A Personal Jabbok Effectual Change — E.A. Johnston

The Christian journey is often traveled along difficult roads where seemingly insurmountable obstacles are encountered. Trials and testings occur. There are seasons of both sunshine and storms, prosperity and adversity.

There is that first encounter with God whereby through faith we receive a revealed Christ and experience the new birth through the supernatural act of regeneration upon the heart. Then there are the inevitable stumbles and falls and failures of learning to live the Christian life whereby Christ lives through us where we learn to live a life under the subjection to the lordship of Jesus Christ and the discipline of the Holy Spirit.

This is part and parcel of normal Christian experience as we travel through this sin-soaked world on our way to our heavenly Zion of everlasting rest for there is a rest to the people of God Hebrews tells us.

The Personal Jabbok as Effectual Change

But what I want to discuss this evening friends is quite separate from all of this. What I want to cover in depth this evening is the vital subject of having a personal encounter with God which so affects such a change in us and upon us that we are forever altered, forever transformed.

To which I speak is experiencing a personal Jabbok with effectual change. It is our own crossing of the Rubicon so to speak, a milestone in our lives spiritually whereby we can look back and set up a memorial to God for the great change which he wrought upon us.

I believe this is especially necessary for a person called the ministry whether it be the mission field, the pastorate, or a preaching ministry. I know in my own life I can look back at my Bethel's where God appeared to me and met me in a marvelous way but there is only one Jabbok friends you can go back to Bethel like Jacob did time and time again but you can only have one true Jabbok in your life whereby your life is forever changed for the glory of God.

My message this evening is entitled a personal Jabbok effectual change and our passage of scripture this evening will be found in Genesis chapter 32 and we will read the entire chapter as we study this amazing encounter which Jacob had with God at the Ford Jabbok.

Biblical Models of Personal Transformation

It was a life transforming moment for Jacob. His walk was changed, his name was changed, his life was changed. As a Christian biographer I have studied the lives of many great Christians who were mightily used of God in former times and as I have researched the history of their lives I have discovered a common denominator with each person who was greatly used of God in third generation each man each woman had experienced their own personal Jabbok before God could really use them.

They had to come to the place of utter surrender, come to the place of the end of themselves, come to the place of transformation where a touch of the finger of God was on their lives. They each emerged from their own Jabbok as changed individuals who are now fit for the master's use and useful to their generation.

When I look at my Bible I see Ezekiel had his Kabar, Elijah his Kareth, Moses his Midian, Paul his Arabia, Jacob his Jabbok. When Dr. Steven Oldford and I were writing our book on the ministry of Graham Scroggie, his homiletical mentor, I came across this information on Scroggie's life.

This is taken from the book Oldford on Scroggie. Let me read it to you for it aptly conveys the subject of an encounter with God which is a factual change for the furtherance of the gospel and God's glory friends.

Graham Scroggie's Encounter with God

Before he went to Sunderland Dr. Scroggie underwent a profound experience of meeting with God through God's word for two difficult years when he was without a regular income he gave himself unreservedly to the study of scriptures and during this period he laid the foundation of all his subsequent teaching and preaching of God's word.

It was at a convention in England in 1950 where he shared this experience with his hearers. These are Scroggie's words. Cannot ever forget the time long ago when my whole life and ministry were suddenly changed when it was revealed to me that I was little more than a middleman between my books and my people but when it dawned upon me that I was more anxious to be a preacher than to be God's messenger that my master passion was not the accomplishment of the will of God at any cost and that my ruling motive was not the love of Christ.

In that hour the edifice I had been building lay in ruins about me and for a while all was dark despair but into the woods my master came and finding me there in his mercy he brought me out out into newness of life out into fullness of service and although I blush to think of much that lies between that hour and this yet I gratefully bear testimony that that is coming then and in that way has been the determining factor of my life.

Graham Scroggie had his Jabbock friends and you can read his Bible commentaries today and they're rich with insight into the Word of God. God met Scroggie. God touched Scroggie and that was the determining factor of his life.

