Our Need for Brokenness and Consecration — Peter Brandon

Jacob's Encounter With God in Genesis 32

Would you please turn to Genesis chapter 32 for our limited time we will read from verse 21. Jacob had 65 years of carnality 80 years of spirituality. And in this chapter God met him and consecrated that man.

Obviously he was converted when he saw that remarkable vision of the ladder on earth going up to heaven and the angels of God ascending and descending. He was coming back from the land of Patanaran and the Lord met him at a place called Mahanem that means two houses and that should have been sufficient really to confirm in the heart of Jacob that God was with him.

But unfortunately he couldn't fully trust the Lord. He hears that Esau is coming with 400 of his men and therefore he tries to appease him with an enormous appeasement offering comprising of 200 sheep 20 billy goats 200 lambs with 20 rams.

And then he had 20 goats we have mentioned that. And then there were 30 camels there would be 40 cows with their 10 bulls and 20 asses with their foals an enormous present. And what he was trying to do was to appease him with this gift offering what basically he should have done because he cheated him out of the birthright when he met Esau to confess that he had done wrong and then to offer him this particular gift anyhow in his mind he was saying something like this is the first drove doesn't satisfy him the second will and if the third doesn't the fourth will.

And so he was going to break him down with this kind of kindness. And then the Lord was going to break now into his life and bless him. So we read from verse 21. So went the present over before him and himself lodged that night in the company.

He rose up that night and took his two wives and his two winning servants and his 11 sons and passed over the four jails and he took them and sent them over the brook and sent over that he had. And Jacob was left alone.

And there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day or the ascending of the morning. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him he touched the hollow of his thigh and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint and he wrestled with it and he said let me go for the day breaketh.

And he said I will not let thee go except thou bless me. And he said unto him what is thy name. And he said Jacob. And he said thy name shall be called no more Jacob but Israel. For as a prince hast thou power with God and with men and hast prevailed.

And Jacob asked him and said tell me I pray thee thy name. And he said wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name. And he blessed him there. And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel for I have seen God face to face and my life is preserved.

And as he passed over Peniel the sun rose upon him and he halted upon his thigh. Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank which is upon the hollow of his thigh unto this day because he touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh in the sinew that shrank and the Lord will bless to us the reading of his word.

Consecration as the Source of Spiritual Fruitfulness

Wherever we find a group of people who are truly consecrated to the Lord God bless us. We have never known a time in our experience over 51 years of preaching when we have seen a barren group of people who were consecrated to the Lord.

And one of the great needs among the churches of God today is that we should be dedicated to the Lord. You will observe in Romans chapter 12 and in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 that before the apostle presents the local church he makes sure that all the bodies are laid upon the altar and that those in fellowship can say that Jesus is Lord now that is absolutely vital.

But how do we come to this position of consecration. And that is why I am going to take up Jacob 65 years of carnality 55 years at least when he was trusting in God and trusting in his own scheming until God finally dealt with this man.

I want to divide the talk into three so that we work normally and orderly. First of all I want to speak about Jacob's visitation. Then I want to speak about Jacob's rebellion. And then I want to close by speaking on Jacob's conversion and his consecration and trust that this might be a blessing to all my brothers and sisters.

Jabbok and the Meaning of Being Poured Out

First of all note the place Jabbok. Jabbok was a place that was very beautiful in the midst of a wilderness. There was fertility there. There were two small streams that poured their natural water into a little basin that was called Jabbok.

And then they flowed into the river Jabbok that flowed into the river Jordan and as you know the Jordan flowed into the Dead Sea. The word Jabbok is very interesting in the Hebrew so the scholars inform me it speaks of emptying and pouring out.

And I suppose when Jacob came to Jabbok if those waters could speak it would say something like this Jacob we have been poured out here for hundreds of years but you have never been poured out. There are things in your life that are wrong.

And as you hear the chuckle of water and as you hear the movement of the spring be sure of this there is going to be an outpouring in your life. Every person in the Old Testament that came into contact with God was poured out.

