Wrestling All Night

Today on front life with Jeannie Greer every single blessing and promise that God gave his mind in Christ. Some of you read through your Bible every year and that is great. What you really do is pray for your Bible, what you do is read the sections of Scripture and identify the promises of God are given so that you can appropriate them in your life where my pastor there in legend Jeannie Greer. As always, I'm your host Molly events we learning this week that prayers. A big part of a healthy Christian life, but a lot of us really struggled to pray consistently were not sure what to talk about and we end up only going to God when were facing a crisis. So how do we start treating prayer is more than just an emergency hotline. Let's continue our theme of prayer this month with a familiar story from Genesis and a new study called progress through if you missed any of the messages from earlier this week from her teaching series called ask you can find them online anytime Katie Greer.com but for now it's time to get started with the message Pastor JD titled wrestling all night Bible what you figured out I wanted to address something that I really sums the spirit of God saying to our church right now. Something that the spirit of God wants to develop in us as people and that is to teach us how to pray, to teach us how to pray to take us deeper and make as much more effective and I would break.

Prayer is the most undervalued resource in our lives and our families and in our church. The Bible teaches us that all the blessings that God wants to bestow on us. He does so through the means of prayer. Prayer is the conduit by which his power comes into your life.

It is the conduit through which his power comes into your family.

It is the way that you lay hold of the promises and the blessings of God. Now most people whether they are religious or not. Pray a crucial point in their lives. I would say that's one thing that probably unifies us with Robert all pray the same way we probably don't pray the same amount, but most people would've their book.

They believe in God or not. In a moment of crisis will a lot of times offer a prayer up to God because they know they need help in some way, where does that impulse come from, where does it come from and how is it that we can do it effectively to look at two different Old Testament characters who had profoundly in shaping encounters with God and got their prayers answered you look at them and see what we can learn about how we should pray they are the title of the series is pressed through because of something that's going to come up this week and next week we pressed through in prayer.

The first Old Testament characters, Jacob and his story is found in Genesis 32 just started to should you want to find that in your Bible.

Genesis is the first book of the Bible to begin around verse nine Genesis 32 is the story of Jacob wrestling all night with a strange heavenly man of some kind. It is supposed to be. The story is supposed to be among other things, a picture for us of of prayer before we get into them for you. In Genesis 32 the story. Let me let me set the background of the story a little bit so that you can understand a little bit more what's going on as we get into this range. Wrestling match right Jacob had cheated his older twin brother Esau out of out of his inheritance to see those days, the oldest son got what they called the birthright, which meant that he got about two thirds of his father's inheritance. No matter how many sons there were the oldest son got about two thirds of it and all the other signs the split that final third in this case. He also was supposed to receive the promises that were given to his grandfather Abraham that his family would be the chosen family that God would work through to bring salvation to the world.

Esau and Jacob go twins were very different. Esau was tough. He was macho how we know that he was hairy and that he liked to hunt EE probably watched SportsCenter and drove F1 50 with a big old Semper Fi decal in the back window.

We probably had season tickets to the local UFC fighting arena. I've probably got a like a character out of Duck Dynasty would be my at my desk right Jacob, however, was more than indoors kind of guy we know that he had had smooth skin and that he liked that you like to cook the probably watched Batchelor drove a mini Cooper redhead up interest account by so they were very different.

One day when Jacob and Esau were teenagers. Esau had been out hunting and he came in and he was really really hungry, and Jacob had just finished cooking a pot of of of lentil stew lentil stew. And so I so Esau said hey brother cannot cannot get a cup of that lentil stew some powerful longer and I Jacob being the younger brother and always looking for a chance to get the upper hand with his older brother is younger brothers are RRR fun of doing that. I Jacob says to him, well will I trade you something for and I Esau said like what.

And Jacob, knowing that you need to start high negotiation throws out about your birth right now.

To be honest, I don't think Jacob actually thought he was going to get the birthright. I think he was just starting something really high to negotiate with thinking that you negotiate down from there he would end up with a new barrier, Jordan, Missouri and iPod or supply that, but he throws out what you trade your birthright Esau being that a teenager and impulsive.

It's teenagers content to be thinking only of short-term gratification and not be long-term effects of their decisions.

Can I get an amen from a parent of a teenager somewhere says that sounds good is not birthright. If if I'm going to be dead and budget by tomorrow. This is a yes give me you can have the birthright just give me the cup of that stew. So he traded a few years passed by their dad Isaac now is about to die, and Isaac probably did know about the deal. Anyway it and who prefers Esau to Jacob wants to formally confirm the blessing on Esau so he gets Esau and asking God hunt up some venison prepare for them Phoenixville and Isaac will formally confirm the blessing on him so Esau leaves, and Jacob and his mom think I was in on it or not, here's our chance.

