The last note. Let's turn first of all to Philippians chapter 3, and I want to read three verses here, and then we will go over to Genesis 28. Philippians 3, and listen carefully, because what Paul says introduces this message. Philippians 3, verses 12 through 14. Paul says, It is not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect. But I follow after, if that, or in hopes that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended, but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth, reaching forth, trying to grasp those things which are before. Paul says, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. I press. Our Lord said this. He said, The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. In other words, those who want the kingdom of heaven, go after it. Go after it. Lay hold of it. Paul said this several times. Lay hold of eternal life. You ever laid hold of someone or something? I've been laid hold of by my dad a couple of times, and I knew I'd been laid hold of. And, on the other hand, I have grasped someone or something, laid hold of it, not wanting to let go of it. That's what he said. Lay hold. Press. I've reached forth. This is our story today. Go back to Genesis 28 now. And this story separates true seekers from the merely curious. And in reality, this separates the sons of Jacob from the sons of Esau. Jacob had a love. Jacob, old Jacob. All sons of Jacob are going to enjoy this story. Jacob, there's much written of him in Scripture. God calls himself the God of Jacob. I'm the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Scripture says this, Psalm 146.5, happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help. And we're going to see that. David said the God of Jacob is our refuge. Scripture says he established a testimony in Jacob. establish something in Jacob. Jacob. Jacob's the type of every believer. Jacob, oh Jacob, Jacob's just an old sinner saved by grace. Jacob's a sinner whom God chose and called and sovereignly saved. The life of Jacob, the life of Jacob was full of trouble. was just a sorry fellow until the Lord saved him, and even then he did some sorry things. Jacob's such a type of us. Jacob cheated his brother. Now, what kind of fellow would cheat his brother? He did. He cheated his brother. He deceived his father, Jacob. Now, this is not a teenager when he did that, probably in his twenties at least. Jacob had to leave home. He left home because of his sorriness. He left home, and his brother hates him. His mother is worried about him. His dad is just hoping he'll turn out all right. And he left home with a prayer from his father. His father said, May the Lord bless you, son. He knew he had to get out. He left home, and all he had was a stick in his hand, a staff. And he left the house. That's all he had. rich in mercy. For his great love wherewith he loved Jacob. He loved Jacob. Jacob is a fellow only God could love, or would love. Sorry. God chose Jacob long, long time before. Jacob had I loved, he said. Nobody else did, except his mother. Jacob have I loved." And God revealed himself to old Jacob. Look here in chapter 28. I need to turn there myself, don't I? Genesis 28. Chapter 28 is where God revealed himself to Jacob, and what he revealed was Christ. Christ revealed himself to Jacob. It says in verse 12 that Jacob was dreamed, and behold, a ladder set up on the earth. And the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God ascending and descending, going back and forth from heaven to earth on this ladder. And verse 13, Behold, the Lord stood above the ladder, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac. And God made a promise to Jacob, The land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it unto thy seed, and thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth." Verse 15, and he said, God said, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land, for I will not leave thee until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. God reveals his sovereign, all-powerful person to Jacob. God tells him everything that God's going to do for him and purpose concerning him. He doesn't ask Jacob anything, does he? He doesn't ask Jacob to make a decision, does he? He doesn't ask Jacob to accept him as his God. He just reveals himself. I am your God. And he said, I will do this, I will do that. I have done this, I have done that. This is salvation. You know what? When God just reveals who he is and what he has done in Christ. That latter, in case you don't know, that latter is Christ. It says the angels of God descending from heaven, descending from heaven and ascending. That's Christ the way to God. There's only one way for a sinner who's earthbound to reach God who's heavenward, and that's Christ the way. The daislon betwixt us, the way, the God-man. He came down and he takes us in. He revealed Christ to us. Yeah, Jacob heard of Christ. Scripture says, whom he did foreknow, he did predestinate. whom he predestinated, he called. So God did that. He loved Jacob. He determined everything concerning him, and he called him right here at Bethel. And he justified him. Jacob believed. Look at verse 16. Jacob waked out of his sleep. He was sleeping before. Yeah, and before that, he didn't even know God and really