July 14, 2025 • 26 mins
A study in the book of Hebrews, chapter 11.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to K Wave's Pastor Spotlight featuring the Bible teaching
of our local Southern California pastors. This week we're pleased
to be featuring Pastor Chet Lowe, senior pastor of Calvary Life.
Calvary Life is located at 19,300 South Vermont Avenue in Gardena,
formerly known as Calvary Chapel South Bay. Did you know
(00:23):
Chet is a season.
Pastor with a lifetime of Christian ministry that began his
childhood in the Bahamas. As an adult, he ministered in
war-torn Liberia. Then he served at Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale
beginning in the year of 2000, pioneering a number of
helpful ministries. In 2021, Chet took over the leadership of
(00:46):
his current church home.
Here now is Chet Lowe with today's study in Hebrews
chapter 11 verse 21. He opens with today's Bible verse.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
Hebrews chapter 11 verse 21.
By faith.
Jacob
When he was dying.
blessed each of the sons of Joseph and worshiped, leaning
(01:20):
on the top of his staff. Do you remember that
kid growing up who always got into trouble?
He or she.
Might as well have been the lead role in the
Little Rascals. Once again, I date myself.
They were always doing something to someone to cause a problem.
(01:46):
Some of you are going, that was me.
I was that person. Well, I've got great news for you.
This story is gonna give all of us a lot
of hope about the gracious God that we have, who
never gives up on us.
(02:07):
Because how many of you when you were younger, made
a lot of mistakes?
Can I get an amen?
How do you look back on your youth going, oh
my goodness.
Like when you think about what you did, you're cringe.
(02:27):
How many of you did that just last week? Don't
raise your hand.
Yeah
Or how many of us?
Have a prodigal.
A youth
Who was tempted in the world.
Grew up in the church.
(02:50):
forsook the Lord.
And now you as the parent.
You're praying desperately.
That was Jacob.
That was Jake.
From the time he was born, he was causing a problem.
In fact, his name, Jacob means heel catcher.
(03:15):
Because as Esau was coming out of the womb, he
grabbed Esau's ankle because he was trying to pull him
back so he could beat him out of the womb. Rebecca.
I mean, even before he was born, Jacob was causing problems,
so much so like we discussed last week, there was
(03:37):
no 4D sonogram, and Rebecca went to God. What is
going on inside my womb? Oh, you have a Jacob.
And as he grew,
We know only one fact about his childhood.
It's Genesis chapter 25. You don't need to turn there.
(03:59):
I'm gonna read it for you. Genesis chapter 25. I'll
read it for you, verse 27. The one and only
fact that we know necessarily as a matter of fact
about his youth, verse 27, so the boys grew, and
Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field,
but
(04:21):
Jacob.
Jacob was a mild man, dwelling in tents. Now this
word mild, it's a smooth man and Jewish scholars have
debated over and over again, what does it mean about
Jacob that he was a smooth man? Was he Esau
was a hairy man and was he a hairless?
(04:43):
Man, but we know this word mild or smooth. It's
used in another area of Scripture, Proverbs chapter 5, verse 3.
The lips of an immoral woman drip honey, and her
mouth is smoother than oil.
Oh
(05:04):
The Jewish theologian would say that what the Holy Spirit
is trying to get across about Jacob is that he
was a smooth talker. He was smooth. 00, he could
sell you land in the middle in the middle of
Death Valley National Park.
(05:24):
And you would think that you were buying an oasis.
In fact, in a matter of 6 verses, he swindled
the birthright from Esau away from him over beef stew.
You need to remember something about Jacob. He was the
(05:45):
favorite of his mother, Rebecca.
And as he and Becky were hanging out under the tent,
making soup.
They were talking.
She would tell him, don't worry.
God told me that you will rule over Esau. Don't
(06:07):
worry that he's a big old Perry brute, and he
always brings the deer and you gotta stay here and
skin it and cook it. Don't you worry about how
he always beat you in football and soccer and basketball
because one day, don't you worry, my favorite son, let
me tell you, you're gonna rule over Esau.
(06:29):
Jacob knew
Jacob knew that the birthright was his according to God,
and so he acted on his own, just like his grandpa, Abraham,
and he swindled it from Esau instead of waited on God.
He wanted all the material, all the spiritual double portion
that came with the birthright. And instead of waiting on
(06:52):
God and doing it God's way in God's time, he
did it his way. He smooth talked it right out
of Esau's hands.
Now,
Esau sold his birthright for beef stew.