Every person in the New Testament that had a divine revelation of God or the deity of Christ was poured out. You say what do you mean? When Isaiah that great poet a man of beauty, a man of profundity saw the Lord in the year that King Isaiah died he was so broken that he cried out woe is me for I am undone.

I am a man of unclean lips. You see what was in him was exposed by the glory of God and he poured it out again. That great model of patience Job one of the holiest men that ever lived when he saw the almighty Lord he cried out behold I am vile poured out emptied again.

You will remember the apostle Peter when the Lord told him to launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a draft. He turned to the master and said master we have toiled all night and caught nothing.

Night time was the right time to fish. When the sun was on the water the fish went to the bottom and it was almost impossible to catch fish. But then he said rather reluctantly nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.

And when they had this done they enclosed the great multitude of fishes so that their net break. And after calling to their partners to help them with the catch as Peter was bringing back his catch he looked at the Lord.

He saw again that unique deity in his master. And then he said something that was paradoxical depart from me for I am a sinful man. Oh Lord. In other words it was the last thing he wanted the Lord to do was to depart from him.

But he felt so wicked in the sight of God that he was poorer. What shall I say about the finest Christian of all. I have no doubt in saying that the apostle Paul was probably the greatest Christian that ever lived.

And some years after his conversion he was trying to improve himself the Lord way and he found it impossible. And that man was heard to say. And he meant every word that he said oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me.

Confession, Humility, and the Jabbok Experience

Could I ask a question. Have you ever been in the presence of God and wept because of your failure. Have you ever said in the presence of God with tears Lord I've done it again. Or perhaps am I saying something that's foreign.

We shall never be consecrated until we understand the absolute depravity of our flesh life and we expose it in the presence of God in deep confession you see God blesses the humble and the contrite heart.

Isaiah tells us that he has two thrones one in the highest heaven and the other in the humble and contrite heart. May this be a Jabbok experience for every one of us this afternoon when we shall be poured out before the Lord.

And that's when the blessing of God comes. Secondly I want you to note the time. There's some drama here in these profound words and Jacob was left alone. Now I must say that again. I will say it slowly so that you get the weight of the word and Jacob was left alone.

See the drama and then get the impact of this spiritual importance of this action. He had sent over his two wives Leah and Rachel and he loved them. It was hard for him to send them over the brother. Then he sent over his two women servants Silpah and Bildah.

He sends them over. Then he looks at his eleven sons and he loved every one of them. It was the sign of the blessing of God upon him. And he sent over his eleven sons and you could almost see this man in a very miserly way sparing them.

Then he sent over all his possessions and he was fabulously rich. And you could see the sheep going over and the lambs and the rams and the cattle all going over in their hundreds with the servants. And then all of a sudden he was alone.

The Gospel's Call to Individual Repentance

And that's when God met him beloved friends. God never deals with us in mass. He always deals with us individually. But one of the hardest things when we are listening to the gospel or when we are listening to ministry is to get alone.

Now let me explain in the gospel. The gospel preacher will cry after an explanation all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. And the people will say yes quite right. Then the gospel preacher will say as a nation we have sinned.

Yes. I agree with that. But then there comes a moment when he will express the issue and say I have sinned different matter. You see it's God putting a ring all around that person and pointing at him.

Then there comes a moment when the gospel preacher will say to his congregation for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. Yes we'll agree with that. Then he will say emphatically Christ loved the church and gave himself for that that select group of people the ecclesia of God.

We agree with that. But then it comes in tremendous power. He loved me gave himself for me. And the circle gets closer. And as it were the cross comes. And on that cross the divine son of God bearing that person's sin and he realizes that his sins caused the death of Christ.

That's divine enlightenment. Then into that sacred circle there comes the risen Lord and it's the Lord Jesus and that seeking soul. And they're meeting. And can I take a text right out of it's context.

Now he stands at his door knocking and there comes a moment when he opens the door and receives the Lord. But there's something more important than that. This afternoon there comes a time in a ministry meeting when God puts a little kind of sanctuary all around the saints.