D. L. Moody’s Personal Jabbok

The evangelist D .O. Moody had a personal encounter with God that altered his life forever. He wrestled in prayer literally rolling on the ground in agony of wrestling in importunity until he received the blessing from on high.

Speaking of this experience Moody later said I preached the same sermons but they took on a new power. Lives were changed. Moody had his personal Jabbock. I want to explore this rich subject this evening friends.

Jacob at the Ford of Jabbok

This area of having an encounter with God and experiencing the change from that encounter. We will begin our study in the life of Jacob as found in Genesis chapter 32. You can turn in your Bibles there now.

We're going to study this remarkable season in Jacob's life where Jacob comes to the end of himself and meets God and he's forever changed and Jacob went on his way and the angels of God met him and when Jacob saw them he said this is God's host and he called the name of that place Mahanaim and Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother into the land of Seir the country of Edom and he commanded them saying thus shall ye speak unto my lord Esau thy servant Jacob saith thus I have sojourned with Laban and stayed there until now and I have oxen and asses of flocks and men servants and women servants and I have sent to tell my lord that I may find grace in thy sight.

And the messengers returned to Jacob saying who we came to that brother Esau and he also cometh to meet thee and four hundred men with him. Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed and he divided the people that was with him and the flocks and herds and the camels into two bands and said if Esau come to the one company and smite it then the other company which is left shall escape.

And Jacob said oh God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac the Lord which said unto me return unto thy country and to thy kindred and I will deal well with thee. I'm not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which thou has showed unto thy servant for with my staff I passed over this Jordan and now I am become two bands deliver me.

I pray thee from the hand of my brother from the hand of Esau for I fear him lest he will come and smite me and the mother with the children. And thou saidest I will surely do thee good and make thy seed as the sand of the sea which cannot be numbered for multitude.

And he lodged there that same night and took of that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother 200 she goats and 20 he goats 200 ewes and 20 rams 30 milch camels with their colts 40 kine and 10 foals 20 she asses and 10 foals.

And he delivered them into the hand of his servants every drove by themselves and said unto his servants pass over before me and put a space betwixt drove and drove. And he commanded the foremost saying but when he saw my brother meet a fee and asked if these saying whose art thou and whither though whither goest thou and whose are these before these.

Then thou shalt say they be thy servant Jacob's. It is a present sent unto my Lord Esau and behold also he is behind us. And so commanded he the second and the third and all that followed the drove saying on this manner you shall speak unto Esau when you find him and say ye moreover behold the servant Jacob is behind us for he said I will appease him with the present that goeth before me and afterward I will see his face per adventure he will accept to me.

So went the present over before him and himself lodged that night in the company. And he rose up that night and took his two wives and his two women servants and his eleven sons and passed over the four Jabbok 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. 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 as he wrestled with him.

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 has thou power with God and with men and has 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. I will stop there.

Jacob’s Crisis and the End of Self

What an incredible scene we have before us. Here is Jacob. Jacob the liar. Jacob the thief who stole his brother's birthright. Jacob the deceiver who dresses up like his brother to deceive Isaac his father.

Jacob the supplanter. Jacob the crook. Jacob was so crooked he could hide behind a corkscrew. But here in our text we see Jacob in a dire circumstance. His long-feared brother is coming with 400 men.

And these 400 men were cut out of the same cloth as Esau a mighty man of battle. Esau was a man's man. He could hunt fish and squeeze the life right out of scrawny Jacob with his bare hands. Esau even swore an oath that he would get his revenge and kill Jacob at first opportunity.

And now Jacob's worst nightmare is occurring. Esau's on his way with 400 riders and they fast approach and Jacob's knees turned to water. Jacob is at the end of his rope so to speak. But you know what friends Jacob was also at the end of himself.