So, Esau.
He lost his birthright.
(07:14):
Just because God allowed it, and just because God reports
it in the word of God, it doesn't make it right.
It's like the man that came to me and asked,
uh uh uh uh said to me, Solomon had a
lot of wives. Does that mean that we should have
a lot of wives? No, the Bible is pointing out
that Solomon was a big dummy.
And God doesn't hide what when his people do things
(07:39):
he wants us to see them so that we don't
follow that example. In fact, we're gonna see Jacob has
a long road ahead of him to learn God's way
and he's gonna learn it the hard way because Jacob
is a heel catcher.
Not only that, Jacob was deceitful. In his youth, his
own mother tempts him to deceive his father. She wants
(08:03):
him to have what she believes God said is for you,
and Rebecca doesn't wait on God, and she wants to
deceive her husband Isaac. There are so many temptations in
our youth.
And as I started the Bible study, there are things
that we gave in to temptation when we were younger,
(08:24):
even younger in our faith, wondering what in the world
were we doing?
Once again, Jacob, he smooths talks his way into stealing
the blessing from Esau as well, and he lies to
his father. And while he's there with his father, he
even invokes God's name to deceive his father, knowing that calling.
(08:48):
On God's name would be the sure way to convince Isaac,
I am Esau. And in Genesis chapter 27 verse 20,
when Isaac asks the question, how did you get this
meat so quickly? Esau, cause you sound a lot like Jacob.
And Jacob said, because of the Lord, your God brought
(09:11):
it to me.
Whoa.
Smooth talking Jacob.
Because of what he did.
He had to run for his life because Esau wanted
to kill him.
So Rebecca sends him to his, to her brother.
(09:31):
But on his way
God meets Jacob in a place called Luz.
Now remember, Jacob was a mama's boy, never been on
his own, never been out hunting in the field. He
was just not that guy.
Now he's on a journey alone, lonely, afraid. Now Jacob
(09:52):
is wondering about his future. He's got the birthright, he's
got the blessing, but he's got no life.
And Jacob falls asleep, and he uses a rock as
a pillow. Talk about desperate. God gives him a vision.
He gives them a vision of a ladder with angels
going up and down on it.
And what God is letting Jacob know is that he's
(10:16):
still at work on the earth despite the fact that
you messed up. And he informs Jacob, I'm in a
covenant with you.
I'm gonna covenant with you. And he renews the Abrahamic
covenant to and through the line of Jacob, and God
is letting Jacob know that he's with him, and his
journey as faith has just begun.
(10:39):
Well
Jacob's so shocked by the grace of God, knowing what
he's done in this lonely and dark hour. He says,
Surely the Lord's in this place, and I didn't even
know it.
Has God ever showed up to you in a dark hour?
Has God ever reminded you of the promises that he
(11:00):
has for you even though you messed up? God promises
him that he'll be with him and God promises him
I'm gonna bring you back and let me tell you
what God was really saying you're about to go on
a spiritual journey, you and me, and you've got a
lot of lessons to learn Jacob but don't you worry
about it after this journey, I'm gonna bring you back.
(11:21):
And you know how Jacob responds, he's still a smooth talker.
Jacob responds to God and he goes, if you do
give me all these promises, then I will serve you.
Sounds like the high school student. If you just help
me pass this test, then I'll go to church every Sunday.
I promise I will obey my mother and my father.
I will even be kind to my sister and give
(11:43):
her my cake. Lord, if you do this, then I
will do this. Ever done that before?
If you'll just let me marry her, then all of
our children will worship you.
Have you ever bargained smooth talking God?
God doesn't denounce Jacob.
(12:06):
But Jacob then renames the place from Lus to Bethel.
The house of God.
God showed up.
Speaker 1 (12:17):
You're listening to Kwave's Pastor Spotlight. This week we're pleased
to be featuring Chet Lowe, senior pastor of Calvary Life
in Gardena, California. And now once again here's Pastor Chet
Lo with more of today's study in Hebrews 11 looking
at Jacob's journey.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
But Jacob hasn't learned his lesson.
Off he goes to Uncle Abban.
He, he deceives his own uncle, who deceived him. You see,
Uncle Laban deceived Jacob into marrying his older daughter, Leah
before he married his younger daughter, Rachel, though Jacob was
in love with Rachel. And guess how many years of
(12:59):
service he was able to work out of Jacob by
deceiving him? Not just 7 years, but another 7 years
for Rachel. And the Bible says he worked 14 years.
