How to Get People to Change 2

The great exchange took place and that was is all left crying and crying out to his father. And then there was Jacob who received what he did not deserve past authoring Bible teacher, I would like welcome to shearing the line a program of healing and hope shearing. The good news of what God is done for us, to Jesus Christ, were all set to hear Helen's message in a classic series called for yourself yourself if you're not able to stay with us throughout the entire program I want to make sure you know how to get our special resource details event coming up as you listen to today's message go deeper send you today's special offer discover God's grace, like ever before. Allen Wright stopped will happily send you the CV album Helen Wright stopped in it's our way of saying thanks for your partnership to make this ministry possible on this later in the program here is Helen Wright literature as an English major and studied a lot of the greatest literature of humanity and I'm fascinated by the genius that is in some of the greatest literature even if I didn't believe the Bible and I read this story and spent 11 weeks with it. I would say no mere human could write a story like this that was so incredibly true to human nature and yet so full of a magnificent hope and absolutely saturated with wisdom from beyond its extraordinary story that began with the word of promise where our story begins not with ourselves, but with God's word and God spoke prophetically. He spoke to Rebecca who would give birth to these twin boys and against all cultural norms. The word of the Lord was that the older will serve the younger that the younger one will end up standing in the place of highest blessedness and we began to comprehend that we had here a picture of what God has done for us in Christ.

Christ is the firstborn of many Bible says you and I are, therefore, the second born and Christ deserve only to stand in the path of full blessing, but instead in those moments on the cross. When God turned away from his own son. His own firstborn in those moments there was a cry from Christ, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me, and in the midst of the depths of that agonies and that cry of Christ himself.

Father was turning towards the second born the third born the fourth second fourth billionth and all of us here today and he was offering to us the blessing that we did not deserve to call the series from the beginning, the undeserving air for Jacob story is our story. He stood in the position of one who was not expected to receive the blessing, but a great exchange took place and that was Esau left crying and crying out to his father. And then there was Jacob who received what he did not deserve, and Jacob. We followed from the beginning as a connivers. His name literally minutes, one who grasps the heel one who struggles with other people to get in front of them and we saw early on how he would use his own cleverness to at an opportune moment by birthright off of his brother, Esau, and how it would be that later he would step in and pretend to be as brother and out of sheer deceit would steal the blessing, leaving his brother with a great murderous spirit inside of an and we learned not only about the power of that word. That is blessing over Jacob and that the father refuses to revoke because God's word is in revocable God's word does not fall impotently to the ground nor returned to his mouth void. So God had spoken and it would come to pass Esau had believed in such an entitlement mentality that he deserved this inheritance that when it did not come bitterness quickly arose within then we learn about the difference between an entitlement thinking versus gratitude mentality we discovered that Jacob spent the first era of his life, and great rebellion through deceit and trickery and everything he could do in order to gain an advantage and put himself in the position of being blessed.

But then he had an encounter with God and he saw a vision of the ladder of some type of angels ascending and descending, and he knew it was God and he said surely God was in this place. I didn't know it. Surely God has been involved in my life.

I just hadn't recognized it Jacob still didn't get it at that point, so he set up a pillar of rock and he poured oil on and he said I'll call this Bethel house of God, and he said God if you will take care of me, then I'll come back and serve you and worship you know words he set up his own little religion. We talked about how please God must've been to have his own very special rock with his name on it and then we learn about how Jacob began to live a life now, not of rebellion but seeking to gain advantage through works righteousness.

He came to Laban and fell in love with Rachel and almost idolatrous way convinced that the love of Rachel would bring. Surely great blessing into his life and so he volunteered to work for seven years for Rachel laboring for love laboring to earn what cannot be earned by the labor those seven years, and then reap what he had sown the deceit that he had sown towards his brother was now sown back to him and he reap a harvest of it by getting Leo not Ray Chillingworth another seven years. In order to get Rachel and then six more years he worked hard labor for his father-in-law and after 20 years finally came time that he was going to leave and suddenly realizes that within a see a reunion between Esau and Jacob and Esau had been breathing murderous threats 20 years ago, and as far as Jacob knew Esau still wanted to kill them and he saw a groaning as well.

