WEBVTT 00:00:00.609 --> 00:00:04.830 What do you buy your father for his 75th birthday? 00:00:05.389 --> 00:00:08.730 Oh, my word. That was this week when you realize 00:00:08.730 --> 00:00:11.810 that your father is three quarters of a century. 00:00:12.070 --> 00:00:14.470 Oh, my goodness. I like to say it that way, too, 00:00:14.550 --> 00:00:16.670 when I talk about, how is it going? Three quarters 00:00:16.670 --> 00:00:20.910 of a century, that's wonderful. Shush. And that's 00:00:20.910 --> 00:00:23.050 the question this last week. You see, I did really 00:00:23.050 --> 00:00:25.260 well. for Father's Day because that was when 00:00:25.260 --> 00:00:27.760 I got him the Lou Ferrigno signed Incredible 00:00:27.760 --> 00:00:30.500 Hulk picture and I was like man that was awesome 00:00:30.500 --> 00:00:32.799 maybe I should have saved that one got the tie 00:00:32.799 --> 00:00:36.420 for Father's Day but you know a 75th birthday 00:00:36.420 --> 00:00:38.880 it feels like it deserves something meaningful 00:00:38.880 --> 00:00:42.130 you know it's You search for the perfect gift, 00:00:42.590 --> 00:00:45.689 something maybe connected to a hobby or something 00:00:45.689 --> 00:00:48.729 memorable, something that expresses gratitude 00:00:48.729 --> 00:00:51.450 for a lifetime of love. Maybe you try to find 00:00:51.450 --> 00:00:54.689 something that is from 1951, but it's probably 00:00:54.689 --> 00:00:57.509 spoiled or broken by now. And then you realize 00:00:57.509 --> 00:01:00.570 something. When someone has lived that long, 00:01:01.310 --> 00:01:03.469 they often already have what they want anyway. 00:01:04.090 --> 00:01:06.730 If it's valuable, they may already own it. And 00:01:06.730 --> 00:01:09.879 if it's not exactly right, well... Come on, at 00:01:09.879 --> 00:01:13.620 75 people get picky. The more I thought about 00:01:13.620 --> 00:01:16.560 it, the more I realized I was asking the wrong 00:01:16.560 --> 00:01:20.200 question. I was asking, what should I buy him 00:01:20.200 --> 00:01:22.560 that would be perfect? But maybe a better question 00:01:22.560 --> 00:01:27.239 was, how do I show him that I value him? I cherish 00:01:27.239 --> 00:01:30.980 him, I'm grateful for him. No gift can really 00:01:30.980 --> 00:01:35.049 complete a relationship. A present... It cannot 00:01:35.049 --> 00:01:40.329 replace years of sacrifice, love, memories. It 00:01:40.329 --> 00:01:43.390 simply becomes one small way of saying, I know 00:01:43.390 --> 00:01:47.969 you, I love you, I'm thankful for you. The relationship 00:01:47.969 --> 00:01:51.549 is what matters. I bought him a Home Depot gift 00:01:51.549 --> 00:01:54.090 card. It's gonna be great. He needs a bunch of 00:01:54.090 --> 00:01:55.849 stuff there. He's gonna be glad. We're gonna 00:01:55.849 --> 00:01:58.549 do a hike this next week. My sister got him some 00:01:58.549 --> 00:02:01.670 of those night vision goggles. She's very creative. 00:02:01.950 --> 00:02:05.819 Yeah, it's gonna be good. But you know, perhaps 00:02:05.819 --> 00:02:09.080 that's how we often approach life. We keep searching 00:02:09.080 --> 00:02:12.080 for the perfect answer. We want the perfect decision, 00:02:12.400 --> 00:02:15.620 the perfect solution that finally settles everything. 00:02:16.039 --> 00:02:19.240 We want the diagnosis that removes every fear. 00:02:19.860 --> 00:02:22.740 The conversation that fixes every relationship. 00:02:23.539 --> 00:02:27.460 The ministry effort that reaches everybody. The 00:02:27.460 --> 00:02:29.400 decision that would guarantee that everything's 00:02:29.400 --> 00:02:34.379 gonna be alright. We long for certainty. But 00:02:34.379 --> 00:02:37.659 often what we really want is certainty about 00:02:37.659 --> 00:02:41.520 everything, except the one thing we already know, 00:02:42.139 --> 00:02:46.099 that God loves us. And again and again, God answers 00:02:46.099 --> 00:02:50.039 our longing in an unexpected way. Instead of 00:02:50.039 --> 00:02:53.439 giving us certainty about tomorrow, He gives 00:02:53.439 --> 00:02:57.539 us certainty about Himself. That's what we end 00:02:57.539 --> 00:03:01.909 up seeing with Jacob. Jacob spent his life trying 00:03:01.909 --> 00:03:05.270 to create certainty through his own strength. 