LifePoint Church

We all try to forge our own path from time to time. We look to things that we can do and things that the world can give us instead of looking to the real answer to our struggles, God. Jacob had an incredible encounter with Gods that knocked him to his knees and reminding him of his reliance on God. Instead of relying on our own power and self-will, let’s look to the power and will of God.

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Have you ever struggled with the feeling that your life is driven by people and forces beyond your control? When I read the stories of Jacob, Leah, and Rachel—I imagine they must have felt that same way. This weekend we want to remember significant truths to help us remain centered even when we feel life spinning beyond our control.

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In this sermon on Genesis 29:1-30, we explore the themes of love, deception, irony, and God's grace through the story of Jacob's encounter with Laban. Despite his encounter with God at Bethel, Jacob remains self-centered, viewing God more as a means to an end than as a personal relationship. The irony of the story unfolds as Jacob, the deceiver, is himself deceived by Laban, showing how God’s justice often works in unexpected ways. Through this, we are reminded of the importance of being aware of the injustice we enact on others and how God’s grace can guide us through our own mistakes and relational chaos.

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In this series, we are following the life of Jacob, as he seeks to make a life for himself. Most notable of Jacob is how much faith he places in his own self-reliance. Jacob is beyond willing to employ deception and fraud in an attempt to build his life and thwart his fears.  Consequently, Jacob is heir to the blessing God bestowed upon Abraham and Isaac. When Jacob encounters God, he finds his old tricks and cunning ways are useless.  Today, we take a close look at the encounter between a man desperate to secure his future and the only One who actually can.

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Unhealthy characteristics and dysfunctional relationships tend to be part of every life and every story. The family God chose to become ancestors for Jesus was far less than perfect—full of suspicion, deceit, poor communication, manipulation—it was a mess. Yet God worked through those imperfect people to accomplish his perfect plan. We want to discover how to trust God in our own imperfect realities while taking steps toward health and wholeness.

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Isaac moves from fear to faith. He repeats the failure of his father, Abraham, by deceiving the Philistine king, when he was afraid. However, he experienced God’s tremendous and undeserved blessings by becoming wealthy, putting his confidence in God, and finding peace and safety. Abraham was told to go. Isaac was told to stay, and dwell precisely where God wanted him to be. God doesn’t need my retaliation to bring justice, or help His promise along. Isaac’s story presents an example for Jacob that Jacob seems to have missed or ignored. This could be an opportunity to emphasize God’s promises to us.

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God determined a path and purpose for both Jacob and Esau before they were born, yet they still were responsible for their choices. Because they occupied (literally) the same space and competed for prominence, Jacob and Esau struggled with each other—just as they struggled with God’s decisions. This complicated story and family remind us how God calls us to simply trust him.

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Marriage combines two different people, and the results can be a forceful collision or a powerful blending of two into one over time. Grace is the ingredient that changes and improves our ability to create a healthy marriage. When we learn to receive and give grace to each other, we find an opportunity to express God’s love—whether we are married or unmarried. This weekend, we can explore the difference grace makes in our most significant relationships.

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When you think about wealth, money, and possessions what images or representations come to your mind? When the Apostle Paul asked for the Corinthian church to help struggling believers in Jerusalem, he reminded them of reasons to be generous and provided guidance for their giving. Realizing how God has freely given us good gifts can dramatically change our attitudes toward money and giving.

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Grace and freedom fit together hand-in-glove. When we find our identity in God’s grace, we experience the freedom to be precisely who God made us to be. When we learn to live and give grace to each other, we are able set others free too. This freedom in grace never comes easy. We can learn from the experience of early Roman believers how grace inspires unity out of diversity

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