Yabboke A Place Of Total Surrender

YAB-BOKE’ A Place of Total Surrender

Gen 32:22

And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two women servants, and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford Yab-boke’

1. Yab-boke’ …. It may not Mean anything to you now

• But I Pray that after you hear this message it will become one of the most important words in your spiritual vocabulary.

2. Yab-boke’ is the place where Jacob wrestled with the Lord.

• It is where he made his total surrender to God.

• It is where he got his new character, and his new name, Israel.

3. It was the place where he cast down his last idol, and won his greatest victory.

4. Yab-boke’ means “a place of passing over”.

• It also stands for struggle; …….to empty and pour out.

• What a glorious truth is revealed in this place called Yab-boke’.

• It has everything to do with us today.

5. It is the place where God’s people discover the secret of power over every besetting sin.

• It represents a life and death crisis - one that leads to absolute surrender to the Lord

• We must face ourselves and be emptied of all evil desires and selfish ambitions.

II The children of Israel in the O.T. made three major crossings

A. The first was the Red Sea crossing

• The Red Sea Crossing in a believers life represents coming out of the world.

• It speaks of a new start. …….It symbolizes “getting saved”

• A lot of God’s people come out of Egypt, but they never get into the Promised Land.

• Like the Children of Israel they get stuck in the wilderness of unbelief, fear, and confusion.

• They leave the world system behind them …..but they never enter the joy of the Lord.

B. Another crossing that was required was the Jordan!

• In order to enter the promised Land Israel had to cross over the Jordan

• It was a crossing by faith because remember it was at flood stage when God told them to cross

• The Jordan represents a commitment to go on with the Lord into deeper things

• Repentance…salvation….Baptism! …Bible reading! Witnessing! A desire to

grow in Christ!

• It is a passing over into a life of daily praise as one journeys by faith

following the Lord.

• For many, the Promised Land represents the fullness of the Holy Spirit. A

baptism in, and with, the Holy Ghost.

6. One might ask but Pastor Steve isn’t that all there is…what more is there

• A Promised Land? …..A spiritual Canaan for the children of God?

• Getting Saved, baptized, and filled with the Holy Ghost to overflowing and having a joy unspeakable and full of Glory?

• Listen….The children of Israel entered their Promised Land….. They received their inheritance.

• But they never did enter into the rest God wanted them to have!

• These God-fearing children of God, Spirit led, still had sin in their hearts! They had hearts that held onto secret lust and idolatry. The writer to the Hebrews said they held on to unbelief.

7. How tragic that the same is true of many today.

• Multitudes of Spirit-filled, Spirit-led believers have never known the true rest of God!

• Their peace is disturbed by a troubled conscience.

• God said Israel “...could not enter in because of unbelief ...

• and then He said, there remaineth yet a rest to the people of God...” (Hebrew. 3:19 - 4:9).

But there is a third crossing at Yab-boke’

1. Yab-boke’ was a tributary of the Jordan River. …It was a very secluded and lonely place.

2. Our Yab-boke’ is a lonely place and must be faced alone.

• You can cross the Red Sea with a mighty host of the redeemed who leave Egypt shouting

• You can cross the Jordan with the victorious army of the Lord all about you.

• But you will cross Yab boke’ all alone!

• No counselors, no friends, no helpers. ….This is a private moment…between you and the Lord alone.

Gen 32:24 tells reads, “And Jacob was left alone, and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day”

3. Yab-boke’ is where the “Jacob” in us (which represents our fleshly man) is given its final death blow.

• It is where God deals with us not only about our sin, but about our very character.

• Jacob was a troubled, desperate man.

• He was returning after many years, to claim his inheritance.

• Esau, the brother he had stolen the family birthright from, was headed in his direction with an army of 400 men.

A. Jacob had matured in many ways over the past 20 years.