Learning to Lean | Part 1

Listen closely as Avery Rogers shares three truths.

Remember, as we learn to lean on God, God will protect you but he will not that God loves you too much to let you go. Thank God he protects me but he will not use the second thing I want to learn. If you currently little more God will but it will not harm is a God or you better believe you will you will not harm will to love worth buying featuring the profound truth of the gospel presented in the practical messages of Adrian Rogers. Many of us think that self-sufficiency is a virtue. Truthfully, when you look at it really is a vice. After deceiving his father to obtain his brother Esau's birthright. Jacob was on the run for his life, God use this moment to cause Jacob to cease depending upon his own schemes. Jacob story reveals three principles to remember as we learn to lean on God.

If you have your Bible turn to Hebrews chapter 11 verse 21 is Adrian Rogers shares part one of learning to lean that self-sufficiency is a virtue the truth of the matter is that self-sufficiency is not a virtue spiritually is a vice look at Scripture here. Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 21 by faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph and worshiped, leaning upon the tall of his staff worship, leaning upon the top of his that we talked about Jacob and we talked about how he was a man who was a connive or he was a man who was always trying to rig things to work things to make things work together, our modern-day equivalency of Jacob by his natural nature would have been con artist, but God is working on Jacob to make him what he wants him to be.

And God is working on me that way and God is working on you.

God is working on us and will not be finished with us and a lot total complete dependency is not own self, but on him and we're going to be something in the Lord Jesus Christ for Philippians chapter 1 verse six says being confident of this very thing, that he who hath begun a good work in us will perform it unto the day of Jesus Christ.

Now Jacob had deceived his father and gotten the birthright that God already wanted to give him but he couldn't trust God for what God promised, and he had tricked his brother Esau into giving him the birthright when it was already Jacob said he didn't need to tricky Saul, but he got Esau to trade what Esau thought was the birthright for a bowl of pottage to chili it whatever you want to call it but now Jacob perceptively because Esau has blood in his Esau and Jacob's twin brother who was actually born first wants to kill Jacob and Jacob. He is running he is fleeing from his brother and now he's got to get right with Esau because he cannot really be right with God until he write with Esau his brother. The brother that he has connive against the brother that he has tricked the brother that he has cheated he knows he's got to get right with Esau, and furthermore he hears that Esau is coming to meet him and so that's the situation that we have it right now and God is going to use all of the situation because Jacob to grow and to cease to depend upon himself. They say pass the ones that have to do with me. Brandon has so much new with you.

It is incredible.

So I beg you not to tune me out.

I want you to listen as to how you can learn to cease from your self-sufficiency and depend upon God for the three things that happened to Jacob so long ago are going to have a correspondence in your life today and in my life and this very message that I prepared to challenge my own heart. By the way I want you to go back and get the Old Testament the story turn to Genesis chapter 32 just go all the way back now from Hebrews to Genesis chapter 32 and we go to find the story there fleshed out this an interesting thing.

Why would God say that Jacob worship, leaning upon a staff melt Holy Spirit has a great economy of words is not wasting any words were we going to learn three principles and I hope that you're ready for them. The principle number one is this God will protect you but he will not pamper you. Now, Genesis 32 beginning in verse one, and Jacob went on his way and the angels of God met in and when Jacob saw them, he said this is God's hose that is God's army and he called the name of that place may handmade him which means to host to host Jacob is fleeing and suddenly you see some ancient he realizes that for these 20 years out there in the wilderness and various places. He has had an angel escort the angels of God had been in camp round about him to protect him. I remember is not totally right with God, with the Angels are watching him. The Angels are protecting him. Now he was immature he was out of fellowship with God. And yet God was protecting him. Thank God for the Angels that in camp round about you that protect you when you don't deserve it. I know that I know that God's angel escort has protected me through life.

I could tell you time after time when I believe that God literally by his angels has protected and delivered me. The Bible teaches. These angels are ministering spirits and so here's a man really out of fellowship with God. And yet God is protecting him and God is guarding him and finally, God lets them see these ancient system look at why there to host billows. The people are with me and then there's the heavenly host and camping all about me. We all have angels watching over us.