00:03:05.969 --> 00:03:10.969 His name tells the story. Jacob means heel grabber 00:03:10.969 --> 00:03:15.210 or the one who grasps. From the beginning, Jacob 00:03:15.210 --> 00:03:18.849 reached for what he wanted. He grasped for Esau's 00:03:18.849 --> 00:03:21.669 birthright. He grasped for his father's blessing 00:03:21.669 --> 00:03:25.590 through deception. He grasped for security and 00:03:25.590 --> 00:03:29.539 control. Whenever life became uncertain, Jacob 00:03:29.539 --> 00:03:33.039 tried to solve the problem himself. And eventually, 00:03:33.819 --> 00:03:36.960 his deception caught up with him. And Esau, he 00:03:36.960 --> 00:03:40.379 found out, and he was ready to kill him. So, 00:03:40.699 --> 00:03:42.319 you do what any good younger brother would do 00:03:42.319 --> 00:03:46.000 at a moment like that? Run away. Bravely run 00:03:46.000 --> 00:03:50.099 away. And he went to live with his uncle Laban, 00:03:50.520 --> 00:03:53.539 hoping that life would become easier. But instead, 00:03:54.439 --> 00:03:58.479 the deceiver became the deceived. Jacob worked 00:03:58.479 --> 00:04:02.180 seven years to marry Rachel, but Laban tricked 00:04:02.180 --> 00:04:06.439 him into marrying Leah instead. You should probably 00:04:06.439 --> 00:04:10.840 check first, Jacob. Jacob then worked another 00:04:10.840 --> 00:04:14.319 seven years for Rachel. And for 20 years, if 00:04:14.319 --> 00:04:17.459 you include the additional years where Jacob 00:04:17.459 --> 00:04:20.000 was trying to make his fortune and Laban kept 00:04:20.000 --> 00:04:23.980 tricking him, Jacob experienced what it felt... 00:04:24.029 --> 00:04:27.350 to live under the manipulation He had once practiced 00:04:27.350 --> 00:04:31.170 on others. Sometimes God teaches us through blessings. 00:04:31.850 --> 00:04:35.250 Sometimes He teaches us by letting us see ourselves 00:04:35.250 --> 00:04:38.910 more clearly. Not because He wants to destroy 00:04:38.910 --> 00:04:42.350 or humiliate us, but because He wants to transform 00:04:42.350 --> 00:04:46.649 us. Finally, Jacob leaves Laban, and he begins 00:04:46.649 --> 00:04:51.430 the journey home. And the news comes, Esau is 00:04:51.430 --> 00:04:57.040 coming. He has 400 men with him. And suddenly 00:04:57.040 --> 00:05:00.839 Jacob's past comes rushing right back. You ever 00:05:00.839 --> 00:05:04.339 experience that? The old wounds, the old regrets, 00:05:04.519 --> 00:05:08.480 the old fears. You think you've moved beyond 00:05:08.480 --> 00:05:11.500 something, but you discover it waiting for you 00:05:11.500 --> 00:05:14.899 again. And Jacob responds the way that Jacob 00:05:14.899 --> 00:05:18.600 always responds. He plans, he plots, he prepares. 00:05:19.180 --> 00:05:23.490 He sends gifts ahead. He divides his family into 00:05:23.490 --> 00:05:27.089 groups, but after all his planning one thing 00:05:27.089 --> 00:05:32.089 remains beyond his control tomorrow That night 00:05:32.089 --> 00:05:34.990 Jacob sends everyone across the river his wives 00:05:34.990 --> 00:05:38.670 his children his servants everything that represents 00:05:38.670 --> 00:05:44.490 his success Everything he's built and Jacob is 00:05:44.490 --> 00:05:49.889 alone No possessions no schemes no negotiations 00:05:50.410 --> 00:05:55.730 Just Jacob and God Genesis tells us Jacob was 00:05:55.730 --> 00:05:57.970 left alone and a man wrestled with him until 00:05:57.970 --> 00:06:01.750 the breaking of