INTRODUCTION Messed Up—Part 5 The heroes of the Bible were real people who made mistakes. They were known for their mess ups—and we can all relate to that. Today, we kick off a new series called Messed Up. We’ll turn our focus to the flawed and forgiven heroes of the faith whose mistakes can be instructive to our own lives. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 1. Can you think of an example where you did something on your own, but wished you had asked for help (from others or God)? Why do we sometimes not ask for help when we should?

2. Can you think of an example where you manipulated circumstances to get something you wanted? Is it always wrong to try to get things for ourselves?

3. Read Genesis 25:24-26. How is the story Jacob’s birth a good illustration of the we sometimes operate?

4. Read Genesis 25:27-34 and Hebrews 12:15-17. What was wrong with Esau selling his birthright for a single bowl of stew? Why was Jacob wrong cheat his brother out of the birthright?

5. Read Genesis 32:1-12. It was not until Jacob believed his brother wanted to kill him that we find him praying for help. Why is this prayer a good model for us to follow? Why do you think it took him so long to turn to God for help?

6. Read Genesis 32:24-32. What do you think was the significance of this wrestling match with Jacob? What evidence do we have from the passage that the “man” Jacob fought with was God?

7. Why do you think God changed Jacob’s name? Why did he leave Jacob with a limp? Why was this wrestling match necessary?

8. What lessons can we learn from the story of Jacob and Esau? How might you apply this story to your life?

APPLICATION

When something goes wrong in our lives, most of us try to take matters into our own hands. We think we can fix it, manipulate it, or change the circumstances. It’s easy to think we can control our own lives and take advantage of the situation. We insist on solving problems by ourselves instead of getting help—from others and from God. What we fail to see is that we should trust God to provide for us and take care of everything. We have to learn to turn to the Father. There will always be temptations to try to “fix” matters in our lives. We will always face problems in our lives. We simply need to ask God to take care of the wrongs and make them right. As we saw in today’s story, it took a long time for Jacob to trust God to fight his battles. We need to trust in Him in every area of our lives. God will fight for us, if we let Him.

KEY VERSES (HCSB)

Genesis 25:22-34 Genesis 27:27-36 Genesis 32:1-32 Romans 12:17-19 Hebrews 12:15-17