But yeah, even though God was protecting him. God did not pamper him. God let him go through great need and want and difficulty about what is happened is this that Esau is coming Esau's coming with blood in his eyes he saw is coming with an army of 400 strong man could God have kept Esau from coming against Jacob listen to me. God engineered God is bringing trouble to this man putting your margin Genesis 31 verse 24 now Jacob had a father-in-law whose name was Laban. Laban want to know how do I deal with Jacob and in this verse, God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night and Saturday him take.

He the Dow speak not to Jacob either good or bad, don't hurt and don't help Doriden on up just busy. Here's the point. God will let you have your way into you come to the end of yourself. Here's a man out of fellowship with God. Here's a man in danger. And God is protecting him with angels, but God is not pampering him. God is not removing him from difficulty now Jacob is learning that Esau is coming Esau's coming with 400 armed men, and Jacob was left here in the wilderness and Allison Jacob's mind begins to work Jacob against the plan.

He begins to scheme you can see his self-sufficiency. Now in Genesis chapter 32. Beginning verse three and Jacob sent messengers before him. He saw his brother into the land of seer become verbatim and he commanded them, saying the shell you speak onto my Lord Esau. Can you imagine him calling Esau his Lord, my Lord Esau God's servants.

Jacob saved us. I have sojourned with Laban and it stayed there until now and I have oxen and asses and flocks and menservants and women service and I have sent to tell my that I may find grace in my side. Can you hear his flattering tongue.

Can you imagine him calling this brother that he had scorned and cheated in connive against my Lord, would you please show me some breaks. No wonder says that is coming with 400 armed men and men. I want to knows what else he does watch as mine, as it begins to work, watches, self-sufficiency, look at doing versus six through eight, and the messengers returned to Jacob saying we came out to thy brother, Esau, and he cometh to meet the and 400 men with him.

Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distress, and he divided the people that was with him and the flocks and herds and the camels into two bands and said if Esau comes to the one company and smite it in the other company which is left shall escape Casey this is trying to cut his losses right now. He's dividing things up. He says if Esau gets this group that this group will be spared if Esau gets this group in this group will be spared.

Now he's working. First of all, flattering mass strategy. Now, after all of this, he begins to pray, notice what it does. First he ranks things he arranges things and after he does that he begins to pray look down chapter 13 verse nine, and Jacob said oh God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac the Lord which set us on to me returning to thy country to thy kindred, and I will be well with the I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and wall of the truth which that I showed under thy servant, for with my staff I passed over Jordan and now I am become two bands that is part of my companies on one side and parts on the other. Deliver me. I pray they from the hand of my brother from the hand of Esau fly fear him, lest he will come and smite me and the mother with the children and Val set us. I will surely do the good and make thy seed as the sand of the sea which cannot be numbered for multitude. Now he's quoting the promises of God. God said he was going to bless him and protecting but now he's saying, oh God take care of me, I'm in trouble.

It's not wrong for Jacob to pray he should afraid but prayer was not his first call. Prayer was his last resort. First of all, he begins to flatter Esau.

Secondly, he begins to divide his flocks and herds and its people. And now he turns to the Lord and then he goes back to public relations. Look, if you will now in verse 13 and read through 16 and a lodge that same night and took of that which came to his hand, the president for Esau his brother 200 she goats and 20 he goats 200 used in 20 g 30 milk camels with their colts 40 time, that's cows and 10 bulls 20 she asses and 10 foals and he delivered them into the hand of the servants ever drove by themselves and said to the service Passover before me and put a space betwixt her between Grove and Grove now wanted us in shorthanded take 580 valuable animals and he divides them up into lots of five and he says now watch this go out there and when Esau comes with these 100 men. Now remember, he's got some over here. He's got some over here. He's been using flattery's been saying my Lord Esau show me grace that it and now you start sending these gifts. Here's a bundle of five minutes to put a space as you can further give them another bundle of five gifts has become further sending some more as he comes further defensible. BC the mind of this guy. I mean small, he knows how to rig things he knows how to make things happen. What he is trying to do now is to appease his brother because he is in hot water. Now what he is saying is this, Lord, I trust you, but never done. Lord I trust you, Lord. I don't trust you completely and Lord you help me out but father you know I've got to rig this thing so Genesis chapter 32. Beginning verse 20 and he say moreover behold I servant Jacob is behind us, for he saith, I will appease him with the present the growth before me and afterward I will see his face peradventure he will accept me a piece strategy flattering appeasement things to his mind. His work now. God let him stew in his own juices. The Angels of their did you get the first point God wants you to grow goggles to deliver you from self-sufficiency.

