Foundation of Our Faith

The Breaking Before the Blessing

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: John Lomacang (Host), Pr. Cory Jackson

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Series Code: FDOF

Program Code: FDOF000019A


00:19 Hello, friends.
00:21 Welcome to the 3ABN Worship Center
00:23 where the Lord has been working through His man
00:26 servant Pastor Cory Jackson in such a wonderful way
00:29 that we invite you to stay tuned
00:31 as the Lord continues connecting Earth to Heaven.
00:35 This Foundation of Our Faith is brought to you by
00:37 Dare to Dream and also by 3ABN
00:39 and we know that whenever we open our hearts
00:42 God has a tremendous blessing in store for us.
00:45 We heard a couple of messages already rags to riches
00:48 which was surely one that brought us into the reality
00:52 that God sees us where we are
00:54 and doesn't leave us the way He finds us.
00:57 He finds us in our brokenness
00:59 and turns us from rags to riches.
01:01 Then last night we discovered so wonderfully
01:04 the woman that God in touch with Jesus
01:06 with a plea give it just one more shot.
01:09 The Lord not only answered her prayer
01:11 but made her a woman of restoration
01:14 to the glory of the Lord.
01:16 And today Pastor Cory Jackson
01:18 is gonna be bringing a message entitled
01:20 The Breaking Before the Blessing.
01:23 The Breaking Before the Blessing.
01:26 Pastor Cory Jackson is a native of Chicago, Illinois
01:29 but he is presently the pastor of the Burns
01:32 Seventh-day Adventist Church in Detroit, Michigan.
01:35 He has been pastoring now for 14 years.
01:37 It may not seem like a long time
01:39 but as I listen to this young man he has seasoned.
01:42 He is not just a preacher but he is one called of God.
01:45 Can we say amen to that? Amen.
01:47 There is a difference between preaching and being called
01:49 and he definitely is called.
01:51 His life was one of choices.
01:53 In the city in which he was raised
01:55 he was once a probation officer
01:58 and the Lord called him at a pivotal time in his life
02:01 from the work of the world
02:03 to the work of God's eternal kingdom.
02:05 What I like so much is a text
02:07 that is very much a part of his call.
02:09 He says, the Lord says to him,
02:11 you have not chosen Me but I have chosen you.
02:15 The Lord truly did choose Pastor Cory Jackson.
02:19 And as-- and this is the part
02:21 that makes me smile each time I say it.
02:23 But when he was beginning to study to be a Black Muslim
02:26 and a Black Panther
02:28 the Lord turned him into a black pastor instead.
02:31 He says, don't forget to say that,
02:33 he had a road of choice but God broke that journey
02:37 and brought him into a relationship with the Lord
02:40 and you will be amazed today as God ignites this pulpit
02:43 one more time through Pastor Cory Jackson.
02:47 Another young man that's a part of this ministry
02:49 is a young man by the name of Louis Cleare.
02:52 He lives in the Bahamas, Nassau, Bahamas.
02:55 Only 22 years old but when you hear him sing
02:57 you will know that God is working in
02:58 and through him and on him.
03:00 He is gonna bless us with a song
03:01 "He Hideth My Soul."
03:04 And after Brother Louis Cleare
03:06 the next voice that you will hear
03:07 will be that of Pastor Cory Jackson.
03:45 A wonderful Savior
03:49 is Jesus my Lord
03:54 A wonderful Savior to me
04:02 He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock
04:10 Where rivers of pleasure I see
04:18 He hideth my soul
04:23 In the cleft of the rock
04:28 That shadows a dry, thirsty land
04:36 He hideth my life
04:40 In the depths of His love
04:44 And covers me there with His hand
04:52 And covers me there with His hand
05:05 A wonderful Savior
05:09 Is Jesus my Lord
05:13 He taketh my burden away
05:21 He holdeth me up
05:25 And I shall not be moved
05:30 He giveth me strength as my day
05:38 He hideth my soul
05:44 In the cleft of the rock
05:48 That shadows a dry thirsty land
05:56 He hideth my life
06:00 In the depths of His love
06:04 And covers me there with His hand
06:12 And covers me there with His hand
06:37 When clothed with His brightness
06:42 Transported I rise
06:46 To meet Him in clouds of the sky
06:59 His perfect salvation
07:03 His wonderful love
07:07 I'll shout
07:09 with the millions on high
07:16 He hideth my soul
07:21 In the cleft of the rock
07:24 That shadows a dry
07:28 Thirsty land
07:33 He hideth my life
07:37 In the depths of His love
07:42 And covers me there with His hand
07:50 And covers me there
08:00 He covers me there
08:10 With His hand
08:31 With His hand
08:48 Happy Sabbath, everyone.
08:49 Happy Sabbath. Happy Sabbath.
08:50 Oh, you can do better than that.
08:52 Happy Sabbath, everyone. Happy Sabbath.
08:54 It's good to see you all today
08:56 and I know that you were
08:57 thoroughly amazed by the Louis singing.
09:01 I know you're trying to figure out
09:02 how does a 22-year-old sound like that.
09:06 Well, all I can tell you just thank the Lord
09:08 and his good daddy and his good momma.
09:10 Amen. Amen.
09:11 Do me a favor if you don't mind.
09:13 Just look at your neighbor for a moment
09:15 and just smile at him.
09:17 Doesn't matter if you get 32, 16, 8
09:21 or just one big old tooth, just smile at him.
09:24 Then once you finish smiling
09:25 just take that smile and just smile at me.
09:29 I'm gonna need your smile the whole time.
09:31 I'm not home in Detroit and my folk are missing me
09:34 and so I told them I had to come down here
09:37 and spend time with my cousins.
09:38 Amen. Amen.
09:40 And so you are my cousins today.
09:41 And so you can talk to me too.
09:44 My church loves to talk to me.
09:46 Encourages the preacher.
09:48 And so I'm glad to be here with you all
09:51 with this third part of our series of Foundations of Faith
09:55 and it has been truly a blessing.
