Broken Before Blessed - DJ Dickerson - 5/31/26

So, as mentioned, Carrie comes forward

this morning before we even started our

desiring put on the body of Christ in

baptism. So, that's exactly what we're

going to do. Understanding what baptism

is, understanding the importance of

having that being buried with Christ and

to rise and walk in his life, that great

commitment he's making in his life. So

we commend him for his love for the

Lord, love for his word

this morning.

Carrie, do you believe that Jesus Christ

is the son of living God?

With that no double confession, I

baptize you now in the name of the

Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

>> There are moments in life

when a person reaches the end of

himself.

Moments when all plans fail.

Moments when fear closes in.

moments when the future seems uncertain

and the past

comes rushing back with painful therapy.

>> Most people know what it's like to

wrestle.

Some [snorts] wrestle with fear, guilt,

temptation,

grief.

Unanswered questions.

Some wrestle quietly in the darkness

where nobody else can see.

Genesis 32 is the text that I encourage

you to turn to this morning. Genesis

Genesis 32 · chapter mention

chapter 32,

the passage that brings us into one of

the most, I say, intense and mysterious

encounters in all of scripture. Uh,

mysterious for sure.

Jacob the great patriarch spends an

entire night wrestling.

But with whom is he wrestling?

The truth is Jacob had been wrestling

his entire life. If if you really kind

of go back and I was thinking about this

in preparation of this lesson,

you would back up to Genesis 25. I mean,

he uh he he wrestled in the womb before

he was even born.

Uh Jacob and Esau struggled together

inside Rebecca.

Uh he entered the world. Remember how he

entered the world? Grasping Esau's heel.

And from that moment forward, his life

became marked by struggle. And really

just consider this how how he struggled

for birthright. He struggled for

blessing. He struggled. He He wrestled

with deception. He wrestled with layman.

Remember that. He wrestled with broken

relationships. Certainly he did. He

wrestled with fear and insecurity. And

now after years of running

and scheming and surviving,

Jacob finds himself on the very edge

of one of the most frightening moments

of his life.

Esau is coming.

Now, the last time Jacob saw his

brother, Esau wanted to kill him.

Now, word arrives that Esau is

approaching with 400 men.

I want you to put yourself in Jacob's

mindset.

Are you a little scared? [laughter]

Yeah, we're all like, "Yeah, that's a

little intense, isn't it?"

He divides his company into groups. He

sends gifts ahead. He does that. He

prays for deliverance. He prepares for

disaster. And then in the middle of the

night beside the brook of Jab, Jacob is

left completely alone. And that's where

God wanted him. That's where God wanted

him. That's where God meets him. And

sometimes I I thought about how as we go

through this lesson this morning, how

the lonely places

are interesting because there are

lessons we cannot learn in the noise and

distractions of life.

Sometimes the greatest spiritual

transformations actually happen in the

darkness.

The passage before us this morning in

Genesis chapter 32 is not simply about a

Genesis 32 · chapter mention

physical struggle and we just read on.

No, this is war. This is about

surrender. It's about brokenness. It's

about transformation. It's about the

night a man stopped depending on himself

and finally learned that he needed to

cling to God.

And what we'll find through this lesson

is one that was broken

before blessed.

broken before blessed.

When you go to Genesis 32, you're going

to find verses 22 through 24. I want to

start off with. And the point that I

want to start off with is Jacob was left

alone before he was changed. In verse 22

down through verse 24, read with me. It

says, "And he arose that night and took

his two wives, his two female servants,

and his 11 sons. He crossed over the

fort of Jabbach. He took them sent them

over the brook and sent over what he

had. And Jacob was left alone and a man

wrestled with him until the breaking of

day.

The words that I want to put in a box,

Jacob was left alone. Those are

important words kind of alluded to

already because again before Jacob could

be changed, Jacob had to be alone with

God. All the servants were gone, the

family was gone, the distractions were

gone, the noise was gone. Now it's just

Jacob and God.

And again, things that are stripped

away, things that we lean upon so that

we are forced to face some serious

inquiries honestly.

So good. I'm talking about

self-examination time.

You see, many people never truly grow

spiritually because they stay surrounded

by distractions.

I mean, there's always noise. There's

always entertainment. There's activity.

There's busyiness. There's constant

movement. We live that life, don't we?

That's America.

But spiritual death is often formed in

the lonely places. Here's some examples

real quickly. Moses. Moses a good one.

Where'd he learn? Wilderness.

Elijah, where'd he learn some things?

Cave.

David, he learned in the fields.

Think about Jesus and the importance

that he made the point to spend time

alone, solitary moments with his father.

And Jacob will learn beside this brook.

Sometimes those hardest nights of our

lives become the very nights that begin

to change us. And the loneliness was

really only the beginning. So once Jacob

was alone, the struggle itself really

began. This this is where it's leading

to. And what started as as a physical

wrestling match re revealed something

much deeper happening in Jacob's heart.

