Please stand with me if you can, for the reading of God's precious word. We will look at Genesis chapter 33. Then Jacob lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, Esau was coming, and four hundred men with him. So he divided the children among Leah and Rachel, and the two servant women. And he put the servant women and their children first, and Leah and her children after them, and Rachel and Joseph after them. But he himself passed on ahead of them. and bowed down to the ground seven times until he came near to his brother. Then Esau ran to meet him and embraced him and fell on his neck and kissed him and they wept. And he lifted up his eyes and saw the women and the children and said, Who are these with you? And he said, the children whom God has graciously given your servant. Then the servant women came near with their children and they bowed down. Leah likewise came near with her children and they bowed down. And afterward, Joseph came near with Rachel And they bowed down. And he said, what do you mean by all these camps which I have met? And he said, to find a favor in the sight of my Lord. But Esau said, I have plenty, my brother. Let what you have be your own. And Jacob said, no, please. If now I have found favor in your sight, then take my present from my hand, for I see your face as once is the face of God, and you have received me favorably. Please take my blessing, which has been brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me, because I have everything. Thus he aired him, and he took it. Then Esau said, Let us take our journey and go, and I will go before you. But he said to him, My Lord knows that the children are weak, and that the flocks and herds which are nursing are a care to me. And if they are driven hard one day, all the flocks will die. Please let my Lord pass on before his servant, and I will lead on slowly according to the pace of the cattle that are before me, and according to the pace of the children until I come to my Lord at Seir. Then Esau said, Please let me leave with you some of the people who are with me. But he said, Why do this? Let me find favor in the sight of my Lord. And Esau returned that day on his way to Seir. But Jacob journeyed to Sakoth and built for himself a house and made booths for his livestock. Therefore, the place is named Sakoth. Now Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan. Then he came from Badan Aram and he camped before the city. Then he bought a portion of the field where he had pitched his tent from the hand of the sons of Hamer, Shechem's father, for 100 pieces of money. Then he set up there an altar and called it El Elohi Israel. May God bless his, add his blessings. to the reading of His precious word. You may be seated. Before I go to the passage itself, I want to mention something. I titled this sermon, New Name, but Old Jacob. I want to make it clear. I love that name Jacob. In fact, if my wife and I had, we had another baby and it was a boy, we would have named him Jacob. So nothing against the name Jacob. New name, but old Jacob. Sometimes God put us in places of dependence on him. If we have everything we need, then we may not want to depend on him. God puts us in a place of dependence on him so that we will trust him. We can see that truth in this chapter. The main theme of Genesis 33 is a reconciliation of Jacob and his brother Esau. Like it was mentioned earlier, it was a beautiful thing to see. Two brothers getting reconciled after 20 plus years. This chapter brings the issues between Jacob and Esau to a conclusion. and marks the end of Jacob's absence from Canaan. When he was at Badan Aram, he met his match, that is his uncle Laban. As I see, there were two reasons why he left his home. to Padana Ram, I always thought about only one reason. That is to run away from his brother Esau, who threatened to kill him. But the second reason is very important. The other being, his desire to obtain a wife from his own people. With the full blessing of his father and the assurance that he has the promises concerning the land and the seed. For that, he had to find a wife. from his own people. And also, in the previous chapter, chapter 32, we saw Jacob wrestled with a man all night. There also, Besides that man, the angel of God, he saw another man. Not just the angel of God, he saw another man during his encounter with God. If you are wondering who that man is, that was Jacob. Jacob found his old self. He found old Jacob. I believe that was God's grace. When the angel of God asked him, what is your name? I am sure he had a hard time telling that name, Jacob. I told my wife, maybe he was stuttering a little bit. Maybe he said, J-J-J-Jacob. He didn't want to say that. Dear brothers and sisters, God knew who he was. but he wanted to hear it from Jacob's own mouth. When God asked him that question, what is your name? I believe all his past, it was just flashing before his eyes. His sinfulness, His deception, His lies, everything just flashed before His eyes. He saw the true Jacob. Let me tell you something. Sometimes preachers will say, look into the mirror and see yourself. But I think if you look