Assurance within your problems
Genesis 32:13~32 Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.” (28)
Hymn for scheduled worship: Korean/English Hymnal #347 We are Bound for Canaan Land (#382 in previous version)
Jacob was someone who spent most of his life in suffering. He escaped from his brother and left his homeland, and he continuously faced economic problems. Although God prepared tremendous blessings for Jacob, he did not know this and suffered for much of his life.
1. Assurance
Jacob continued to shake in his faith because he did not have assurance in the most important things. God chose Jacob from the time he was in the womb, though he failed to realize this, and he was given the great blessing of salvation and the covenant. When he fled from his older brother, God gave him the message, “Through your seed, all nations will live.” In the same way, before the time of creation, God called us. This mystery has been kept hidden for long ages past. The fact that we’ve been saved means that everything is finished. We should note that Satan goes after those without the assurance of salvation. God is the sovereign creator who rules over all living things. God, in His providence, called us to do world evangelization. God has a perfect and good plan for us.
2. The guidance of the Holy Spirit
Whenever Jacob faced a problem, he faltered and resorted to deception. Jacob did not properly receive the guidance of the Holy Spirit and instead, he continued to suffer. Ultimately, he was deceived himself by his uncle Laban for 20 years.
3. The greatest blessing
Although God had prepared the greatest blessing for Jacob, Jacob from the beginning did not realize this. While traveling with his family and all his possessions towards his homeland, he heard that his brother Esau was arriving to meet him with 400 soldiers. When Jacob was alone at the Jabbok River, he bowed down before God. From this point on, he was called Israel because he struggled with God and with men and overcame. In order to hold on to the blessings that will allow us to overcome problems, our environment, crises, or personal problems, we must have the strength to transform problems into blessings. This is the core of an evangelist’s life. If we begin to enjoy the Word, prayer, and evangelism, we will gain the strength to overcome all problems, our environment, and crises and in turn, we will gain the strength to transform them into blessings.
- Meditate deeply on the assurance of salvation, forgiveness, answers to prayer, guidance, and victory.
Core Training Message / 2010.10.23