Sermon: "What Is Your Name?" Genesis 32:22-27

 WHAT IS YOUR NAME?

 

Genesis 32: 22-27

 

When I was growing up I had some favorite television shows.

Gunsmoke, The rifleman, I love Lucy, and Perry Mason.

 

My all-time favorite show was Mission Impossible.

It was a series that ran from 1966 to 1973.

 

 

It would always start with a taped message to Mr. Phelps  

“ Your mission Jim should you decide to accept it ………..describing the mission

Once the mission was described. It would end with this; Should you or any member of your Mission

Impossible force is captured or killed, the secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions".

The tape would immediately self-destruct.

 

God has a mission for you.

Your Mission is the Gospel of Jesus Christ

If you decide to accept it, you will be successful

God will acknowledge your actions.

 

The text this morning is about Jacob one of Israel’s patriarchs.

This story of Jacob begins in Chapter 25  of Genesis and runs through chapter 46.

It would take 21 sermons to tell the story of how God worked in Jacobs's life

 

It is a story filled with drama and turmoil. It is a story of hardships and blessings

If I was a play writer it would be a daytime soap opera.

 

Its a story of mamma drama, baby mamma drama, brother drama

and uncle drama, that God himself initiated

It would take 21 sermons to tell the story of how God worked in Jacobs's life.

 

I only got a few minutes, so all I can give you is a preview.

 

 

Genesis 32:22-27

 

22 That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two maidservants, and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. 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 because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome."

 

 

This text is set in the middle of the drama.  Jacob was returning Home after 20 years.

Its a story of mamma drama and baby mamma drama that God himself initiated

 

It would take 21 sermons to tell the story of how God worked in Jacobs's life

 

I only got a few minutes, so all I can give you is a preview.

 

 

All of us have a past. God allows us to make our own decisions

and face the consequences and rewards of those decisions.

 

 

The consequences good or bad are designed to mature us for the plan God

has for our lives.

 

All Jacobs's life he was a wrestler.   From His mother's womb, he wrestles with Esau

to see who came out first. Jacob came out of the womb holding on to the heel of Esau.

 

Jacob was a mamma's boy.   When Issac his father was old, blind, and near death it

 was the custom to bestow the blessing of the inheritance to the oldest son.

Jacob and Esau were twins.

Esau was the oldest because he was born first.  He was hairy. Jacob was smooth

-skinned. Jacob and his mamma came up with a scheme to fool Issac that he was Esau.

Jacob put animal hair around his arms,  lying to his father that he was Esau

thus stealing Esau’s inheritance.

 

 

 

He ran from his brother Esau after deceiving him of his inheritance.

Following his father's instructions, Jacob was sent to his uncle's house and take a wife.

It was 500 miles to his uncle Laban's home.

 

According to Biblical historians, Jacob was 71 years old when he

left home

 

ON HIS WAY RUNNING AWAY  FROM GOD,  JACOB MET GOD

 

GOD IS IN THE MIDDLE OF YOUR TROUBLES

 

Genesis 28:12-15   (Jacob’s Ladder)

 He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching into heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.

God confirmed the promises of a nation made to Abraham and promised to bless Jacob.

 

Jacob made a vow to give God a tenth of what He blessed him with.

 

 

Jacob set up a pillar and called it God's house, and made a vow to give

 a tenth. Of what he earned to God

 

 

LIFE EXPERIENCES GROW YOU TO THE MISSION

Jacob continued to his uncle’s house who was a master deceiver

 

 He met the woman he wanted to marry. His uncle’s daughter, Rachel.  He agreed to work for His uncle for 7 years for Rachel.

 

After 7 years Jacob was prepared to get in bed with his wife.

On his wedding night, his uncle sent his older daughter Leah into the wedding tent.

When morning came he realized his uncle had tricked him. So agreed to another

7 years to get Rachel.   The mamma drama began.

 

Jacob had two wives and two maidservants.  Jacob had children with four women

because of the rivalry between Rachel and Leah.

