Face to Face

In a world full of filters, AI fakery, and half-truths, telling the truth has become a radical act. We often say “Nothing’s wrong” when something always is. We hide behind curated images, polite answers, and put-together masks.

Jacob did the same—his whole life was built on deception. He tricked his father Isaac, cheated his brother Esau, manipulated his father-in-law Laban, and lived on the run from the consequences of his own actions.

When Jacob hears Esau is coming to meet him with 400 men, fear hits him hard. He divides his people, he prays, and then—like many of us—he schemes, trying to “save face” with gifts and plans. The original Hebrew shows Jacob trying to literally “cover Esau’s face” with gifts so Esau won’t have to see the real Jacob.

But God steps in.

Jacob ends up wrestling all night with a mysterious figure—God, an angel, or the physical form of his inner struggle. For the first time, Jacob fights honestly. No tricks. No masks. Face to face. And that changes everything.

God renames him Israel—“the one who wrestles with God.” Jacob didn’t win by overpowering God; he won by not giving up, by finally bringing his real self into the struggle with God.

And that honesty prepares him for what comes next: reconciliation.

When Jacob finally meets Esau, he bows in humility, and Esau runs to embrace him. Their relationship—once shattered—is restored. Jacob even says seeing Esau’s forgiving face is like “seeing the face of God.”

This sermon calls us to the same path: ✔️ Stop pretending. ✔️ Come face-to-face with God in raw honesty. ✔️ Let Him wrestle the sin, fear, and self-protection out of us. ✔️ Step into relationships with humility and truth. ✔️ See God’s grace in every act of forgiveness.

In an age of deception, let us be truth-tellers—before others, before ourselves, and especially before God. Honest wrestling leads to blessing, transformation, and seeing the very face of God. fmhouston.com