Yes, friends, the wrestling was more

than physical. The text says that a man

wrestled with him until the breaking of

day. You notice the M in that is

capitalized, isn't it? At first glance,

the wording seems strange, but but

scripture later reveals that this was no

ordinary man. Again, there's other

patches like Hosea 12 and verse 4

actually says that Jacob wrestled with

an angel. That's what it explains there.

Hosea 12 and verse4. If you didn't know

it, you might you might see that your

reference in your Bible. Jacob later

himself says, "For I have seen God face

to face in Genesis 32:30."

Genesis 32:30

The point that's being made is that this

was a divine encounter, wasn't it? And

what makes this seem remarkable is that

Jacob is not merely fighting an enemy.

He's wrestling with God himself.

The struggle is physical, but it also

represents something much deeper

spiritually.

Again,

as I gave a brief review over the past

his past years,

Jacob had spent years trying to control

everything around him. Everything.

Manipulated Esau,

deceived Isaac, bargained with Laban,

calculated outcomes.

He depended on cleverness and

self-reliance.

But now he's confronted.

I have seen God face to face. He's face

to face with some things.

It's interesting to me as I've studied

the life of Jacob numerous times in my

life

[cough and clears throat] that Jacob, he

could certainly outmaneuver many people

in his life,

but he could not outmaneuver God.

He couldn't overpower you either.

And there's a lesson for us and neither

can we. We can try to out we can try to

maneuver and out maneuver and all those

things around people all day long. We

can put on this and put on that. But you

know what? We will never outmaneuver

God.

Cuz there comes a point where every

person must realize that human strength

and human wisdom and human ability,

they're not enough.

Some people spend years wrestling with

God

and God calls them to obedience, they

resist. God calls them to repentance,

they delay. God calls them to surrender,

but they cling to control.

And that struggle is a back and forth.

And during that struggle, God did

something that changed Jacob forever.

God touched the very place where Jacob

felt strong. I want you to think about

that. God touched the place of Jacob's

strength. Look at verse 25 in our text.

Now when he saw that he did not prevail

against him, he touched the socket of

his hip and the socket of Jacob's hip

was out of joint as he wrestled with it.

Now, people who have had

socket trouble in the hips, understand

that can be very painful.

Here's something. His hip was out of

joint as he wrestled him. With one

touch, Jacob is crippled. Friends,

the God who allowed the struggle reminds

Jacob instantly who truly possesses

power.

Jacob had spent his life depending upon

his own strength, his own cleverness.

But now God touches the very place that

represented Jacob's physical ability.

And I thought about in our life where we

we feel strongest. You know, we might

make a list where we feel strongest.

But you know what? Those things need to

be touched.

in order to teach us dependence

because we don't naturally like

weakness, do we? We don't like to admit,

you know, that's that's the funny thing

I in interviewing, you know, and for

jobs and and then also um having

interviewed people for jobs in the

secular world, you know, you ask the

question, y'all know what's coming,

don't you?

>> What's your strengths? Oh, wow. Glad you

asked.

>> Got a lot of moves.

But they're never ready for that next

one.

What's your weaknesses?

I have none. Right. That's what we we we

don't want to tell me we have

weaknesses. That sounds no we don't have

weaknesses.

But do we?

Yeah, we do. We all do.

We don't naturally like to admit that

though and we ain't trying to make no

list about it

cuz again we like control. We like

self-sufficiency. We like confidence in

ourselves. But scripture repeatedly

teaches that spiritual strength often

comes through brokenness.

Paul learned that lesson

where he read that passage right said

chapter 12. some great lessons that's

all in that one. You know, Paul was

praying about this thorn in his flesh

that he had. He wanted to be removed and

God answered him. In verse 9, he prayed

three times and he said to me, this is

what he said. God said, "My grace is

sufficient for you for my strength is

made perfect in weakness. Therefore,

most gladly I will rather boast in my

infirmities that the power of Christ may

rest upon me." See, there are struggles

that we have. And although we I don't

like those struggles

because struggles reveal what's truly

inside us though.

A person may appear spiritually strong

until hardship comes.

That happens all the time.

Faith is tested and diplomatic.

Character is actually revealed when

you're suffering. friends.

Dependence upon God is often learned

through pain.

We've experienced those things in our

lives. At some point, we we we have

dealt with those.

And and here it is. Jacob's limb became

evidence he had an encounter with God.

That was evidence. And many people here

this morning probably understand that

truth personally

because some of the deepest spiritual

lessons are learned through painful

seasons of life.

I have been with people

in all of these

and I have also been

in these.

A hospital room,

a graveside,

broken relationships,

frightening diagnosis,

personal failures,

seasons of uncertainties.

