Beloved congregation, we are assembled here in God's house to give thanks, thanks to the Lord for the many blessings that he has bestowed upon us. We should really do this every time we come to church, and we do that really many times, but It is also good to set aside a special day for the occasion to give thanks, for we have so much to be thankful for. Our faithful covenant God has blessed us abundantly, also throughout this year. Yes, it has not been an easy year, also for many of us here, Some of us have gone through very difficult situations, the loss of loved ones. I have followed what happens in this congregation because I get that bulletin every week. So I read what is going on with the people here through sicknesses, deaths. Many have lost loved ones. Some of us have gone through personal problems, serious illnesses, relational tensions, financial setbacks maybe, and disappointments of many kinds. It's also been a difficult year economically and politically, not just internationally, but also nationally. Think of the recent midterm elections, which have greatly disappointed many of us. Yet with all these problems, personal or corporate problems, we can say, or should say, with David in Psalm 103, he has not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. And yet, although we have every reason to give thanks to God for blessings received, what exactly are we thanking God for? Many people will say, I am thankful, but what do they really mean by saying that? Well, this morning we will meet two men who say they have been blessed. Both say they are satisfied. Both say I have enough. Yet, as we will find out, there is a real difference between what they mean by their statements. Let me first sketch the background to our text. Jacob, son of Isaac and Rebecca, is on his way back to his parental home in Canaan. It is now 20 years since he fled his home after securing the patriarchal blessings from Isaac in a very deceptive way, I might add. he pretended to be Esau, because his father Isaac was near blind. And so in that way, he received the blessing, which the Lord wanted him to have being the younger. Still, he was going to receive that which the the son who was at the birthright in the family should receive, but through Leah, or Rachel rather, he was persuaded by her to get it even in a way that was not right. But when Esau found out that he had been beaten by his brother, And he was very angry. And he asked his father that he might also have a blessing for him, which he did. But the whole thing amounted to this, that it created a tremendously dangerous situation in the family. Esau was mad, of course, and he swore that he would take vengeance on Jacob. And then Rachel suggested that Jacob leave for some time, which he did. He took off for Padden-Erin, where relatives lived and where he spent many years. He went there, and soon after, he married first Leah and then Rachel. And while he was working there for his father-in-law, Laban, he made quite a bit of money. He got rich, you might say. sometimes through questionable methods. But then the Lord commanded him at one point to go back to Bethel, where he had stayed the night when that vision came from heaven, that dream, where the Lord met him and promised to be with him wherever he went, and to bring him back to the land that he would inherit. And Jacob then also obeyed that heavenly call, and after some more problems, some disputes with Laban, he packed all his belongings and set out for Canaan. But when he came to the border of the promised land, fear took hold of him. What he had felt all along was the likelihood of meeting his brother, Esau. Maybe he was informed that he was going to meet Jacob, but he was afraid. And suddenly, while he was wondering what would happen, angels appeared from heaven, sent by the Lord to assure Jacob of their protection. And soon after that, Jacob sends messengers to inquire whether his fears were justified. Well, they were. because these messengers came back with the bad news that Esau was on his way with 400 men. Greatly alarmed, Jacob takes precautionary measures. He divides his possessions, and he prays for divine help. He sends the presence in three segments to appease what he thought would be Esau's revenge. After that, he sends his family and his servants across the brook, and he stays behind all by himself. And that night, Jacob has a very strange encounter with another angel, this time the angel of the Lord, which many commentators have agreed must have been the Lord Jesus Christ in his pre-incarnate appearances. But all day long, they engage in a fierce combat. And when the angel is aware that he will not prevail against Jacob, he touches the socket of his hip, forcing it out of a joint. And the angel then says, let me go, for the day breaks, to which Jacob then replies, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. What was happening here, congregation, was that God had to deal with Jacob, calling him to account for the sins that he had committed against the Lord, first of all, but also his father Isaac, Esau, and Laban. And then he is forced by the angel to give his name. And what was that name? Well, Jacob. And what does Jacob mean? Well, it means deceiver. That is what Jacob had been in all these situations, a deceiver. And the Lord wanted him, by giving that name, to confess who he really had been. But then the angel says, your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have