the day Jacob doesn't know yet 00:06:01.750 --> 00:06:05.009 who he's wrestling If you're reading this in 00:06:05.009 --> 00:06:08.069 the Hebrew, you'll hear something beautiful at 00:06:08.069 --> 00:06:11.709 the Yabak Yakov begins to Yavak say it three 00:06:11.709 --> 00:06:17.370 times fast. That's awesome at the Javak Jacob 00:06:17.370 --> 00:06:22.300 began to wrestle The one who spent his life grasping 00:06:22.300 --> 00:06:27.420 for blessings is now just holding on There's 00:06:27.420 --> 00:06:29.899 an important detail in the text that we often 00:06:29.899 --> 00:06:33.560 miss though the translation It will often say 00:06:33.560 --> 00:06:36.959 when the man saw that he did not prevail against 00:06:36.959 --> 00:06:41.300 Jacob But the Hebrew it actually says when he 00:06:41.300 --> 00:06:46.759 saw that he did not prevail Who was he? The answer 00:06:46.759 --> 00:06:49.709 becomes clear in the next verse With a touch, 00:06:49.769 --> 00:06:54.050 God puts Jacob's hip out of joint. God is never 00:06:54.050 --> 00:06:57.170 defeated. There's never a contest to determine 00:06:57.170 --> 00:07:00.029 who's actually stronger. The question is not 00:07:00.029 --> 00:07:02.569 who will win. The question is, what is God actually 00:07:02.569 --> 00:07:06.310 doing? So God was bringing Jacob to the place 00:07:06.310 --> 00:07:09.050 where he finally encountered someone he could 00:07:09.050 --> 00:07:12.610 not manipulate. He couldn't deceive. He couldn't 00:07:12.610 --> 00:07:16.670 control. And Jacob says, I will not let you go 00:07:16.670 --> 00:07:21.850 unless you bless me. And notice the change. Jacob 00:07:21.850 --> 00:07:25.810 is no longer trying to take the blessing. He's 00:07:25.810 --> 00:07:30.350 asking to receive it. He's begging. That is where 00:07:30.350 --> 00:07:34.990 transformation begins. God asks Jacob, what is 00:07:34.990 --> 00:07:40.550 your name? Strange question, right? God already 00:07:40.550 --> 00:07:44.829 knows his name. Why does he need to ask? But 00:07:44.829 --> 00:07:49.310 it's not for God. It's for Jacob. Because Jacob 00:07:49.310 --> 00:07:55.009 must say it himself. Jacob, the heel grabber, 00:07:55.329 --> 00:07:58.490 the deceiver. The man who spent his life trying 00:07:58.490 --> 00:08:01.769 to secure blessings by his own strength. And 00:08:01.769 --> 00:08:05.970 God says, your name shall no longer be called 00:08:05.970 --> 00:08:12.290 Jacob. But Israel, for you have striven with 00:08:12.290 --> 00:08:17.610 God and with men and have prevailed. Jacob receives 00:08:17.610 --> 00:08:21.550 a new identity. His life will no longer be defined 00:08:21.550 --> 00:08:24.370 by grasping. It will be defined by living in 00:08:24.370 --> 00:08:28.069 relationship with the God who met him in the 00:08:28.069 --> 00:08:31.730 struggle. And notice what God does not give him. 00:08:32.490 --> 00:08:34.870 He doesn't tell Jacob exactly what's going to 00:08:34.870 --> 00:08:37.730 happen tomorrow. He doesn't say, don't worry, 00:08:37.870 --> 00:08:41.870 Esau's not going to hurt you. He doesn't remove 00:08:41.870 --> 00:08:46.250 every uncertainty. Instead, God gives him something 00:08:46.250 --> 00:08:51.110 greater. He gives him Himself. Jacob still has 00:08:51.110 --> 00:08:53.610 to cross the river. He still has to face Esau. 00:08:55.029 --> 00:08:58.909 He still has to confront the years of guilt and 00:08:58.909 --> 00:09:04.909 fear. But now, Jacob is different. Before God 00:09:04.909 --> 00:09:07.289 gives him certainty about circumstance, He gives 00:09:07.289 --> 00:09:10.750 him certainty about his identity. Jacob names 00:09:10.750 --> 00:09:15.360 the place Peniel. For I have seen God face to 00:09:15.360 --> 00:09:19.740 face, penny -ale, and yet my life has been delivered. 