Blessed with Every Spiritual Blessing in Heaven – Wrestling with Man or with God
Pastor Tan Thai · Aug 4, 2018
This sermon explores the life of Jacob as a vivid illustration of God's sovereign plan and the transformation of a person through submission. Through the night wrestling at the Jabbok River, Jacob—a deceiver who relied on his own cunning—was subdued by God and renamed Israel. The sermon calls every believer to face their sinful past, confess their true name before God, and release self-reliance to cling tightly to Him.
This sermon is part of a series based on Ephesians 1:3, focusing on the theme that all things occur according to God's will (Ephesians 1:11-12). The pastor raises a central question: if God has had a plan from before eternity, what significance do human decisions and actions have? Scripture does not teach fatalism or absolute human autonomy, but rather that human decisions genuinely participate in God's sovereign plan, as demonstrated through the histories of Abraham, Israel, and Judah.
Jacob's life is divided into three stages: the heel-grabber who deceived his brother and father to seize the birthright and blessing; the one whose heel was grabbed in return during 20 years of deception and mistreatment by his uncle Laban; and finally the man subdued by God through the night wrestling at the Jabbok River. The pastor emphasizes that it was God who first seized Jacob, not Jacob who seized God, and that the purpose of the wrestling was to reduce Jacob to the point where he could no longer rely on his own strength.
The central theological meaning of Genesis 32:24-31 is not a lesson on persistent prayer to obtain blessing, but rather the image of God subduing and breaking the self-will of a person to bring about complete submission. Scholars Arthur W. Pink and Robert Alter are cited to clarify that the name Israel means 'God rules' or 'God prevails,' not 'the one who prevails over God.' This parallels Paul's teaching in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 that the power of Christ is made perfect in human weakness.
The pastor applies the story practically by pointing out that every believer has their own 'Esau' from the past that must be faced. Before receiving a new name, Jacob had to confess his true name before God, no longer pretending or impersonating anyone else. The fear and grief before meeting Esau were necessary because they led to genuine repentance, as Paul teaches in 2 Corinthians 7:10-11 that godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation.
The sermon concludes with the image of a wounded but renamed Jacob, no longer fleeing or scheming, but walking in dependence on God's strength to face Esau. This is the picture of a completely new person who belongs entirely to God. The pastor calls the congregation to recognize that God can use each person's prayers, decisions, and actions to fulfill His great plan on earth, and that this is the very meaning and joy of the Christian life.