struggled with God and with men, and you have prevailed. Then Jacob asks, what is thy name? And then the angel says, why do you ask me? And then the important words are here, and he blessed him there. Jacob's name was changed from Jacob to Israel. He named that place there for Peniel, for he says, I have seen God's face and my life is preserved. And when now Jacob crosses over the Jabbok that morning, the sun rises on him as he is limping on his hip where the angel had touched him. That was not only a physical result, but that was also a spiritual meaning attached to it, that from now on, he would no longer be firmly on his own feet, but he would be leaning upon the Lord. limping on that hip, showing his dependence on the Lord. Moments later, he meets Esau, who is waiting for him. And suddenly, Esau runs to Jacob. He embraces him and kisses him. And Esau wants to know why Jacob had sent all these presents to him. And Jacob explains why. It says there in verse 10, Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight, receive my present at my hand. For therefore I have seen thy face as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me. But Esau won't hear of it. He says, keep your presents, Jacob. I don't need them. And then he adds the words of our text. He says, I have enough, brother. Yes, I have enough. But then Jacob, he says, In verse 11, I have enough. Both of them say the same thing. Both have enough. But do they really mean the same thing? They may say the same words, but now we have to ask ourselves, what do they mean? And the answer is, they mean quite different things. You know, congregation, this text has been interpreted differently by different people. Some say that the meaning is quite difficult to ascertain from the Hebrew. But there are people who say, and some of them are well known to us, Matthew Henry and Spurgeon, but also in the Dutch States Bible, it reads there, I have everything. Ik heb alles, I have everything. And some of the modern translations have caught onto that and they say, God has treated me lavishly and I have everything. Now, what's the difference here? Esau says, I have enough. That means I have been disappointed before when you stole the blessing away from me, but our father gave me also another blessing. And at first I was very upset with you, but as time went on, it showed that the blessing that I received was good enough for me. I enjoy the blessing of good crops and also the fact that I would be the leading person in our lives. You would obey me and therefore I'm quite satisfied. What the point here is that All the blessings that he had received, he interpreted as being things that were good for him in his unconverted state. What he received and what satisfied him all had to do with worldly things. Nothing had any relevance for his spiritual life, for he had none. Earlier on in his life, he had already shown his disdain for the spiritual blessings that were involved in his position as a leader of the family. And then he had sold his birthright to Jacob. You know the story. When he came back from a hunt, he was tired and hungry, and he couldn't wait till a meal was prepared. He says, give me that pottage, that soup. So he sold his birthright with everything that it involves to Jacob. And now years later, when his father was about to give these blessings pertaining to the birthright, he wanted to be sure that he would get them without knowing really or even understanding the spiritual nature of these things. He received many blessings when the years went by. He grew very strong. He even had 400 men as his army to take revenge as he planned it upon Jacob. But he says when all these presents came from Jacob, which were given to him in order that Jacob might make sure that he would not take revenge, to make an impression on him, he thought that was not necessary. He was already willing by those blessings, by those presents, that he would not punish his brother any longer. And so he says, I have enough. Don't give me all these cows, these sheep, these cattle, all these presents. I don't need it because I already have plenty. But Jacob did not take that refusal. Again in verse 10. If I have found grace in your sight, receive my present at my hand. For therefore, I have seen thy face as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me. Take, I pray thee, my blessing, that is brought to thee because God has dealt graciously with me and because I have enough." But now, as I just tried to explain it, the original allows us to say, because I have everything. And there we have the difference. The difference being that what you have, Jacob, is okay, is good, and I'm glad for you, but what I have is something much better. I have everything. What does Jacob really mean here? Well, let me go back to Esau. Esau means what he says, of course. He has enough as far as he is concerned. Isaac's blessings have been realized in his life. He has now everything that this world could offer. And congregation, I mentioned this and I looked at this text to see where we can find also a reference to other people. Esau represents the world. Also today, many people in the world will say, well, it's a good Thanksgiving Day. We have received a lot of good things. But they don't go beyond the material things. To them, it is already wonderful that they have a job and that they are making pretty good money. Yes, they are worried about the inflation. They don't like