He's tired of running from Esau and running from his past. And he's tired of himself as well tired of the lies tired of the deceit. He is finally at the end of himself and he wants change. God had to providentially place Jacob in a trial of dire circumstances a crisis to show him his wicked heart and his crooked ways and give him the opportunity for change.

Perhaps one of you friends may be here tonight and you are in the midst of a storm a storm of adversity. You are at the end of yourself so to speak you are ready for change. Have you had your personal Jake Jabbok.

A Burning Desire for Change

Are you up for the cost. Are you up for the sacrifice of prayer. Are you ready to take self to the cross and nail him there. Jacob was. Jacob wrestled all night with God and he experienced change. The staff that Jacob took with him when he fled his father's house that the staff that he wants to use to fight off wild animals.

And now he has to lean on for the rest of his days. He lives through life and each step he takes will make him wince in pain. But do you know friends Jacob learned to lean on God that night as well and every step from that point forward in his life would be a vivid reminder of his wrestling and victory with God.

There are several aspects of this experience of a personal Jabbok to which I now wish to briefly address. A personal Jabbok that brings affectional change will more than likely have the following marks associated with it.

Number one. There must be a burning desire for change. You must be willing to be brought to the end of yourself. Let me ask you friend. Do you desire a more useful life for Christ. If you are a preacher that do you desire more power from on high.

That do you desire to see lives transformed through your ministry. Are you willing to let go of your reputation and be brought to the end of yourself. To the end of your hopes. To the end of your dreams.

God may have something waiting for you friend which is far better in your service to him than you could ever dream. God's Word declares in Jeremiah call unto me and I will answer thee and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not.

Did you hear that friend great and mighty things. Things which you do not even know could be yours. If you truly sought God in a sacrificial wrestling with him. My late mentor Dr. Stephen Offord would tell me what cost counts and what counts cost.

Do you truly have a desire for change. Are you prepared for the sacrifice which will bring forth that change. There's a cost to a close walk with God and the closer you walk with him the greater the cost.

The disciples walk with Jesus and they died for Jesus. Do you want to be spent for the Lord. Jesus said whoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. There is a cross in the middle of a close walk with God.

Friend. Are you willing to give up your recreational time and give that time entirely to God. If he asked you to do that would you do it. If God asked you to get rid of your television. Would you do that.

Would you be willing to face the odd looks from friends and family who found out you no longer on the television set. Would you be willing to rise at such an early hour to get along with God that it would cost you something.

What cost counts and what counts cost. Many of us say with our lips we want to change life where we can be more useful to God. But you are willing to submit to that change. Jacob wrestle with God until it cost him the use of his leg he lived through life thereafter.

Are you willing to be so brought to the end of yourself that you would accept change even if it hurt. You may think I'm odd but I don't have television. I couldn't tell you what shows are on these days or even who wins a major sporting event.

I don't care anymore. I used to live to watch golf on TV. I wouldn't miss the Masters for anything or the US Open. Now I just don't care. I know how close we are to the end of the age and all that matters is eternity.

But you brother pastor may not be willing to give up your sports and entertainments for God. But you still want a bigger church. You want to see souls saved. But are you willing to stick your neck out there for God to see God enact that change within your own life.

Sister missionary. Are you willing to part with your resentment towards others. Are you willing for God to so change you that you could care less. What others say about you. This is serious business friends.

I believe the reason we don't see God move in our day as we could is that we are too unwilling to be really changed by God. But we want more usefulness. But we still want to retain control over our lives.

But friends it is either God's way or a lesser way of usefulness. You claim you don't have enough time for God in prayer yet you refuse to rise earlier in the morning to meet God. Why did God use John Wesley and George Whitfield.

And why do the writings of E .M. Bounds still have such power. Each of those men rose at 4 in the morning to get along with God. Even when George Whitfield got to bed at 2 a .m. he would still be out of bed by 4.

E .M. Bounds was a man in his 80s and he still rose at 4 in the morning and spent the first three hours with God every morning. We must admit our laziness friends. We must admit we care too much for our skins.

