Ready to be Blessed? – Sermon 3 August, 2014

“Ready to be Blessed?”
Gen. 32:22-32
Are you ready to be blessed? This is a rhetorical question.
Some may want God to bless them with 100 million dollars today.
Some may want the big expensive luxury prestigious car.
Others may want God to bless them with that $3000,000 dollar home.
However it’s not about the car I drive, it’s not about the clothes I wear, it’s not about the money I have in the bank, but it’s about who God is and what God has done that establishes I am blessed.
The Bible says in Hosea 4:6 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge”. We lack the understanding of the word blessed.
But the word blessed is more than wealth, luxury car and a big house.
The word blessed means, to be equipped with power to succeed.
Success is not measured by the position or title you may obtain. Success in the Word of God is to be victorious.
Victorious is being able to overcome obstacles.
We find in our text a man by the name of Jacob, the name Jacob means cheater. While he was in his mother’s womb he and his brother Esau were at war with each-other, he grabbed the heel of Esau trying to steal the birth right. Later in life you know Jacob tricked Esau into giving up his birth right for a bowl of stew, then he tricked his father Isaac and received Esau’s blessing. Later he was tricked by Laban his father in law. Jacob worked 7 years for Rachel and was given Leah by deceit. He worked 7 more years for Rachel, and then he worked 6 years for cattle, 20 years altogether. He got more and more wealth making his brothers’ in law get jealous.
It’s sad but it’s the same today, people are jealous because of stuff. And what is really sad is church members get jealous of other church members because of stuff. So-n-so drives a nicer car or lives in a larger house or because they get a title or position people get jealous of stuff. They look at the gifts instead of the giver and base the fact that that person is blessed because of stuff. They are busy living a fancy life instead of understanding what God has done.
So Jacob the tricker had been tricked and he literally began to fear for his life. He took his family, left Laban at night running for his life.
We come to a place called Jabbok. Jabbok literally means “pouring out”. At Jabbok Jacob had an experience like he never had before. At Jabbok Jacob had a transformation. At Jabbok Jacob was broken. At Jabbok Jacob experienced a change. At Jabbok Jacob went through loneliness. At Jabbok Jacob fought for his life. At Jabbok Jacob was afraid. At Jabbok the pressures of life pressed down upon Jacob, fear began to take control of his mind. At Jabbok his conscience began to remind him of all the stuff he has done in his life. At Jabbok Jacob was left alone. At Jabbok, out of now where a man appeared and began to wrestle with Jacob.
At Jabbok Jacob was scared, alone, and fought for what just might be his life, but somewhere during the struggle, in the midst of all he was dealing with, he realized that he had a hold of God and God had a hold of him. They wrestled until day break, the angel of the Lord even caused Jacob’s thigh to be out of joint, but Jacob held on right there at Jabbok.
The man said: “Let me go”. Jacob said “I will not let thee go except thou bless me”.
Then the man said: “What is your name”. Jacob said: “My name is Jacob”. Understand the name Jacob means cheater. This showed that Jacob was nothing and that he came to total humiliation and submission. If you want to be blessed you must humble yourself.
Once he humbled himself his name was changed from Jacob – cheater to Israel – prince.
Jacob then asked the man his name still holding on. The man asked why he needed to know his name and then he blessed him there. In total submission, dependence, in loneliness, in the midst of his troubles He blessed him.
He didn’t give him materialistic things. He didn’t give him a position. He didn’t give him a financial overflow. He didn’t give him stuff, but he blessed him at Jabbok.
What did he give him – He gave him power to be victorious. Remember victorious means to overcome.
If you go to the 33rd chapter you find that Jacob overcame his fear of meeting his brother. He overcame the stigma of his name.
He overcame his past reputation.
He overcame the Canaanites
He overcame evil.
WHY – Because at Jabbok – in the midst of all his troubles he humbled himself, he held on to God and didn’t let go. In the midst of his trials God equipped him with power, not with stuff, but with power to overcome. When he humbled himself God gave him what he needed to be victorious.
Are we ready to be blessed? We might be in our own person Jabbok. Fear may have gripped our mind, depression may be trying to hold us down, we may feel like we are all alone. We may be troubled on every side, perplexed, and persecuted, but if we humble ourselves, hold on to God’s unchanging hand, seek His face. We may have to go through our personal Jabbok experience, but in the midst of our troubles if we hold on God, He will bless us there, not with stuff, but with the ability to overcome. To overcome the wicked one, to overcome evil, to overcome when we are judged, to overcome the world.
Are we ready to be blessed?

Krikor Youmshajekian