00:09:21.080 --> 00:09:24.559 The one Jacob thought was only a man was God 00:09:24.559 --> 00:09:27.559 Himself. The one that Jacob feared might destroy 00:09:27.559 --> 00:09:33.559 him had come to bless him. The sun rises, and 00:09:33.559 --> 00:09:37.519 Jacob walks away with a limp, even more vulnerable 00:09:37.519 --> 00:09:41.110 than before. See, the wrestling changed him, 00:09:41.129 --> 00:09:45.990 but it didn't remove him from struggle. He still 00:09:45.990 --> 00:09:50.909 had to trust God. Maybe even more now. The certainty 00:09:50.909 --> 00:09:54.210 was not found in the circumstance. The certainty 00:09:54.210 --> 00:09:58.830 was found in God's presence. And that's exactly 00:09:58.830 --> 00:10:01.590 what Jesus' disciples were learning as well. 00:10:02.289 --> 00:10:05.090 Matthew's Gospel begins with another impossible 00:10:05.090 --> 00:10:09.409 situation. Jesus had just learned. that John 00:10:09.409 --> 00:10:13.129 the Baptist was killed. John was the one sent 00:10:13.129 --> 00:10:17.049 to prepare the way for the Messiah. His cousin. 00:10:17.950 --> 00:10:20.809 The news was heartbreaking. And Matthew tells 00:10:20.809 --> 00:10:23.789 us that he withdrew from there in a boat to a 00:10:23.789 --> 00:10:28.490 desolate place by himself. Jesus sought solitude. 00:10:30.009 --> 00:10:32.909 Perhaps he wanted to pray. Perhaps he needed 00:10:32.909 --> 00:10:37.929 to grieve. But the crowds followed him. And when 00:10:37.929 --> 00:10:42.309 Jesus saw them, Matthew tells his, he had compassion 00:10:42.309 --> 00:10:46.929 on them and healed their sick. The word Matthew 00:10:46.929 --> 00:10:50.750 uses for compassion describes a deep heartfelt 00:10:50.750 --> 00:10:56.090 mercy. Jesus doesn't merely notice the suffering. 00:10:56.929 --> 00:11:02.169 He enters into it. He heals. He teaches. He serves. 00:11:03.309 --> 00:11:06.190 As evening comes, the disciples begin doing what 00:11:06.190 --> 00:11:09.509 seems reasonable. They calculate the situation. 00:11:10.590 --> 00:11:12.289 There's thousands of people. There's not enough 00:11:12.289 --> 00:11:16.330 food. The nearest villages are far away. The 00:11:16.330 --> 00:11:20.370 solution? Send the crowds away into the villages 00:11:20.370 --> 00:11:24.350 and buy food for themselves. Makes sense. It's 00:11:24.350 --> 00:11:30.029 practical. But Jesus responds, they need not 00:11:30.029 --> 00:11:35.169 go away. You give them something to eat. The 00:11:35.169 --> 00:11:39.889 emphasis in the Greek is on the word you. Can 00:11:39.889 --> 00:11:43.129 you imagine the disciples looking around, Lord, 00:11:43.950 --> 00:11:45.769 did you learn how to count? Do you see how many 00:11:45.769 --> 00:11:50.769 people are here? Their answer reveals what they 00:11:50.769 --> 00:11:55.889 see. We have only five loaves here and two fish. 00:11:57.470 --> 00:12:01.679 Only. Look what happens when you use the word 00:12:01.679 --> 00:12:05.980 only with God. That word reveals their perspective. 00:12:06.480 --> 00:12:09.059 They see what they lack. They see their limitations. 00:12:09.539 --> 00:12:13.080 They see an impossible situation. And how often 00:12:13.080 --> 00:12:16.779 do we do the same? I only have so much time. 00:12:17.080 --> 00:12:20.019 I only have so many resources. I only have these 00:12:20.019 --> 00:12:24.460 abilities. I only know how to do this much. We 00:12:24.460 --> 00:12:27.539 measure God's calling by what we can accomplish. 00:12:28.590 --> 00:12:31.809 But Jesus does not ask the disciples what they 00:12:31.809 --> 00:12:35.450 do not have. He doesn't ask what they can accomplish. 