WEBVTT 00:00:00.300 --> 00:00:01.100 I'm gonna invite you to Genesis. 00:00:01.580 --> 00:00:07.060 Chapter 25 is where we're going to be together today, Genesis chapter 25. 00:00:07.100 --> 00:00:09.600 And we're in a transitional chapter of Genesis. 00:00:09.600 --> 00:00:10.300 It's kind of interesting. 00:00:10.360 --> 00:00:14.790 It comes right in the middle of the book to be in a transitional chapter, but we're going to be covering generations. 00:00:16.059 --> 00:00:18.870 We're going to see the torch really passed from Abraham. 00:00:19.700 --> 00:00:26.860 And if you've been following along in the book of Genesis, just to give you a really a categorical way of thinking about it, the first 11 chapters teaches us God 00:00:26.860 --> 00:00:28.740 created us for a purpose beautifully. 00:00:29.080 --> 00:00:30.180 You have intrinsic worth. 00:00:30.200 --> 00:00:33.440 Your value is not based on what you do, but who you are made in the image of God. 00:00:33.800 --> 00:00:40.940 which was an important lesson to a group of slaves who have been human trafficked, who've only been treated based on what they can, what they can do, not who they are. 00:00:41.000 --> 00:00:44.280 So they discover God made us for a reason, a purpose that we're no accident. 00:00:44.280 --> 00:00:44.760 We have value. 00:00:45.280 --> 00:00:49.690 But what we find very early in our creations we rebel, we run against God and we destroy things. 00:00:49.800 --> 00:00:53.900 We live for our glory rather than his glory is to the destruction of people around us. 00:00:53.960 --> 00:00:55.360 First 11 chapters of Genesis. 00:00:55.360 --> 00:00:57.620 That's what you find repeated over and over and over. 00:00:57.620 --> 00:01:00.840 It's like the next generation thinks we're going to do it differently, right? 00:01:00.900 --> 00:01:01.740 We'll show them. 00:01:01.880 --> 00:01:04.739 And then they start to live as if they're God, and it leads to the same conclusions. 00:01:05.660 --> 00:01:12.880 Finally, in Genesis chapter 12, we see the grace of God being ministered to a one specific family that he promises through that family, all nations, 00:01:12.880 --> 00:01:14.290 all people groups will be blessed. 00:01:14.440 --> 00:01:15.400 That's through Abraham. 00:01:15.740 --> 00:01:21.850 And from Genesis chapter 12 to 25, we've been following the story of Abraham and Sarah as they stepped out and followed God by faith. 00:01:22.320 --> 00:01:23.530 And now we're going to read about starting. 00:01:24.080 --> 00:01:30.520 As we go through this transition, we'll get to the story of Jacob and then finally ending Genesis with the story of Joseph. 00:01:30.540 --> 00:01:37.640 And so the remaining 25 chapters of Genesis will deal with the story of Jacob and Joseph and how 00:01:37.640 --> 00:01:40.200 the Lord continued to fulfill his promises. 00:01:40.260 --> 00:01:47.260 But that's this is what we see in that transitional chapter of Genesis 25 from one generation to the next, how the Lord continues to 00:01:47.260 --> 00:01:48.060 work. 00:01:48.080 --> 00:01:51.070 Because the main character in all of Scripture is the Lord. 00:01:51.400 --> 00:01:58.480 It's incredible when you hold the Bible in your hands and you think, this is 66 books written over 1500 years, three different continents, 00:01:58.640 --> 00:02:00.880 three authors, and one theme. 00:02:00.940 --> 00:02:04.260 I'm lucky if I keep a thought together for five minutes, right? 00:02:04.260 --> 00:02:11.380 It is powerful that the Word of God over that long of a period of time carries one grand story, and it's the redemption of God for 00:02:11.380 --> 00:02:12.070 his people. 00:02:12.120 --> 00:02:17.340 It's the pursuit of God for your life and for me, for his glory and our benefit for all of eternity. 00:02:17.420 --> 00:02:18.680 And that's the story of the Bible. 00:02:18.680 --> 00:02:25.440 So anytime you read a story in Scripture, it's important to remember the main character in all of it is always the Lord. 00:02:25.640 --> 00:02:31.600 And in Genesis 25, this is exactly what you see as you progress through the life of Abraham and Isaac. 