09:58 And so as we get ready to get started,
10:02 would you pray with me please?
10:03 Father in heaven,
10:06 we thank You once again for Your blessings upon us.
10:10 We thank You for loving us
10:12 the way You do in spite of our sins.
10:15 As we've come to this holy Sabbath day,
10:18 Lord, we pray for Your blessings.
10:21 Holy ghost, we ask that you continue to do
10:23 your appointed word by working
10:25 on the hearts of men
10:26 and speaking through this preacher,
10:27 Lord, that although they see my face
10:31 they may hear Your voice.
10:32 And as the appeal is made, Lord,
10:35 whether in this place or around the world
10:38 we pray that someone will give their heart to You.
10:42 This is our prayer today in Jesus' name, amen.
10:45 Amen.
10:46 We've been spending the last couple of days
10:49 talking about character building
10:52 and our need to build our characters.
10:56 And the type of preacher that I am
10:59 or speaker I like to call myself is I like to build
11:02 and get to a conclusion towards the end.
11:06 So each step is one step towards the end
11:08 so today would be a cliffhanger to later on.
11:14 But character building is important
11:16 as we have to all decide to make a change.
11:19 And the first day we talked about calling out to Jesus
11:23 and we used an example of blind Bartimaeus
11:26 and how his call brought his restoration.
11:29 And but for some of us the call may not be enough
11:32 and yesterday we talked about
11:34 you have to reach like the woman
11:37 with the issue of blood is not enough to call sometimes.
11:41 It's not enough to reach.
11:44 And for some of us, listen to me closely
11:47 call and reaching won't do,
11:48 you just got to get into a all wing fight with God.
11:53 And so there are two scriptures that we have honed in on,
11:58 Ezekiel 36:26 simply says that,
12:02 "A new heart and a new spirit will I give you."
12:05 God promises to give us a new heart and a new spirit.
12:10 A new way of thinking and brand new attitude.
12:13 And Romans 12:2 says,
12:16 "Be not conformed to this world,
12:18 and but be transformed by the renewing of your mind"
12:21 and that is key that our mind need to be renewed
12:25 because as we've talked about
12:27 volume 5 page 310 said it this way,
12:30 "If the thoughts are wrong, the feelings are wrong,
12:33 thoughts and feelings combined make up more character."
12:37 So in other words if I have bad thoughts
12:40 it's undoubtedly I'm gonna have bad feelings.
12:44 And if I have bad thoughts and bad feelings,
12:46 then its sub sequential that I'm gonna have
12:49 a bad character.
12:50 And many times the reason people act the way they do is
12:53 because their thoughts are messed up,
12:55 their thoughts as we would call are jacked up
12:58 and they need help.
12:59 Second volume of Mind, Character, Personality
13:02 simply says, page 670 says,
13:03 "Transformation begins with our thoughts"
13:08 that's where it starts.
13:10 And even though we spend a lot of time talking about
13:12 end time events, I have no problem with that.
13:15 I love preaching Three Angels' Message,
13:17 but listen, it doesn't make sense to preach
13:19 on a Three Angels' Message if your character is messed up.
13:24 And why am I saying that?
13:26 Because of a book called
13:27 Christ's Object Lessons, Page 69 says
13:30 "When the character of Christ
13:32 has been perfectly reproduced in His people,
13:35 then He shall come to reclaim them as His own."
13:39 Yes, God is concerned that Bible studies go out
13:41 but He is also concerned
13:43 that His folk will look like Him.
13:45 His folk will act like Him.
13:46 His folk would forgive like Him.
13:48 His folk would love like Him.
13:50 His folk would be merciful like Him.
13:51 He is looking for His folk to love their enemies
13:54 just like He did.
13:55 So He is looking for His folk to look like Him.
13:58 And she says that when it's perfectly, not almost,
14:01 not three quarters, not halfway, listen to me,
14:04 when it's perfectly reproduced
14:06 He says He is gonna come and get us.
14:08 He says, and she continues on and say
14:09 we should hastily help Him out.
14:14 And sometimes we take that to think
14:15 we got to do more Bible studies
14:17 and we got to tell more people about God.
14:18 No, you need to shut up sometimes
14:20 and get yourself together.
14:21 Amen.
14:24 Because some of us are some of the meanest people,
14:29 some of the most unforgiving,
14:32 some of the most gossipy people
14:34 I found sometimes in the church.
14:38 And so God is trying to get His folk together before He comes.
14:42 Are you with me so far? If so, say amen.
14:45 Amen.
14:46 And so we want to look at a couple of scriptures
14:48 before we get into the--
14:51 our message today James Chapter 1.
14:53 For those who are with us for the first time
14:55 whether in the Worship Center
14:57 or around the world, we do three things.
15:02 I believe in what the Bible says in Matthew 4:35,
15:06 that Jesus went to all the synagogues
15:08 and in Galilee He went teaching,
15:11 and preaching and healing.
15:13 And so whenever I get up and speak
15:15 I want to make sure
15:16 that I'm teaching first with instructions.
15:20 Preaching comes with encouragement
15:22 and the healing be may hold towards the end.
15:26 And so we will go through those
15:27 three different categories today.
15:30 James 1:2, James 1:2.
15:36 When I read the Bible at times
15:37 I sometimes think that the Bible is just being funny.
15:42 You understand what I mean by that,
15:43 sometimes there are some things that are just
15:45 to me seemly as an oxymoron.
15:48 But because God knows what He is doing
15:50 I just have to roll with it.
15:52 James 1:2 says, "My brethren, count it all joy
15:57 when you fall into various trials."
15:59 Now that's what I mean right there.
16:01 I don't know anybody who gets excited.
16:04 Matter of fact it's joyful
16:06 when they are going through some mess.
16:08 I haven't heard anybody call me and say,
16:10 Pastor, guess what?
16:12 I'm excited today. Why are you excited?
16:14 I'm getting put out of my house.
16:16 I don't hear anybody tell me how excited they are
16:18 when they are going through a trial of some situation.