acted like he didn't care. He was just a no-good, rebellious son. But God chose him, loved him, and revealed himself to him. Now Jacob knows who God is, and Jacob believes. And he says in verse 16, Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it. God is my God, and I didn't know it. God's purposed all things concerning me, and I didn't know it. God's been having mercy on me ever since the day I was born. I didn't know it. God is God, and I didn't know it. God's everywhere. In Him, I live and move and have my being, and I didn't know it. I thought I got all this for myself. I thought I could just cheat and do all this and make a way for myself, but everything's of God, and I didn't know it. Well, he believes now who God is, and he's in his hands. Verse 20, Jacob bowed about. Now, this is not some silly vow of some vain promise that, you know, if you'll bless me, then I'll give. No, no, no, no. Jacob is so grateful that God has revealed himself to him and spoken to him, he believes. And all he's saying here is, since you have revealed yourself as my God. And if you are truly my God, let's read it. If God will be with me and keep me in this way that I go and give me bread to eat and raiment to put on, that's all I ask for, food and raiment, I'll be content. So that I come again to my Father's house in peace. God grant me peace and the Lord, he's my God. Whoever can keep me. is God indeed. Do you say that? If you're like Jacob, if you're anything like Jacob, if you're a son of Jacob, God can keep me in line. If God can protect me all my days and bring me safely to heaven, that's, he's God indeed. He's my God. Well, much happens to Jacob. Much happened to Jacob after this. Trials, tribulations, troubles, ups and downs. So many things happened to Jacob in the life of Jacob. Oh my. All according to God's purpose. Every bit of it. Jacob was a man. He was just a man. A sinner. A fallible, finite, failing, man, sinner. And he failed miserably. Jacob failed miserably. And he paid for his mistakes. He paid for his mistakes. And we will. We will. We mess up and we'll pay for those mistakes. Yes, we will. Not necessarily punishment from God, but lessons learned. But it's all going to work God's purpose. You can count on that. Count on that. Jacob failed miserably, and he paid for those mistakes, but I tell you what, it's going to be all right concerning Jacob. Boy, he got in a mess on every hand. Look at chapter 32 now. Chapter 32. And the reason it's going to be all right. Why is Jacob going to be all right? Why is everything going to turn out okay by Jacob? Huh? Why? Because Jacob's better than anybody? Oh, no. No. The only reason Jacob is going to turn out all right for Jacob is because God's his God. Because God promised. Because God said, I love this boy, and I purposed everything concerning him, and I'm going to keep him, and nothing, nobody's going to hurt him. And he's going to work out my purpose. That's the only reason he's going to turn out for Jacob. If Jacob's left to himself, he's going to kill himself, or somebody else will kill him first. His brother, Esau. Why is it going to be all right for Jacob? Because God's his God. The God of Jacob. All happy as he is. The God of Jacob, for his help. A purposing, sovereign God. He works all things in spite of. Twenty-five or thirty years passed. Twenty-five or thirty years. Jacob's probably fifty in his fifties by now. Surely Jacob has learned some lessons. The Lord revealed himself twenty, twenty-five years ago. He'd been walking with the Lord. Surely he's made some progress and learned some lessons, and surely he won't foul up again. Oh, happy is he to have the God of Jacob. for his health. Jacob messed up again. He failed miserably. Why? Because he's a man. He's a sinner. He messes up bad again. He left home before with everybody mad at him. Now he's living with his father-in-law and he gets his father-in-law absolutely irate against him. His father-in-law is so mad at him he can chew nails. Because he tricked his father-in-law. And he's forced to leave again. Jacob has to leave there. Now he's got a big family, though. He's got two wives and a bunch of kids, eleven. And he's forced to leave again, and on top of that, somebody comes to him and says, we'll look at verse six. Messengers return to Jacob. Jacob's heading out, leaving, and they said, We came to your brother Esau, and he's coming to meet you. He's got four hundred men." He's after you. Jake, your brother Esau, has finally caught up with you, and he's got four hundred men with him. Okay. Oh, Jacob. Now he's on the run. He's afraid. He's distressed. He's in trouble. He doesn't know where he's going. What's he going to do? What's an old sinner going to do like that? Huh? Where's he going to turn? Everybody's after him. Where's he going to turn? Who's he going to turn to for help? Oh, happy. You see, that hath the God of Jacob for his help." He calls on his God, the God of Jacob. He hadn't changed much. Yeah, he had. He'd changed, but you wouldn't know it sometimes. But God hadn't changed. God hadn't changed. He hadn't changed His purpose. His Word hadn't changed. God didn't change His mind concerning Jacob. God didn't say, if you'll straighten up and fly right, I'll be your God, did He? He just said, I'll be your God. He didn't say, I will be. He said, I am. Who's Jacob going to turn to? The God of Jacob. I love this prayer. This is one of the greatest prayers in Scripture. Look at it with me. 9. Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the Lord which said unto me, Return unto thy country and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee. I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which thou hast shown unto thy servant. For with my staff, with a stick in my hand, I passed over this Jordan, and now I've got a full house." I was Jacob when I left, with a stick in my hand, and I'm still Jacob. Now look at all this. The margin says, My margin of reference says I'm less than all. I'm less than the least. I'm not worthy of the least of your mercy. I don't deserve anything from you. Anything. Look at all that. I left home with a stick in my hand. Even when I was 17 years old, I left home. I had a backpack on my back. My parents didn't know where I was going. I didn't either. Now look at me. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his Ham. This is my story. This is my story. This is my song, praising my Savior all the day long. Jacob said, I'm not worthy. You know, happy and blessed is the man or the woman who realizes they're an old Jacob. Because who's been forgiven much, they'll love him up. Who's been given much and realizes they don't deserve anything, will be mighty grateful and never take it for granted, or at least not too much. I left home with a stick in my hand, Jacob said. And he says, deliver me. Verse 11. Deliver me. I need... What do you need, Jacob? Same thing I needed when I started. Everybody's after me. Because I deserve it. I get what I deserve. You left me alone. Oh, deliver me. Help me. I pray thee from the hand of my brother Esau, I fear him lest he will come and smite me." But you said, Jacob pleads God's word, God's promise, you said, I will surely do thee good and make thy seas the sands of the sea which cannot be numbered for most of them. You said, you said you're the Lord that changes not, therefore you sons of Jacob are not consumed. That's what you said. You said, Come unto me, all ye that labor and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. You said, He that cometh, all the Father giveth me, shall come to me, and he that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out by no means, under no circumstances, will I cast you out. That's what you said. That's my only hope. Is it you, Jacob? Jacob Davis? Jacob Sword? Jacob Sheisler? Is that your only hope after all these years? Just an old sorry son of Jacob that, God, I haven't improved much. In fact, I can't tell I've improved any at all. You're the only one that knows. I need the same thing I needed in the beginning. I need your help. I need you to save me. I need you to keep me. I need you to have mercy on me. God of Jacob. God of Jacob. Jacob, look at verses 22 and 23. He rose up that night, took his two wives, his two women servants, and his eleven sons, and passed over the four jeopardy. He took them, he took his two wives and servants and eleven sons, and sent them over the brook ahead of him. He's got that much, he's at least that courageous, you know, he's not going to, he's going to let them go and he's going to face his brother himself, get what's coming to him. But he doesn't want them in harm's way. He's got that much character, doesn't he? He sends him a welcome. He had two wives. Now, Jacob left home and he had two wives, two servants. He had children while he was there and on the way. Benjamin was born on the way. But eleven sons, and he's on foot. Now get this. He's on foot. He's on the run. He's got a huge family to care for. Is he going to make it? Is God going to provide for him? Is everything going to be alright? Boy, it looks, this guy, he and his family are totally at the mercy of God. Yeah, they are. They're totally dependent on God here. Yes, they are. Yes, they are. And why is it going to be alright? Like I said, because Jacob's God is said he was his God, because Jacob's God promised he would. And let me remind you, let me remind you of something here, all right? This is Jacob, and remember, he's got eleven boys with him. Who are these boys? Who are these boys? Well, it's Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Dan, Naphtalib, Gad, Asher, Joseph. It's got to be all right. God's purpose is all wrapped up in these. Nothing and nothing. God's purpose is in all this. God's Word's at stake, God's power's at stake, God's veracity's at stake. Is it going to be all right? You better believe it. Nothing's going to alter this. Nothing's going to get in the way of it, because God has said, God has purposed, God has willed. All happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his hands. He said, I purposed all things concerning you that are ordered and sure. The world may stop at and not like God's predestinating purpose. That's my only hope. How about you? It is every son of Jacob. Your only hope is that if that turns out all right, it will be because God purposed it. Well, here's a confrontation. Old Jacob has a confrontation. If you've taken notes, it's a confrontation, and then a confession, and then a blessing. A confrontation. That