into the mirror, all we can see is our makeup and our beautiful face. But when Jacob saw himself, he saw all his ugly past. Even today also there is a way we can see that. That's what Maitreya was talking about earlier. Look into God's word. It will reveal our true self. It will reveal our heart. It will reveal our hatred, our bitterness. Everything we did in the past, this book will reveal to us. It will make it very clear. It will reveal it thousand times, million times better than a mirror. It will show our heart. So it was God's grace and then We know old Jacob, he was humbled. And this was a new beginning for him. When somebody has a new beginning, they get a new name. We can see so many instances in the Bible. He got a new name, Israel. What happened in chapter 32? God was preparing him for what lays ahead. This was an encounter with God that prepared him for his next encounter with his brother Esau. He hasn't seen. for 20 years. But as far as Jacob is concerned, sometimes he kind of fluctuated. Sometimes he lived after his new name, Israel. Sometimes he lived like the old Jacob. Sometimes he liked to be both at the same time, which is not easy for a child of God. Now Jacob was ready for the next encounter to meet Esau. Reconciliation between Jacob and Esau. A new name. a new beginning. When we think about a new beginning, we might be thinking, oh, we are going to see the new limping Israel. That's not what we see here. He read, then Jacob lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, Esau was coming and 400 men with him. We thought he was free of fear after his encounter with God. But here we see something different. We did not know what happened to Yusuf over the last 20 years, how much he has changed, That sight must have frightened him. His brother Esau, he's coming with the 400 men. He thought maybe he's going to kill me. He is. Then look what happened. Jacob was always a man with a plan. He put his plan into motion. We can see verses 2, how he arranged his family. How he arranged his family? There also, we can see, instead of depending on God. In fact, God had already taken care of the problem of Esau. Jacob did not know that. In fact, when he started limping and walking after chapter 32, I think the angel of God was still with him. He did not leave him. He's arranging his family, his own plan. But if you look at Endavis too, and Rachel and Joseph after them at the very end. For him, the maidservants and their children, and Leah and her children, They were more expendable. In chapter 29, we read, he loved Leah, I mean Rachel. Can you imagine? Reuben, I believe, he was old enough to understand. See what daddy did. See what he did. He put Rachel and Joseph way at the back for more protection. Partiality. By the way, it was in the family DNA from the very beginning. Then he put himself on ahead of them and bowed down to the ground seven times until he came near to his brother. And the women and the children, they did the same thing. We can see one difference in Jacob. Before he crossed the river Jabbok, he was staying behind. That's a big difference. But here, daddy is leading the procession. He is leading the family, not anybody else. That is a great truth. But at the same time, He's showing favouritism. I am sure what Reuben saw on that day, it fed jealousy in the brother's heart. Because we see later on they sold Joseph to the Midianite. They kept that in their mind. In verse 5, and then, Verse 4, Then Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him, and they wept. They both wept. And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children, and said, Who are these with you? And he said, The children whom God has graciously given to your servant. See, Jacob is giving credit to God for his children. He is giving credit to God for his children. The children whom God has graciously given, they are a gift from God. Then the servant women came near and their children and they bowed down. I was thinking, instead of bowing down, if Jacob limped his way to his brother, maybe he could both. What a testimony that would have been. I truly believe this was a wasted opportunity. If he was limping toward his brother Esau, Esau might have asked him, oh brother, what happened? Did your ankle break your leg? He could say, no, no. I wrestled with the angel of the Lord all night. Finally, he touched my hip. That's how he got my limp. Not only that, he gave me a new name. I am not that old Jacob anymore. I am Israel. God rules. Or prince with God. Either way you can take it. I am not the old Jacob. I am a new man. What a great testimony That would have been. Warren VSB made this comment about his bowing down. He says, Jacob was now a prince with God, but he wasn't acting like one. I have seen servants on horses while princes walk on the ground like servants, said Solomon in Ecclesiastes chapter 10 verse 7. Then he says, and Jacob was exhibit A of this tragedy. Jacob was exhibit A of this tragedy. That's what Warren VHP said. Brothers and sisters, what an opportunity that was for a good testimony. I'll call it wasted opportunity. Again, I want to say, Jacob's limp It was not his