16:20 So sometimes I'm wondering, Lord,
16:22 how is something like this I'm supposed to be joyful
16:25 on a various trial.
16:28 Verse 3 says, "Knowing this,
16:30 that the trying of your faith produces patience.
16:35 But let patience have her perfect work,
16:38 that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."
16:44 So trials has its place.
16:47 It builds the character.
16:49 It helps the faith to be strong.
16:53 Trials that come, trials that go,
16:57 many come because we haven't overcame the one
17:00 that we are going through so God allows another one
17:03 to come in to build us up the same way
17:06 in which a man or a woman exercises.
17:10 Romans Chapter 5, Romans the 5th chapter.
17:15 Romans the 5th chapter.
17:19 Romans 5:3-5.
17:25 Romans 5:3 says, "And not only so,
17:30 but we glory in tribulations also."
17:34 There is that thing again.
17:36 We glory in tribulations.
17:40 Have mercy.
17:42 If we get to point where we can celebrate our tribulation,
17:48 well, we are one step closer to the kingdom
17:51 because it's hard to celebrate a tribulation.
17:55 But God expects us to get there
17:57 "Knowing that tribulation worketh patience,
18:01 and patience, experience, and experience, hope,
18:07 and hope maketh not ashamed,
18:09 because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts
18:12 by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us."
18:14 So these things tend to occur to help shape us.
18:19 To help build us.
18:21 To form us.
18:22 To help develop our faith in Christ even more. Why?
18:26 Because Revelation 13 continues to inflate
18:29 and God needs some folk that's going to be faithful
18:32 when it gets rough out here, when it gets hard out here.
18:36 See, life is good right now for the majority of us
18:39 but when Revelation 13 is completely activated
18:43 and you can't buy or sell anymore,
18:46 and what's gonna happen then
18:48 when your faith is not as strong as it should be?
18:51 So God is just simply pumping us up to that timeframe.
18:55 So in order to get there 2 Corinthians 12,
19:08 2 Corinthians 12:7 and the Bible says,
19:15 "And lest I should be exalted above measure
19:18 through the abundance of the revelations,
19:20 there was given to me a thorn in the flesh,
19:23 the messenger of Satan to buffet or beat me,
19:26 lest I should be exalted above measure.
19:29 For this thing I besought the Lord three times,
19:32 that it might depart from me.
19:34 And he said unto me,
19:36 My grace is sufficient for thee."
19:40 So as you are going through the trial,
19:42 as you are going through the tribulation
19:44 just understand that God's grace
19:46 is sufficient for thee at that moment.
19:49 He says, "For my strength
19:51 is made perfect in my weakness."
19:54 God says that while you are weak I'm strong.
19:57 In other words He said, I got you, boy, I got you.
20:00 I'm gonna take you through
20:01 but you have to understand that it's His grace not mine.
20:06 Paul then says, "Most gladly therefore
20:08 will I glorify in my infirmities,
20:11 that the power of Christ may rest upon me."
20:13 So God gives us sufficient grace to get us through.
20:19 But in the process He is also trying to develop us.
20:23 So there are five things I want to give you today,
20:25 five things.
20:27 Go to Genesis 32.
20:28 Still teaching Genesis 32, Genesis 32 first book.
20:34 Genesis 32,
20:39 simply looking at 24-30
20:43 we will comeback to it.
20:45 Genesis 32:24, the Bible says this way
20:51 "And Jacob was left alone,
20:54 and there wrestled a man
20:56 with him until the breaking of the day.
20:58 And when he saw that he prevailed not against him,
21:02 he touched the hollow of his thigh,
21:06 and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint,
21:08 as he wrestled with him.
21:11 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh.
21:14 And he said, I will not let thee go,
21:17 except thou bless me.
21:19 And he said unto him, What is thy name?
21:20 And he said, Jacob." Verse 28 says,
21:23 "And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob,
21:26 but Israel for as a prince hast thou power
21:28 with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
21:32 And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name.
21:36 And he said, Wherefore is it that thou
21:39 dost ask after my name?
21:42 And he blessed him there."
21:43 So let's understand something, a few things here.
21:47 Jacob is on his way back home.
21:51 He has been gone now for 20 years.
21:55 And in going home he decides in verse 4 through 6
21:59 that he is going to offer something to his brother Esau.
22:04 Verse 4 of 32 says, "And he commanded them, saying,
22:07 Thus shall ye speak unto my lord Esau,
22:10 Thy servant Jacob saith thus, I have sojourned with Laban,
22:14 and stayed there until now
22:16 and I have oxen, and asses, and flocks,
22:19 and menservants, and womenservants,
22:21 I have sent to tell my Lord,
22:23 that I may find grace in thy sight.
22:25 And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying,
22:28 We came to thy brother Esau,
22:30 and also he cometh to meet thee,
22:32 and four hundred men with him.
22:35 Then Jacob the Bible says
22:37 was greatly afraid and distressed."
22:40 Here's what you got to understand,
22:42 Jacob now is petrified. Why is Jacob petrified?
22:46 Well, let's go back a little bit to the beginning
22:49 in Genesis 25 that leads us up to this point.
22:52 If I may divulge for a second,
22:56 Esau is a father's met boy.
22:59 He is a hunter.
23:00 Esau like being outside.
23:03 Jacob is a momma's boy,
23:06 he likes being only inside cooking
23:09 and doing all the nice stuff that momma boys do.
23:11 Now understand men who are momma's boy.
23:14 I'm not saying that there is anything wrong
23:16 with you being a momma's boy,
23:17 I'm just simply identifying a fact.
23:20 And if your momma is sitting next to you right now
23:22 she will greatly agree with me that you are momma's boy
23:26 by the mere fact that I'm talking about you in that way.
23:30 But Esau is a hunter, he like being outside.
23:35 And so one of Jacob's first acts of deception,
23:39 he bribed his brother and says, man.
23:43 Esau came in and he was hungry.
23:47 Jacob said, listen I will take care of you
23:50 if you just give me your birthright.
23:52 Just hand that thing over I got a nice potted soup here,
23:56 it tastes good.