 

WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND

 

YOUR MISSION WILL INCLUDE SOME GROW-UP TIME

 

 

His uncles change his wages several times. Following God’s instructions, Jacob got

wise and figured out a scheme to get what was owed him. Genesis 31:1-13

 

 

GOD, PLANS TO BLESS YOU IN YOUR HARDSHIPS

Genesis 30:37-41

 

37 Jacob, took fresh-cut branches from poplar, almond, and plane trees and made white stripes on them by peeling the bark and exposing the white inner wood of the branches. 38 Then he placed the peeled branches in all the watering troughs, so when flock came to drink. they mated in front of the branches. And they bore young that were streaked or speckled or spotted. 40 Jacob set apart the young of the flock by themselves but made the rest face the streaked and dark-colored animals that belonged to Laban. Thus he made separate flocks for himself and did not put them with Laban's animals.

 

As a result after six years Jacob the deceiver became rich with livestock.

 

GOD DIRECTS YOUR PATH TO THE MISSION

 

 

 

It was 20 years later with 2 wives 2 maidens and 11 sons and one daughter

that God instructed Jacob to leave his uncle and head back home.

 

 

 

 

On His way back home Jacob meets God in a dream again

 

Still, got your Bibles Open?

 

 

Genesis 32:24-29

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 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.

 

YOU NEED TO GO TO GOD IN PRAYER

You need to wrestle with God in Prayer 

 

Jacob was experienced in wrestling. He has been a wrestler all His life

 

He wrestles to get out of the womb

 

He wrestles with his conscience because he loved his mother and father,

but took the advice of the mother to deceive the father

 

He wrestled with his conscience because lied to his father.

 

He wrestles with his conscience because he stole his brother's blessings

 

He wrestled with His uncle because his uncle deceived and used him for 20 years

 

He wrestles with wives'; baby mamma drama about the number of children.

 

 

There comes a time when you need to quit wrestling and let God take charge of

your life

 

THE STEPS TO A SUCCESSFUL MISSION

1. PRAY WITHOUT CEASING   

When God sees your persistence, He will answer your prayer.

Don’t give up on prayer.

 

The text says when he was alone, he had a dream.  You can have some serious prayers

when you are alone with God. It had been 20 years since he had some alone time

with God

 

Because he was a wrestler, God sent an angel to wrestle with him

The angel wrestled with him all night till daybreak but couldn’t prevail.

 

2. PRAYER TIME IS YOUR BEST TIME

Look Jacob had two wives, two maidservants,

11 sons and one daughter and a boatload of livestock to take care of.

He had baby mamma drama from the time he married his first wife.

In addition, he heard that his brother Esau was coming toward him

with an army of 400 men.

 

Jacob needed some prayer time with God.

When you are overwhelmed with problems and issues, the best place to be

is in prayer with God.

 

Jacob wrestled so hard that angel dislocated  the socket in his hip so

had a limp in his step.

 

There are times when I had dreams that I can't remember them.

 

You need something to remind you of your time with God. The limp was a reminder

to Jacob of his struggle with God. It was a reminder of his need to surrender his

life to God.

 

You and I have been struggling all our lives. We have been trying to handle things by ourselves.

We need to come to a point in our lives where we turn the struggle over to God.

Jacob was struggling with family, struggling on the job, and struggling with

a conscience. It's just too much,  You got to turn the struggle over to God.

 

3. DON’T GIVE UP ON GOD

20 years earlier, before he met his uncle, God promised Jacob that he

would take care of him. Jacob vowed to give a tenth of his earnings to the Lord.

God

His promises even if we don’t keep ours.

 

 

Jacob was 91 years old when the Lord sent him back home. In 91 years

Jacob had not surrendered to the Lord.

 

The Angel said it's daybreak, I got to go. But Jacob said not until you bless me.

 

Notice it was not until Jacob surrendered to God that he got the blessings

of the MISSION.