And when those 14 years were finished, Uncle Laban had
gotten so rich because of Jacob's ability to shepherd the sheep,
he didn't want him to leave. Jacob, he used this
(13:22):
as an opportunity for his own benefit to get Uncle
Laban back. And Jacob smooth talked his uncle swindling him
out of his own herd, making himself wealthy and his
uncle Layman poor.
Jacob's got some character flaws.
So much so.
(13:42):
Later in his life, and I'm talking almost two decades later.
He leaves la.
He hears that his brother Esau is coming for him
with 400 men. So you know what Jacob does in
today's equivalent? He sends hundreds of thousands of dollars of
(14:04):
gifts ahead of himself to save his life with his
smooth acting.
He divides his family into two companies, hoping that when
one is dying, the other one can escape.
Jacob, and he reveals the company that he's willing to
sacrifice by sending Leah and her children in the first
(14:28):
company to go meet Esau. Then he sends Rachel, the
wife that he supposedly loves, and he decides, I'll be
in the back. You guys go first.
This is Jacob.
His boys
His boys follow very close behind.
(14:48):
For it's found in Genesis chapter 34. Jacob comes into
the promised land after leaving Laban.
And his daughter, she gets taken advantage of by.
The King of Shakam's son.
So the two boys, Simon and Levi, they come up
with a great plan. Simeon and Levi to say, hey,
(15:10):
why don't you let them be us? Just let all
the men get circumcised. Oh, Jacob loves the idea that'll
be more into the Klan, more soldiers, more protection, more money.
I love it. Oh, I'm gonna be a king. I
love the idea. Simeon and Levi knew how to tickle
Jacob's ear.
3 days into the circumcision.
(15:32):
Might I add? no anesthesia.
Might I add no Neosporin.
And all the men say ouch.
The guys are all sitting there going, ouch.
And Simeon and Levi go into Check em.
(15:55):
And they kill every male because the king of Shekam's
son took advantage of their sister.
And I want you to see Jacob's response. It's Genesis
chapter 34. Take a look at verse 30. Then Jacob
said to Simeon and Levi.
You've troubled me by making me obnoxious among the inhabitants
(16:17):
of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perisites, and the,
since I am few in number, they will gather themselves
together against me and kill me. I shall be destroyed.
My household and I. Who is Jacob concerned about?
Himself.
(16:38):
You've done this to me. He ain't talking about Leah,
Rachel and her children. He's not talking about the concubines
that he's created a little uh uh uh uh uh
children frenzy of who can have this child and who
can have that child. Think of what was going on
in this man's home, but I want you to remember something.
God met him at Bethel.
(16:58):
And God said to Jacob, I'm sending you on a
spiritual journey.
You see, Jacob lacked godly character.
Jacob has spent his whole life wrestling with God and
wrestling with God's will for his life.
So the Lord
Because he's not listening.
(17:18):
The Lord gets his attention with his brother coming for
him with 400 men.
Genesis chapter 32, we see the night before Jacob is
going to run into Esau. He's already sent the gifts,
and Esau sent them back. I don't want them. This
(17:40):
put fear in Jacob so much so it drove him back.
To the house of God.
Genesis chapter 32, we'll pick it up in verse 22.
And he arose that night
He took his two wives, his 2 female servants, and
his 11 sons, and crossed over the ford of Jabo.
(18:01):
He took them, sent them over the brook, and sent
over what he had, so he sent them over with
all the gifts that Esau sent back.
Then
Jacob was left alone.
And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of day.
(18:23):
Now in your Bible, maybe it's as in my Bible,
the letter M in man is capitalized.
Let me tell you why.
Jesus loves people so much.
That before he came to earth as a baby, sometimes
he would show up in the Old Testament just to
be with people.
(18:44):
This is a pre-incarnate Christ, and let me prove it
to you. Genesis chapter 32, just scroll your finger down
to verse 28. And the man says, he says, Your
name shall no longer be called Jacob but Israel, for
you've struggled with God. He calls himself God and with
men and have prevailed.
(19:06):
So we know that he's a, he calls himself God. He,
we know this is a pre-incarnate Christ Church.
We've got to get alone with the Lord.
We've got to spend time with God. When he gets
our attention, Charles Stanley says this, the quickest solution to
(19:31):
any problem is the distance of your knee to the floor.
That's right
When God gets our attention, get alone with the man,
the God man, Jesus Christ, but be ready for a fight.