00:12:36.370 --> 00:12:40.429 Instead, He asks them to bring to Him what they 00:12:40.429 --> 00:12:45.509 have. Bring them here to Me. Bring what you have. 00:12:46.149 --> 00:12:48.690 Bring what seems too small. Bring what seems 00:12:48.690 --> 00:12:54.870 inadequate. Bring it to Me. That's faith. Faith 00:12:54.870 --> 00:12:58.320 is not having every answer when we begin. Faith 00:12:58.320 --> 00:13:00.940 is trusting Christ enough to place what we have 00:13:00.940 --> 00:13:05.679 into His hands. Jesus did not explain it before 00:13:05.679 --> 00:13:10.200 He did it. Jacob didn't have an explanation about 00:13:10.200 --> 00:13:13.639 tomorrow. He received a new name. The disciples 00:13:13.639 --> 00:13:15.620 didn't receive an explanation about the miracle. 00:13:16.179 --> 00:13:20.100 They received a command from Jesus. In both stories, 00:13:20.159 --> 00:13:23.919 God gives His presence before He gives an explanation. 00:13:24.740 --> 00:13:29.139 And that's still how He works. Jesus takes the 00:13:29.139 --> 00:13:31.799 five loaves and the two fish, and He looks toward 00:13:31.799 --> 00:13:35.840 heaven, and He blesses them. And He breaks the 00:13:35.840 --> 00:13:38.460 bread, and He gave them to the disciples, and 00:13:38.460 --> 00:13:41.080 the disciples gave them to the crowds. And I 00:13:41.080 --> 00:13:44.700 want you to notice what Jesus does. He doesn't 00:13:44.700 --> 00:13:47.720 place the food directly into the hands of the 00:13:47.720 --> 00:13:50.299 crowd. Here you go, here you go, I'm Jesus, you're 00:13:50.299 --> 00:13:54.100 welcome. He places it into the hands of His disciples. 00:13:54.860 --> 00:13:58.440 and Christ chooses to work through His people. 00:13:59.539 --> 00:14:03.039 It's not because He can't do it Himself. It's 00:14:03.039 --> 00:14:05.940 because He delights in including them in His 00:14:05.940 --> 00:14:10.080 work. The miracle belongs entirely to Jesus, 00:14:10.700 --> 00:14:13.700 and the disciples have the privilege of participating. 00:14:14.860 --> 00:14:17.759 And by the end of the day, they all ate and were 00:14:17.759 --> 00:14:21.240 satisfied. Everyone received what they needed. 00:14:23.879 --> 00:14:27.340 They gathered the leftovers. Was it a few pieces 00:14:27.340 --> 00:14:29.080 remaining? Just a little bit here and a little 00:14:29.080 --> 00:14:34.919 bit there? Twelve baskets full. They looked at 00:14:34.919 --> 00:14:37.120 five loaves and two fish and thought, there's 00:14:37.120 --> 00:14:40.539 not enough. And now, each one of them carries 00:14:40.539 --> 00:14:43.379 evidence of God's abundance. Twelve baskets. 00:14:43.659 --> 00:14:48.220 Every disciple has a basket full. What changed? 00:14:49.539 --> 00:14:54.259 Not their resources. Not their abilities. Christ. 00:14:55.399 --> 00:14:57.879 The issue was never whether Jesus could provide. 00:14:58.120 --> 00:15:00.240 The issue was whether they trusted Him enough 00:15:00.240 --> 00:15:03.980 to bring Him what they had. And that is where 00:15:03.980 --> 00:15:09.779 these two stories meet our lives as well. Because 00:15:09.779 --> 00:15:12.539 the wrestling, it doesn't happen only beside 00:15:12.539 --> 00:15:16.860 the Javok River. It happens in our hearts. We 00:15:16.860 --> 00:15:19.840 wrestle with decisions. We wrestle with disappointment. 00:15:20.879 --> 00:15:24.950 We wrestle with grief. wrestle with guilt, broken 00:15:24.950 --> 00:15:27.429 relationships, children and grandchildren we 00:15:27.429 --> 00:15:30.230 worry about, health concerns, questions where 00:15:30.230 --> 00:15:34.110 we don't have easy answers. But Meath, much of 00:15:34.110 --> 00:15:36.830 that wrestling is the same desire Jacob carried. 