weakness. It was his strength. Apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 11.30, If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weakness. Only two things. Apostle wanted to boast about. One was the cross of Christ. The second was his weakness. A couple of years ago, one of our preachers at Lakewood made a comment like this. I would rather be a puppet in God's hands if he's holding the control in his hands. I would rather be a puppet if he has the control in his hands. I believe Jacob should have limped his way to his brother. since God was with him as he promised. Jacob had reconciled with God during his encounter with God at the Jabbok river. But now he was reconciling with his brother. But it had nothing, absolutely nothing to do with what Jacob did. This reconciliation had nothing to do with what Jacob did. Because when Jacob saw Esau, God had already done the work. It had nothing to do with what Esau did. Because God had already prepared Esau's heart for reconciliation. But next verse 9, verse 8, and he said, what do you mean by all these camps which I have met? And he said, that's Jacob, to find a favor in the sight of my Lord. And Esau said, I have plenty, my brother. Let what you have be your own. I have plenty, my brother. Have you ever heard unbelievers say that? They do. They do. Esau is saying, I have plenty. Some translations say I have enough. As far as an earthly man is concerned, as far as an ungodly man is concerned, he is perfectly happy with what he has in this world. These are the words of a man whose soul is birthright. for a cup of stew. Here is a man who is outside the covenant blessings and the covenant promises and he is saying, I have enough. Brothers and sisters, we can see so many unbelievers. Godly people say, I have enough. They may sound gracious. We may say they are not greedy. They are not jealous about anything else. But they are perfectly happy with their earthly blessings. Esau also was blessed by his father. But his blessings were not of a spiritual kind. It was material blessings. earthly blessings, temporal blessings. And he is saying, my brother, I have enough. I don't need anything else. Firstly, Esau refused to take the gift. But Jacob insisted and finally Esau took them. In 1 Timothy chapter 6 and verse 6 we read, But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. Esau had contentment but no godliness. That's the difference between an ungodly man and a godly man. In Esau's case he was contented but there was no godliness. Then, as I mentioned before, the work of reconciliation was done by God. When He so received the gift The presence that Jacob gave, that means they were both reconciled. And all these things that Jacob did, it was totally unnecessary. If you look at Esau, he had no anger toward Jacob. Jacob was fearful at first. It is totally in the work of God. All Jacob needed to do was to fully trust God instead of trying to figure out things on his own. We read in Psalm 62 verse 8. Trust in him at all times people. Pour out your heart before him. God is a refuge for us. We can trust him at all times. in every circumstance. Then I want to look at verse 11, take a couple of minutes there. There Jacob is telling him, please take my blessings which has been brought to you because God has dealt graciously with me and because I have everything, thus he urged and he took it. If you look at some of the old translations, like the good old King James, it says, God has dealt graciously with me because I have plenty or I have enough. In fact, Charles Spurgeon used the word enough He preached two sermons on this passage, by the way, in 1890. If you look at the translations later on, it says, enough or plenty there means everything, or all things. Look at the difference between Esau and Jacob. Esau said, I have plenty or I have enough. I don't need anything else. Again, Jacob is giving credit to God. He's saying, God has dealt graciously with me because I have everything. What a great testimony. about the grace of God in Jacob's life. At the beginning of the encounter, we saw a wasted opportunity. But here he is saying, God has graciously given me everything, whole thing, because I have God with me. If I have God with me, I have everything I need. Matthew Henry says this, Esau's enough was much, but Jacob's enough was all. Note, a godly man, though he has but little in the world, it may truly say, I have Brothers and sisters, Jacob had all things. We read in Romans chapter 8 verse 32. He who indeed did not spare his own son, but delivered him over for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? That's what Jacob got, all things. I am happy to announce today on the authority of God's word, brothers and sisters, what we have in Christ Jesus is nothing short of all things. It is nothing short of all things. In this passage under consideration, Jacob had everything or all things because he had the God of Abraham, God of Isaac with him and the covenant blessings by God who never changes. can we joyfully say this morning that I have all things in Christ Jesus. I want to go a little further and make another comment. Also before