 

To be blessed you got to look at yourself in the mirror. Who are you?

 

4. EXPECT A NAME CHANGE

 

The name Jacob means deceiver, holding on to the heal

 

The Name Israel means a contender with God.

 

The angel asked, WHAT IS YOUR NAME?

 

 

It had been 20 years since that question was asked.  It was Issac, Jacob’s

father who asked the question. Jacob lied and said, Esau.

 

My name is Jacob. I am a  deceiver.  I am a liar. I am a thief. I

dishonored my mother and father. I am all about me. I didn’t

keep my vow to God to give a tenth back to Him.

 

You got to confess your sins to be blessed.  Even though you have been selected

for the mission, you won't be blessed in the mission until you confess your sins

and surrender your life to God.

 

When you surrender to God  He will change your name

Any man in Christ is a new creation, The old man is dead and a new man

has come alive

 

The old man of sin is dead. The old man who struggled within himself is

dead. The old man who thought he had to do it all by himself is dead.

The old man who couldn’t let go and let God is dead

 

The new man in Christ has come alive. The new man has surrendered to God.

The new man has turned all his struggles over to God, The new man in Christ

has decided to be obedient to God. The new man in Christ will allow Him

to order his steps.  The new man has decided to trust God and wait on Him.

 

The sins of the old man have been covered by the blood of Jesus making him

a new man.

 

The new man will worship the Lord in spirit and truth.

 

I got to say this so no one gets offended.    There was some good in Jacob. He was

blessed throughout his 91 years to become Israel.

 

 

We all have the same issues that Jacob had. It is only because we are Jacob,

God’s building blocks, that we can become Israel contenders with God,

The prince of Israel.

 

 

 

5. RETURN AND SURRENDER TO GOD

You Got to surrender to the guidance of the Holy Spirit to change your

name to Israel.

 

Notice, it was when Jacob returned Home that his name was changed.

 

Home is not a place on earth. Home does not have an address in this world.

Home is where your heart is. Home is with Jesus Christ.

 

You don't have to die physically to be at home with Jesus. You need to accept

Jesus, now as your savior and be at home.

 

Jesus said where I am,  you will be also. Home is with the Lord. 

 

You can’t be effective in  your Mission until you return Home

 

 

6. YOUR LIFE EXPERIENCES HAVE PREPARED YOU

    FOR THE MISSION

 

 

God blessed Jacob with a 12^th son After he left Laban, Benjamin

It was the start of the nation of Israel.

 

God confirmed His design for a nation to Moses  100 years later,

 

Exodus 24:4

He got up early the next morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain and set up twelve stone pillars representing the twelve tribes of Israel.

 

 

The 12 sons of Jacob, 400 years later became the 12 tribes of Israel

 

The 11 sons of Jacob were the kickoff point for Jacobs's Mission

 God revealed to Joseph, Jacob's 11^th son the next part of His redemption plan.

 

 

20 years of  labor was part of God’s plan to prepare Jacob for

the Mission.

 

Jacobs's Mission was to set the foundation for the division of the promised Land

of Israel. The promised first to Abraham.

 

His mission set the foundation for the nation of Israel to bless the world

With our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

 

Greater Macedonia, God is getting ready to do a new thing with this church.

 

GMBC is getting ready to celebrate 100 years of existence. We just celebrated our

Pastor first Ladies' 11^th anniversary.  This is the kickoff point for 2023

 

God is going to the next 100 years.

It is going to be greater than the first 100 years.

 

SUMMARY

 

YOUR LIFE EXPERIENCES PREPARE YOU FOR THE MISSION

 

PRAY WITHOUT CEASING

 

PRAYER IS YOUR BEST TIME

 

DON’T GIVE UP ON GOD

 

RETURN AND SURRENDER TO GOD

 

EXPECT A NAME CHANGE

 

 WHAT IS YOUR NAME?  ARE YOU A DECEIVER OR A PRINCE OF GOD?