How God Changes Us

How God Changes Us

A few months ago, I preached a Message called ‘3 Things I Can’t Change’

I can’t change the unbeliever Acts 15: 11

I can’t change the believer Philippians 1:6

I can’t change myself 1 Corinthians 15: 10

Only God can change the unbeliever, only God can change the believer, and only God can change me – only God can change you

But how does God change us?

As the Apostle Paul said, 1 Corinthians 15: 10 ‘whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out His grace on me’

And there it is, we are changed by God’s grace!

Let me Illustrate this truth from the life of Jacob

Jacob was the son of Isaac and grandson of Abraham

Together they are known as the 3 great Patriarchs of Israel

As God said of them, Exodus 3: 6; Matthew 22:32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’

Jacob was born to Isaac and Rebekah and became the recipient of the promises that God made firstly to Abraham and then repeated to Isaac

Genesis 12: 1-3 The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”

C.F Genesis 15: 1-5, 18; Genesis 17: 1-8, 15-16, 19; Genesis 22: 16-18; Genesis 25: 11; Genesis 26: 24; Genesis 27: 28-29; Genesis 28: 1-4, 13-15; Genesis 32: 12

At that time, ‘the land that I will show you’ was called Canaan

Jacob’s name means ‘to follow’, because he was born second following Esau

But Jacob was not a follower

By ‘nature’ Jacob was full of ambition and self-interest

He wanted to be first and that’s why he was born grasping the heal of Esau his firstborn twin

Genesis 25: 21-26

Genesis 25: 26a ‘Then the other twin was born with his hand grasping Esau’s heel. So, they named him Jacob.’

When he was older, Jacob’s ambition and self-interest led him to trick his brother Esau out of his birthright and then he tricked his father Isaac into giving him the blessing due to Esau the firstborn son

Genesis 25: 27-34; Genesis 27: 1-29

Because of what Jacob had done to him, Esau planned to kill Jacob after their father Isaac had died, so Jacob fled to his uncle Laban in Haran where he lived for at least 20 years

Genesis 27: 41, Genesis 31: 41

Jacob worked hard for his uncle Laban and eventually he married Laban’s 2 daughters Leah and Rachel and had many children with them and with their 2 maids Bilhah and Zilpah

Genesis 29: 28-30

Then Jacob’s ambition and self-interest led him to use Laban’s flocks of sheep to make himself wealthy

Genesis 30: 40-43; Genesis 31: 1-2

Jacob had deceived his father, Isaac; he deceived his brother Esau and he deceived his uncle Laban

Yes, Jacob’s ambition and self-interest had caused a lot of trouble, but as it says in Romans 9: 13, the Lord ‘loved Jacob’

And because God loved Jacob, He wasn’t satisfied leaving Jacob as he was

The Lord was about to bring change into Jacob’s life that would transform him into the man of God he was destined to become – one of the great Patriarchs of Israel!

How did God change Jacob?

As we have already said – by His grace

And surprisingly that grace is often found in the midst of crisis

How could we describe crisis

Crisis is defined as a time of intense difficulty or danger, catastrophe, calamity, cataclysm, emergency, disaster, predicament, plight, mess, dilemma, quandary, setback, reversal, upheaval, drama, trouble, dire straits, hard times, hardship, adversity, extremity, distress, difficulty

Sounds bad – right!?

Yes, crisis is bad, but it isn’t all bad

Crisis has an upside; it also provides an opportunity/a turning point for change in us

In our narrative we discover that the Lord was about to lead Jacob into a crisis

Genesis 31: 3 ‘Then the Lord said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your father and grandfather and to your relatives there, and I will be with you.”’

As Jacob traveled from Haran back to his home with his large family and flocks of sheep, his uncle Laban chased after him with the intention of hurting him and reclaiming what was rightfully his – that’s a crisis!

Genesis 31: 17-18, 21, 22-24, 25-55

But God warned Laban in a dream, Genesis 31: 24 ‘I’m warning you – leave Jacob alone’

Then, as Jacob continued his travels, it was reported to him that his brother Esau was coming after him too, Genesis 32: 1-21, (6) ‘with an army of 400 men’, possibly with the intention of hurting him, Genesis 32: 20b Jacob thought, “I will try to appease him by sending gifts ahead of me. When I see him in person, perhaps he will be friendly to me.” – that’s a crisis!

That night as Jacob sent his family and flocks ahead of him across the river Jabbok he stayed behind alone in the camp and was met by an angel sent from God – that’s a crisis!

Genesis 32: 22-31 REFER (24) ‘but Jacob stayed behind, left alone in his distress and doubt. In the twilight of his anguish, an unknown man wrestled with him until daybreak’. Voice Paraphrase

C.F Genesis 32: 30 ‘I have seen God face to face’

Remember that I said that crisis isn’t all bad, it has an upside as it provides an opportunity/a turning point for change in us

In the midst of the crisis Jacob took the opportunity to do 3 things that would be a turning point for him and change him for ever

1/ Jacob trusted in the Lord to bring him through the crisis

Genesis 32: 26b READ Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless You bless me.”

Jacob was wrestling with the angel but he couldn’t overcome him

Like Jacob - we need to understand that a crisis in our life will beat us down and destroy us unless we trust in the Lord and cry out to Him for His blessing

C.F Galatians 6: 9b ‘we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up’.

2/ Jacob confessed his failure that got him into the crisis

Genesis 32: 27 “What is your name?” the man asked. He replied, “Jacob.”

Jacob confessed his name to the angel - doesn’t sound like much does it but it actually meant a lot!?

Jacob was admitting that he didn’t live up to his name, ‘to follow’

Upon Jacob’s confession, the angel changed his name to Israel which means ‘Prince with God’

Like Jacob - we need to confess our failures to God

C.F Genesis 32: 10 ‘I am not worthy of all the unfailing love and faithfulness you have shown to me, your servant’.

C.F James 4:6b ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’

3/ Jacob submitted to the purposes of God for his life

Genesis 32: 30 ‘Jacob named the place Peniel (which means ‘face of God’), for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been spared.”’

Jacob realized that his life was in the hands of God

Like Jacob – understanding that our lives are in His hands brings about within us a new willingness to co-operate with the purposes of God for our lives

When Jacob arrived back in the Land of Promise, in a place called Shechem, he made an altar there to worship the Lord and called it El-Elohe-Israel which means ‘Mighty is God of Israel’

Finally, and in conclusion:

I’d rather not go through a crisis in my life - What about you?

But if I do, I’m confident that God will provide his grace to me, AND

I will trust the Lord to bring me through the crisis

I will confess my failure that got me into the crisis

I will submit to the purposes of God for my life

1 Corinthians 15: 10 ‘whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out His grace on me’