23:57 Just hand it over.
23:59 Now sometimes I think that Jacob was born in the hood
24:02 because Jacob is truly a hustler.
24:04 He knows how to get what he wants.
24:06 He is a conman, he has it all
24:09 and it seems like Jacob is one of the guys
24:11 I grew up with in a city of Chicago
24:13 that no matter what he always has some type of hustle
24:16 that's going on and taking place.
24:19 And so Esau in his famish decides
24:21 he is going to give up his birthright just to eat.
24:25 The second stage that he confronted Jacob
24:28 besides with his mother whose name
24:29 by the way means a planter or deceiver.
24:32 Jacob decides he and his mother,
24:33 momma's boy is gonna create this great plan
24:35 because Isaac is dying.
24:38 He tells his son, hey, go out
24:40 and get me the best venison you can get
24:42 and I'm going to bless you.
24:45 Momma overhears it and says,
24:47 You are not going to do that to my boy.
24:49 I know the prophecy of what was told
24:52 so I'm going to help God out in this prophecy.
24:54 Jacob, come here, boy, hurry up and come here.
24:58 I need you to take the place of your brother.
25:01 Well, momma, I don't look numb like Esau.
25:03 I'm not as hairy as him.
25:06 Trust me, I got you.
25:09 Jacob deceives his father.
25:13 Esau finds out about it and momma says,
25:16 boy, you better get out of here
25:18 that your brother is gonna kill you.
25:22 And trust me if he had a big brother like I did
25:26 he know what that means, here's what that means.
25:28 My big brother is five years older than me
25:30 and my mother doesn't notice, she know it now.
25:32 She will find out.
25:34 Whenever we would get in trouble
25:36 and my brother was the one who led the trouble
25:38 he would punch me in such a way to get my loyalty.
25:43 So he would hit me boom in the arm
25:46 and that pain would just last
25:48 so that when momma asks me what happened?
25:50 Nothing, momma.
25:52 Now if you had a big brother like that who can punch,
25:56 you know, and my big brother can fight, you hear me.
25:59 I tell a church member, he is not in a church
26:00 I'm praying that he gets in a church.
26:02 I tell church members, listen, don't mess with me
26:03 I got a big brother who is not in the church,
26:05 who is very protective.
26:06 I don't want to call him on anybody, amen.
26:09 So make sure you treat me right,
26:12 so I don't have to make a phone call.
26:15 But because Esau is older
26:17 and Jacob knew that his brother
26:19 would perhaps kill him, he leaves.
26:24 Never again to see his mother, never again to see his father,
26:27 and then we get to now.
26:31 He is on his way
26:32 and the brother is definitely afraid.
26:36 The brother has 20 years of anger.
26:39 You ever met somebody been angry that long?
26:42 Lord, have mercy that's a long time
26:44 to be angry with somebody.
26:46 And not only that,
26:47 Esau is brining 400 soldiers to fight Jacob.
26:51 Have mercy, all Jacob got his wives, some kids,
26:54 some servants and some animals.
26:56 He is not prepared for war at all.
27:01 Now the Bible did say in verse 1 of 32 that
27:04 there are two angels accompanying him.
27:06 Patriarchs and Prophets makes it clear
27:08 but Jacob is still afraid.
27:10 Are you with me so far?
27:13 So we got to understand
27:14 that this battle is about to pursue
27:17 and Jacob goes into this crisis management mode
27:20 where he is running, hiding and about to fight.
27:25 So let's look at this for a moment.
27:26 Five things I want to give you,
27:28 five things I want to give you.
27:30 Now understand as Jacob is going back,
27:32 he is not converted yet
27:33 even though he has had an experience with God
27:35 in Genesis 28.
27:36 He is not converted but God wants him to be yet.
27:39 He is no where near what God would have him.
27:42 And so he says, it's time to return home.
27:44 It's time to go back to basics.
27:46 It's time for you to leave Laban.
27:48 You've done some trickery over,
27:50 especially if you read Genesis 29 and 30
27:53 at the baby making chapter.
27:54 I like to call it the baby momma drama chapter.
27:58 Because everybody was having babies
28:00 and Jacob was just a woolly participant.
28:02 A mess, another story,
28:03 I can't talk about that right now.
28:05 I got to keep just rated PG, amen.
28:08 But boy, Jacob had some babies and didn't mind saying, yes.
28:13 He says, you got to get up out of there.
28:14 You've deceived Laban, Laban deceived you,
28:16 you married the wrong woman.
28:18 So whole lot of mess,
28:20 just whole lot of mess going on.
28:21 So God says, look, it's time for you to go home.
28:23 I need to clean you up.
28:26 But in going home you got to face some things
28:28 that perhaps you haven't face yet.
28:32 So our first point,
28:34 Genesis 24, Genesis 32 excuse me, verse 24.
28:39 Now imagine, let me humanize this with you.
28:42 Imagine you go to make peace with your enemy
28:46 and as you're going to make peace with your enemy
28:48 you already know the prophecy,
28:49 you already know that
28:51 the angels already told your mother that
28:53 the old is going to serve the younger
28:55 but Jacob decides he is going to try to bribe
28:58 Esau once again by simply telling him,
29:01 my Lord, here's what I got for you.
29:02 In other words, I'm your servant knowing good and well
29:05 that that's not how Jacob was playing this thing off.
29:08 And so he tried to bribe him
29:09 and no longer can he bribe his way out of the scene.
29:12 It comes a point in time
29:13 that the things that we used to do
29:15 God says it's not going to work anymore
29:17 because I got something in store for you
29:19 and you messed this thing up long enough.
29:21 So it's time for Me to get this thing in order with you.
29:26 And so in verse 24 the Bible says
29:29 "And Jacob was left alone,
29:31 and there wrestled a man with him
29:32 until the breaking of the day."
29:34 Point number one, listen to me now.
29:37 God shows up at midnight ready to fight.
29:41 Listen, God shows up at the darkest time
29:44 ready to fight.
29:46 Now Jacob had scattered his families strategically.