We are into self-preservation more than self-denial these days. Listen friend God is looking for a man for a woman who is so sold out for him that he can perform the great and mighty things through that person.

Surrendering Self to the Cross

Are you willing for that kind of change. Number two. There must be a willing surrender of self to the cross. The way the cross is the pathway to greater usefulness. Every hope must be nailed there. Every desire must be nailed there.

Every ounce of pride must be nailed there. Every filthy lust must be nailed there. There must be a willing surrender of self to the cross. In the Old Testament the burnt offering would be held in place by flesh hooks so it would not crawl off the altar of sacrifice.

Are you willing to ask the living God of the Bible to stick flesh hooks in you to keep you on the altar of sacrifice for him. Study the lives of Christians whose names stand out for God and count for something and you will find flesh hooks there in their lives in their lives of usefulness for God.

Like I said there must be a willing surrender of self to the cross. A crucifixion means death. A self must die on that cross. When you are dead to self then Christ can live more fully through you. How bad do you want it.

How bad do you want a life of usefulness. Friend what sacrifices are you willing to endure for Jesus who sacrificed his very life for you. It was said of DL Moody that his life turned a corner for God when he heard a minister say to him the world has yet to see what God can do through the man who is wholly sold out to him.

Moody walked away and muttered beneath his breath by God's grace. I will be that man. Read Moody's life story friend and see what God did through that uneducated man. Moody could hold the attention of 10 ,000 people for a month at a time in the great cities of Edinburgh Glasgow and London.

Desperate Wrestling and Prayer Through Faith

It was said of Moody at his death that he depopulated hell by a million souls. Number three. There must be a desperate wrestling and prayer through faith. Vividly recall the story about Duncan Campbell.

Duncan Campbell had been a pastor for 18 years in Scotland and it had been a time of little effectiveness for God. Campbell was up in a study one morning preparing his notes for a sermon on the Holy Spirit which he was to preach to ministers at an upcoming Kazakh convention.

Downstairs he heard his 16 year old daughter happily singing a hymn at 6 in the morning. He went downstairs to see her and asked Lassie why are you singing at 6 in the morning so happily she came over to him and sat in his lap put her arms around his shoulders and said Oh daddy I have had such a wonderful time praying with Jesus since 5 this morning.

Isn't Jesus wonderful daddy. Duncan Campbell rose from his chair walked back upstairs thinking to himself Jesus isn't wonderful to me. Jesus right now isn't wonderful to me. This drove him to desperation here.

He was ready to preach to other ministers next week and Jesus wasn't wonderful to him. He fell on his face in his study and for the next three hours he wrestled with God in desperate prayer. His daughter almost called the doctor because it seemed her daddy had lost his mind as he moaned and groaned and wept while he writhed and wiggled on the floor of his study in his great wrestling with God in prayer when he finished.

When he stood to his feet he was a changed man. That was his jabbit. He was 51 years old at the time and he left the settled pastorate for a life of faith as a missionary and he had four children to support.

But it was that decision to step out of faith through that afternoon of wrestling with God that landed him sovereignly in the midst of revival on the Isle of Lewis from 1949 to 1952 where one of the greatest moves of God occurred in revival history.

Duncan had his jabbit for sure and he was allowed to see a Bethel of revival. Are you willing friend for a desperate wrestling and prayer through faith. Are you willing to be driven out of your settled life of comfortableness for the unknown atmosphere of God and eternity.

How bad do you want change. The self-life must go friends. The Christ life must be predominant. This is especially true for a preacher. Years ago there used to be a brass plaque found on the pulpit rail of many pulpits.

It read sir we want to see Jesus. And that is what the world needs to see in your life friend. Not you not your boastful prideful self that must go the way of the cross. The world must see Jesus in. You go to your own personal jabbit friend and meet your God.

Through your wrestling you will find him and through your limping you will lean on him and through your new usefulness for him will be a factual change in the lives of others that will impact eternity.