Then he sighed 400 men with them. And so it was Jacob and his fear called out to God and asked for God to do something. It was a good prayer, but he never imagined the way that God would answer that prayer for sometime in the night, as is everyone else had gone across the four Jacob was left by himself and a man who thought just to be a mere mortal human being, began to wrestle with him for a while. Jacob thought that he would win in this wrestling bout. But somewhere near the crack of dawn just before the sun arose this this this wrestler this messenger. This manifestation of God.

This person God somehow in the flesh. This this this person touched with just one brief touch Jacob on his hip and immediately immobilized Jacob and disintegrated his pride, he instantly changed Jacob's life in that moment and suddenly Jacob realized that he could not out wrestle with this one that he thought to be a flow and so instead of wrestling now against him and trying to escape. Jacob clung on for dear life. Realizing that he was in the presence of greatness and so he said I will not let you go into you bless me and God will like to that prayer. He been waiting for Jacob to pray that prayer all of Jacob's life to come to the place of realize it Jacob you can't bless yourself so you better turn to me is the source of all blessing and God answered that prayer and blessed him, but the blessing was a surprise because he said to him, what is your name, and Jacob said my names Jacob, my name is struggles with people and he said now on here's going to be the blessing I'm to give you a new name. Your name will be Israel, which means struggles with God and we laughed about several what such a blessing about having your name changed from struggles with people the struggles with God and the answer is this, that if God were to tell you who you are and you were to hear him. You could fulfill your destiny and if God were to speak to you. Even today and let you know that you're not Jacob but you're Israel he would be saying to you and you would hear him say that your dealings is not so much with the approval of people around you, but your dealings with me, says the Lord, that your life is not to be shaped and molded by your effort to get one step ahead of your neighbor, but your life will be shaped and molded by this dynamic interaction that you have with me that you will relate with me that you wrestle with me. The jewel turned to me and in that wrestling. There's an intimacy in your life will be formed out of that so that you have a destiny and a purpose and it is not about all your cleverness to get everything around you. Just in order to try to hold your little world together with your own arms in your own strength but there's a rest that you can have in the Lord and so as we been celebrating that. Then we see the Jacob immediately after he learns this the dawn breaks and the sunrises and there is Esau, and he approaches Esau this time not trying to get one step ahead of Esau, but he approaches him with about, and something in the heavenly's breaks open something changes and we learn all relationships that need to be healed will be healed only when there is brokenness and humility.

The relationships are not restored by anyone exercising superior strength who ever got a relationship healed by out talking or arguing the other person and Esau. Instead of coming to murder his brother came and grabbed him by the shoulders and wept on his shoulders and we saw this glad reunion and are amazed at it, trying to shoot the light will have more teaching duties series juvenile feeling the pressure is always on just to feel guilty when you have to say no even though you're doing all you can do you ever feel exhausted because your fast just doesn't seem good enough.

There's an explanation from all those problems. It's as old as the Garden of Eden called Shane Shane is a diabolical, not convincing you that until you measure up, can't be accepted.

Pressure of shame turned some overachieving perfectionist turns to others and to discourage rebels information is toxic to the human soul, and there is only one grace of God in Jesus Pastor Alan Mike is not only written a book on the subject is often produced and life-changing video series for yourself years 1225 years after Mike explained that she can be transformed if this meant to shine the light ministries will send you the video out of a mess I wait for your partnership for use for yourself will happen is perfect for small groups were great for individual credit if you tired of trying to bear your own machine. Get your video album today and left to fishing off you shared when you get to share in this practice is only possible because of recent financial support.

When you get to go. We will send you to a special affect your happiness in this series I banks from sharing the right ministries, 877-544-4860 or come to my website sharing the right guy like you are listening to shearing the line in today's teaching now continues once again is Alan Wright today want to read a passage of Scripture.