29:48 He put some in this wing, some over there.
29:50 He sent some over there
29:52 but God shows up ready to fight.
29:53 Now I'm very creative so don't take this disrespectfully.
29:56 I can only imagine Christ showing up a ninja suit
30:02 jumping down on Jacob like,
30:05 and when you are not prepared to fight
30:07 that thing catches you off guard.
30:09 All you can do, if you're from where I'm from
30:10 is just grab somebody
30:12 because you know you about to get
30:13 the worst beat down of your life.
30:15 So God shows up, listen to me now,
30:17 at midnight at a time that Jacob is not expecting
30:21 he is ready to fight.
30:22 When does God ever show up ready to fight?
30:25 He showed up ready to fight this brother today.
30:27 It's a fight about to go,
30:29 they are about to go toe to toe
30:32 and Jacob is not ready.
30:33 He is already scared of Esau
30:35 and now this other shows up at midnight.
30:41 Point number one,
30:43 God shows up at our darkest time
30:45 when we least expect it.
30:48 Understanding this sometimes we have to wrestle with God
30:51 and sometimes that thing may take all night long.
30:56 If you never wrestle with God
30:58 you don't understand what I'm saying
30:59 but it comes a point in everybody's experience.
31:01 I believe before we get to the kingdom
31:03 that you're gonna have to wrestle with God
31:05 and that thing is gonna last all night long.
31:07 You may have to wrestle with God about your children.
31:10 You have to wrestle with God about your spouse.
31:12 You may have to wrestle with God about your church.
31:14 You may have to wrestle with God about your job
31:15 and you will find that, shoot,
31:17 but you may have to wrestle with God about you,
31:18 and sometimes that thing takes all night long.
31:21 There are times I have wrestled with God,
31:23 beat my couch,
31:24 wishing I can swing on Him and hit Him if I could
31:26 because we've had to wrestle.
31:29 And understand that nobody can wrestle with.
31:31 It's not like WWE where you can tag thing somebody
31:34 and they can jump off the rope and dive on them.
31:35 It ain't like that here.
31:38 It's just you and God.
31:39 You can tag all day long but your partner like,
31:41 I'm not messing with Him. He got ninja suit on.
31:47 But many times, brothers and sisters,
31:48 we don't like wrestling
31:51 because wrestling exposes who we are
31:54 and it also exposes our weaknesses.
31:58 Point number one,
32:00 sometimes it takes wrestle with God.
32:03 Verse 25, listen how I read it.
32:06 "And when" big "he saw that"
32:11 big "he prevailed not against"little "him,"
32:15 big "he touched the hollow of his thigh,
32:19 and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint,
32:22 as" little "he wrestled with him."
32:25 Point number two,
32:29 God is losing the battle.
32:32 When did you ever see God losing a battle?
32:37 God is losing the battle against Jacob right now.
32:41 He is not winning.
32:43 How do I know?
32:44 Because He went to some tactical that
32:46 He didn't go to before when He touched him,
32:48 I'll come there in a moment. But He is losing the battle.
32:51 Listen to me, y'all, God will lose the battle,
32:54 the only way He can lose the battle
32:56 if you and I don't surrender fully to Christ.
33:00 God is not looking for a partial surrender.
33:02 He is not looking for three quarters of a surrender,
33:05 He is looking for all surrender and all of nothing.
33:08 James 4:7 says, "Submit to God and resist the devil
33:11 and he will flee from you."
33:13 He is not looking for,
33:15 Lord, I'm gonna surrender just a little bit.
33:16 He needs all of you and not some of you
33:18 and the only way God can lose
33:20 if we don't give all the way in.
33:24 That's the only way He can lose
33:26 and He will lose us to the enemy.
33:28 He will lose us to death.
33:29 He will lose us to the world
33:31 if we don't give all of our self to God.
33:39 But because God is a soul loser
33:45 He doesn't like to lose.
33:49 He knows exactly how to begin to win.
33:53 Point number three,
33:58 God has to get ready to break you
34:01 before He blesses you.
34:03 Now listen to me, now it may seem dirty in verse 25
34:07 how God is seemly losing and the Bible says that
34:11 He just took his joints out of place.
34:14 You know, it seems like a fight is unfair
34:17 when you got something on your opponent
34:19 where in this case God is trying to save a life
34:23 not lose a life.
34:24 And so He will do any means necessary
34:26 to make sure that He is winning that life.
34:28 Are you with me so far?
34:29 And so as He is battling him He sees that He is losing
34:32 and as He is losing He says,
34:34 okay, I'm going to employ some tactics that
34:36 no man can do because I'm trying to save this man
34:39 and not lose this man.
34:41 Pastor Lomacang, come on now for me.
34:42 Now I need you to show you this illustration if I may.
34:45 I need to show you how this looks.
34:47 Now I'm going to be Jacob
34:49 and we are going to let Pastor Lomacang be Jesus.
34:52 Amen.
34:56 Jesus has a nice hair do. Amen.
35:00 So you are going to be Jesus and I'm Jacob
35:02 and let's pretend like we are now battling.
35:05 All right. All right.
35:09 He is kind of aggressive.
35:10 He has not lost his street savvy.
35:13 So-- now are we dancing?
35:16 Okay, all right. All right.
35:17 So we in a battle and then all of a sudden
35:21 he hits me in the joints.
35:25 So as he hits me in the joint,
35:26 guess what happens?
35:27 I have to what? Hold on.
35:29 Listen to me now, I got to what? Hold on.
35:31 Who am I holding on to? Jesus.
35:34 So as Jesus is moving I'm holding down to Him.
35:36 As He moving and as He's going.
35:39 Oh, you haven't got it again.
35:40 Listen to me now, why didn't he hit me in arm?
35:42 Because then I got another arm.
35:43 Why didn't he hit him in the leg?
35:45 Because I got another leg.
35:46 But when he hit me in the hip I got to hold on to him.
35:48 And as I'm hold on to him
35:50 I'm going to limp
35:51 and he's got me as we are moving.
