Changed For The Better
What would you most like to change about yourself? If you could change one thing – what would it be? All of us change over time. Each one of us is getting older. But the great tragedy of life is that sometimes we don’t change for the better.
Most people are interested in change. I looked up on the internet a few days ago some the top selling self-help books that are out there. One of them is titled: “Get Out Of Your Own Way – Overcoming Self-Defeating Behavior.” Another one is titled: “Self Help – How To Change Your Life In The Next 15 Minutes.” Now let me tell you – I am not endorsing either one of these books – but it interesting to know that people want change – and most people what it quick. But do you know the truth. Most change takes T I M E. It usually does not come instantaneously.
In Genesis chapter thirty two we see the process that God uses in changing Jacob. God is helping him become a different kind of person – a better person. The incident recorded in this chapter was a turning point in Jacob’s life and serves as a dramatic example of how God can change us too.
But before we read our text we need to remember that Jacob was a somewhat shifty sort of fellow. If you recall that back in Genesis chapter twenty seven he had tricked his father into giving him a blessing that was intended for his older brother Esau. Jacob’s father could not see very well and the father had sent Esau out to hunt some game and make some stew for him. While Esau was away – Jacob came in with some stew and pretended to be Esau. Jacob knew that Esau was a hairy fellow – so he took some goat skin and put it on his hands and on the back of his neck – just in case if his father wanted to touch him he would feel like he was hairy. Sure enough – his father wanted to be sure it was Esau and that he was hairy. So he called Jacob up to him and felt him to be sure – and the goat skins did the trick. Even though the voice was that of Jacob – the father accepted that it was Esau and not Jacob. Jacob had pulled it off – he had tricked his father. The father blessed Jacob – Esau became angry and Jacob had to run for his life. Did you know that Jacob’s name means
“cheater” or “schemer?”
But several years later Jacob was returning home. He knew that he would see Esau again and that was an uncomfortable fact. “How would Esau react? Would he still be mad? Would he try to kill me?” were questions that were running though Jacob’s mind. It was at this point that Jacob had an encounter with God that would change the rest of his life forever. It was such a transforming experience that he was never the same again. Let us read our text:
“Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he touched the socket of his thigh; so the socket of Jacob's thigh was dislocated while he wrestled with him. Then he said, "Let me go, for the dawn is breaking." But he said, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." So he said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob." He said, "Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed." Then Jacob asked him and said, "Please tell me your name." But he said, "Why is it that you ask my name?" And he blessed him there. So Jacob named the place Peniel, for he said, "I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved." Now the sun rose upon him just as he crossed over Penuel, and he was limping on his thigh.”
Genesis 32:24-31 (NASB)
In this story we have a clear expression of a four-step process that God used to change Jacob – four steps that would radically alter his life forever. Perhaps we can learn from this incident the methods that God uses to change people. There are four steps that God uses to change us into the people God wants us to become.
THE FOUR STEP PROCESS OF CHANGE
1. The first step is CRISIS
Our text says:
“Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak…”
This was no ordinary man for later on in our text Jacob says:
"I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved."
Some will tell you that Jacob wrestled with an angel. Others would say that it was a pre-manifestation of Jesus himself. I am inclined to believe that Jesus – but no matter who it was it was a supernatural event that caused a crisis in Jacob’s life.
Jacob found himself in a real fix – he had gotten himself involved in a wrestling match with a heavenly being. He was having a real struggle – and worst of all he came to realize that he was in a no-win situation. By daybreak Jacob was getting tired. He was not going to win and his opponent was not going to win. Both had locked their horns and Jacob was not going to let go – he was in the middle of a crisis.
Folks here is a fact: God often uses a crisis to get our attention.
Jacob was in the middle of a wrestling match – but more than that he was in the middle of crisis. It was as if God was saying to him, “Jacob you can’t win – Jacob you’re just going to get more and more tired – Jacob what are you going to do now?” God wanted to get his attention.
Have any of you ever gotten yourself into a real fix that you can’t get out of? I know that I have. I remember a few years ago over in Kansas City when I went to Worlds of Fun. At least that what the park is named – for me it became “Worlds of Torture.” You see I don’t do very well with motion rides – you know roller-coasters and the like. I rode on one ride called “The Boomerang” - it’s a ride that takes you up – drops you down – turns you upside down and then if that’s not bad enough – you go through again in the opposite direction. After I rode The Boomerang I was feeling a little queasy. But then I went ahead and got in line for “The Timberwolf”. The Timberwolf is a rollercoaster whose structure is built with wood. Did you know that the ride only lasts a little over two minutes? Did you know that it’s only one hundred feet tall? Did you know that it only gets up to 45 miles per hour? Did you know that when you are in the middle of the ride – they will not stop it to let you off? I found that out the hard way – it was not a good thing. When I was in the middle of the ride I realized that I was in the middle of a crisis. Sometimes we bring crisis on ourselves – sometimes we don’t. But the truth of the matter is that all of us will experience crisis at one point or another – Jacob did.
If we’re experiencing a crisis right now it could be because God is trying to get your attention – that God is trying to draw you closer to His side. Some of us will never get closer to God because we pretend that we’re doing alright on our own. We are comfortable where we are at. We never change because we like the status quo.
But look at what the Bible says:
“In the day of my trouble I shall call upon You, For You will answer me.” Psalm 86:7 (NASB)
We will never change until we get uncomfortable – we will never change until we start feeling miserable – we will never change until we find ourselves in the middle of a crisis. When we get miserable enough – we finally get motivated to let God do something in our lives.