First, from Genesis chapter 27 that will recapitulate what we've been talking about and then turn you to today's tax.

This is Genesis chapter 27.

I want to look again at this one verse, verse 35. Here is Isaac the aged father blinded in his old age. He was mistakenly blessed Jacob instead of his firstborn Esau was look at verse 34. Esau heard his father's words he burst out with a loud and bitter cry and said to his father blessed me me to my father, but he said Isaac said your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing now want to turn with me just a few chapters later chapter 33 and pick up the story where Esau and Jacob have now embraced 20 years later the story comes to its beautiful climax. Esau verse eight said what do you mean by all these drones I met the find favor in your eyes. My Lord Jacobson, but Esau said I already have plenty. My brother keep what you have for yourself. Nope, please said Jacob. If I have found favor in your eyes accept this gift from me for to see your face is like seeing the face of God.

Now that you have received me favorably.

Please accept the present that was brought to you, for God has been gracious to me and I have all I need. And because Jacob insisted Esau accepted it.

What I want you to see is a treasure that's hidden in verse 11.

I'm reading from the new international version which is the translation of the Bible that is most commonly read and owned in America and so it seems to make sense that that's the Bible we have in our pew is very readable translation and that the translators in the new international version are committed to making the essence of the just of the of the of the Hebrew or the Greek come to life in English and so it's a good translation but it is not a translation that is is word for word instead often times there be an idiom in one language and you try to represent in another language, but sometimes it's best to look at what the actual word is because then it will tie something together that you had not seen before and this is one such case in verse 11 when Jacob pleads with his brother and says please accept the present that was brought to you what you need to know is it that word present in the new international version is the same Hebrew word that was in Genesis chapter 27 verse 35 that we just read that your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing. What I'm saying to you is it what this brother is saying to Esau is with greatest urgency.

Please, please, please accept the blessing that I bring to you the one who had stolen his brothers blessing now even more urgently wants to give him the blessing this Jacob. This connive or has moved from being a blessing grabber to a blessing giver the story of Jacob is about this move. The story of the people of God is about this move is the move of one who thought himself unblessed, one who thought himself, having nothing to give but always seeking to take moving to the position of seeing who he actually is and therefore becoming a blessing to the world. If you want take notes today I would call this message from orphan to air the whole beginning of the Christian life is for you to understand that God so loved the world and the world. The Bible says without Christ was in enmity with God, the world was in rebellion against God.

See Jesus you must understand God. Even if you're not a Christian God. God doesn't hate you, God loves you people that are with Christ and are following God that that they've it.

What we don't have as our understanding of how much God is doing in order to win us and how much he wants us I want to understand. In other words, the adoption into the family of God was the analogy of the New Testament is that we have been adopted as his sons and daughters that it begins with this very simple and powerful truth that the steadfast love of the Lord endures forever more, and that God wants you and he always wanted you and he wanted you before you wanted him and he wanted you so bad that he would pay a price that is so dear, but it's unfathomable for us. We can even understand how it could be that a person almost bit would dive for a friend, much less die for an enemy. That's how much that he wanted you and so we must understand that every bit as much as Jan mobilized an army of intercessors that would be praying about each facet of the adoption because she wanted to come to pass, that there has been a great big set up all for eternity just to reach you is just a giant set up God's been at work, even singing your love songs in the night. He been waking you up with thoughts every sunrise is his reminder to you that he is the creator of all the ends of the earth, and his beauty and his holiness. He has been working in such a way that also at the right moments where you just think that he's like your enemy, you realize that you've been wrestling against him and actually he was saving your life and you just stepped in right at the right moment with Jacob because of Jacob for God to see Esau in the condition that Jacob had been in for the last 20 years and Esau's heart had been like his heart had been set up in a fight and Esau would overpower them, and Jacob would've been slain that the very wrestling that he thought was was was something he had to wrestle against was actually the salvation for his life and that the Lord gives the Lord takes a wife is working all things together because he loves us because he wants us to come to know the reality of who he is. He wants us to be his child. He wants us to be adopted. So much so that he came in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, word for lesson we learned last week.