35:52 Why? Because he is my security.
35:55 He is my blanket.
35:56 He has me but if I,
35:58 if I just have the other arm I'm still fighting.
36:00 Why, because it comes a time
36:02 that you and I have to completely surrender.
36:04 Stay here, you will have to completely
36:06 surrender to God.
36:07 We cannot get-- we cannot not give in.
36:11 So listen to me,
36:12 when you get hit in your hip, oh, you got to hold on.
36:14 And as Jesus moving, go as he moves
36:16 I move along with.
36:18 I maybe limping but I'm moving
36:19 and I'm holding and I'm not letting Him go.
36:21 Why? Because He is my security and He is blanket.
36:26 Are you with me so far?
36:28 So it makes sense when he hit him in the hip.
36:30 Why hit him on the head? It's not going do none.
36:32 Why hit him in the arm? It's not going to do anything.
36:34 Why hit him in the leg?
36:35 He can just do this and keep on fighting.
36:37 When you hit him in the hip, now you got to hold on.
36:44 You got to hold Him now and not let Him go.
36:47 Why?
36:49 Because He is trying to bless you.
36:51 But in order to bless you He got to break you first.
36:53 And because we don't like getting broken
36:55 we want to be blessed without the brokenness
36:57 and it's not gonna happen.
36:59 God got to break us somehow. Why?
37:01 Because then that's gonna make us
37:02 hold on to Him little tighter
37:03 so that as I'm limping I'm still holding.
37:06 Why? Because it gives me security.
37:08 It gives me faith. It gives me hope.
37:11 It gives me power
37:12 because I'm still holding on to the Savior, y'all.
37:16 Amen. That's what I'm hold on to.
37:17 So even though I'm hip out of socket
37:19 I got someone holding on to.
37:21 It's not like He hit me and then stepped back
37:23 and fell and then He start stomping me.
37:25 He didn't do that.
37:27 As He broke me He says now grab me.
37:29 Now hold Me.
37:31 I've been trying to do this for a long time.
37:33 I've been trying to do this for while in your life
37:35 but you weren't listening.
37:36 You couldn't hear Me then so I got to break you.
37:41 Are you with me so far? Amen.
37:43 God don't mind playing as we would call dirty
37:46 if He needs to save you.
37:49 Are you with me so far? Amen.
37:50 So God has to break us before He blesses us
37:54 and if you look at the next part of it,
37:57 in the next verse and He says,
37:59 "Let me go, for the day breaketh."
38:02 And He says, I will not let you go, until you what?
38:04 Blesses me.
38:05 Jacob understood now
38:07 that God had to break Him in order to what?
38:09 Bless him.
38:11 See, listen to me, y'all,
38:12 I have been through a trial in my life
38:13 where God had to break me before He blessed me.
38:16 See I love blessings. I hate breakings.
38:18 But He says, Cory, understand this.
38:20 In order for me to bless you like I need to
38:22 I got to break you down.
38:24 Why? Because you can't handle the blessing the way you are.
38:27 I got to make sure you can handle my blessing
38:29 so I got to break you.
38:30 So I can make-- you can make sure
38:32 that you hold on to Me and not yourself.
38:35 Amen. Are you with me so far?
38:38 See there are blessings that we just can't handle
38:40 because we are not spiritually ready
38:42 until God breaks us and then you can handle it.
38:44 Are you with me so far?
38:45 It's at that point that God can now trust you
38:48 to take what's needed.
38:50 If He would have took Jacob the way he was,
38:52 Jacob was still deceiving. Jacob was still a hustler.
38:55 He was still a liar.
38:56 He was sleeping with all the women
38:57 and but now he is broken now.
39:00 And all he got is a Savior to hold on to.
39:03 Are you with me so far? Amen.
39:05 All he got is a Savior to hold on to.
39:07 Listen to me, I can understand.
39:09 Listen I've been in thing since '97.
39:12 I started in ministry in 2001,
39:15 2002 fulltime with Michigan Conference
39:17 and the Lord started taking me places
39:21 that I couldn't even speak or spell.
39:25 Didn't understand it and as a young man,
39:28 Ellen White says that most dangerous thing
39:30 for a young preacher is flattery and success.
39:35 And, folk, enjoy my story of become a black pastor
39:41 from a Black Muslim and a Black Panther.
39:43 They love that so I'm speaking at camp meetings,
39:45 I'm speaking in the kingdom of Tonga.
39:47 I 'm speaking in South America.
39:48 I'm speaking everywhere not-- I don't know nobody.
39:51 Didn't go to our schools, didn't go--
39:53 I just went to a little school called
39:55 the Mission College of Evangelism in Black Hills.
39:58 Got ordained and I'm just moving.
40:02 2011, God gives me a church
40:08 called Burns Avenue,
40:11 one of the largest churches in Lake Region Conference.
40:14 I'm sitting on cloud nine.
40:17 Five months into it God broke me.
40:22 My wife decided that time, this relationship is over.
40:28 No more church life, no more first lady, it's over.
40:34 I'm leaving you, I'm done with life.
40:38 I'm like, Lord, is this is a bad dream?
40:42 I couldn't understand it.
40:45 Handed me a note on September 18th, 2011,
40:52 one year almost the day of our anniversary
40:55 later that I'm going.
41:00 My kids like, dad, what's really going on.
41:03 I'm like, I really don't know.
41:06 Say I can't do this no more.
41:08 You're not here.
41:10 You're going and preaching everywhere,
41:11 you are doing this, I just can't do it.
41:16 I was broken.
41:18 Listen to me now, broken, two years I'm mad at Jesus,
41:23 mad at the world, mad at everybody.
41:26 My family, mad at everybody.
41:28 Fighting God on my couch, trying to get out of ministry.
41:31 Why should I do this right now, Lord?
41:33 This doesn't mean anything to me.
41:35 He broke me
41:38 but I had to start grabbing Him.
41:42 He trying to show me, boy, I'm just trying to bless you.
41:46 And even though this brokenness is more than you can take.