It's not the wall of Jericho but it's the wall of a sanctuary. And into that sanctuary he comes and he says I want to talk to you this afternoon personally. And it's a message for each one of us individually.

I cannot hide the fact from myself. I believe now as I'm speaking to you God would have dealings with me as a preacher. And I believe here this afternoon God would have dealings with us individually. And all dear friends I trust that this may be a period when God will speak to us all individually.

It will be the very oracle of God for each brother and each sister alone with God. Now what was the purpose. God wanted to do two things. First of all he knew he had to break Jacob and secondly he was only going to break him so that he might bless him.

God's Four Ways of Speaking and His Purpose in Breaking Us

Now the breaking God speaks to us in four waves. Now I believe this is very important. First of all he speaks to us through his son the Lord Jesus. God who at sundry times and in divers manners speaking times past unto the fathers by the prophets hath in these last days spoken unto us by sons.

And my dear friends all that God wanted to say all that he would ever say has been said in Jesus Christ. He is the finality of God's eternal voice. And when God has spoken in the son he says with triumph Amen.

Nothing more can be added. No other voice apart from the son. Secondly he speaks to us through this sacred volume the inspired scripture. How shall they hear without a preacher. How shall they preach except they be sent.

And what the preacher does is to use the word of God to quote it regularly. It is God's voice to his people. That's why all Christians should study the scriptures diligently. It's God's great letter to his people.

Thirdly he speaks to us through preaching and teaching. And therefore in preaching the evangelist gets alone with the Lord. He gets a message from the Lord and he cries aloud in old fashioned language.

Thus saith the Lord. The Bible teacher will hide himself in the sanctuary until he gets a word from the Lord especially conference time. And he will come with the same message. Thus saith the word. And God speaks to us through the exposition of scripture.

It becomes the very oracle of God. Now note this. What happens when the son does not fully satisfy us. What happens when the word of God gets stale. What happens when the preaching and the teaching has no relevance.

How can he speak to us. He can speak through adversity. And I want to be careful. What I say this time. Last year I was dreadfully ill not supposed to live. And God spoke to your poor preacher through adversity.

And all I can say is this. I trust, I trust, I trust. I have learned the lessons that God revealed to me in that deep sickness. Beloved. May I say this to you from my heart. Don't allow God to speak to you through adversity.

Let him speak to you through the word. Be obedient and he will bless you. And then he was only going to speak to this man in order to bless him. How was God going to bless him. God wanted to change his character if I may use New Testament language.

God wanted to cleanse him and fill him with the spirit. God wanted to not only bless him but God wanted to make him a prince with God. Think of it. And God not only wanted to bless him but he wanted to bless all his children.

And not only all his children but all his household and not only all his household all his grandchildren and his great grandchildren in fact forgive the excitement. God wanted to bless all the nations of the world because of this man.

Dear friends that's why he wants to bless you. Are you willing to let the Lord bless you with full consecration so that you can become a blessing to others so that your boys and girls can say Dad, Mum they are both godly so that your grandchildren can say.

One thing about my grandfather. He walked with God and my grandmother they walked with God. The things of this world didn't basically matter. You see.

God wanted to bless him like that.

Jacob's Wrestling With the Preincarnate Christ

And then we find in the rebellion a man wrestled with him. Who was this man. I think I'm right in saying this. If you had said to Jacob ten minutes before this experience in a few moments. Jacob when all your family has gone across that brook and when all your substance has gone there's going to be a man from heaven and he's going to wrestle with you.

He would have run for his life from nowhere. There came this man out from all the darkness. Someone jumped on him and probably threw him to the ground. Who was this man. Sometimes we are told or once it was an angel.

But quite obviously if we listen correctly to Jacob it was the son of God in the theophany of a man. Therefore look at the dignity of this man. He was the great creator he was the sustainer the one that held the atom together.

He was the heir of all creation. One day the king of kings and the lord of lords. And here he was in the manifestation of a man wrestling with whom Jacob forgive me being very penetrating with him. He was a cheat.

