Genesis 32:22-31 (NIV) 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." 29 Jacob said, "Please tell me your name." But he replied, "Why do you ask my name?" Then he blessed him there. 30 So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, "It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared." 31 The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip.
Why is Jesus in this moment? - He showed up because Jacob was afraid - He showed up because Jacob was alone. - He showed up to Jacob needed to be altered.
They were wrestling for the same thing! "It's ok to wrestle with God if you are wrestling for the same thing."
"God won't change when we wrestle him. He changes us."
Change is painful. Hosea 12:4 (NLT)….He wept and pleaded for a blessing from himself.
"Transformation doesn't happen in the striving but in the clinging."
The new life comes when. 1. When Jacob is clinging. 2. When Jacob asks. 3. When Jacob is genuine with who he is. 4. When Jacob was seeking to know God.
In our encounter, we experience. 1. A New Identity 2. A New Walk
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT) Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
John 3:2–7 (NLT) 2 After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. "Rabbi," he said, "we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you." 3 Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God." 4 "What do you mean?" exclaimed Nicodemus. "How can an old man go back into his mother's womb and be born again?" 5 Jesus replied, "I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. 6 Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. 7 So don't be surprised when I say, 'You must be born again.'
“I’d rather be having a good time in hell than be bored in heaven."
The assumption is that sin is exciting, and righteousness or holiness is boring.
Sin robs us of fulfillment.
Drinking saltwater; only makes you more thirsty and leads to death.
Sin makes life empty.
Righteousness in Jesus is true fulfillment; True beauty
Psalm 16:11- In Your presence is FULLNESS of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures FOREVERMORE.
In order to know WHY worship is important, we need to truly understand WHO GOD IS
THE GODHEAD
AKA: The Trinity: God is three-in-one. He is one single, undivided God who exists in three distinct persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
Who is God the Spirit
Dwells within every believer of Christ: John 14:15-17“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
Friend, comforter, Paraclete…
Source of our conviction: John 16:7-8 “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment
Who is God the Son
Pre-birth of Christ, He was the Son of God
The Angel of the Lord
Exodus 3:2-4: There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.” 4 When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”
The Universe was made by Him
Sent willingly by the Father by their love for us to be the final sacrifice, and to tear the veil between us and Him
Who is God the Father
Ezekiel 1:26-28 “Above the expanse over their heads was what looked like a throne of sapphire, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him.”
Revelation 1:14-16 “His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.”
His eyes are like fire…his legs are like fire… his body and face are like burning metal from fire…
Light & glory surrounds Him like a rainbow does after the rain
Everything in Heaven is stricken with complete awe
Revelation 4:4-11 Twenty-four thrones surrounded him, and twenty-four elders sat on them. They were all clothed in white and had gold crowns on their heads. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning and the rumble of thunder. And in front of the throne were seven torches with burning flames. This is the sevenfold Spirit[b] of God. 6 In front of the throne was a shiny sea of glass, sparkling like crystal. In the center and around the throne were four living beings, each covered with eyes, front and back. 7 The first of these living beings was like a lion; the second was like an ox; the third had a human face; and the fourth was like an eagle in flight. 8 Each of these living beings had six wings, and their wings were covered all over with eyes, inside and out. Day after day and night after night they keep on saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty— the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.” 9 Whenever the living beings give glory and honor and thanks to the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever), 10 the twenty-four elders fall down and worship the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever). And they lay their crowns before the throne and say, 11 “You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased.”
He is ENDLESSLY FASCINATING
God’s greatest pleasure is in Jesus and the Spirit, Jesus in the Father and Spirit, The Spirit to the Father & Son
Matthew 3:17 “and behold, a voice from the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
Through the cross, He is inviting us into that same exchange of perfect Love.
The greatest command: Love GOD, THEN love others.
Not in amount, but in priority… everything flows from loving God FIRST.
He loves us with the same love He has for the Son
John 15:9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.”
Jesus loves us in the same way as the Father loves Jesus.
Jesus’ love for the Father kept Him on that cross… “take this cup, yet not my will, but YOURS…”
“For the Joy set before Him, He endured the cross…” Hebrews 12:2
The Joy set before Him was the relationship WE would now have with GOD (father, spirit, son) through the cross.
WHO ARE YOU?
Adopted into the greatest love: Galatians 4:5-7 “To redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
Sonship: not just a tool in His hand… not working to gain the Father’s attention or affection… You already have it.
Clean/Forgiven/Righteous: 2 Corinthians 5:21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Saints
Priests: People who make a place for His presence to dwell, and for people to encounter Him.
Gates: Psalm 24: Lift up your heads…Fling open you ancient gates…that the King of Glory may enter!
Mark 4: 36(NIV) Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” 39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. 40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” 41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
Mark 5: 5 They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes.[a] 2 When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. 3 This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. 4 For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones. 6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. 7 He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” 8 For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!” 9 Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” “My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” 10 And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area. 11 A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. 12 The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” 13 He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.
