I Will Not Be Denied
My message today is based on the experience of Jacob as he wrestles with his past and presses into his future. He has come to the tipping point in his life, when there is a collision between the values which have brought him to where he is, and the values which he needs, in order to get where the Lord wants to bring him. This wrestling match which we all face at one time or another, is capsulized in Genesis as Jacob struggles with the truth about himself which comes to him through an angel messenger....This is really about Jacob wrestling with himself in the transition from the old Jacob to the new man that God intend. Genesis 32:26 “And the angel said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks.
But Jacob said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!” (I would not be denied) 27 So the angel said to him, “What is your name?” He said, “It is Jacob.” 28 And the angel said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have struggled with God and with men, and you have prevailed.”
I think of the words Rocky Balboa said to his son when he was ready to give up....(and no, it’s not in the bible, but it should be)
He said...."Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It is a very mean and nasty place and it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't how hard you hit; it's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. How much you can take, and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done. Now, if you know what you're worth, then go out and be what you're worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hit, and not point fingers saying you ain't where you are because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain't you. You're better than that! "
A man returned from being over seas and was feeling very ill. He goes to see his doctor, and is immediately rushed to the hospital to undergo tests.
The man finds himself in a private room at the hospital, and he shuffles to the door only to find it locked from the outside! Just then the phone by his bed rings.
"This is your doctor. We’ve had the results back from your tests and we’ve found you have an extremely potent virus, which we are completely helpless to destroy or even slow down Its spread!"
"Oh my goodness," cried the man, "What are you going to do, doctor?"
"Well we’re going to put you on a diet of pizzas, pancakes, tortillas & pita bread."
"That’s crazy, but will it cure me???" asked the man.
The doctor replied, "Well no, but... it’s the only food that will fitunder the door!"
Someone said, that winners are not those who never fail, but they are those who never quit....
Someone else said, I already know what giving up feels like, I want to see what happens if I don’t....
We all wrestle and struggle with things in this life. Some pass without much impact on our lives, and then others change us forever.
Every mom knows well the experience summed up by the words... PUSH, PUSH, PUSH! Because what can be, will always belongs to those who determine that they will not be denied the blessing of a new life where there were only hopes and dreams before. What was within them could now be held in their arms. And because they prevailed, there are generations that will now be made possible and be blessed by one person’s determination to overcome and not be denied! When Jacob prevailed, his name was changed to Israel, and generations have identified themselves with that new name he was given.
Wrestling with God, is personal, it is one on one, it is hand to hand and face to face. It moves us from vague generalities, and abstract impulses, to specific issues, values and spiritual mandates between us and God. It is far better to wrestle with God, than to dance with the devil! It takes us from “any old thing will do”, and “Kay-sa-ra-sa-ra” to “There is something I must do”... There is something the Lord requires of me! He calls us each by name and we can’t avoid him by hiding in the crowd, for He seeks us out and challenges us to come, wrestle with Him. He waits for us to seize Him and hold Him and demand His blessing. He longs for us to grip Him in such a manner that He canchange us in such a way that we will never be the same again because of this personal encounter.
Genesis 32:22 “And Jacob rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two women servants, and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford Jabbok”
I want to look with you at this place “Jabbok” that Jacob has come to, because the name means “place of surrender”. Jacob had sent everyone on ahead except his wives and their hand maidens. He then went off by himself to pray in a solitary place.
It was here at Jabbok, that the event of wrestling took place. Not only did Jacob prevail and overcome through surrender. But if you see the setting, he was alone with God. At this time, Jacob had become a multitude of people. But here, none of his power, his influence or possessions meant anything with God. It was not about what Jacob had, it was all about who Jacob was. You see, God had a covenant with this man and
God did not change, his mind about it. He’s the same yesterday, today and forever... But it was Jacob’s perspective that had to change. Jacob needed a change in his priorities.
You can give a $1,000 dollar bill to a small child and they will just put it in their mouth, or tear it up, because their reference point does not include the value of a piece of paper with a one and 3 zero’s on it. Their value system needs to develop and their knowledge of the inner working of things must expand and grow.
A Man got up and went off to work without saying very much to his wife. His Wife, got annoyed, and shouted, “You’ve forgotten what day it is, haven’t you!” So, he went to work and confided to a fellow worker, “I think I forgot my wife’s birthday.” “Oh, that’s Not a problem,” his friend told him. “Just go out and buy her a beautiful new dress and a pearl necklace.”
So after work he raced home and showered his wife with gifts.“Oh my,” she replied, “what a beautiful new outfit you chose just to go and pick my mother up from the airport.” (can all the men say OOOPS)
Today is the day God wants me to see everything from his perspective. Genesis 28:16 “When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” v17 He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.”