Be ready for the Lord to deal with us. Because
take a look what happens with Jacob and the man.
(19:54):
Bible says in verse 25, now,
When he, excuse me, um.
Uh, sorry, verse 24. Then Jacob was left alone and
a man, take a look, wrestled with him until the
breaking of day.
You know what I love about God?
(20:16):
He will always meet us wherever we're at.
To Abraham, the pilgrim.
God showed up as a traveler.
To Joshua, the soldier.
God showed up as the captain of the heavenly hosts.
(20:36):
And to Jacob the wrestler.
He suited up and entered into the ring.
He'll always show up.
The way that he needs to for our benefit.
Jacob wrestled with his brother Esau.
Jacob wrestled with his father.
(20:56):
Jacob wrestled with Laban. Jacob had wrestling going on with
his wives, and in Psalm chapter 18 verse 26, listen
to what God says. With the pure, you will show
yourself pure and with the devious, you will show yourself shrewd.
God will outsmart you.
He'll outsmart you every single time because he's got that's
(21:20):
why I love reading the story about the Pharisees when
they came up with all those questions. Are you serious?
You don't think he was in the room listening to
you devise the questions, much less already had the answer?
You are trying to question and outsmart God. It's not possible.
And the Bible says that Jacob wrestled with the man
to the break of day.
(21:42):
Let me tell you something about Jacob's flesh. Jacob's flesh
was strong. Take a look at Genesis chapter 32, verse 25.
Now, when he saw that he did not prevail against him,
he touched, that's the man, touched the socket of his hip,
and the socket of Jacob's hip was out of joint
(22:03):
as he
And let me add this word, continued wrestling. That's the
Hebrew with him. And he said, Let me go for
the day breaks, but he said, I will not, Jacob says,
I will not let you go unless you bless me.
So the Lord touches the socket of his hip. Jacob
was so strong willed that even as he's wrestling like this,
(22:24):
he still doesn't.
Give up. It's like your 2 year old. They're trying
to get you and you're just holding them down by
on their chest on the ground, right? And they're on
the ground trying to get up just to wrestle with you.
They think they can overpower you, so did Jacob. His
flesh and the stronghold of his flesh was so strong,
(22:47):
he didn't want to give up.
I got a question for you.
Do you have any of these kind of strongholds in
your life that Jesus has been trying to deal with
for a long time?
And it's so strong in your life, even though he's
hurt you a little bit, you're still holding on.
(23:07):
So the man, he says to him, what's your name?
He said Jacob.
And he said, your name shall no longer be called Jacob,
but Israel, for you've struggled with God and with men.
And have prevailed.
The Lord confronts Jacob with himself.
(23:29):
Church
I'm gonna ask you two questions. Here's the first one.
Who are you? And here's the second one. No, really.
Who are you?
You see, when I asked the first question.
You're gonna respond with what you want people to think
you are.
(23:49):
But when I ask the second question,
You gotta dig a little bit deeper.
Who are you? What's your name?
Jacob
You're right.
You're a trickster.
You're a deceiver.
You're a smooth talker.
(24:11):
And the Lord reveals.
Jacob to himself.
Speaker 1 (24:20):
And with that we conclude today's study with Pastor Chet Lo.
Join us right here tomorrow on Pastor Spotlight as we'll
hear more from Pastor Chet as he continues his study
in Hebrews chapter 11. Chet Lowe is a senior pastor
of Calvary Life located at 19,300 South Vermont Avenue in Gardena.
(24:41):
Calvary Life is dedicated to coming together to glorify God
through the acronym LIFE.
Learning the word, investing into relationships, following the way of Christ,
and engaging in our world. This church is a vibrant
community of believers who are passionate about worship, Bible teaching,
(25:02):
and gospel outreach with a multicultural and multi-generational congregation. Calvary
life embraces diversity and celebrates unity in Christ.
You and your family are invited to join them for
their inspiring services on Thursday nights at 7 p.m. and
Sunday mornings at 8:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., and 12:30 p.m.
(25:25):
Calvary Life hopes you'll plan a visit to experience their
warm and welcoming atmosphere firsthand. For more information, we invite
you to visit their website at CalvaryLife.com. That's Calvarylife.com.
And we invite you to join us right here at
the same time tomorrow for another time of growing in
the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ here on Pastor Spotlight.
(25:48):
We will feature more of the teaching of Pastor Chet
Lo of Calvary Life in Gardena. We hope you'll join us.