Mark 6:1-6 Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. 2 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. “Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? 3 Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph,[a] Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. 4 Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” 5 He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 He was amazed at their lack of faith.
Step 2: Exercise -Time with Jesus daily. - Walking In Righteousness. - Telling and showing other people Jesus. Step 3: Find a to place practice fighting - Your family. It starts here. - Your job. - Wherever your feet are. Step 4: Find a Coach - Discipleship: showing someone how to follow Jesus using your life and your words. - Who is showing you outside of Sunday mornings? - Who are you showing the way? Step 5: Answer the question “Who am I” See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him. 1 John 3:1 What God’s sons and daughters should have. - The love of God their hearts (romans 5:5) - The power of God in their hands (john 14:12, mark 16:16-18) - The ability to articulate the simple gospel (mark 16:15, Acts 10:42) What they do with it: - About their Father’s business (advancing of his kingdom) (Luke 2:49) - Walk Love to the Unlovable (Matt. 6:44-45) - Desire to please God more than man (Gal. 1:10) - Walking in the spirit (Rom 8:14)What you get as a child of God Identity verses: son and daughters - You are his beloved child. (Luke 3:22) - You have authority to crush the power of the enemy. (Luke 10:19) - You are Jesus’s disciples. (John 15:8) - You are a friend of God. (John 15:15) - You are chosen and appointed by God, and have been created to bare his fruit. (John 15:16) - You belong to God. (Roman 1:6) - You are loved by God and called to be saints. (Romans 1:7) - You have been made right with God, and you now have peace with God. (Roman 5:1) - You are dead to the power of sin, but are free to run in righteousness. (Romans 6) What you need to walk in as a child of God: 1. Your whole life laid down and your moment by moment following/depending on Jesus. 2. Pursue Jesus in secret daily 3. Baptism of the HOLY GHOST
Hell In a Cell Genesis 37:1-11 Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan. This is the account of Jacob’s family line. Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them. Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate robe for him. When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him. Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.” His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said. Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, “What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?” His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.
What Kind of Prisons are trapping you? Prisons that you have built Debt Proverb 22:7 The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender. Sin Galatians 3:22 But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ. Your past Prisons that others have built Words that have been spoken over you – Good and Bad Proverbs 18:21 The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences. Things that have been done to you Unforgiveness Lack of Trust Insecurities Emotional and Physical injury Church Hurt Hebrews 12:7-11 As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all. Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever? For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way. “Discipline turns in to hurt when we choose not to grow from it.”
Prisons of circumstance Generational curses Broken Homes Disadvantages compared to others. Genesis 39: 21-23 But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.
Luke 25-28 One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: “Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?” The man answered, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” “Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!”
Love God Heart- Effort Soul- Emotions Mind- Input Strength- Actions Serve others Genesis 16:25-34 But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.” Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household.
Samson- Judges 14-16 Judges 16: 15-21 (NIV) Then she said to him, "How can you say, 'I love you,' when you won't confide in me? This is the third time you have made a fool of me and haven't told me the secret of your great strength." 16 With such nagging she prodded him day after day until he was tired to death. 17 So he told her everything. "No razor has ever been used on my head," he said, "because I have been a Nazirite set apart to God since birth. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man." 18 When Delilah saw that he had told her everything, she sent word to the rulers of the Philistines, "Come back once more; he has told me everything." So the rulers of the Philistines returned with the silver in their hands. 19 Having put him to sleep on her lap, she called a man to shave off the seven braids of his hair, and so began to subdue him. And his strength left him. 20 Then she called, "Samson, the Philistines are upon you!" He awoke from his sleep and thought, "I'll go out as before and shake myself free." But he did not know that the Lord had left him. 21 Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding in the prison. Staying ahead of the breakdown. 1. Keep your wits. When we are worn down, we need to dig deep. Don't make permanent decisions during a temporary circumstance.
2 Corinthians 10:3–5 (NIV) 3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
Spiritual warfare doesn't just happen on your knees. It also happens in your head!
2. Stay Awake Don't get woke, stay awake! 1 Peter 5:8-9 (NKJV) 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.
Ephesians 4:27 (NIV) Do not give the devil a foothold.
Be aware of your weakness. Our strengths don't eliminate our weakness.
When you need to make a comeback: Micah 7:8 (NIV)Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light.
Judges 16:21–22 (NIV) 21 Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding grain in the prison. 22 But the hair on his head began to grow again…
1. Remember whose you are Samson's strength was his consecration-when he violated that, it was his end.
Judges 16:28 (NIV) 28 Then Samson prayed to the Lord, "Sovereign Lord, remember me. Please, God, strengthen me just once more….
2. Remember who you are. 1 John 5:4–5 (NLT) 4 For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. 5 And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.
3. Remember what he said. Romans 8:37 (NIV) We are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