00:02:31.600 --> 00:02:38.640 And to Jacob in Genesis 25, and as we look at their story, what we're going to discover through each of really those 00:02:38.640 --> 00:02:42.940 stories as they unfold is for means to experience God. 00:02:42.980 --> 00:02:46.760 We're going to use as it passes from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 00:02:46.760 --> 00:02:53.920 We're going to use their stories to talk about how they experienced God, to encourage us to experience the Lord and our relationship 00:02:53.920 --> 00:02:54.400 with him. 00:02:54.400 --> 00:03:01.460 There's something we can glean really from Genesis 25, far beyond what I'm going to share with you, but I at least want to highlight these four thoughts that 00:03:01.460 --> 00:03:02.870 we're going to learn together. 00:03:02.920 --> 00:03:04.900 Four means to experience God. 00:03:05.040 --> 00:03:09.200 Point number one, we'll say, is the grand theme to all, all of these points. 00:03:09.360 --> 00:03:12.200 If you don't do point one, you might as well forget the rest of these. 00:03:12.440 --> 00:03:15.920 But point number one is this fully surrender to the Lord. 00:03:17.480 --> 00:03:19.980 Fully surrender to the Lord. 00:03:20.580 --> 00:03:27.800 If you don't see your need for the Lord, you've completely underestimated the state of your soul, the importance of eternity, and what Jesus 00:03:27.800 --> 00:03:29.720 has accomplished for you on the cross. 00:03:29.720 --> 00:03:30.740 Right? 00:03:30.740 --> 00:03:38.010 but I find that this is an important theme to remind Christians of over and over, because we have the tendency of complicating 00:03:38.120 --> 00:03:39.640 what the Christian life is about. 00:03:40.300 --> 00:03:47.340 One of my favorite chapters in all the Bible is Philippians chapter three, where Paul says, I counted all his dung for one purpose, that I 00:03:47.340 --> 00:03:48.060 may know him. 00:03:49.220 --> 00:03:51.060 Paul's single pursuit of his life. 00:03:51.060 --> 00:03:56.700 He talks about abandoning a religious life for one desire, and that is to know Christ. 00:03:57.800 --> 00:04:00.240 And in knowing Christ, he makes Christ known. 00:04:00.700 --> 00:04:07.860 What I mean is, as God's works, his transforming power in Paul and Paul's desire is to know the Lord, he glorifies the Lord and everything 00:04:07.860 --> 00:04:08.540 that he does. 00:04:08.540 --> 00:04:12.380 Because our tendency as human beings is we share the things that we love. 00:04:13.020 --> 00:04:15.240 And if you love the Lord, it's going to be known about your life. 00:04:15.600 --> 00:04:21.700 And as you grow in your relationship with the Lord, it's known about your life and so fully surrender to the Lord. 00:04:21.740 --> 00:04:27.680 It's one of the freeing things I love about being at ABC is when I look at people, I say, look, welcome. 00:04:27.700 --> 00:04:32.020 I'm glad you're here, but I want you to know we're not about one church versus another church. 00:04:32.800 --> 00:04:36.000 I'm not about leaving one religion and joining another religion. 00:04:36.640 --> 00:04:38.840 we have one desire for your life, and that is to know Jesus. 00:04:39.840 --> 00:04:47.340 But here's one of the beautiful things we discover, as you know, Jesus, is that you start to want to walk with people that know Jesus in the same way, and 00:04:47.340 --> 00:04:49.740 you want to fulfill the mission that God has called you on. 00:04:50.300 --> 00:04:55.240 And the way that you do that is by learning to do it with other people living on that same mission. 00:04:55.700 --> 00:05:00.020 It's far more powerful when God's people can do it together as long as God's. 00:05:00.020 --> 00:05:04.020 People carry some certain characteristics in the way you do it together, because none of us are perfect. 00:05:05.560 --> 00:05:11.760 But to but to look in Genesis chapter 25 and understand this fully surrender to the Lord. 00:05:12.420 --> 00:05:16.780 And you see this unfolding with Abraham as it comes to the conclusion of his story. 00:05:16.880 --> 00:05:23.960 In fact, I'm going to read the first 11 verses of this chapter to you, and you'll see that really the summary of his life brought down to 00:05:23.960 --> 00:05:25.250 just one verse. 00:05:25.860 --> 00:05:31.700 But it's a powerful verse and what it speaks to, the importance of Abraham's relationship to the Lord. 00:05:31.800 --> 00:05:37.370 So it starts this in Genesis chapter 25, verse one, Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah. 00:05:37.800 --> 00:05:43.160 She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. 