Pastor Spotlight is a production of Kwave Radio.
Welcome to K Wave's Pastor Spotlight featuring the Bible teaching
of our local Southern California pastors. This week we're pleased
to be featuring Pastor Chet Lowe, senior pastor of Calvary Life.
Calvary Life is located at 19,300 South Vermont Avenue in Gardena,
formerly known as Calvary Chapel South Bay. Did you know
(00:23):
Chet is a season.
Pastor with a lifetime of Christian ministry that began his
childhood in the Bahamas. As an adult, he ministered in
war-torn Liberia. Then he served at Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale
beginning in the year of 2000, pioneering a number of
helpful ministries. In 2021, Chet took over the leadership of
(00:46):
his current church home.
Here now is Chet Lowe with today's study in Hebrews
chapter 11 verse 21. He opens with today's Bible verse.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
Hebrews chapter 11 verse 21.
By faith.
Jacob
When he was dying.
blessed each of the sons of Joseph and worshiped, leaning
(01:20):
on the top of his staff. Do you remember that
kid growing up who always got into trouble?
He or she.
Might as well have been the lead role in the
Little Rascals. Once again, I date myself.
They were always doing something to someone to cause a problem.
(01:46):
Some of you are going, that was me.
I was that person. Well, I've got great news for you.
This story is gonna give all of us a lot
of hope about the gracious God that we have, who
never gives up on us.
(02:07):
Because how many of you when you were younger, made
a lot of mistakes?
Can I get an amen?
How do you look back on your youth going, oh
my goodness.
Like when you think about what you did, you're cringe.
(02:27):
How many of you did that just last week? Don't
raise your hand.
Yeah
Or how many of us?
Have a prodigal.
A youth
Who was tempted in the world.
Grew up in the church.
(02:50):
forsook the Lord.
And now you as the parent.
You're praying desperately.
That was Jacob.
That was Jake.
From the time he was born, he was causing a problem.
In fact, his name, Jacob means heel catcher.
(03:15):
Because as Esau was coming out of the womb, he
grabbed Esau's ankle because he was trying to pull him
back so he could beat him out of the womb. Rebecca.
I mean, even before he was born, Jacob was causing problems,
so much so like we discussed last week, there was
(03:37):
no 4D sonogram, and Rebecca went to God. What is
going on inside my womb? Oh, you have a Jacob.
And as he grew,
We know only one fact about his childhood.
It's Genesis chapter 25. You don't need to turn there.
(03:59):
I'm gonna read it for you. Genesis chapter 25. I'll
read it for you, verse 27. The one and only
fact that we know necessarily as a matter of fact
about his youth, verse 27, so the boys grew, and
Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field,
but
(04:21):
Jacob.
Jacob was a mild man, dwelling in tents. Now this
word mild, it's a smooth man and Jewish scholars have
debated over and over again, what does it mean about
Jacob that he was a smooth man? Was he Esau
was a hairy man and was he a hairless?
(04:43):
Man, but we know this word mild or smooth. It's
used in another area of Scripture, Proverbs chapter 5, verse 3.
The lips of an immoral woman drip honey, and her
mouth is smoother than oil.
Oh
(05:04):
The Jewish theologian would say that what the Holy Spirit
is trying to get across about Jacob is that he
was a smooth talker. He was smooth. 00, he could
sell you land in the middle in the middle of
Death Valley National Park.
(05:24):
And you would think that you were buying an oasis.
In fact, in a matter of 6 verses, he swindled
the birthright from Esau away from him over beef stew.
You need to remember something about Jacob. He was the
(05:45):
favorite of his mother, Rebecca.
And as he and Becky were hanging out under the tent,
making soup.
They were talking.
She would tell him, don't worry.
God told me that you will rule over Esau. Don't
(06:07):
worry that he's a big old Perry brute, and he
always brings the deer and you gotta stay here and
skin it and cook it. Don't you worry about how
he always beat you in football and soccer and basketball
because one day, don't you worry, my favorite son, let
me tell you, you're gonna rule over Esau.
(06:29):
Jacob knew
Jacob knew that the birthright was his according to God,
and so he acted on his own, just like his grandpa, Abraham,
and he swindled it from Esau instead of waited on God.
He wanted all the material, all the spiritual double portion
that came with the birthright. And instead of waiting on
(06:52):
God and doing it God's way in God's time, he
did it his way. He smooth talked it right out
of Esau's hands.
Now,
Esau sold his birthright for beef stew.
So, Esau.