night, he sends his family out, and it says in verse 24 of chapter 32, you have it? That night, Jacob was left alone. Folks, salvation is between God and the sinner. Salvation is between God and the sinner. Between the Savior and the sinner. No Savior winner is going to get in the way. Nobody is going to win you to the Lord. Forget that. Somebody may preach the Word, but when it comes down to it, it's going to be between God and the man, or the woman, or the young person. And it's going to be a wrestling match. Salvation is not an easy thing. Listen to me. Listen to me. Salvation is not a passive thing. Listen to me. That we're passive in it, when it's happening, you're not passive. He said, you'll find me have. If I'm going to be saved, I'm going to be saved. When you speak me with all your heart, he said. God calls on people. Yes, he does. God calls. Whom he did foreknow, he did predestinate. Whom he predestinated, he called. God calls first. Well, if I'm going to be called, I'm going to be called. Who? No sir! All those that call on him. Salvation is a confrontation with God. It's a wrestling match. Salvation and the rest of the life of a believer. Listen to me. After the match, it's not over. After the initial wrestling with God, it's not over. Jacob's fifty-five years old here. Jacob's sixty years old here. He's known God for thirty years. But there's a wrestling match. He needs help now more than ever. He saved us, made a decision years ago. No sir. Salvation is a confrontation with God, and the whole life of a believer from then forward is a confrontation, a wrestling, a grappling. A laid hold of and being laid hold of. You remember what Paul said? I apprehend that for which I'm apprehended. Said I'm not apprehended yet, so I forget. Reach forth. Well, look at this. I like this. It says, verse 24, And there wrestled a man with him. They're wrestling with a man. A man? A man was—Jacob. In the middle of the night, some man grabs him and starts wrestling with him. Yeah, a real man was wrestling. This wasn't a dream. This was happening. A real man, flesh and blood, was—grabbed him. Jacob was asleep. Jacob was just lying there on the ground, and all of a sudden, a man— Jacob said, verse 30, Jacob called the name of the place Pliny, for I've seen God face to face. I've wrestled with God. Now, wait a minute. The Lord Jesus Christ said no man has seen God at any time, didn't he? No man has seen God at any time. He said, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared it. God was manifest in the flesh. In him was all the fullness of the Godhead, and the body. This is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ, who came down for this old sinner named Jacob and grabbed ahold of him. The same way he revealed himself thirty years prior to that, I'm your God, and revealed his purpose thirty years later. Old Jacob is still Jacob, and he needs shook. The Lord himself lays hold of him. You see that the man wrestled with him. If God did not lay hold on us, we would not lay hold on him. If God did not first call us, we would not call him. If God did not wrestle with us, we would not wrestle with him. By the grace of God we're saved, by the grace of God we're kept, by the grace of God we call, by the grace of God we seek. But the man, nevertheless, a man wrestled with it, a man, the Lord Jesus Christ. And every sinner, people, every sinner, every single sinner whom God has chosen and loved and purposes to save is going to be wrestled with. It's going to be a confrontation between Christ and the sinner, every single one. That's right. Oh, it's not some emotional thing because you sing so many verses of Just As I Am, or because somebody dies, or because you get sick, or because you get in trouble. That's not it at all. It's going to be a confrontation with the person, the claims, the rights, the word, the authority, the salvation of Jesus Christ. That gospel, it comes in the form of the gospel being preached, in which it absolutely laid hold of you, and speaks to you, and says, look at you. That's what the gospel does. You ain't some silly, namby-pamby, emotional thing. It's what God says, I'm your God. You ain't nothing but Jacob. Listen to me. You're going to die, you're going to kill yourself, and everybody else is going to kill you if you don't listen to me. Wake up, Jacob! This was no... Jacob, get up, honey. I'm sorry to bother you. Sorry to violate your free will. I know you're sleeping. I know you're comfortable. Don't let... I'll come back later. Huh? Come here! You ever wrestled? Justin back there's a wrestler, he'll tell you. Wrestling's the toughest thing you've ever done in your life. It is. It's the hardest thing. I used to do it in high school. Tell me, Justin, is it not so? After a hard, long wrestling match, even your hair hurts. He knows what I'm talking about. Every part of your being has been affected. You're hurt all over. Inside and out. The next day or two, you've got bruises you didn't know you had. You've got muscles you didn't know were there that you used. It's tough. It's hard. Jacob was not passive in this thing. Listen, somebody's wrestling with you. If there's a wrestling match, it takes two. Right? In your wrestling, Justin, have you ever had a match where you faced