He was a supplanter. He was a crook. He was an arch deceiver. He deceived his father by food. He deceived his father by touch. He deceived his father by the word and he deceived his brother. And here's the contrast the almighty God Jehovah the Lord the worm Jacob.

And he wrestles with him. Why should God ever bother with us. That's how it came to me this morning. I was almost broken before my bed. Why should he bother with us. Now you will notice a man wrestled not a man fought.

This was not a battle where there were clenched fists. But when there's wrestling let me put it to you like this. There's hugging and this was the hugging of love wrestling holding him and holding on to him.

And why was he doing this. Because he wanted to bless him. And then we read these awful words. Can I use another expression. Horrible words. He prevailed not against him. In other words this man was determined to go his own way.

He wanted his own thing. He wanted to have some of God some of self. And when the man of God from heaven wrestled with him he prevailed not against him. He resisted him beloved. I've seen that in gospel meetings you know I have seen unsaved people listening to the gospel and the Lord is wrestling with them.

And I've actually seen them pulling down the shutters of their mind closing the door of their heart and saying no. But can I tell you something much worse. I have seen Christians resisting the word of the Lord.

Can I give you a case in point. A young man 35 years of age in London had deep dealings with God and he stood up in an assembly Sunday morning and ministered on that little expression. This people honoreth me with their lips but their hearts are far from me.

And may I say this. It was a word straight from heaven. But I've watched the saints and they were infuriated rejected it. One man came to me and said I would have pulled him to his seat if I have been near him.

No wonder that assembly has closed it rejected the word of the Lord. Don't do that brothers when God speaks there will be some kind of inward rumblings but don't reject it. Jacob was in a very dangerous position there and so in the midst of all the battling God looked at his opponent and there he saw him determined to resist.

The Flesh as the Stronghold That Resists God

He says I must do it. He touched. It's a beautiful word. It's not a vulgar thump. The word is a professional artistic touch. He touched the hollow of his thigh the thigh bone. And the thigh muscle as you know is the most powerful bone and the most strongest muscle in the body.

And it wasn't a break. He dislocated it put it out of activity. So it was no longer really in connection with the main strength of the body. He put it out of action. What's the strength that's in our lives that resists God.

What is there in our lives that really creates this awful opposition. Why is it when God wants to bless us as a group of people with consecration and a spirit filled life as we were hearing last Sunday.

Why is it. We resist. Shall I tell you why. Because of the ugly power of the flesh. The flesh in the believer is the seat of all sin. It's the throne room of iniquity. It's the seed plot of every form of transgression.

If we could take out our flesh life and look at it carefully the flesh life in all of us would be the same. Our behavior patterns are different. But our flesh is the same. And if we could pull to pieces our flesh life we wouldn't see a speck of good in it.

It is totally corrupt. When God is going to bless a group of people he goes right to the source of the problem right to the strength of all evil. And he touches the powerful thing flesh thank God on the cross.

He has condemned it. But practically if we are going to have victory and we are going to be consecrated Christians we must crucify it. And you know what that means we must learn day by day to say emphatically no to all the dictates of the flesh and happily yes to all the loving overtures of the spirit.

And then we will be consecrated. But there is something else. I was looking up the word thigh and I noticed it's the same word as the shaft in the candlestick. I wish I had a candlestick at least the one that Bezalel made not the ones you buy in Israel.

There is a vast difference. And in that beautiful piece a masterpiece of Godmanship there was the central shaft and out of it came the three twin branches. And the central shaft was taller than the others.

And it speaks of the preeminence. So can you see one moment he touched the seat of power the next moment he touched the seat of preeminence. Dear friends I cannot look at you because the conviction in my own heart is so great.

But what's the preeminent thing in my life that's resisting God. And what's the preeminent thing in your life that's resisting God. Is there a moral sin in your life that you've never confessed. And it's been nagging away for years.

Deal with it. Is there something in your home that you know is causing your spiritual life to be blown to a thousand pieces. Deal with it. Is there something in your family life that's not right and not correct.

