Sonrise

"Now the sun rose upon him just as he crossed over Penuel, and he was limping on his thigh."  (Genesis 32:31 NAS95S)

Observation:  With the new light of dawn came a new limp and a new name.  The deceiver had become the overcomer; for his strength had given way to brokenness, and his brokenness was the sign of blessing.  The blessing of a name.  A new name!  Not the name of his mother.  Not the name of his father.  But the name of his God!  Israel... The one who strives with man and with God and prevails.  

Yes this was the name of His God.  The name of the one who would come.  The name of the Christ.  Luke speaks about the Holy One of Israel when he records:  

"And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men." (Luke 2:52 NAS95S)

Mark records the accusations against the Holy One of Israel in chapter 15:32

""Let this Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe!" Those who were crucified with Him were also insulting Him." (Mark 15:32 NAS95S)

In hanging from the tree, Christ would strive with man and prevail.  This was after the garden where he had striven with God and prevailed.  Yet the striving of Christ was not through strength but surrender.  Not through forcing His will, but through yielding His will.  He first yielded His will to the Righteous One and then to evil ones.  First to a Holy God and then to wicked men.   And He was not afraid of what the wicked might do to him, because He trusted in what His God promised to do.  O the glory of the One who strives with God and with man; the glory of the One who prevails.  In was the striving of the Christ that gave Jacob a new name.  It was the prevailing of the Almighty, that allowed Jacob to prevail.  The One who would come after Jacob, wrestled him in the night, and gave the deceiver his very own name.  Yes Israel was the name of Christ; it is the name of the incarnation.  A name Jacob did not deserve; but a name God could not withhold from him because of His great lovingkindness to be displayed in the covenant promise of His Son!

Application:  Who am I that he should bear the name of my God?  Who am I that I should be one of the family of Israel?  But I am.  Not by might, not by power, but by the Spirit of God.  Through the Spirit, through the indwelling Christ, I am a new creation.  Old things are gone.  All things have become new.  And as the sun shines down upon the valley this morning, my Father looks down with a smile upon His child.  He is well pleased with me, because of the all sufficient sacrifice of my Lord Jesus.  He is well pleased with me because of the One who has come to dwell in me.

Prayer:  Lord Jesus I thank You for Your incarnation.  I thank You for striving with my heart and the heart of Your Father.  I thank You for bringing reconciliation through Your death on Calvary's cross.  I thank You for a new name and a new identity.  I am no longer a slave or servant, I am a friend.  No longer estranged; I am God's son.  O Jesus I praise and thank You from the bottom of my heart for making all of this possible.  You are my God.  You alone are worthy of praise.  You deserve the highest honor.  The greatest glory.  You are the one.  You are the Holy One of Israel!

""Do not fear, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel; I will help you," declares the LORD, "and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel." (Isaiah 41:14 NAS95S)

With No Regrets

"For though I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it—for I see that that letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while— I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us. For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death. For behold what earnestness this very thing, this godly sorrow, has produced in you: what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what avenging of wrong! In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter. So although I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of the offender nor for the sake of the one offended, but that your earnestness on our behalf might be made known to you in the sight of God."  (2Corinthians 7:8-12 NAS95S)

Observation:  Godly sorrow comes with no regrets.  True repentance is without resentment.  As Paul says, true repentance produces vindication, indignation, fear, longing, zeal, and an avenging of wrong.  Godly sorrow produces an earnestness in the heart of the receiver that results in a life of passion and purpose.  How we need the true repentance of the Lord!!!

Application:  These words come at a great time in my experience and in the experience of the churches of the San Luis Valley.  We have be walking our way through the book of Malachi.  Our series is entitled The Refiner's Fire.  It is all about being purified through the fiery tears of repentance and true turn around.  

And these words of Paul come as an assurance this morning that we don't have to fear repentance.  That when we repent, there is joy awaiting us on the other side of mourning.  True repentance is seen in the true apostle who goes forth with the seed of the gospel:

"He who continually goes forth weeping, Bearing seed for sowing, Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, Bringing his sheaves with him." (Psalms 126:6 NKJV)'

It is the tears of the truly repentant that will cause the seed of God's word to come to life in the lives of the lost.  When they see His power to save, His power to transform our lives, His power to create a true change in us, they will come running to the foot of the cross.  I believe part of the reason the church is so ineffective today is because we are so unrepentant.  

It is time we sought the gift of repentance.  It is time we cried out for the convicting influence of His Holy Spirit.  Time that we got on our knees and pleaded... God save us.  God change us.  God sent a Spirit of grace and supplication (Zechariah 12:10) upon your people that we might look upon the one whom we have pierced and mourn with a true repentance because of the power of His sacrifice on Calvary's cross.  May this be our prayer!  And as the tears of repentance flow, may the seed of God's word bear the fruit of salvation in the lives of the lost!