A mother eagle will take the nest of her young and stir it up. She’ll make them uncomfortable and miserable, then kick her offspring out and force them to learn to fly – for their own good in life. God does that in our lives too. He makes us uncomfortable if that’s what it takes to motivate us. That’s because He knows what is best and He wants us to grow. He will allow a crisis or a problem or an irritation or a frustration in our lives to get our attention. He needs to do this because we don’t change until our fear of change is exceeded by the pain we’re experiencing. Crisis is the first step of change in our lives.
2. The second step is COMMITMENT
Look what the man and Jacob said:
"Let me go, for the dawn is breaking." But he (Jacob) said, "I will not let you go unless you bless me."
Jacob was committed – he was persistent – he stayed with the situation until he received a blessing. He was in a situation he didn’t like – it was frustrating – it was getting him down – he was getting tired – but he said, “I am 100 percent committed to staying with the situation until God blesses me.”
Here’s the lesson we get from this: After God gets our attention with a crisis – He doesn’t solve it immediately. He waits a little longer to see if we really mean business. Most people try to take the easy path. Most people bail out before the blessing. Most people will miss God’s best for their lives because they give up too soon. Do you remember this story in the Bible:
“A scribe came and said to Him, "Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go." Jesus said to him, "The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."
Mat 8:19-20 (NASB)
I wonder if that person – that scribe – continued following Him after that day – after Jesus told him that to follow him was going to be uncomfortable sometimes – that it was not going to be easy – that it was not going to be convenient. The Bible doesn’t tell us if the scribe continued following Jesus – but I can tell you this – some people give up too early. Some people give up because the path is not easy. Some people give up because it’s not convenient.
Psychologists tell us that it takes us six weeks of doing something every day before it becomes a habit in our lives. Now that’s why a lot of people never get into reading the Bible or studying the Bible. We read the Bible for two or three days and then we miss it for a few days and then we read it for a few days and skip for a few days. We never get pass that six week barrier and as a result we never feel comfortable with it. We’ve got to do it every day for at least six weeks before we start becoming comfortable with this new and good habit. It takes commitment to achieve something worthwhile.
3. The third step is CONFESSION
After Jacob tells the wrestler he was not going to let go until he received a blessing – the wrestler said to Jacob:
"What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob."
What was the purpose of that question? It was to get Jacob to acknowledge his character by stating his name – his name means “cheater” or “schemer”. Jacob had a long history of cheating and scheming. He had cheated his brother Esau. He had lied to his father and deceived him. So the question was asked: “What is your name? What are you really like? Who are you really?”
Jacob answered, “My name is Jacob.” By saying his name Jacob admitted, “I’m a cheater. I’m a schemer.” He admitted his weaknesses because he was honest. When he identified himself as “Jacob,” he was admitting his character flaws.
This is an important process in God changing us, because we never change until we honestly face and admit our faults and sins and weaknesses and mistakes. God will not go to work on our problem until we first admit that we’ve got a problem. We need to say, “Lord, I’m a mess. I’ve got a problem and I admit it.” It’s at that point that God can go to work.”
The Bible says:
“If we confess our sins, He (God) is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
In this event in Jacob’s life it was much more than just a wrestling match. It was an example of how God wanted to change his life. First He brings a frustrating crisis – you are in a wrestling match you can not win. Then there is a point of commitment – how long will you hold on. Then there is the point of confession – who are you really.
But it’s not over.
4. The fourth step is COOPERATION
After Jacob confessed to God – God said:
"Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed."
Jacob did not argue with God about the name change. After he had a personal encounter with God he knew that his life would no longer be the same. God changed Jacob from a cheater and schemer to an Israel – a “Prince of God.” God saw all of Jacob’s weaknesses and faults – but He also saw Jacob’s potential. God always knows how to bring out the best in a person’s life. He knows how to do it better than we do.
But that’s not all – in verse thirty one we find:
Now the sun rose upon him just as he crossed over Penuel, and he was limping on his thigh.” Genesis 32:24-31 (NASB)
While Jacob had been wrestling – Jacob’s thigh was dislocated and as a result he walked with a limp for the rest of his life. That may seem a little unfair until you think about it a little. There could be three reasons that Jacob would walk with a limp.
First: Is the fact that thigh muscle is one of the most powerful muscles in your body. God touched Jacob’s thigh and it became a reminder to Jacob for the rest of his life that he was no longer to trust in his own power or his own might – but he was to trust in the power of God. He was no longer to live in his own strength but in God’s strength.
Second: Jacob often got himself into trouble because of his cheating and scheming and most of the time when he got himself into a mess he would simply run away. He would just cop out – but not anymore. God said, “I’ll put a limp in his walk. I’ll slow you down.” Never again could Jacob just run away from a difficult situation. For the rest of his life he would have to stand and face his problems – not in his own strength but in God’s strength. Jacob would have to learn walk with a limp because of his encounter with God.
Third: Limping Jacob was an example of God using a man with all his faults and flaws to be a great leader of a nation. You see God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things – not because we are flawless – but because God is a big God. That is why we find in the Bible this written:
“Consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God.”
1 Cor. 1:26-29 (NASB)
Folks – here is the good news. God is still in the life change business. He can take a person who has all kinds of faults and flaws – and can transform them. Why? Because that is what God does – He is in the life change business.
(I want to thank Rick Warren for the sermon starter ideas.)