00:15:37.409 --> 00:15:40.769 We want certainty. We want to know we made the 00:15:40.769 --> 00:15:43.730 right decision. We want to know who to blame, 00:15:43.750 --> 00:15:46.929 and we want to know it wasn't us. We want to 00:15:46.929 --> 00:15:49.389 know things are going to work out. And we want 00:15:49.389 --> 00:15:51.549 to know that our efforts mattered and that the 00:15:51.549 --> 00:15:56.350 future is set before we step into it. But God, 00:15:57.350 --> 00:16:01.230 always the great way to start any sentence. But 00:16:01.230 --> 00:16:05.049 God often gives us something different. He does 00:16:05.049 --> 00:16:08.370 not always give us the answer we want, but he 00:16:08.370 --> 00:16:11.779 does give us his presence. Our temptation is 00:16:11.779 --> 00:16:13.559 to believe that if we can just simply identify 00:16:13.559 --> 00:16:16.879 the problem, fix the situation, or find someone 00:16:16.879 --> 00:16:20.299 to blame, then peace will come. We sound like 00:16:20.299 --> 00:16:24.139 a bunch of engineers, right? But scripture gives 00:16:24.139 --> 00:16:27.740 us a deeper picture. People are complicated. 00:16:28.879 --> 00:16:34.539 Jacob was deceptive. Laban was deceptive. Esau 00:16:34.539 --> 00:16:38.100 was capable of great hatred. Murderous to begin. 00:16:38.830 --> 00:16:41.309 But God continued working through all of them. 00:16:41.529 --> 00:16:45.490 Because the Bible doesn't ignore sin. But it 00:16:45.490 --> 00:16:47.870 also never reduces people to just their worst 00:16:47.870 --> 00:16:52.629 moments. Healing requires more than finding someone 00:16:52.629 --> 00:16:56.809 to blame. Healing requires forgiveness despite 00:16:56.809 --> 00:17:01.070 our seething anger. Healing requires admitting 00:17:01.070 --> 00:17:06.230 that humans are just doing their best. It requires 00:17:06.230 --> 00:17:11.119 humility. It requires patience. It requires Christ. 00:17:12.420 --> 00:17:14.500 See, we often imagine that if one problem is 00:17:14.500 --> 00:17:16.779 solved, everything will finally become peaceful. 00:17:17.240 --> 00:17:19.720 This situation gets fixed, it'll all be okay. 00:17:20.500 --> 00:17:22.839 This struggle ends, then I can finally rest. 00:17:23.240 --> 00:17:26.559 But then life continues. One season gives way 00:17:26.559 --> 00:17:30.099 to another. One responsibility leads to another. 00:17:30.819 --> 00:17:34.839 The laundry keeps coming through. That does not 00:17:34.839 --> 00:17:38.519 mean that God has failed. It means God is still 00:17:38.519 --> 00:17:41.920 walking with us. The Christian life is not about 00:17:41.920 --> 00:17:44.460 reaching a place where there's no more struggle. 00:17:45.799 --> 00:17:48.259 It's about learning to walk faithfully with Christ 00:17:48.259 --> 00:17:51.960 through every season. And the same is true in 00:17:51.960 --> 00:17:55.519 the church. You know, we can sometimes treat 00:17:55.519 --> 00:17:58.940 ministry like a checklist. We completed the event. 00:17:59.759 --> 00:18:03.299 We made the visit. We helped someone in need. 00:18:03.619 --> 00:18:07.309 Now we're finished. Get back to your life, right? 00:18:08.289 --> 00:18:12.049 But love is not a project. Discipleship is not 00:18:12.049 --> 00:18:15.809 an event. Faithfulness is not something we complete. 00:18:17.130 --> 00:18:20.869 It is something we live. Jesus did not treat 00:18:20.869 --> 00:18:24.789 people as projects. He taught, He healed, He 00:18:24.789 --> 00:18:27.690 forgave, He fed, and then He did it all over 00:18:27.690 --> 00:18:32.890 again. Wash, rinse, repeat. Because love continues. 00:18:33.970 --> 00:18:37.329 The church is called to do the same. Not because 00:18:37.329 --> 00:18:40.250 we believe that we can solve every problem, but 00:18:40.250 --> 00:18:43.869 because Christ continues loving His people through 00:18:43.869 --> 00:18:50.150 us. See, Jacob wrestled beside the Javok, but 00:18:50.150 --> 00:18:53.349 in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus wrestled in 00:18:53.349 --> 00:18:56.630 the darkness alone. And He prayed, my Father, 00:18:56.670 --> 00:18:59.170 if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me. 00:18:59.450 --> 00:19:02.430 Nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will. 00:19:03.909 --> 00:19:06.990 Jesus was not searching for some easy resolution. 