So they go pull some venison out of the freezer and a microwave. It and they dress up Jacob like Esau, usually by this time Isaac is very old houses that his eyes were dim, which means he barely seen he could hear that. Well so they dress up Jacob and Esau's close and says actually took goatskin and tied it to his his arms and put goatskin in the back of his neck and rub you goatskin all over him so he would smell like Esau. I'm not sure honestly what it says about you when to imitate you, someone would scrap that go to their arms and rub that all over it. So you smell like a dead goat. But whatever, that's that that's how he imitated Esau when the enemy put on his deepest voice and that he imitated Esau and he tricked his dad.

The trick is that somehow they pull it off when Esau gets home he finds out that the blessing has already been bestowed and there is no reneging after a formable stone because the last thing you did in the Hebrew bestowal is you raise your pinky and you say no. Take backs the state about that part.

But for whatever reason I could not be changed. So the blessing and the inheritance now belong to Jacob wise you can imagine.

Esau was pretty chapped about the whole thing and so he says all right I'll let my daddy die let my daddy died piece and I'll give the family a few days to mourn it.

After that I'm going to kill my brother. Will Jacob hears about it and so he takes off he leaves. He's gone for upwards of 30 years never sees his family for 30 years, but because he is pretty ingenious and he's crafty gets ahead and he becomes fabulously wealthy, his name, Jacob means grasp or grasp or someone who strives that you got that name because I went Esau who was born first came out of the birth canal that says that that this is a creepy scene but this little hand comes out of the birth canal right after Esau and grabs a hold of Esau's heel and hangs onto it, almost as if you should not of been first accident in verse like you try to pull him back yet today named Jacob the grabber or grasp work, but the name has a double meaning it can also mean liar or deceiver. And those two words pretty well.

Some of Jacob's light one who grasp her strives and one who lies and deceit. Somewhere during this time, after Jacob is Bengal goddess started working Jacob's life in upper 30 or so years, God appears to Jacob and tells him to return home to the land of his father's if he does, God says I will be with you. Genesis 31, three, will Jacob obeys and starts to go home but as he gets close to his home where he has not been for 30 years he hasn't thought I wonder what my brother Esau is going to do when he sees me. So begins to wonder and then he gets word that Esau has come out to meet him with 400 armed men, which is never a good sign, and Esau who is fabulously wealthy but forgot to bring his personal army with him is in despair. So chapter 32.

He begins to pray, verse nine, O God of my father Abraham and God of my father, Isaac, O Lord, who said to me return your country and your kindred, that I may do you good. Usually, just a motherly boy start with short about taking God's words and holding back up in front of them.

That is what you said to me, God is what you told me to do. I am not worthy of the least of all the deeds of steadfast love in all the faithfulness you show your servant.

Please deliver me from the hand of my brother, for I fear him, that he may come and attack me first well but you said you said I will surely do you good and make your offspring as the sand of the sea which cannot be numbered for multitude again here is doing you God.

You said it. This is your word, and not taking your word and I molded back up in front of you and I'm saying God. This is what you commanded and I'm asking you to keep your word.

But did you notice what is praying for what you pray for specifically pray for deliverance. He's praying that God would keep Esau from killing God get me out of this mess. I will later that night. Verse 24. Later that night a man came and wrestled with Jacob until dawn, when the man saw that he could not win the match. What a strange phrase. He struck Jacob's head up and knocked it out of joint at the socket. Literally, the Hebrew theirs as he touched his abs.

Repeat.

He touched it bubbly you have any idea how painful that would be like your finger some some joint not got a socket finger. Not that a joint when I was some playing basketball and just excruciatingly painful. Your hip is the largest socket on your body the habit, not out of joint would have been just unbelievable pain and this guy just doesn't by touching talking on some kind of power that the strange heavenly man as pastor to with a bundle of three books to help make praying regularly a little easier. Each called five things to pray.

This set will enlarge your vision and equip you to pray passionately and powerfully for those you love and the renewal of your city.

You can pray through a set of five things each day. Over the course of three weeks and and start again or you can take one of the prayer themes for the week and pray one point every day from Monday to Friday. Whenever it looks like for you, we'd like to encourage you to reserve your copy today by calling 866-335-5220 866-335-5220 or visit us online@jdgreer.com. Thanks for being with us today. Now let's get back to the final moments of today's message. Verse 26 then the man said let me go, for it is gone but Jacob panted in pain.