that, in Ephesians chapter 1 verse 3 we read, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Brothers and sisters, that's all. I want to make one more comment. What you and I have in the last Adam, what you and I have in the last Adam, I don't mean the 2nd Adam because there is only 1st and 2nd. What we have in the last Adam is lot more than what we lost in the 1st Adam. What you have in the last Adam, our Lord Jesus Christ, is lot more than what you lost in the 1st Adam in the Garden of Eden. because we are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus. Like I mentioned, Charles Spurgeon preached two sermons on West End. He says, this is what he says, Paul says God spoke to him, my grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Then he says, think what grace there is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Electing grace. Yes, I believe it. Calling grace, forgiving grace, renewing grace. preserving grace, sanctifying grace, perfecting grace, grace upon grace that leads to glory. Oh beloved, all this grace is yours and surely there is grace in aphorium. Why do you fear that you will fail? Will God's grace ever fail you? Never. Never. We have sufficiency in God's grace. Then we will go to separation. That's the second point in my outline that we read in verse 12 to 16. Then Esau said, Let us take our journey and go, and I will go before you. And he said to him, My Lord knows that the children are weak, that the flocks and herds which are nursing are a care to me. And if they are driven hard one day, all the flocks will die. Please let me pass on before each servant. I will lead on slowly according to the place of cattle that before me and according to the place of children until I come to seer. Here we can see old Jacob again. At least that's the way I see it. Esau, I believe, was sincere. He told, I'll be a guide for you. You follow me. Then verse 15 he said, I will leave some people with you, if you want to come slowly. And what did he said? He said, at the end of verse 14, until I come to my Lord at Seir. Jacob said, I will come to south with you, travel south, I'll come to Seir with you. He did not have to say that. There also, he could have said, my brother, I am not coming because that's what God wants me to do. Then why did he say, I am coming with you? As far as we know, he never went to see her. I am sure his brother must have waited for him, maybe a few days. Maybe weeks, then say, I don't see Jacob. He told me he'll come with me. But he did not. Same old Jacob. He never changes. What a testimony. Bad testimony. That would be. He did not have to say that. The next point is Jacob and Succoth. So keep this in mind. He told his brother he will come to Seir. But he did not go. And he was not planning to go. And I won't blame him for not going. He made the right decision. He did the right thing by not going with his brother. But he said the wrong thing. He should have never told that. Then he says, verse 17, Sakath, but Jacob journeyed to Sakath and built for himself a house and made a booth for his livestock. Therefore, the place is named Sakath. At this time, he was very close to the land where he was supposed to go. But he went to Sukkot and built a house. Bible teachers point this out. As a patriarch, he was supposed to live in tent, not in a house. I think that second thing he did, I believe, was not pleasing to the Lord. He may have his own reasons. Ken Fleming, and also in Genesis 31, 13 we read, I am the God of Bethel, where he anointed a pillar, where he made a vow to me. Now arise, leave this land, and return to the land of your kin. That's what God told him. but he should not have stopped at Sakat. Concerning this, Ken Fleming said this. His delay at Sakat, here is a lesson for believers who understand the will of God but stop short of completely fulfilling it. It is all too easy to neglect the will of God and make decisions based on our own security and expediency. This was obedience on his part. Then, 18 to 20, Jacob at Shechem. After an unspecified time at Shechem, Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem. God answered his prayer in 28, 20 to 21. There he asked, I get there in peace or safely. God helped him to get there. But, and he camped before the city. B.G. is in the land of Canaan, when he came to, came from Paddan Aram, and he camped before the city. Dear ones, That is the biggest mistake he did. Living before the city. That was not pleasing to God because we read in chapter 35 verse 1, God telling him, arise, go up to Bethel and live there and make an altar there to God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau. That is where he was supposed to go. Some say he lived there 10 years in Shekham. 