41:50 I got you,
41:52 and once I realized from rereading that story,
41:56 once I realized that I have been
41:59 trying to get all blessings and not be broken.
42:02 He said, I got to break you.
42:04 Hardest thing in the world
42:05 is stand up before crowds of people.
42:08 And when they introduce you, they introduce your three kids
42:09 and the first question they ask is,
42:11 so you are not married?
42:13 Part of me want to say,
42:14 didn't you hear the introduction?
42:16 Did you hear wife in the picture?
42:18 But in my humility I said no,
42:21 I went through a tragedy, because indeed it was.
42:24 But He had to break me off
42:26 and the breaking, listen to me it hurts.
42:31 It hurts.
42:32 Because you good folk don't ever think
42:35 preachers go through divorces, but guess what?
42:38 We do, and I'm part of the divorce club now, right.
42:43 Because we are human just like the next person.
42:49 So He had to break me.
42:51 So listen to me now, listen to me now.
42:55 Jacob says, point number four,
42:57 God instructs Jacob to let him go before daybreak
43:00 because no man can see Me and live.
43:02 And so Jacob says, Jacob says, listen to me now.
43:05 He says, listen, I need you to bless me now.
43:07 Now listen to me,
43:08 in the midst of his disobedience,
43:10 listen to me closely.
43:11 Listen, this is good part I like.
43:12 In the midst of Jacob's disobedience...
43:14 God blessed him. How do I know?
43:15 Because God said, "Let me go."
43:17 Is that a command, yes or no? Yes.
43:18 If my momma tells me let her go I better let her go.
43:21 Last time I told for, my momma is this tall,
43:23 her fist is this long, this wide,
43:25 because when she hit me before she packs a powerful punch
43:28 that Mike Tyson couldn't take.
43:31 But if my little bitty 5 foot 3 momma says,
43:35 Cory, let me go
43:36 and I got her, listen, I better let her go.
43:38 I don't care if I'm 44 now, I'll let her go.
43:40 Jacob is told by Christ Himself,
43:42 let Me go and Jacob disobeyed and says look,
43:46 I'm not gonna let You go unless you bless me.
43:48 That is disobedience but in the midst of that
43:50 God still blessed him,
43:52 so you good folk stop saying that
43:53 God don't bless mess,
43:55 if he didn't, you wouldn't be here today.
43:59 We all got messed up lives that He continues to bless.
44:02 And we say God don't bless mess. Why is that?
44:03 We've been messing since Adam messed up.
44:10 Point number five, listen to me,
44:13 that at the end of this all God will change your name.
44:19 You're no longer after the breaking,
44:21 you're no longer Jacob to deceive here.
44:24 You are now Israel the victor.
44:27 So I like to say amen right now. Amen.
44:28 See God has to break us to bless us.
44:32 And in order to break you,
44:33 you got to be willing to be broken.
44:35 And so God got to get you in a spot
44:36 that only you and Him can battle in
44:39 and He is gonna, He is gonna break you.
44:41 Now I can't say what your breaking is
44:43 but I know what my breaking has been.
44:45 And listen, God has revived me in such a way.
44:48 He has done more for me in this last two years
44:51 than He has done in all the ministry.
44:52 Why? Because my mind is different now.
44:54 My heart is different now.
44:56 My spirit is different now.
44:57 Everything about me is different now. Why?
44:59 Because when He broke me down to the very last compound
45:03 I could, only thing I can do is just reach up
45:05 and hold Him and say, Lord, thank You, Jesus.
45:08 Now I count it all joy when I go through the mess.
45:10 Why? Because I've been broken.
45:12 And He says, it is better to be broken
45:14 than allow the rock to fall on you.
45:16 The problem is many of us don't want to be broken.
45:18 See if you are a knuckle head like me,
45:20 you need to be broken.
45:25 I'd rather limp into the kingdom
45:27 with a messed up here than walk into hell like this.
45:32 Jacob is limping
45:34 but the Bible says that when Christ comes
45:37 this mortality will fall to immortality
45:40 and this old body I got, this round figure right here
45:42 will not be the same again.
45:45 But He has to break us, y'all, before He bless us.
45:50 And some of us just don't want to be broken.
45:54 And so now Jacob is ready.
45:57 Now Jacob is ready to live the life of Israel
46:02 and not of Jacob.
46:04 His past is now behind him.
46:07 His future is coming. His present is bright.
46:12 And as young Louis comes and sings the song
46:14 before we conclude
46:16 you and I need to look at ourselves right now
46:19 and ask the question, have I been broken yet?
46:25 Yes, you may have some blessings
46:29 but is it the s blessings that God really wants you to have?
46:33 Is it all that He would have of you
46:37 or is it just sprinkled blessings?
46:39 He wants to give all of His blessing.
46:43 In order to give all of His blessings
46:46 He has to break us.
47:12 Friend, are you weary and troubled?
47:20 No light in the darkness you see?
47:27 There's light for a look at the Savior
47:35 And life more abundant and free!
47:46 Turn your eyes upon Jesus
47:54 Look full in His wonderful face
48:04 And the things of earth
48:08 Will grow strangely dim
48:13 In the light of His glory and grace
48:33 His Word shall not fail you
48:37 He promised
48:41 Believe Him and all will be well
48:49 Then go to a world that is dying
48:57 His perfect salvation to tell!
49:09 Turn your eyes upon Jesus
49:17 Look full in His wonderful face
49:28 And the things of this world
49:32 Will grow strangely dim
49:37 In the light of His glory
49:42 In the light of His glory
49:48 Turn your eyes upon Jesus
49:57 Look full in His wonderful face
50:07 And the things of earth
50:11 Will grow strangely dim
50:16 In the light of His glory and grace
50:27 And the things of earth
50:31 Will grow strangely dim
50:39 In the light of His glory
50:49 And grace
51:10 I'm gonna ask you to do something that
51:15 may be quite challenging.
51:19 Because many times when appeals are made
51:24 we think it's for someone else.
51:29 And as young Louis just sung
51:32 we need to turn our eyes upon Jesus.