I will not let you go unless you bless me, which by the way, impresses me about Jacob all that stuff I said many go about Esau on the UFC cage fighting self. When you hang onto an angel after your hipster not got a socket that's varsity right that's that that's impressive, but his name is grasp or and so this is what he does. Verse 27. What is your name. The man asked the replied Jacob… About it is usually an angel like Roosevelt from heaven has no idea this is such a strike up a wrestling match of the God that he doesn't know know he knows his name your is doing is getting Jacob to admit his name what's your name my name is Jacob and I'm a liar and that's all gotten where I am today because my life is been filled with grasping the decedent verse 28. Your name will no longer be Jacob.

The man told him your name is now Israel, which means literally you have prevailed with God. That's why it says the next phrase because you have struggled with both God and men, and you have one verse 29. What is your name Jacob asked him why do you ask the man replied I don't know you just told I have socket out of joint use change my birth name and when I tell the story later also be helpful be able tell people you work tell us whether the man ever told Jacob's name and not what we do get is the next phrase which is extremely importance.

Verse 29.

Then the man blessed Jacob.

There are heights of multiple questions. First, well who is this strange heavenly man. Some Jewish commentators around Jesus time thought that this was Esau's guardian angel who had gone ahead and Esau to try to wrestle the blessing out of Jacob's hand get back for Esau, which I think is kind of ridiculous. Other commentators don't go that far but they say this is an angel. Maybe why does the angel have to leave at daybreak is not a vampire right angels love light.

Maybe choir practice starts at dawn.

I don't know. I think I said most theologians believe that this is God's will call theophany theophany which means a manifestation on appearance of God, and appearance of Jesus or Chris Stephanie before Jesus is born to Mary and Bethlehem having the strongest clue for that is in the next verse, verse 30 Jacob named the place, but Neil face of God, for he said, I have seen God face to face. Not so an angel nestled God face to face, my life has been spared. So then the question if this is God becomes.

If Jacob is wrestling with God.

How does God not when I wrestle with God and have you not win. That's a great question will come back to it. The first, let me finish the story Jacob with his new name goes on to meet Esau somewhere as they approach one another, God supernaturally changes Esau's heart so that his heart melts for his brother and he runs Lisa 400 men behind to his brother and embraces him and they stand there weeping in one another's arms for several hours.

Jacob goes on not only to be reconciled to his brother, but also to father the Jewish nation and one of Jacob's descendents is great great great great great great great great grandson would be Jesus Christ, the Messiah, here is my question for us. What is God trying to teach you and me through the story. I'm going to identify five things for us that I believe God is teaching us through this story and I'm a tie every single one of them to prayer, because the context of this whole story is prayer this whole wrestling match comes about in the midst of Jacob, praying right. It starts with a prayer that Jacob has and that's when the guy comes to wrestle with him and so it is giving you, among other things, it is giving you a picture of prayer, tile the spreadable one is the first lesson the blessings of God are released into our lives through prayer.

The blessings of God that God has decreed over us and prophesied over us come into our lives through prayer, think about that phrase. I called your attention to in verse 29 member this where it says that then the man blessed in their after Jacob held onto Sinemet eligibility. Bless me if you can read the beginning of Jacob. Esau's life, God spoke prophetically through Rebecca which is their mother that Jacob would end up being the one about the blessing of God is only to clean the blessing over Jacob, but it doesn't really become he is, at least in the fullest sense until verse 29, when he grabs a hold of it. Night of wrestling with God in prayer. He laid hold of the promise of God through a night of prayer. And that's when the blessing that God had intended for him actually became his the Bible you see is a book that is full of promises. 3000 of them to be exact. 3000 men to be generally in the ballpark. 3000 promises that are given to you and to me. Now I realize that a lot of them apply to specific and unique things situation. The people were in. I realize that but also know the Paul said all the promises of God are yes in Christ Jesus which means that in a Christ centered sense every single blessing and promise that God gave his mind in Christ.

Some of you read through your Bible every year and that is great. What you really ought to do is pray through your Bible what you want to do is read the sections of Scripture and identify the promises of God that are given so that you can appropriate them in your life to prayer. That's what I do when I read my Bible is the way that I transition from Bible to prayer. I will pray first before my Bible, God, this is your word. This is not a dead book about things that happened couple thousand years ago. This is your word to me today. I want you to identify the things for me that you were saying to me as I read it and then after I get done I go back and I look at the things that God has brought to my attention as I read and I appropriate those blessings into my life and into my family. This is our prayer book right here.