How many times have we allowed the struggle we’re going through, to determine our perspective, instead of encouraging ourselves in the steadfastness and faithfulness of our God.
I found out that Jabbok also means the place of crossing over...
Jacob needed to go from being a troubled man, to entering the place of God’s peace. That God was in the midst of all his places of struggle, and all he had to do was cross over in surrender. At Jabbok religion crosses over into true Spirituality... Guilt and condemnation cross over into God’s grace and forgiveness....Doubt and unbelief cross over into confidence in God’s promises and His unwavering covenant of grace. Fear crosses over into God’s faithfulness and steadfastness.
Paul says “His grace is sufficient for me”.... If you need healing, His grace is enough. If you need help in a relationship, His grace is enough.
If you have an unsaved loved one who is running from God, His grace is enough. It doesn’t matter what the devil or the world throws at you, because God grace will always be enough. It reaches to the highest mountain, and it flows through the lowest valley, It goes deeper than the deepest ocean, and it opens springs of refreshing in the desert place.
The song we sing says “When I am weak you make me strong, when I’m poor I know I’m rich, for in the power of Your name... All things are possible”.
This is more than a memorized repetition, it is a settled conviction!
He Failed in business at the age of 22.. He Ran for the Legislature and was defeated at 23....He failed Again in businessat 24...He was elected to the Legislature at 25.... The love of his life died when he was 26....He had a nervous breakdown at 27... He was defeated for Speaker of the house at 29....He was defeated again at 31.... He was defeated for Congress at 34.... He was elected to Congress at 37.... He was defeated for Congress at 39....He was defeated for the Senate at 46....He was defeated for Vice President at 47...He was defeated for Senate at 49.....
He was Elected as President of the United States at 51... And that's the record of Abraham Lincoln.
For the struggle we find ourselves in, His grace is enough. It’s enough when things are going wrong. It’s enough when we think we cannot stand, it’s enough when we don’t know what to do, It’senough when we don’t know which way to turn.... Paul the apostle, wrote to all of us in 1 Corinthians 9:27 “But I keep my body under subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway (or disqualified).”
A husband and wife were both doctors, one was a doctor of theology and the other was a doctor of medicine. Whenever someone came to their house and asked for “the doctor,” the maid would ask them, “Do you want the one who preaches or the one who practices?"
Because we are in obedience to God doesn’t mean we won’t have struggles.....But we can’t let our struggles disqualify us from practicing what we preach.
"We struggle with our fears, we struggle with our flaws, westruggle with our temptations, we struggle with our insecurities, with our guilt, with regret, resentment... weaknesses, compulsions, sins, and addictions."
But we can’t let our struggles identify us, or label us.
When I say Starbucks, you think of coffee... When I say KFC, you think of chicken.... When I say Comcast, you think of cable TV.... When I say your name, what do people think...... (think of that) What identifies you?
Hallellujah, Jacob woke up and said “Surely the Lord is in this place”.... Yes, Yes, Yes..... God is very present in the place of our struggles....
There’s a story about a little girl who climbed up on a chair beside her great grandmother and looked at her white hair and traced her wrinkles with her fingers and then asked, “Did God make you?” “Yes,” the great grandmother replied.
Then the child asked, “Did God make me, too?”
Grandma again replied, “Yes, He did dear.”
“Well, said the little girl, “don’t you think He’s doing a better job now than he used to?”
Listen, friend, we have the foundation which was laid by all of those who have come before, who have fought and won, who have lived and showed us what the victory looks like, who have given us an advantage through their own battles they pressed through and won....
We can be better because of all of them, and the lessons they have left us
Yes, God can do better with us, because of their sacrifice. Lessons learned.... truth revealed.... wisdom received.... and our lives enriched.
So fight on, child of God, fight on, and know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord, because there are those who will come after us, who will reap the benefits of your struggles overcome, and your battles won!!!
In Oct, 1995 off the coast of Newfoundland there was an exchange between the Canadians and the Americas. The Canadians radio message said please divert your course 15 degrees to avoid a collision. The American message said, no, you must divert your course 15 degrees to avoid a collision. The Canadian message said I repeat, divert 15 degrees to avoid a collision.
The American message said, “This is the captain of a United States air craft carrier, the USS Lincoln, second largest ship in the Atlantic fleet. We are accompanied by three destroyers, three cruisers, and a number of support vessels, I demand that you divert your course at once, 15 degrees to avoid a collision, or counter measures will be taken. The Canadian message said “This is a light house. Deal with it.”
Our God is greater than all the forces that would align themselves against you. Satan will try to intimidate, scare, accuse, deceive, and manipulate you, but we look to God’s lighthouse, that’s where our help comes from. If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator....If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist....If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist....If our greatest need had been pleasure,
God would have sent us an entertainer. But our greatest need was forgiveness, So God sent us a Savior, Jesus Christ, the lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. Have you received him?