51:39 So often we look at others
51:43 and how they need to turn their eyes upon Jesus.
51:49 Some of us like Jacob
51:51 are still dealing with issues of 20 years ago.
51:56 If God was to place your thoughts
51:59 upon the screen today what would it read?
52:03 Pure thoughts, unholy thoughts, mean thoughts,
52:08 unforgiving thoughts, unmerciful thoughts.
52:11 What would it read today?
52:15 God wanted Jacob to come back home
52:17 almost symbolic of us getting ready to go home soon
52:22 and in between home and leaving this Earth
52:26 there is a wrestle that need to take place.
52:29 And so there are people watching all across the world,
52:33 they need to see that this place, this Worship Center
52:37 can also turn their eyes upon Jesus.
52:40 So as your eyes are closed this moment
52:43 at home and in this Worship Center,
52:45 is there somebody here right now
52:49 that will stand up and come down to the front
52:52 and say, I need to turn my eyes on Jesus.
52:58 I need to be broken, to be blessed.
53:02 I'm in need of that breaking.
53:06 And if that's you, why don't you come down right now
53:09 and say, Lord, I need to be broken.
53:13 I'm being, God bless you my, sister,
53:15 I'm being blessed
53:18 but there are some things in my life
53:21 that I need to get together.
53:24 Won't you come down?
53:25 Don't sit pious today, let the folk around the world
53:28 see that there is a Jesus in this place
53:32 that can bring folk to a blessing
53:35 but a breaking first.
53:37 Come on down.
53:38 I don't care how long you've been in the church.
53:40 Listen, she says, that names
53:42 on the church rolls mean nothing,
53:44 especially if they are not registered in the kingdom.
53:47 Sometimes we can be some of the most
53:49 meanest and impatient folk there is.
53:52 You need to come down today and say, Lord, I need you.
53:56 Lord, I can't go without you.
53:59 Lord, help me through the situation.
54:01 I need to be broken, Lord.
54:03 Because if you are not broken He can't bless you.
54:06 If He can't bless you He can't take you.
54:08 If He can't take you then the enemy got you.
54:10 So it is better to be broken.
54:14 Yes, the breaking hurts.
54:16 Yes, it doesn't feel good.
54:18 Yes, it's painful.
54:20 Sometimes it may last longer than you want
54:22 but listen to me now, it's wroth it.
54:26 It's worth it.
54:27 It's worth every piece of it and understand this,
54:30 when God breaks you He breaks in the right place.
54:34 He puts-- He breaks you in the right place
54:36 so that He can bring you back.
54:39 It's okay to be broken.
54:41 It's okay to be broken.
54:44 All He is trying to do is bless you.
54:47 All He is trying to do is save you.
54:49 All He is trying to do is make you victorious.
54:54 But He can't do it if you don't fully surrender
54:59 and God doesn't like to lose.
55:02 He didn't die on the cross to lose.
55:05 He didn't go through the scourge to lose.
55:08 He didn't go through humiliation to lose.
55:11 He went through all of that so that
55:12 when He rose again He would see you and me.
55:17 At this trump of the sound
55:19 when He break through the clouds
55:21 the Bible says that
55:22 the "Dead in Christ shall rise first,
55:26 and then we who are alive and remain
55:28 shall be called up in the air to meet Him
55:30 to ever be with the Lord."
55:31 In order for that to happen it take broken people.
55:36 He's gonna bless us.
55:38 Anybody else?
55:40 Anybody else to say, Lord, I need to be broken.
55:45 Eyes are closed here upfront.
55:47 Eyes are closed. Eyes are closed.
55:49 Eyes are closed, I don't know about you
55:51 but I want to reach my hand to heaven.
55:53 I want to reach my hand to heaven.
55:54 I want to reach my hand to heaven
55:56 and if you are comfortable doing that
55:57 just reach our hands up
55:58 so heaven can reach down and touch us.
56:01 Lord, Father, in the name of Jesus
56:04 we are praying right now,
56:06 praying, Lord, asking that our lives
56:10 that are so disastrous at times and so up and down.
56:14 You can bless it, Lord,
56:15 but we understand that before the blessing,
56:18 Lord, there is a breaking
56:19 and that many of us have ran from this breaking in.
56:21 Many of us have avoided the breaking but, Lord,
56:24 we know now that we need to be broken
56:26 in order to be blessed, Lord.
56:29 We can't go without it, Lord.
56:31 Save these characters in the way that You need
56:33 and some of us just has to be broken.
56:36 And, Lord, we know that is going to hurt,
56:38 we know it's gonna be painful but,
56:40 as long as we're holding on to King Jesus
56:43 You help us do it all.
56:45 And so, Lord, I'm praying for everybody
56:47 who is standing before me
56:48 and those who are viewing, Lord,
56:50 who are standing, Lord, kneeling and begging
56:53 and pleading, Lord, to be blessed, Lord.
56:55 Yes, we want the blessing
56:57 but, Lord, help us in the breaking
57:00 and heal us according, Lord,
57:02 so that when You shall come in those clouds
57:06 we shall be ready to meet our Savior.
57:09 Isaiah 25:9 says, "Lo, this is our Savior,
57:12 we have waited for Him, He has come to take us."
57:15 Lord, this is our martyrdom today,
57:18 this is our prayer, Lord.
57:19 Get us there, Lord, by any means necessary.
57:22 Some of us, Lord, are broken for our kids
57:25 and broken for our spouses and broken for our loved ones.
57:28 Lord, we are praying right now for healing.
57:31 We are praying right now, Lord, for a blessing.
57:34 We are praying right now, holding on to Your promises,
57:36 heavenly Father.
57:37 Don't forsake us, Lord.
57:39 You promised to care of us and so, Lord,
57:41 we relinquish our rights and give them all to You today
57:44 and to heal us.
57:47 On this glorious Sabbath day we pray
57:50 in no other name unto Heaven that can save men.
57:53 In Jesus name, amen, amen and amen.
57:58 God bless you, God keep you.


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Revised 2015-12-03