yourself? Justin. Now, today, we've got Justin Hendry wrestling. Who? Nobody. That's ridiculous. It takes two. He's wrestling. Jacob's not sleeping. He's wrestling. He's not sleeping anymore. He's wrestling. Jacob's not passive. He's wrestling. He's not presumptuous. Well, God's going to save me, he's going to save me. And I'm going to relax, I'm going to… He's wrestling! He's an old man, and he's wrestling! Wake up, Jacob. Verse 25 says the man, when he saw that he prevailed not against Jacob. What do you mean prevailed not against Jacob? This is the Lord, this is God wrestling with the man. What do you mean he couldn't prevail? He couldn't win? Oh, no, no, no, no. He's testing Jacob. You'll see in just a second. He just touched him one time and put him all out of joint. He's testing Jacob. And Jacob's proving himself. He's serious. He's wrestling. He's wrestling. He's serious, isn't he? Bless a man that's serious. Jacob wasn't playing. He prevailed not against him, so he touched the hollow of his thigh, the inside of his leg, and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint as he wrestled with him. Like I said, wrestling is the toughest thing I know, and at some point, at some point, somebody's going to give. Something's going to give. Something's going to break. Something's going to get out of joint. Somebody's going to win. And somebody's going to cry, Uncle. Oh, I used to admire two older brothers. I'm glad I did. They were a blessing. I know that now. And then, whoo, all I was was their punching bag. little brother that they could even, even my sister, you know, until I got old enough to, I could handle her. But my brothers, oh, they hung me one time, they, they tied me by my, tied my feet together, and strung me up from a tree. Seriously, through a tree, through that rope over a tree branch, and left! Boys are about the meanest thing, aren't they? Left me. My brother, one of them, just for sport, used to just put my head through the wall. Oh, my. Somebody's going to win. I just found myself quite a bit saying, Uncle, Uncle, please. But somebody's going to give, somebody's going to break. When God Almighty truly wrestles with a sinner, something's going to break, and I'll tell you what it is. It's the heart. It's the will. That old self-will, that old proud spirit of pride. Something's going to break. You're going to get all out of joint. You were whole, you were alright, you thought you were something, you were tough, you had some body and everything. When this wrestling match is over, you're plum out of joint. Everything's out of joint. Ain't nothing like it was. You're not like you were. It says in verse 31, Jacob left there and he halted on his thigh. He has a permanent reminder. of this wrestling match. He's not the same anymore. He's still Jacob. And he still gets in more trouble. But he's been wrestled with. He's still Jacob, but he's not Jacob. He's different. It's a paradox. He's still Jacob, but no, he's Israel. He's still a sinner, but no, he's a saint. He's still a rebel, but no, He's a child of God. He put his thigh out of joint, and Jacob walked with the lamb from that day forward. And every son of Jacob whom God has wrestled with, that old proud heart is broken. The walk has changed. The talk has changed. They've been conquered by Christ. They're not so proud anymore, not so boastful. They do a lot of talking about God's grace, not about themselves. Well, here's a confession. Verse 27, it says, verse 26, the angel said, Let me go for the day breaking. And Jacob said, I will not let thee go, except you bless me. That's what Paul is saying over there. I haven't apprehended yet. I'm not there yet. Jacob wasn't home yet. Jacob hadn't returned yet. He hadn't made it yet. He's got troubles now, and he's going to have more troubles. And he said, I won't let you go. I won't quit holding on. I'm not going to quit, except you bless me. Such is salvation. Our salvation is because God's not going to let go of us. You know that? That's our hope. It's that God said, no man flucks you out of my hand. That's all my hope. But you know what? That's preservation of the saints. He preserves them all. But they persevere. They're not going to let go, either. They're not going to presume. They're not going to—they're going to wrestle. That's them. By God's grace, they're going to say, I'm not going to quit. I don't deserve the least of your mercies. I don't deserve to be a part of this. I may be presumptuous in thinking that you're going to put up with me from here on, but by your grace, I'm not going to quit. I'm not leaving. You have to run me off. In fact, that dog in my neighborhood, my neighbor's dog, it kept coming up there. I kept running her off. Don't want you. She kept coming back. Don't need you. I got two dogs. We're going to need another one. Another mouth to feed. She kept coming back. I know what was happening. My other two dogs were talking to her. They were saying, look at us, we're dogs. That's what they were saying, look at us, we're black dogs, we're no black dogs. You're pretty doubtful. He doesn't need us, we've never done a thing for him. He's fed us, and waters us, and put up with us, and stole this life. I tell you what, you keep coming, guarantee he'll take you. I know they