that. Many people complain. But there are also people who are a little more flexible and realistic. And they say, well, that inflation is bad, and I don't like it. But I still, I'm doing all right. I still have a job. ESO here stands for those people who are worldly but who can still say that things are pretty good. And many people share that opinion today. They're quite content. You see, not all worldly people are always complaining. Most of them do, but there are also many people who are of a nature that is more flexible. They are easygoing folks. And they say, I have enough. Things are quite good. Well, Esau was also like that. He was a man who was quite good-natured, a generous type of person. In many ways, he was even better than Jacob, more attractive. Jacob was sneaky, as we already mentioned, and God had to deal with that. His name was Jacob, deceiver. But now they come to a place where they meet each other, and they both want to show that they are not as bad as they had been before. They want to reconcile. But the point is, and that's my emphasis here, Esau, he thought he did not need the spiritual things that were involved in that birthright. The tragedy here is that Esau has no interest in a higher good. He was not concerned even about spiritual things. At first he had been mad when he felt he was robbed by his brother, cheated, but when life went on, he came to terms with it. But here we have a picture, congregation, of many people today in the world who have that Esau nature. But there's also the possibility, and I want to mention that, that there may also be people in the churches. It is possible that also here this morning there are those who also think they have enough. Things are not bad. They could be worse. They've had a pretty good year. And so some of you may also say, well, I have enough. But what do you mean by that? What do you mean by that? Enough of what? Enough of the world and its pleasures? And it's reward for maybe hard work. Maybe you're doing quite well financially in this economically poor time. But what about the one thing needful, which is to know the Lord? So that you can say, I am thankful for what the Lord has done in my life. What about Christ? What about salvation? Is that included in your enough? You know, Matthew Henry, commenting on this passage, says, Esau's enough was much, but Jacob's enough was all. A godly man, though he have but little in this world, yet may truly say, I have all. because he has the God of all and has all in him. All is yours, yet you be Christ, 1 Corinthians 3.22, because he has the comfort of all. Paul says, I have all and abound, Philippians 4.18. He that has all is sure that he has enough. He has all in prospect, even if he doesn't feel the value of it enough that is now, he has the prospect that he will have all shortly when he comes to heaven upon this principle. Jacob urged Esau and he took his present. I think Matthew Henry is very right here. Esau is the one who thinks he has everything, but in reality, he has nothing. David, or rather Jacob, knew he had many, many, many things, even everything needful. How could he say that? Well, he had just been forgiven. He had just met that angel of the Lord. He had been shaken to his foundations. He had learned to rely upon God. He knew that he was rich. He had wives. He had children and herds. He was a wealthy man, but he also knew the one thing that was important here. He had the Lord. And so Jacob said that he was not deserving of the least of these blessings, but now he had the Lord himself. So this comes out then very different. On the face of it, it looks as though both were the same, but they were not. And Jacob was so thankful for what God had given him, but he could not be satisfied with material things only. He could not say, enough, unless God was his portion. And that is why during that night at Peniel, he grasped that angel. I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. Jacob felt that unless God blessed him The spiritual blessings, in addition to the other blessings he had already received, was that it was not enough if all he had was material goods. And so at Peniel, God came against Jacob, the sinner. He met God, the Holy One. and congregation, that is what is necessary in our lives, too. When God shows us who we are, Jacobs or worse, that we are sinners deserving his wrath, then we cannot possibly be satisfied until we taste the forgiving grace of God and that we are reconciled to God. And then all material blessings in the world cannot make us happy. We will then know, I need God. I need Christ to be my righteousness before God. And the sad thing is, beloved, that Esau never came that far. Yes, it seemed here that he was willing to be reconciled, and they made up in a way. And Jacob wanted that, too. But as the history developed, it was that Esau still hated Jacob. and that he hated also Jacob's descendants. And Esau had his descendants who felt the same way. They had that country called Edom that was made up of descendants of Esau. They often attacked Israel. They hated the people of God. In the New Testament, we have descendants of Esau, like Herod the Great. who killed all those babies of Bethlehem. And then also there was another Herod that killed James, one of the apostles. There was always that tension, that hatred between the two. Esau was lost forever. But there are also many modern Esaus who, like Esau, are satisfied. with this life. And they may