He lost his birthright.
(07:14):
Just because God allowed it, and just because God reports
it in the word of God, it doesn't make it right.
It's like the man that came to me and asked,
uh uh uh uh said to me, Solomon had a
lot of wives. Does that mean that we should have
a lot of wives? No, the Bible is pointing out
that Solomon was a big dummy.
And God doesn't hide what when his people do things
(07:39):
he wants us to see them so that we don't
follow that example. In fact, we're gonna see Jacob has
a long road ahead of him to learn God's way
and he's gonna learn it the hard way because Jacob
is a heel catcher.
Not only that, Jacob was deceitful. In his youth, his
own mother tempts him to deceive his father. She wants
(08:03):
him to have what she believes God said is for you,
and Rebecca doesn't wait on God, and she wants to
deceive her husband Isaac. There are so many temptations in
our youth.
And as I started the Bible study, there are things
that we gave in to temptation when we were younger,
(08:24):
even younger in our faith, wondering what in the world
were we doing?
Once again, Jacob, he smooths talks his way into stealing
the blessing from Esau as well, and he lies to
his father. And while he's there with his father, he
even invokes God's name to deceive his father, knowing that calling.
(08:48):
On God's name would be the sure way to convince Isaac,
I am Esau. And in Genesis chapter 27 verse 20,
when Isaac asks the question, how did you get this
meat so quickly? Esau, cause you sound a lot like Jacob.
And Jacob said, because of the Lord, your God brought
(09:11):
it to me.
Whoa.
Smooth talking Jacob.
Because of what he did.
He had to run for his life because Esau wanted
to kill him.
So Rebecca sends him to his, to her brother.
(09:31):
But on his way
God meets Jacob in a place called Luz.
Now remember, Jacob was a mama's boy, never been on
his own, never been out hunting in the field. He
was just not that guy.
Now he's on a journey alone, lonely, afraid. Now Jacob
(09:52):
is wondering about his future. He's got the birthright, he's
got the blessing, but he's got no life.
And Jacob falls asleep, and he uses a rock as
a pillow. Talk about desperate. God gives him a vision.
He gives them a vision of a ladder with angels
going up and down on it.
And what God is letting Jacob know is that he's
(10:16):
still at work on the earth despite the fact that
you messed up. And he informs Jacob, I'm in a
covenant with you.
I'm gonna covenant with you. And he renews the Abrahamic
covenant to and through the line of Jacob, and God
is letting Jacob know that he's with him, and his
journey as faith has just begun.
(10:39):
Well
Jacob's so shocked by the grace of God, knowing what
he's done in this lonely and dark hour. He says,
Surely the Lord's in this place, and I didn't even
know it.
Has God ever showed up to you in a dark hour?
Has God ever reminded you of the promises that he
(11:00):
has for you even though you messed up? God promises
him that he'll be with him and God promises him
I'm gonna bring you back and let me tell you
what God was really saying you're about to go on
a spiritual journey, you and me, and you've got a
lot of lessons to learn Jacob but don't you worry
about it after this journey, I'm gonna bring you back.
(11:21):
And you know how Jacob responds, he's still a smooth talker.
Jacob responds to God and he goes, if you do
give me all these promises, then I will serve you.
Sounds like the high school student. If you just help
me pass this test, then I'll go to church every Sunday.
I promise I will obey my mother and my father.
I will even be kind to my sister and give
(11:43):
her my cake. Lord, if you do this, then I
will do this. Ever done that before?
If you'll just let me marry her, then all of
our children will worship you.
Have you ever bargained smooth talking God?
God doesn't denounce Jacob.
(12:06):
But Jacob then renames the place from Lus to Bethel.
The house of God.
God showed up.
Speaker 1 (12:17):
You're listening to Kwave's Pastor Spotlight. This week we're pleased
to be featuring Chet Lowe, senior pastor of Calvary Life
in Gardena, California. And now once again here's Pastor Chet
Lo with more of today's study in Hebrews 11 looking
at Jacob's journey.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
But Jacob hasn't learned his lesson.
Off he goes to Uncle Abban.
He, he deceives his own uncle, who deceived him. You see,
Uncle Laban deceived Jacob into marrying his older daughter, Leah
before he married his younger daughter, Rachel, though Jacob was
in love with Rachel. And guess how many years of
(12:59):
service he was able to work out of Jacob by
deceiving him? Not just 7 years, but another 7 years
for Rachel. And the Bible says he worked 14 years.