00:05:43.260 --> 00:05:44.900 I pronounce those all correctly. 00:05:45.260 --> 00:05:52.680 Jokshan father Sheba and Dedan, the sons of Dedan, were Asherim and lutetium, and Lunam the 00:05:52.680 --> 00:05:57.500 son of Midian were Eppa and Epher, and Henoch and Abida. 00:05:57.500 --> 00:06:01.810 And what other other Star Trek name that is, and all these were the children of Keturah. 00:06:02.380 --> 00:06:07.360 And Abraham gave all he had to Isaac, but the to the sons of his concubines. 00:06:07.540 --> 00:06:14.580 Abraham gave gifts, and while he was still living, he sent them away from his son Isaac eastward to the east country. 00:06:15.220 --> 00:06:16.340 Verse seven. 00:06:16.340 --> 00:06:20.460 These are the days of the years of Abraham's life, 175 years. 00:06:20.520 --> 00:06:26.180 And Abraham breathed his last, and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years. 00:06:26.200 --> 00:06:29.200 And he gathered to his people Isaac and Ishmael. 00:06:29.200 --> 00:06:35.770 His sons buried him in the cave of Machpelah and the field of Ephron, the son of Zohar the Hittite, east of Mamri. 00:06:36.420 --> 00:06:38.070 I showed you a picture of this a couple of weeks ago. 00:06:38.620 --> 00:06:40.080 This cave still exists. 00:06:40.080 --> 00:06:41.030 It's called the tomb of the patriarchs. 00:06:41.580 --> 00:06:44.760 The patriarchs are buried there if you want to look it up later, you can. 00:06:44.820 --> 00:06:47.710 But verse ten, the Field of Abraham purchased from the Hittites. 00:06:48.040 --> 00:06:50.420 There Abraham was buried with Sarah, his wife. 00:06:50.420 --> 00:06:56.220 After the death of Abraham, God blessed Isaac his son, and Isaac settled and bear lay high ROI. 00:06:56.220 --> 00:06:57.000 That's how you say it. 00:06:57.160 --> 00:07:00.680 But, Abraham, Abraham. 00:07:00.680 --> 00:07:04.840 It summarizes his life in really being surrendered to the Lord. 00:07:04.900 --> 00:07:05.810 And it calls him. 00:07:05.900 --> 00:07:06.740 It says about him. 00:07:06.740 --> 00:07:08.490 He's full of years. 00:07:08.880 --> 00:07:12.510 And there's a couple of things that this says about Abraham. 00:07:12.640 --> 00:07:16.000 One is, he was really old, right? 00:07:16.060 --> 00:07:19.040 There is a there is a quantity of life here, right? 00:07:19.080 --> 00:07:24.080 175 in fact, just a little bit before that, it says he was an old man, right. 00:07:24.080 --> 00:07:25.020 An old in age. 00:07:25.020 --> 00:07:25.860 This guy was old. 00:07:25.860 --> 00:07:26.180 Old. 00:07:26.420 --> 00:07:29.060 But it's not just saying about the quantity of life. 00:07:29.180 --> 00:07:34.920 It's also talking about the quality of life, the way in which he grabbed hold of his life. 00:07:34.980 --> 00:07:42.160 And we might, even looking at Abraham's life, say he honestly didn't really even start to live until he was 75 years old. 00:07:43.180 --> 00:07:50.220 But it was at that moment God's grace came into his life and awakened him to the importance of what life was about and 00:07:50.220 --> 00:07:53.140 experience that being, experiencing that life with God. 00:07:54.140 --> 00:07:56.480 And so Abraham, he grabbed a hold of it. 00:07:56.500 --> 00:08:03.560 And by faith in Hebrews 11, starting in verse eight, it talks about he longed for something greater than really this earth had for 00:08:03.560 --> 00:08:06.860 him, something beyond what this life offered. 00:08:07.000 --> 00:08:08.320 But he lived for God's glory. 00:08:08.440 --> 00:08:15.580 Now, I love this about Abraham, how important this is, because there is this I find tendency in our lives that if 00:08:15.580 --> 00:08:23.060 we've if we've gone through difficult things or we've had difficult things happen to us, that sometimes we can just call it quits, 00:08:23.240 --> 00:08:24.830 like you could say about your life. 00:08:25.500 --> 00:08:26.560 maybe not you specifically. 00:08:26.760 --> 00:08:26.900 Right? 00:08:26.900 --> 00:08:27.620 You guys are great. 00:08:27.620 --> 00:08:28.610 But other people. 00:08:28.880 --> 00:08:35.240 Other people, they died at 45, but they weren't buried till they were 95, right? 