So here it is, God will protect you but he will not pamper you.

He will not that God let you too much to let you go. Thank God he protects me but he will not pamper you and I here's the second thing I want to learn. If you come to learn to lean on the Lord God will you, but he will not harm is a God will hurt me, you better believe the overture will you, but he will not harm now in this passage of Scripture's got all the stuff everybody's here and there and finally all Jake is alone look if you will, in verse 24 when chapter 32, and Jacob was left alone and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day now.

God engineered that Jacob was left alone. The flesh doesn't want to be left alone. We have a generation of people who cannot stand solitude to be alone with God. We don't want to be alone with God because we cannot look God in the face and we cannot look ourselves in the face. All of us need solitude to be left alone to reflect a really thing I have an idea that if little David had a battery-powered transistor radio. We would've had the 23rd Psalm we now when he's alone. He has a confrontation with God himself. Look again in verse 24, and Jacob was left alone and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day he's done all this figuring mayonnaise by himself. He's alone in the dark and someone counts as somebody jumps on you find yourself in a wrestling match a man out there.

Johnson was this it was the pre-incarnate Christ.

Jesus Christ came to wrestled with Jacob. This was before Jesus was born of a virgin, what we call a theophany I pre-incarnate appearance of our Lord. So many of us think that Jacob was wrestling with the angel, but that's not the point Angel started the fight for the angel is wrestling with Jacob to see God is trying to do something with Jacob. God wants to deliver Jacob from his self-sufficiency and so the Lord get seen in a wrestling match. Russell all along there wrestling wrestling back and forth, back and forth a mortal man but Almighty God wrestling match now and the day is about to break the angel now does something that is very significant. Genesis chapter 32. Beginning verse 25 and when he, the angel saw that he prevailed not against him. He taught us the hollow of his thigh and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint and a wrestling with him and he said, let the day break the angel that is saying to Jacob, let me know it that it's morning time. Let me go for the day break and he said I will not let me go, except thou bless me there wrestling Jacob and the angel Jacob and the angel back and forth while throwing 11 throwing the other one getting up, down, back and forth folks, don't you think that the angel could've thrown Jacob anytime he wanted to have just been on their angel been a wrestling match but he is wrestling with the pre-incarnate Christ all night long. He's wrestling.

And finally, it's as if the Lord says I hate to do this to you Jake but he reaches on the lapel of his thigh and struggles it up. Jacob can wrestling more.

What's restless to know what what muscle is most important to wrestling his thigh, his legs, that's where strength is if you take away his leg. He can begin to wrestle and so the angel of the Lord, which is not here and cripples it now has to go to wrestling them all and angel says let me go. Jacobs is on the menu not sleeping not let you go. Allison bouquets come to the end of himself. I mean he's even lost his secret weapon for this is secret weapon well if if my flattery doesn't help bowl Esau I divided my people up and he kills all my people on either side and I sitting these gifts and they'll soften them up and it finally comes least, I can run I can pick him up and put a man I can even run now I know except you and I will not lead you go God has brought this man to the place where he realizes that his only hope is not a scheming but is surrendering not his bargaining, but is baking God hurt, but God been harmed coming up on Monday. Will your part two of this important lesson. In the meantime, do you have a prayer request you'd like to share that love with finding it's one of our great honors to come alongside you, and pray with you and for you there something going on in your family right now if you can go to our website homepage LWF.org/radio and scroll down to our prayer wall you find the option to submit a prayer request or pray for others. This resource is one of our favorite ways to keep the ministry in the community praying continually for one another's needs. Let us hear from you today again go to LWF.org/radio and scroll down to bear prayer wall You like to order a copy of today's message in its entirety. Learning to lean is the title mentioned that when you called to order at 1877 love God's message is also part of the insightful series champions of faith that complete 18 message collection.

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