people, getting technical, for every disappointment we feel? Can we be less historical, citing every infraction, feeling every slight as an offence punishable by death?
IV. COOPERATION STAGE—God began to change Jacob right after he admitted his mistake. In verse 31, Jacob called the place Peniel. Meaning the “Face of God”. He began to cooperate with Gods plan.
a. We must all come face to face with God. That’s when God says now follow me in FAITH, do what I want you to do. I will now make the changes that you want made. God did not msay use all the will power that’s outward but the change comes from the internal motivation. (I want what God wants)
b. God gave him a new name. From a cheater to Israel. God gives us a new name. God saw all Jacobs weaknesses but God saw beyond the surface and saw a prince. “Isarael means prince”.
c. God looks at us, sees all our potentials and changes us. God sees a prince in us. Not cheaters, not second class or 3rd class citizens but we are all prince and princesses. If we only cooperate with God.
V. Some more important points on Jacobs life. V.31 “The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel and he was limping because of his hip.
a. The angel broke Jacobs Hip while they were wrestling. That is the strongest part of a human body the thigh. God broke Jacobs strength. There are many times we think this is what we are good at, this is where I am really strong. God nay brake that strength in order for us to rely on him and not on our selves. We are strong all because of God.
b. Because Jacob was a Liar a cheater he had enemies, and whenever he got into trouble he ran away. But now God broke his hip he could no longer run. There is always that temptation but Hog knew how to solve it. God was telling him you will no longer run from your problems but you will stay and fight not with your stregth but with mine. Never again will Jacob run from a difficult situation. Though he may be weak but His father is strong.
c. God often puts an obvious weakness in people whome he blesses. Paul had a thron in the flesh. My dad has his good looks, sobra. (heheheh)
CHALLENGE: How about you. Do you really want to be changed? What’s the one thing that you like to be permanently changed? Maybe it’s a habit, maybe it’s a weakness. Maybe it’s a character difficulty. Surrender to God and feel him change you.