00:08:35.240 --> 00:08:41.950 Like they got stuck with where they were and they couldn't get past what it was that happened to them. 00:08:42.280 --> 00:08:44.400 And sometimes we have this tendency of looking at that. 00:08:44.400 --> 00:08:50.380 And the reason we say that is people is because, well, I can't forgive myself right now. 00:08:50.380 --> 00:08:51.720 Like what I did was so bad. 00:08:51.720 --> 00:08:52.620 Like, how could God love me? 00:08:52.620 --> 00:08:55.020 I can't even love myself or I can't forgive myself? 00:08:55.020 --> 00:08:56.300 And can I tell you very easily? 00:08:56.480 --> 00:08:59.960 The problem with that scenario is you think too much about yourself. 00:09:01.080 --> 00:09:01.650 I know it sounds. 00:09:01.860 --> 00:09:04.760 It sounds, humbling that kind of a comment. 00:09:04.800 --> 00:09:06.260 But really, it's pride in disguise. 00:09:07.360 --> 00:09:10.340 God is so much greater than the things you've gone through. 00:09:11.260 --> 00:09:12.280 And thank the Lord. 00:09:12.280 --> 00:09:19.400 Abraham discovered that at 75 years old, and he was willing to let go of what his past had been in order to grab hold of what God 00:09:19.400 --> 00:09:20.380 was calling him to. 00:09:21.280 --> 00:09:23.000 But it's got to be a surrendering of your life. 00:09:23.860 --> 00:09:30.420 Some of the most miserable people on the planet are people who call themselves Christians, who live half for the world and half for the Lord. 00:09:31.240 --> 00:09:31.320 Right? 00:09:31.420 --> 00:09:34.680 You think you do enough to make God happy with you, but you keep the rest for yourself. 00:09:35.520 --> 00:09:37.720 That is one of the most miserable places to live your life. 00:09:38.560 --> 00:09:43.040 And sometimes I tease and I tell us, the Bible at least says sin is fun for a season, right? 00:09:43.060 --> 00:09:45.600 Like you're going to you're going to live for the world. 00:09:45.640 --> 00:09:46.600 It might as well go all in. 00:09:46.920 --> 00:09:49.140 Like, at least it's fun for a season, right? 00:09:49.160 --> 00:09:53.100 I mean, it's going to have something to bite you in the rear in the end, but at least it's fun for a season. 00:09:53.220 --> 00:09:56.410 Like there's no peace in trying to live in both places. 00:09:57.320 --> 00:09:59.880 But when you understand exactly what Jesus has done for you, how much greater? 00:09:59.940 --> 00:10:03.980 Is to completely give your life over to him, because that's the purpose for which you were made. 00:10:04.920 --> 00:10:06.130 And you get to walk in that joy. 00:10:07.320 --> 00:10:10.210 And this is what Abraham does at 75 years old. 00:10:10.420 --> 00:10:13.480 there's a story about a pitcher named Satchel Paige. 00:10:14.260 --> 00:10:17.640 satchel Paige, one of the incredible things about Satchel Paige. 00:10:17.760 --> 00:10:23.160 He signed a major league contract to pitch in a baseball game at 59 years old. 00:10:23.660 --> 00:10:24.840 59 years old. 00:10:24.940 --> 00:10:28.290 He did this for the A's, and he pitched for three innings. 00:10:28.460 --> 00:10:30.180 He only gave up one hit, no runs. 00:10:30.700 --> 00:10:31.780 People were amazed by that. 00:10:31.800 --> 00:10:32.860 59 years old. 00:10:32.860 --> 00:10:38.140 When the man turned 62, he pitched in another exhibition game and one of the people he pitched against was Hank Aaron. 00:10:38.460 --> 00:10:45.080 He retired six batters in those innings when he pitched, and people were amazed by this. 00:10:45.160 --> 00:10:51.840 One of his biographers just wouldn't get over the fact how old he was, and kept talking to him about how he's able to do this at his age. 00:10:52.200 --> 00:10:54.860 And finally, Satchel Paige, he right. 00:10:54.860 --> 00:10:57.090 Satchel Paige looked back at the biographer and said this. 00:10:57.460 --> 00:11:00.730 How old would you be if you didn't know how old you were? 00:11:01.280 --> 00:11:02.640 That's a profound right. 00:11:02.720 --> 00:11:06.620 Like, just stop telling me my age and I will just tell you how I feel, right? 00:11:06.640 --> 00:11:08.480 Like, you're only as old as you feel. 00:11:08.480 --> 00:11:09.700 Age is just a number. 00:11:10.620 --> 00:11:13.180 And God's got a plan for your life, so who cares when it starts? 00:11:13.180 --> 00:11:14.310 The important part is that you start. 00:11:15.280 --> 00:11:16.300 And that when you go, you. 00:11:16.520 --> 00:11:18.400 You lay down your life for his glory. 