And he touches it. Is there something in your business life that's not pure and holy straight and honest here touch it. Oh as he comes to us I believe he's touching the preeminent thing in our lives. And in my life the thing that's wrong with me may not be the thing that's wrong with you.

But he touches it. That preeminent thing. Perhaps he's been touching it for years and he's touching it now in power. And when that thigh was dislocated not broken then this man suddenly took his two hands and he grabbed on to this mystical man of God.

And then he said these beautiful words. Listen I will not let thee go except thou bless me just what he wanted. Wouldn't it be lovely if we all said on this Easter Good Friday. I'm not leaving this seat until he blesses me.

Wouldn't that be amazing. Doesn't matter basically about tea. God has spoken and I want to get right with him. I'm not leaving this place until he blesses me immediately. He got in there. He said something that was quite obvious and yet sounds ridiculous.

Confessing the Name Jacob and Receiving the Name Israel

What is thy name. What is thy name. Oh he didn't know. Why did he ask him. What is thy name. My dear friends he had been in the presence of Isaac all dressed up like Esau. Can you see him with the smell of the fields on his garment his mother cleverly.

Rebecca had put the goat skin round his neck and on his arms. And then he tried to disguise his voice. Rebecca had disguised a kid of the goat like a venison. But it was all deception. The food the dress everything.

And when his father said well it's the voice of Jacob but it's the touch of Esau. If he had gone by the voice he would have been right. Always go by the word don't go by your feelings. And in the presence of his father who was going to give him a blessing.

He had actually said this. I am Esau. Forgive me saying it. What a liar. What a liar. Oh the almighty God says in the person of his son. What's your name.

And he whispers a planter a deceit a liar.

And that's when God blesses us when we come to a point where we are broken before the Lord. God will bless us. My dear friends this may be the last time I shall ever be in Sydney but can I share this with you.

God wants to bring the assemblers to repentance. He doesn't want us going through a round of meetings until we die. He wants us to be broken before him and tell him we failed and then he'll bless us again.

Jacob. God right. He says thy name shall be no more Jacob. But what shall my name be. Israel a prince with God. And then he made this wonderful promise to him thou hast prevailed before God and men. Thou hast wrestled with God and with men and hast prevailed.

He had power with God and with men and prevailed. Jacob and Israel. And dear friends when this man was a dying he blessed all his sons. I find it hard to say this. When he came to the gate of glory God must have said something like this Jacob you're not coming in here as a cripple.

It says something in scripture that's beautiful. He gathered up his feet. He hadn't been able to do that for 80 years. And he had an abundant entrance right into the presence of the Lord. And it was all changed.

The Lasting Transformation of a Consecrated Life

Let me go over it and close. First of all the Lord changed his name from Jacob to Israel. Then you find he changes his walk instead of a stubborn cocksure walk. He's seen leaning on his staff. The walk of faith what we say in the New Testament the walking in resurrection path.

Then you find there's not only the change of name the change of walk. There is a change of day. During that particular night when he was wrestling with the man of God it was night. But the moment he grabbed on and said I will not let thee go until thou disbless me.

The morning was coming the ascent of the morning a new day for God's servant. And then there was a change in temperature. One moment God gave him x-ray treatment and went to the source of his problem.

The next moment there was deep surgery. And then would you believe it he gave him sun ray treatment and the sun shone upon him. And do you know what that means in New Testament language. The love of God was shed abroad in his heart by the Holy Ghost.

And then we find that there was a complete change in the diet of his sons from that moment they wouldn't touch the meat that came from the sinew of the loin. And when God raises up a mighty man of God then the children will have a change of diet.

You won't find them feeding on the flesh. But you'll see them feeding on the spiritual things and God blessed him there. I'll close with this. Can't you see Jacob calling back his two wives two women servants eleven sons saying look at the dust there yes God met with me last night and he's broken me and he's blessed me.

And from this moment my name is Israel a prince with God. And can't you see him pointing to the spot he blessed me. There can I point he wants to bless you there you there you there you there you there.

Let him do it. Amen.