Psalm 77:13-15 “Your ways, oh, God, are holy. What god is as great as our God? 14 You are the God who performs miracles. You display Your power among the peoples. 15 With Your mighty arm You redeem Your people”.
Believe it, child of God, Believe it! And never, never, never give up!!
If you believe that He preserved Noah and his family through the flood, that He parted the Red Sea and let His people walk across on dry ground, that Peter walked on water, that over 5,000 people were fed from a little boy’s lunch of 5 loaves and 2 fish, or that He turned water into wine, and was born of a young virgin... then you have the foundation for the miracle that your time of struggle shall bring forth!
Ephesians 2:19-20 says that we are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens of the saints and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.
Deuteronomy 11:23 “Then the LORD will drive out all your enemies before you, and you will dispossess (be established in place of) those who are greater and stronger than you. 24 Every place where the sole of your foot treads will be yours.”
Yes, there are struggles, but we see a powerful promise. To avoid the struggle is also to miss the promise. Scripture tells us that this struggle which comes our way is not a strange thing, but it comes to manifest something valuable and precious in our lives. There is treasure in the field if we are willing to dig for it.
Many have mined it before us and they have marked the way for us. Winnie and I watch Gold Rush every Friday night, if we are able. We act like we know these people. We talk to these people... Parker, Tony, Rick and Fred.... they’re like friends. We cheer for them, and we’re disappointed when they fail. We act like we’re part of the team. I mean, who doesn’t like gold! They build on the experience of others, and they get better at capturing the gold the more they do it. I feel like their successes have made me a better gold miner on the ground God has given me. I watch these guys and they always find a way to get it done!
THERE’S GOLD IN THEM THERE TESTS AND TRIALS! When hard times come, are westudents, or are we victims? Some people go through life as professional victims, always talking about how they have been mistreated so they never learn the lessons that are there for them. A victim says, “Why did this happen to me?” A student says, “What can I learn from this?” A victim blames other people for his problems. A student asks, “How can I use this to become better?”
A victim looks at everyone else and cries out, “Life isn’t fair.” A student looks at life and says, “What is this revealing to me about me.”
A victim believes his hard times have come because God is trying to punish him. A student understands that God allows hard times in order to help him see something he may have missed.
A victim would rather complain than find a solution. A student has no time to complain because he is busy making the best of the situation.
A victim feels so sorry for himself that he has no time for others. A student focuses on helping others so that he has no time to feel sorry for himself.
A victim begs God to remove the problems of life so that he might be happy. A student has learned through the problems of life that God alone is the source of all true happiness.
David was able to stand before Goliath and say....
1 Samuel 17:45 “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel. 46 This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand”.
Those words are now our words, as we face our struggles. That victory is now our victory, and that outcome is now our outcome.David has given them unto us as we face our giants.
In a relay race, each runner in each leg of the race builds on the runner before them. The last runner may cross the finish line, but it is because of every runner who ran well before them...
Every one who struggled and overcame in the bible record, is now part of our victory. They have marked the path, prepared the way, and given us the confidence that because they overcame we can overcome also in Jesus’ name.
We too can joyfully say with those winners....
2 Timothy 4:7 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith: v8 henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give to me at that day; and not to me only, but also to all them that have loved his appearing”.
Can the Church say AMEN!!!
Lord, we ask you to give us a heavenly perspective on this thing called life. Help us not to be distracted by the things of this world but to constantly turn our gaze toward you. Help us to see with clear sight both the hardships and blessings of our lives. Lord, as we are tempted to despair over hardships, remind us that you never let us go through trouble without gifting us with the right measure of Your goodness, grace, peace and love. As we reflect on our blessings, help us bless others. Lord, we praise You for the foundation that Your Word provides us. We get caught up in our mistakes and failures so easily, giving them a foothold that threatens to discourage and defeat us. But You never give up on us, as You teach us how to repent and keep moving forward into the purpose You have laid out for our lives. Every time I'm tempted to become discouraged or depressed because of negative events or situations, help me turn my eyes on you. Help me to remember all the times you've been there for me, and all the ways you have brought me through difficult times. Holy Spirit, thank You for guiding us and reminding us that You never leave us, and you protect us and comfort us.
Lord, help us to reflect Your love, and help us to develop patience and perseverance to navigate our mistakes with grace. We want Your will and Your plan for our lives. With your perspective, I can push past the impossible and find the strength and courage to believe that no matter what happens, your hope will lift me to a higher plane—where joy and purpose rule and reign in every area of my life. In Jesus name I believe and receive, Amen.