And what I've learned personally,

sometimes those moments become the

places where God reshapes us.

There's a difference here.

Amazingly, even after being wounded,

Jacob refused to let go.

He refused.

He would not let go.

The man who had been broken physically,

what was he doing? He was hanging on to

God spiritually. There's a lesson here

that's being taught.

It's more than a physical wrestling

match.

It was revealing something deeper. This

is great spiritual lessons of Jacob

refusing to let go. Verse 26. And he

said, "Let me go

for the day breaks."

But he said, "I will not let you go

unless you bless me."

Now, you got to understand how he got

here, right? This is an amazing

statement because Jacob's wounded.

Jacob's exhausted. Jacob has been

struggling all night long. But what's he

do? I refuse and let go.

I won't do it.

Because for most of Jacob's life, he

tried to obtain blessings through all

those different ways. Manipulation,

deception.

You don't have to struggle.

For the first time, Jacob understands

that the blessing he truly needs can

only come from God himself.

It's no longer about self-confidence.

It's no longer about that. It's about

it's about dependence. It's about

desperation. Even

Jacob realized if God does not bless me,

I can't face tomorrow.

And that's where true faith begins. I

believe true faith is not merely some

casual religious activity that we do.

True faith is clinging to God because

you know you can't survive without him.

You remember what Jesus said? Without me

you can do nothing.

Without him we can do nothing. That's

fact.

My friends, there are moments when

prayer becomes wrestling.

When tears become prayers,

when fear

becomes prayer, when desperation drives

a person to hold on to God with

everything that they have,

some people, they quit when the struggle

gets difficult.

But again, Jacob's saying, "I'm holding

on."

And there's something beautiful about a

faith that refuses to release God, even

in the darkness.

And because Jacob would not let go, God

does something remarkable. He actually

changes Jacob's identity forever.

Changes it.

He changed Jacob's name. Now, sometimes

we might wonder how that happens. You

know, when did Jacob change name? This

is when it happened. Okay, look at look

at Genesis 327.

So he said to him, "What is your name?"

He said, "Jacob."

Now, here's a point I want to make. This

was this question was not for God's

information. Okay? God already knew

Jacob's name, right? The question

though, what what questions do is they

forced Jacob here to confront who he

truly was. And that's how he responded.

He said, "Jacob,

that's who I am."

But I want you to think about what that

name carried with it.

The name carried with it. The very idea

of a hillcatcher, a deceiver, one who

supplants another, all those things I

mentioned earlier because again, years

of this, Jacob lived according to that

identity. But then God said, "Your name

shall no longer be called Jacob, but

Israel, for you have struggled with God

and with men and have prevailed."

God changes his name because that's what

God does. God changes

the individual

when we submit. [snorts] The purpose of

the struggle, friends, the whole point

was transformation. Jacob entered the

night one man and he left another.

And isn't that what God still does?

God transforms people. You think about

the means of Simon, Saul, you know, one

who is a sinner becomes saints. The lost

become redeemed. We just watched that

this morning.

The old man of sin

died.

It was put away.

Carrie was baptized into Christ to rise

and walk in newness of life.

Many times we ask God change our

circumstances while God is saying focus

on changing us.

We pray Lord remove the struggle. But

sometimes God says no I'm going to use

that struggle to reshape your heart.

[clears throat]

Romans 8 verse 28's one that we see many

Romans 8:28

times in lessons like this. Verse 28.

And we know that all things work

together for good to those who love God.

to those who are the called according to

his purpose.

But I want you to notice verse 29 goes

on to explain the purpose. And what's

the purpose that he talks about there?

The purpose is to be conformed to the

image of his son. That's the reason.

That's the purpose.

God is not merely interested in making

life easier. You know, that's what we

are. Everybody wants this bread of roses

type deal, right? Everybody wants that.

That's that's Jesus made that clear in

John 16:33. He told his disciples, you

John 16:33

know, you're going to you're going to be

persecuted for my name's sake. It's

going to happen.

But he also gave them some assurance

in their life.

Don't don't don't be fearful.

Don't be afraid.

Because he had overcome the world.

He said, "You got to focus on me. You

got to be dependent upon me cuz he's the

vine. We're the branches. And if we're

disconnected from the vine, we die.

There's no hope in unless we are

connected. So yeah, God's he's not

interested making life easier. He's

interested in making us holy.

See, that's our world. Our society is I

want to do what makes me happy. That's

not God's rule there. That's not what he

say. That's not about what makes us

happy. what about makes us holy

and that naturally will lead to you know

what kind of life a joyful life

Paul is one of those people that stands

out as you look at Philippians he wrote

a whole beautiful letter of the church

of Philippi while he was in jail

he wasn't looking at the circumstances

around him he was looking at the burden

of the gospel

I kept thinking he must been the only

joyful prisoner they

But he brought people to the Lord

because he understood purpose.