think they have enough, but in reality they have nothing. And even the most wealthy person who has boasted that he had a good life, enjoying so many things, he will find out in that day when everything will be taken from him. and he will enter that eternal night. Congregation, this is true of many people in the world. Is it perhaps true of some of you? Maybe you are also quite satisfied. Maybe you are thankful even. But you can deceive yourself unless you realize you need more than that. And I must say it on a joyful day like today, the day of Thanksgiving, I must say, if you are still without Christ as your portion, you are the most miserable person to be satisfied while not knowing Christ as your savior. You must realize that as your danger. because you are then like that rich man who had all his good things in this life and ended up in hell. Cry to God to make you uneasy, dissatisfied, so that you will call out to the Lord for his salvation. No, you should not say to the Lord that you are not thankful for the things you have received. There are common grace blessings for which we ought to be thankful too. But you need to be able to say, Lord, with all that I have, I still need thee. How blessed you are if you can say with Jacob, I have everything. I have all because I have Jesus. Oh, I can just see Jacob's face as he is meeting his brother. He's content, very content. Holy joy is visible in him. He might have said something like this to Esau. My brother, I had a remarkable night there at Peniel. God met me there. Now I know what it means to be content. He forgave my sins. Also what I've done against you, Esau. God has forgiven me. I have seen God. My life has been preserved. God has forgiven me my sins. He is my God, my Savior. Therefore, Esau, you may have much, but I have everything. Can you say that like Jacob? Can you say this also this morning? I have everything because I have my God. Then it does not really matter whether I have much or little, because then you have many things that this world enjoys. But you have nothing. But if you have God in Jesus Christ, you have everything. Everything for eternity, but also for time. Right now you can have those blessings and enjoy them. The psalmist says in Psalm 84, no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. That means everything that is good for you, you are sure to get. Because God has said, I will be your God. That's a covenant God who said to Abraham and also to Isaac and Jacob and their descendants, the promised one was to come Jesus through Judah. The promised seed was Jesus. That was a covenant blessing that was passed on from Abraham to Isaac and now here also to Jacob and all those after him that would fear the Lord. But so many also of the Israelites went the wrong way. And Jacob longed for everyone to follow that they would serve the Lord. Jacob wanted that more than anything else, and that is why his crookedness was forgiven, and he became a man who covered up the one thing needful. I want to close with a verse from Romans 8 that I think really applies here. The Apostle Paul says in Romans 8, Verse 32, he that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? The apostle Paul here is talking about the one who came to do what still needed to be done He appeared to Jacob at Peniel. The angel of the Lord was Christ. And he forgave Jacob his sins. But that was not enough, because those sins had to be paid for. And they were paid for. Apostle Paul talks here about he that is God, spared not his own son, the angel of the Lord, but now the incarnated Son of God, the Son of Mary. God gave that son. He spared him not, as Abraham did when he spared the life or he found a substitute for Isaac when the ram was caught there in those woods and slaughtered in Isaac's place. That was God's doing. He spared Isaac, but he did not spare his own son, Jesus, but delivered him up for us all paying for our sins, how shall this God who gave His Son Jesus, how shall He not with Him, that is, with Jesus, along with Jesus, also freely give us all things? Our needs may be great, they may not be Extraordinary, but we all have needs. For some of us, those needs are very heavy, but here the promise is He will give us freely, along with Jesus, all things that we need. When we are weak in faith, we may look to Him to strengthen us, and He will do so. When we lack courage, Oh, how often that is the case. We live in a world full of enemies of God, and it's so hard to be professing Christians. Pray the Lord for that which is missing in our lives. He will give that to us. He will be like the good shepherd who leaves us to say, I shall not want, I won't lack anything with this kind shepherd, this merciful Savior. Who shall lay anything to the change of God's elect? It is God that justifies. who is He who condemns. It is Christ who died, nay, rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. If you have that Savior, four and 80 sinners in our midst, if you know that He is kind and generous and loving, so loving that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." That is what we hear today on this Thanksgiving Day. How blessed we are if we may say with Jacob, I have everything. And if you are too timid here and don't dare to say that, you can say, oh, Lord, give me that which I still am lacking so that I, too, may have everything that I need for all eternity. Yes, that is true thanksgiving. May God grant it to every one of us by his grace.