And when those 14 years were finished, Uncle Laban had
gotten so rich because of Jacob's ability to shepherd the sheep,
he didn't want him to leave. Jacob, he used this
(13:22):
as an opportunity for his own benefit to get Uncle
Laban back. And Jacob smooth talked his uncle swindling him
out of his own herd, making himself wealthy and his
uncle Layman poor.
Jacob's got some character flaws.
So much so.
(13:42):
Later in his life, and I'm talking almost two decades later.
He leaves la.
He hears that his brother Esau is coming for him
with 400 men. So you know what Jacob does in
today's equivalent? He sends hundreds of thousands of dollars of
(14:04):
gifts ahead of himself to save his life with his
smooth acting.
He divides his family into two companies, hoping that when
one is dying, the other one can escape.
Jacob, and he reveals the company that he's willing to
sacrifice by sending Leah and her children in the first
(14:28):
company to go meet Esau. Then he sends Rachel, the
wife that he supposedly loves, and he decides, I'll be
in the back. You guys go first.
This is Jacob.
His boys
His boys follow very close behind.
(14:48):
For it's found in Genesis chapter 34. Jacob comes into
the promised land after leaving Laban.
And his daughter, she gets taken advantage of by.
The King of Shakam's son.
So the two boys, Simon and Levi, they come up
with a great plan. Simeon and Levi to say, hey,
(15:10):
why don't you let them be us? Just let all
the men get circumcised. Oh, Jacob loves the idea that'll
be more into the Klan, more soldiers, more protection, more money.
I love it. Oh, I'm gonna be a king. I
love the idea. Simeon and Levi knew how to tickle
Jacob's ear.
3 days into the circumcision.
(15:32):
Might I add? no anesthesia.
Might I add no Neosporin.
And all the men say ouch.
The guys are all sitting there going, ouch.
And Simeon and Levi go into Check em.
(15:55):
And they kill every male because the king of Shekam's
son took advantage of their sister.
And I want you to see Jacob's response. It's Genesis
chapter 34. Take a look at verse 30. Then Jacob
said to Simeon and Levi.
You've troubled me by making me obnoxious among the inhabitants
(16:17):
of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perisites, and the,
since I am few in number, they will gather themselves
together against me and kill me. I shall be destroyed.
My household and I. Who is Jacob concerned about?
Himself.
(16:38):
You've done this to me. He ain't talking about Leah,
Rachel and her children. He's not talking about the concubines
that he's created a little uh uh uh uh uh
children frenzy of who can have this child and who
can have that child. Think of what was going on
in this man's home, but I want you to remember something.
God met him at Bethel.
(16:58):
And God said to Jacob, I'm sending you on a
spiritual journey.
You see, Jacob lacked godly character.
Jacob has spent his whole life wrestling with God and
wrestling with God's will for his life.
So the Lord
Because he's not listening.
(17:18):
The Lord gets his attention with his brother coming for
him with 400 men.
Genesis chapter 32, we see the night before Jacob is
going to run into Esau. He's already sent the gifts,
and Esau sent them back. I don't want them. This
(17:40):
put fear in Jacob so much so it drove him back.
To the house of God.
Genesis chapter 32, we'll pick it up in verse 22.
And he arose that night
He took his two wives, his 2 female servants, and
his 11 sons, and crossed over the ford of Jabo.
(18:01):
He took them, sent them over the brook, and sent
over what he had, so he sent them over with
all the gifts that Esau sent back.
Then
Jacob was left alone.
And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of day.
(18:23):
Now in your Bible, maybe it's as in my Bible,
the letter M in man is capitalized.
Let me tell you why.
Jesus loves people so much.
That before he came to earth as a baby, sometimes
he would show up in the Old Testament just to
be with people.
(18:44):
This is a pre-incarnate Christ, and let me prove it
to you. Genesis chapter 32, just scroll your finger down
to verse 28. And the man says, he says, Your
name shall no longer be called Jacob but Israel, for
you've struggled with God. He calls himself God and with
men and have prevailed.
(19:06):
So we know that he's a, he calls himself God. He,
we know this is a pre-incarnate Christ Church.
We've got to get alone with the Lord.
We've got to spend time with God. When he gets
our attention, Charles Stanley says this, the quickest solution to
(19:31):
any problem is the distance of your knee to the floor.
That's right
When God gets our attention, get alone with the man,
the God man, Jesus Christ, but be ready for a fight.