He understood struggle.

Jacob was learning some things. And by

the time the sun rose the next morning,

Jacob was no longer the same man to

enter the struggle. Friends, the

wrestling had left its mark. And Jacob

walked away differently. Verse 31 tells

us, "Just as he crossed over, the sun

rose on him and he limped on his hip."

Jacob walked away differently than he

came. He walked, it says, with a limp.

But don't miss this. Sometimes we focus

in, oh, he limp. That's him. No. When I

look at that, when I read that yet

again, for no how many times I've read

this in my life,

yes, he did walk with the lint, but he

also walked with the blessing.

You know what that length became? That

became our permanent reminder that he

had an encounter with God.

Sometimes the marches left by our

struggles become reminders of grace.

Jacob crossed the brook that morning.

Yes, he was weaker physically but

stronger spiritually. Y'all see that?

And what's remarked was what happens

next. What happened next in there? The

man who feared Esau now walks toward

him. The man who once deceived now bows

humbly. The man who once manipulated now

trusts God.

You see it, don't you? Y'all see it?

That God changed Jacob

before God changed the situation.

That's how it worked.

Perhaps that is one of the greatest

truths in this entire text.

Sometimes God prepares us for tomorrow

by changing us today.

God prepares us for tomorrow by changing

us today.

Friends, every person wrestles with

something.

Every one of us here

is wrestling with something. We may not

come up and say, you know, we may not

want to just admit it right out loud,

but I want you to look deep. And I can

promise you, you're wrestling with

something.

I wrestle with something, too. We all

do.

It could be fear. It could be

temptation. It could be doubt. It could

be grief. It could be regret. It could

be surrender. It could be anything.

And perhaps I say, maybe you're just

exhausted. Maybe you're just tired.

You've struggled, you cried, you prayed,

you feel wounded and weary. But Genesis

32 reminds us that God often does his

greatest work in the middle of the

struggle

because Jacob entered that night relying

on himself.

He left depending on God.

He entered fearful. He left transformed.

He entered as Jacob. He left as Israel.

But we know all too well.

I would say maybe the greatest lesson is

the struggle itself became part of the

blessing.

I look back in my life and I have seen

many struggles that I can I can tell you

stories and stories and stories and I

can tell you that those struggles became

part of the blessing of my life just as

James 1 teaches

when trials come there's a reason

there's purpose behind it.

Because God must break our self-reliance

before he can build true faith. There

are some things that got to be broken

down before he can build it up.

Sometimes the limp becomes the evidence

that we have truly encountered

the word of God, the change that it

makes in our lives.

So the question as I end this morning

for every one of us is simple.

Will we continue to resist God

or we will surrender and cling to him?

Will we let go in frustration or will we

say like Jacob, I will not let go.

I will not let go. That's how much the

blessing meant to him.

Through the pain, through all that he

was dealing with, through tire, he

wasn't going to let go.

And that kind of faith changes people.

And as the sun rose over the hill, Jacob

limped away from the greatest struggle

of his life. He was weaker again than he

had been the night before. Yet he had

never been stronger.

He had lost his self-sufficiency, but he

gained dependence upon God. He had lost

control, but he had found peace.

[clears throat] He had been broken,

but he had also been blessed.

Do you ever think that before God can

fill our hands, he must actually empty

them? Think about that.

You ever think about just like this?

Before he can exalt us, he must humble

us.

Before he can bless us, he often must

break us.

Jacob's greatest blessing did not come

when he was at its strongest. It came

when he finally surrendered.

And sometimes that's it.

We have to be broken before blessed.

And that kind of surrender, friends,

transforms lives.

And the same God who changed Jacob is

still changing hearts today.

Let us be ever thankful that God is

long-suffering toward us.

that he is he wants all everywhere to

repent to be saved.

But we have to submit.

We have to be broken

before you. We have to humble ourselves

before you

so we can be exalted. We have to be

buried

so we can rise in newness of life. If

you put on the body of Christ in

baptism, you saw that happen right here

this morning. You can make that

confession of faith this morning. I

believe that Jesus Christ is the son of

God as our new brother in Christ carries

him at this point. And you can be buried

with Christ in baptism as he was to rise

and walk in life. Be added to the Lord's

church today. You can do that.

If you'd like to study more about God's

plan of salvation, get with me. Don't

leave what I was saying. I can do I need

to talk to you more about what what

God's plan is. And I'd love to do that.

Disciple of Christ. If there's something

that's a miss in your life, whatever

that may be, the struggles, whatever

is holding you back,

maybe you've let go.

You can come back and cling to it. Come,

center, come. Here's some invitation.

Call whatever scripture they want to

come as we stand and sing the song. It's

been selected for us.