do it. I know they do it. They tell them, you know what? You know what? You know where that dog is? No, I'm over with my dog. And my neighbor doesn't care, Roberta. Been feeding her dog for years. I treat her like my dog now. She just kept coming. Presumptuous? Well, maybe. Got a merciful neighbor. You've got a merciful man up there who takes dogs. He'll take dogs. Keep coming. Keep coming. He said, verse 27, What's your name? You see, God doesn't demand anything of Brother Stephen. It's God who does the asking. What is your name? And he said, Jacob. My name's Jacob. Back when Esau was after him, Esau said, his name's Jacob and he's named right. Said that to his mom and dad. He's Jacob. Jacob means the supplanter. Jacob means wants everything for himself. Jacob means he'll run over anybody to get his way. That's what Jacob means, supplanter. And Esau said, he's named right. His name's Jacob and I hate him. And the angel said, what's your name? A confession. After this confrontation, what's your name? Nobody. Nothing. No good. Sinner. Jacob. Ah, happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help. He said, I am the God of Jacob, therefore you sons of Jacob are not the same. Everybody will admit everyone that will admit they are Jacob, is going to get a blessing. Look at it. It says, Thy name, verse 28, shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel, Prince with God. Because, he says, as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. Power with God. We saw that, didn't we? Thy who has power. What this means, and our Lord, this is quoted in John 1, verses 12 and 13. This man has received him. To them gave he power. That means the rights, the authority, the privileges, all the blessings, all that goes with being a son of God. Power with God. My daughter has power with me that other children don't have power. You understand? It doesn't mean she could change my will or force me to do anything, that she has the upper hand over me or can make demands of me. No. It means she has every right, every privilege, all that comes with being my daughter. She can ask anything of me. And if I see fit, I'll give it to her. And I'll never test her out. That's the right she has as my daughter. That's the privilege. You understand? Now, Jacob, your name's Israel. Prince, no longer a supplanter, but Prince of God. Prince. Prince. Now, let me ask you. The Lord blessed him. It's obvious that was Christ. He said, your name's no more Jacob, but Israel. And let me ask you, what do you reckon Jacob called himself from here on? He's a prince, prince with God. Do you reckon that he went out and called himself Israel? Oh, no. He never could get used to that. He never could get used to that. Boy, he didn't feel worthy to be called that. To him, he's just still old Jacob, to the day he dies. He didn't go around saying, I want you to know I'm a born-again prince. He didn't go around telling everybody that, I'll have you know that I'm Israel. No, no. Jacob, what's your name? Barbara, whenever somebody asked him his name, what'd he say? Jacob. What's your name? Sinner. Yeah, but you're something, Marshall, nothing. I wasn't anything when he found me. I wasn't anything when he saved me. I'm not anything now. Nor have I gotten with what I've received. Grace hath bestowed it, and now I believe. Most things excluded, but I do. I'm only a sinner, saved by grace. You don't call yourself a saint. God does, but we don't. I've talked to many of you, and every one of you feel less than the least of all the saints, don't you? Good. You should. Every one of you feel like I'm not worthy? Good. Because you're not. Every one of you feel like I'm no good? Good. Because that's what you are. But God. The God of Jacob. You've got to be a Jacob. You've got to be a Jacob to have the God of Jacob. But happy is he to have the God of Jacob for his help. Well, he called the name of the place. He asked the angel his name, but he wouldn't tell him. In verse 30, Jacob called the name of the place Peniel. I've seen God face to face. And it says he walked out of there and halted on his thigh. Brother Kelly, he was limping, but he was smiling. He's hurting, but there he had peace that he didn't have when he was four and ten. You know, he's still got troubles. He's still coming. But God spent time with him. God promised him. God reassured him. God wrestled with him. And the beautiful part of this story. It says that, is it going to turn out alright? Is it going to turn out alright? I asked that. Esau's coming after him. 400 men. It's all over now. Yeah, Esau came running up, and what Esau did was came running up and grabbed me around the neck, not to choke him, but to kiss him. Oh, my brother, he said, I couldn't sleep. Jacob said, and I was worried. Oh, and the happiest thing, God turned Esau's heart. He turned Esau's purpose. Esau may have been going after him, but he ended up helping him. Happiest thing, that's the God of Jacob. All right, let's sing in closing. Number eleven. Hymn number eleven in the Green Book. Number eleven. When all thy mercies, O my God, my rising soul surveys, ha, transported with the view, I'm lost in wonder, love, and praise." In Number 11. Let's stand for a second. When all thy mercies, O my God, are rising so certainly,