Be ready for the Lord to deal with us. Because
take a look what happens with Jacob and the man.
(19:54):
Bible says in verse 25, now,
When he, excuse me, um.
Uh, sorry, verse 24. Then Jacob was left alone and
a man, take a look, wrestled with him until the
breaking of day.
You know what I love about God?
(20:16):
He will always meet us wherever we're at.
To Abraham, the pilgrim.
God showed up as a traveler.
To Joshua, the soldier.
God showed up as the captain of the heavenly hosts.
(20:36):
And to Jacob the wrestler.
He suited up and entered into the ring.
He'll always show up.
The way that he needs to for our benefit.
Jacob wrestled with his brother Esau.
Jacob wrestled with his father.
(20:56):
Jacob wrestled with Laban. Jacob had wrestling going on with
his wives, and in Psalm chapter 18 verse 26, listen
to what God says. With the pure, you will show
yourself pure and with the devious, you will show yourself shrewd.
God will outsmart you.
He'll outsmart you every single time because he's got that's
(21:20):
why I love reading the story about the Pharisees when
they came up with all those questions. Are you serious?
You don't think he was in the room listening to
you devise the questions, much less already had the answer?
You are trying to question and outsmart God. It's not possible.
And the Bible says that Jacob wrestled with the man
to the break of day.
(21:42):
Let me tell you something about Jacob's flesh. Jacob's flesh
was strong. Take a look at Genesis chapter 32, verse 25.
Now, when he saw that he did not prevail against him,
he touched, that's the man, touched the socket of his hip,
and the socket of Jacob's hip was out of joint
(22:03):
as he
And let me add this word, continued wrestling. That's the
Hebrew with him. And he said, Let me go for
the day breaks, but he said, I will not, Jacob says,
I will not let you go unless you bless me.
So the Lord touches the socket of his hip. Jacob
was so strong willed that even as he's wrestling like this,
(22:24):
he still doesn't.
Give up. It's like your 2 year old. They're trying
to get you and you're just holding them down by
on their chest on the ground, right? And they're on
the ground trying to get up just to wrestle with you.
They think they can overpower you, so did Jacob. His
flesh and the stronghold of his flesh was so strong,
(22:47):
he didn't want to give up.
I got a question for you.
Do you have any of these kind of strongholds in
your life that Jesus has been trying to deal with
for a long time?
And it's so strong in your life, even though he's
hurt you a little bit, you're still holding on.
(23:07):
So the man, he says to him, what's your name?
He said Jacob.
And he said, your name shall no longer be called Jacob,
but Israel, for you've struggled with God and with men.
And have prevailed.
The Lord confronts Jacob with himself.
(23:29):
Church
I'm gonna ask you two questions. Here's the first one.
Who are you? And here's the second one. No, really.
Who are you?
You see, when I asked the first question.
You're gonna respond with what you want people to think
you are.
(23:49):
But when I ask the second question,
You gotta dig a little bit deeper.
Who are you? What's your name?
Jacob
You're right.
You're a trickster.
You're a deceiver.
You're a smooth talker.
(24:11):
And the Lord reveals.
Jacob to himself.
Speaker 1 (24:20):
And with that we conclude today's study with Pastor Chet Lo.
Join us right here tomorrow on Pastor Spotlight as we'll
hear more from Pastor Chet as he continues his study
in Hebrews chapter 11. Chet Lowe is a senior pastor
of Calvary Life located at 19,300 South Vermont Avenue in Gardena.
(24:41):
Calvary Life is dedicated to coming together to glorify God
through the acronym LIFE.
Learning the word, investing into relationships, following the way of Christ,
and engaging in our world. This church is a vibrant
community of believers who are passionate about worship, Bible teaching,
(25:02):
and gospel outreach with a multicultural and multi-generational congregation. Calvary
life embraces diversity and celebrates unity in Christ.
You and your family are invited to join them for
their inspiring services on Thursday nights at 7 p.m. and
Sunday mornings at 8:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., and 12:30 p.m.
(25:25):
Calvary Life hopes you'll plan a visit to experience their
warm and welcoming atmosphere firsthand. For more information, we invite
you to visit their website at CalvaryLife.com. That's Calvarylife.com.
And we invite you to join us right here at
the same time tomorrow for another time of growing in
the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ here on Pastor Spotlight.
(25:48):
We will feature more of the teaching of Pastor Chet
Lo of Calvary Life in Gardena. We hope you'll join us.
Pastor Spotlight is a production of Kwave Radio.
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