10 years. He did not visit his father or did not go to Bethel, as I understand, for 10 years. That is disobedience. Some say it is delayed obedience, which is actually disobedience. So three things he did wrong. Telling Esau he will meet him in Seir, then building a house at Sakoth, and living there long in Shechem. When we sin, when we disobey God, there will be consequences. There will be severe consequences, which we will see in chapter 34 later on. Ten years with his young children, close to the city, just like Lot did, After Abraham and Lot separated, came close to the cities of Sodom. What a bad influence it was on his children. What a bad influence. Something parents should keep in mind. It is very important. With his children, young children, Staying close to these wicked people, people of Canaan, close to the city. And we can see the consequences. But he did a good thing. It says verse 98. And he bought a portion of a field where he had pitched his tent from the hand of the sons of Hamer. Shechem's father bore one hundred pieces of money. Then he set up there an altar and called it El Elohi Israel. One good thing is he paid for the land. It is just like David did in 2 Samuel last chapter. bought that threshing floor from Aruna where the plague stopped. 2 Samuel 24 24 David said and this man was going to give it to free but he said no but I will surely buy it from you for a price for I will not offer banned offerings to Yahweh my God which cost me nothing. So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for 50 shekels of silver. In the same way, Jacob brought this land and set up an altar called El Elohi Israel, or Mighty God, God of Israel. In other words, he's saying, mighty God, my God. God of Israel, my God. But I just want to remind something. If you look at Genesis 27 verse 20, there he told Isaac, because Yahweh, your God, caused it to happened to me when he asked him, son, how did it come so quickly? But here it is not Isaac's God anymore. It is my God. But one thing I want to remind. Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice. 1 Samuel 15, 22. To obey is better than sacrifices. Now briefly, I will look at the application. Jacob always had a problem, he thought. First he thought maybe his problem was Isaac. who showed favoritism to Esau. Maybe he blamed his mother. Oh, it was her fault. She gave me the wrong address. I mean, wrong advice. Maybe he blamed. For every problem, those four women, two wives plus two, who were competing for his attention. It was a problem. Then he thought Laban was a problem. Yes, he was a problem. Then he might have said, oh, Esau was my problem all these years. Dear brothers and sisters, these were all problems. But the real problem in Jacob's life, the real problem, It was not any of this. The real problem in his life was his relationship with the God of Abraham and God of Isaac. His real problem was his relationship with the God of Bethel. But finally he understood. What about we as Christians? I have seen so many believers blaming the church for their problem. I would say church is the problem, leave the church. But it may not be the problem always. Some people blame their children for their problem. Some people blame their parents for their problems. Some blame their siblings for their problem. There may be problems. But think about it. It may be our relationship with our God who sent his own son to die for us on the cross of Calvary. Are we trusting him fully? Are we putting our trust in him? He is a God who cares for us, who watches over us, one who is living for us. Sometimes it is good to think about it. It is. Whose problem it is? In closing, I like to read Genesis 45, 28. Genesis 45, 28, this is a verse I often read. Here, Jacob is telling his sons. Not 28, 42, 36. 42, 36, I'm sorry. 42, 36. 42, 36. And their father Jacob said to them, you have rid me of my children. Joseph is no more. He was made to believe that an animal killed him. Simeon is no more. He was a hostage in Egypt. And you would take, Benjamin, all these things are against me. All these things are against me. I have seen believers telling the same things. Seems like everything is against me. But they forget the fact that Our God is in control. He's sovereign. Nothing happens in our life without His sovereign power. But now turn with me to Genesis 45, 28. 45, 28. There he was told, Joseph is alive. And Jacob said, it is enough. With an exclamation point. It is enough. My son Joseph is still alive. It is enough. I don't want anything else. I don't want to hear anything else. My son, he is alive. It is enough. Dear brothers and sisters, I want to remind you this morning, as a believer, if you feel like things are against you, family sickness, death in the family, cancer, Loss of friends. Loss of dear ones. So many things. Rebellious children. Unloving parents. We think all these things are honest to you. Let me tell you. He's alive. Sorry, I get a little emotional sometimes. He is alive. He is alive. Our Joseph is alive. He is alive. That's enough. That's enough. That's enough. Now before Noel and the music team, come and lead us in closing. I'd like to read the benediction, which is the last two verses of the book of Jude. The last two verses of the book of Jude, just before Revelation. Now, to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and make you stand in the presence of his glory, blameless, with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, be glory, majesty, might, and authority before all time and now Forever, Amen, Amen. May his name be glorified.