This is our prayer book that is given to lives that we lay hold of the promises of God through to my question for you is very simply, this which of the blessings of God lay unclaimed for you and your family. Which of the blessings of God, as he already given better unclaimed for you you some examples of how I do this when I pray for my children when I pray for my children.

If you look at my place right right you will see out written beside my children, you will see Psalm 127 Psalm 127 says this children are a heritage or blessing from the Lord blessed is the man who has his quiver full of them. Now the first I got to do is remind myself that it is a blessing that my house feels like it's overflowing with children as a reminder to me. But then the next verse says this for like arrows in the hand of a mighty warrior.

This is how a godly man. Children are too narrow for an arrow. Somebody put on a bowstring and you launch it into the heart of the enemy. I know that God gave me my children. Psalm 127 for the purpose of raising them up to be arrows in his army, a blessing to salvage it. Not at a little army. This can cause violence, meet his army of blessing and healing and salvation. And here's what I say to God. Quite often God. This is why you gave you my children.

This is what you said God have the time Veronica and I likely to have the foggiest idea what were doing and raise your kids. If anything.I thought, I'm just screwing them up. But God this is what you said your purpose was for my children and so I am asking you this day that you give me the ability to create in my children that purpose for which you gave them to me because Psalm 127 one the first verse. Let's also exist unless the Lord builds the house as you labor, labor in vain.unless I build unless you build it all in vain to God. Do what you promised. Take this promise and make it mine use of the worst fears are pray for me. Psalm 8411. I'm Psalm 8411 the base of the context but sometimes I'm very afraid of how God is working.

I like the blessings that he's given me that I'm not to be able to handle them, I will grant him. I got my guns Western church, God bless my family what if I screw everything up. What if I would've I don't want to handle the size church will handle these blessings. What if what if I miss my kids up my mess my family up to my mess me up. What a mess all you want somebody for 11 no good thing will he withhold from those who fear him, got not a single thing that you say you would withhold not one thing.I need wisdom I need people to make decisions. I need you to keep me from temptation.I need you to give me everything that you have intended for me and I've taken Psalm 84 1100 hold up in front of you and say, God give me what your words that you would give me a biased when I pray for you. Deuteronomy 3316 is all one that often comes to mind. It's a word about Joseph and what it says about Joseph is that he dwelt in the favorable one dwelt in the burning bush all his days. The favorable one who was in the burning bush. That's God's visit.

Joseph dwelt in that all of his days. Here's why.

Is what it reminds me of us, God is given us a season of favor is that not right, God has blessed us in my fears always went with it runs out.

What if God gets bored. Besides, you can go to some other church, is it possible that a church could all of its date, all of its days dwelt in the favor of God. And I say why. Absolutely Joseph all his days dwelt in the favor of God sometimes was painful for him.

But God was always with him and I said God, would you let us dwell in your favor all of our days so that we make it to begin of what God has given us a new walking in your favor. That's what Jacob did just talk God's word.

Anyhow, to back up in front of them. This is God. You promised again. Here's my question. What promises have been left unclaimed for your family.

What promises has God intended in the morning and spoken better just not actualize as you haven't read over them.

The prayer first message in our new series called press through your listening to Pastor Jeannie Greer and Summit life is a lot more to come with this study but in the meantime you can hear today's message again or download the transcript.

When you go to JD Greer.com Jenny the people I find it most difficult to pray for, and not because I don't want to my parents. I'm just not sure what to say. So how can we pray specifically for our campaign of the Bible tells us to honor our parents and some of you don't know exactly what that means.

One of the things I've learned.

More recent is that I can honor my parents were praying for them to pray for wisdom for them. Praying for comfort because of a seizure parents age at the time of of losses their same friends pass away, or there dealing with the discomfort and pain that goes with their own bodies aging. These things are are ways that you can help pray the promises of God over them and also learn promises that you can be sure and bring them comfort and direction as part of a three book Mondo how to break your kids with your parents and how to pray for your cities.

I think last definition is some clarity to the how to pray for these things and how to gauge God's promises history areas. We're offering three things to pray for this month and if I don't finish our way of saying you donate $35 or more to support his ministry gave me Hollis right now. I 50 T-20 or you can give online Jeannie here.com I'm all even if it's sure to join us next time and will continue our month teaching on unscented line