It means literally covered with dust. Can you imagine bit of messenger of God would calm and roll around in the dust with Jacob.

Can you imagine himself would come and put on desk and clothed himself with flesh. Jessica be closed just so we can see his glory to so we can both live in grace and truth. Just so that we could see him think I'm damp and realize that he's come with his life to save us.

That's the beginning of the gospel. That's a whole heart that God has taken the initiative. God is intervening in your life. That's why I can't help myself as well as start jumping around when I say Blessed be the name of the Lord is like it's just done so much for me. I could not have saved myself this is the good news the gospel that Christ died for the ungodly. While they were still understand if we had somehow overcome our sin and become his perfect little creature God that he had come in big so big so dear big deal though because I was lost and he came and found me because we were often snatched as you once were no people now become my people. That's what he said about Israel to nobodies who became somebody's orphans who became Ayers so Jan goes over and it finally comes that she can pick up Sasha and if you get this little girl. I think she was three at the time and so Sasha spoke no English. Jan spoke no Russian and they got onto a plane and the fly across the seas wonder what's going to Sasha's mind and in the middle of their flight. They were turned around mysteriously and told they had to go back and land in Ireland and they didn't know why until the next day when they let them know it was September 11 God is God a doodle prophetic things in the natural events in your life filter if I were Sasha I just lay claim to this he snatched me on the terrace hands and save me. You know I brought me out of the orphanage, but he brought me into a place safely and as well as life of this new mom this little girl in a motel room in Ireland a new one spoke each other's lives. I don't know what that that was like to come home. Couple days later and they came in and they live in grace. Brian so the next day we all looking for to bring about this for so long and and Sasha was gonna come over and she was going to come our house and model abbeys just a little bit younger than Sasha.

And there will play together so Sasha came we've had presents for her and I was so strange to watch her openers presents the quilt first but she's ever seen a present.

She did not open a present.

She didn't know that's what you're supposed to do.

So we had to show her that you open up the present and and it and it's for you and it took a long time to help her understand that this these dolls are toys or things were for her right assuring the lie would give more story tomorrow and that you're listening to the tasty orphan to hear today get Alan coming back here in the studio with some additional insight. You're just a moment insight for your life. In today's final word sure is always on just grass to feel guilty when you have to say no even though you're doing all you can do you ever feel exhausted because you're fast just doesn't seem good enough. There's an explanation for all those problems. It's as old as the Garden of Eden is called shame. Shame is a diabolical, not convincing you that until you measure out you can't be accepted. The pressure of shame turned some overachieving perfectionist turns others into discourage rebels. Either way, shame is toxic to the human soul, and there is only one grace of God in Jesus Pastor Alan Mike is not only written a book on the subject is often produced and life-changing video series. Free yourself years 1225 years after Mike explains the effacement to shine the light ministries will send you the video Avonex mainframe's for your partnership for use for yourself and your abdomen is perfect for small groups were great for individual credit if you tired of trying to bear your own machine.

Get your video album to take the shame off you shared when you get to share. This practice is only possible because of recent financial support.

When you get today. We will send you a special affect you happy send this to you as I banks from sharing the light ministries call us at 877-544-4860 or come to my website sharing the right garlic. I can't wait to our next installment will be good to hear the conclusion of this message from orphan to hear which really is all of our story right. If we're sons and daughters of the King.

The biblical image of how we became part of the family of God is adoption is so beautiful because it means that God set his love upon it means that God wanted you, it means that he made you his own and he did so for the purpose of making you his air.

He wants to share his life with you and he enjoys shooting so being a child of God is adopted. Air is not something we aspire to. It's a reality, just this has been sharing the light with Alan listener supported production of sharing the light ministries