00:19:07.789 --> 00:19:12.269 He already knew what awaited Him. He was entrusting 00:19:12.269 --> 00:19:16.789 Himself to the Father. See, in Jesus, we see 00:19:16.789 --> 00:19:21.710 the face of God made flesh. The God who met Jacob 00:19:21.710 --> 00:19:25.829 in mystery comes to us in mercy. And nowhere 00:19:25.829 --> 00:19:28.930 is that mercy clearer than at Calvary. Because 00:19:28.930 --> 00:19:32.519 at the cross, People challenge Jesus. If you're 00:19:32.519 --> 00:19:35.099 the Son of God, we'll come down from the cross. 00:19:35.579 --> 00:19:38.519 Easy peasy. Isn't that often what we want from 00:19:38.519 --> 00:19:41.660 God? Explain everything. Show me why it happened. 00:19:41.799 --> 00:19:44.200 Tell me how it will end. Solve it and then I'll 00:19:44.200 --> 00:19:48.160 trust you. Jesus does not come down from the 00:19:48.160 --> 00:19:51.220 cross. It's not because He lacked the power. 00:19:52.279 --> 00:19:56.079 But remaining there is how He saves us. Because 00:19:56.079 --> 00:19:58.660 the greatest victory in history looked like defeat. 00:19:59.339 --> 00:20:02.180 The greatest act of love looked like failure, 00:20:03.240 --> 00:20:05.539 and the greatest hero was vilified and treated 00:20:05.539 --> 00:20:09.799 as a criminal by good people. But Easter revealed 00:20:09.799 --> 00:20:13.720 what God had been accomplishing all along. Jacob 00:20:13.720 --> 00:20:17.200 understood the blessing when the sun rose, and 00:20:17.200 --> 00:20:19.180 the disciples understood the miracle when the 00:20:19.180 --> 00:20:25.000 baskets were full. And the apostles, they understood 00:20:25.000 --> 00:20:29.220 the cross when Jesus rose from the grave. Sometimes 00:20:29.220 --> 00:20:32.339 we look back and we realize the Lord was carrying 00:20:32.339 --> 00:20:36.779 me. The Lord was working. The Lord was present 00:20:36.779 --> 00:20:40.319 even when I could not see Him. The Lord was blessing 00:20:40.319 --> 00:20:47.059 even when I was working against Him. Not every 00:20:47.059 --> 00:20:50.220 question receives an answer in this life. Some 00:20:50.220 --> 00:20:54.880 wounds remain. Some prayers are unfinished. Some 00:20:54.880 --> 00:20:59.650 struggles continue. but Christ remains. We are 00:20:59.650 --> 00:21:02.349 not called to manufacture certainty. We're called 00:21:02.349 --> 00:21:06.750 to faithfulness. Before God explains your future, 00:21:06.890 --> 00:21:11.750 He gives you a new identity. In baptism by faith, 00:21:11.750 --> 00:21:16.349 He has claimed you as His child. Before He answers 00:21:16.349 --> 00:21:19.869 every question, He gives you His promise that 00:21:19.869 --> 00:21:23.430 your identity is not built on your success, but 00:21:23.430 --> 00:21:26.500 it's also not built on your failures. It's built 00:21:26.500 --> 00:21:30.759 on Jesus. God's answer to our wrestling is not 00:21:30.759 --> 00:21:35.299 certainty. It is His presence. And that is enough. 00:21:36.680 --> 00:21:39.359 For if Christ is with us, no struggle is wasted. 00:21:40.039 --> 00:21:42.740 No prayer is unheard. No act of faithfulness 00:21:42.740 --> 00:21:46.019 is forgotten. No labor in the Lord is in vain. 00:21:46.380 --> 00:21:50.880 Because one day, the wrestling will end. Faith 00:21:50.880 --> 00:21:54.109 will become sight. Every tear will be wiped away 00:21:54.109 --> 00:21:57.230 and Christ will make all things new. But until 00:21:57.230 --> 00:22:00.930 then, He has not called us to find easy answers 00:22:00.930 --> 00:22:04.450 without Him. He has called us to walk faithfully 00:22:04.450 --> 00:22:08.289 with Him. And I would rather spend a lifetime 00:22:08.289 --> 00:22:11.589 wrestling with Christ beside me than find an 00:22:11.589 --> 00:22:17.490 easy answer without Him. In His name, Amen.