00:11:29.980 --> 00:11:31.260 And this is what you see with the life of Abraham. 00:11:31.260 --> 00:11:31.260 He gives his life. 00:11:31.260 --> 00:11:31.260 He is full of years. 00:11:31.260 --> 00:11:31.260 Not just quantity but also quality. 00:11:31.260 --> 00:11:34.530 God, what is it you desire to do in my life and even shares with us in chapter 25 how Abraham continued to live that story. 00:11:34.840 --> 00:11:39.400 In fact, it does so by talking about that Abraham got remarried after Sarah died. 00:11:39.580 --> 00:11:41.900 Abraham almost lived four more decades. 00:11:42.780 --> 00:11:47.400 And Abraham, just because you have the passing of one spouse doesn't end the life of the other spouse. 00:11:48.340 --> 00:11:50.460 It doesn't mean everyone has to get remarried. 00:11:50.900 --> 00:11:54.960 That's certainly not what it's saying, and people certainly have an opinion on that. 00:11:55.120 --> 00:12:01.340 If you if you find yourself in life becoming a widow, like, I don't want to pretend what it's like to go through that pain. 00:12:01.820 --> 00:12:03.940 But people certainly develop opinions, right? 00:12:03.940 --> 00:12:09.860 Some expect you to live like a month, others live like a monk, and others want you to get back out and date again. 00:12:09.900 --> 00:12:13.970 Like in either case, can I just tell you what's important in that situation? 00:12:14.280 --> 00:12:16.620 Regardless if you find yourself married again or not? 00:12:17.730 --> 00:12:19.510 it's how you choose to honor the Lord. 00:12:20.360 --> 00:12:22.480 And it just so happens in Abraham's life. 00:12:23.020 --> 00:12:30.380 Grief gave him the opportunity to be able to love again, and he found the opportunity to do that. 00:12:31.120 --> 00:12:33.700 But that doesn't have to be everybody, right? 00:12:33.820 --> 00:12:40.680 In Matthew 23, uh, it talks about Jesus as coming or excuse me, Matthew 22, verse 23 to 33. 00:12:40.740 --> 00:12:47.900 Jesus has asked the question about a lady who was married and widowed and married again and widowed and happened seven 00:12:47.900 --> 00:12:48.600 times. 00:12:48.680 --> 00:12:52.740 And Jesus talks about the importance of marital relationship in that. 00:12:52.780 --> 00:12:55.740 I think that passage can be used to talk about the freedom to remarry. 00:12:55.760 --> 00:12:58.010 The same is true for First Corinthians seven. 00:12:59.140 --> 00:13:03.950 Like that may be in the cards for you in the future, and other people are going to have opinions about that. 00:13:05.080 --> 00:13:09.040 but what's important, more than any of that, is how you choose to honor the Lord. 00:13:10.300 --> 00:13:14.240 And as you follow him, God will set that path before you and what it is that he desires. 00:13:15.540 --> 00:13:23.220 But God's heart for you is that you would know him, and it highlights it again in this, in this story, by talking about when it talks about Keturah, it 00:13:23.220 --> 00:13:26.800 refers to her as a concubine, even though this is Abraham's wife. 00:13:26.860 --> 00:13:29.550 And the question some ask is, why in the world would it do that? 00:13:29.940 --> 00:13:37.280 And I think it's speaking to the importance of who Sarah was in light of the promises of God as 00:13:37.280 --> 00:13:38.540 Abraham is now married. 00:13:38.580 --> 00:13:45.780 Keturah meaning it's highlighting in this passage that while Keturah is Abraham's wife, it's showing the significance of God's promise that God 00:13:45.780 --> 00:13:51.720 would bring a deliverer who would bless all nations, all people, groups, through through Sarah and Abraham. 00:13:52.260 --> 00:13:55.380 And he is highlighting what God wants to do through the life of Isaac. 00:13:56.440 --> 00:14:00.860 Now, it doesn't mean that Abraham is mean to his other sons that he has. 00:14:00.920 --> 00:14:05.630 In fact, I think in verse six it talks about how Abraham sets all of his sons up to succeed. 00:14:05.760 --> 00:14:06.940 He provides for them what they need. 00:14:06.940 --> 00:14:07.830 He helps them get set up. 00:14:08.000 --> 00:14:11.770 But then Abraham knows that God wants to work through the life of Isaac. 00:14:12.860 --> 00:14:18.360 But through it all, what you see in the life of Abraham is this willingness to surrender to the Lord God. 00:14:18.360 --> 00:14:20.240 What is it that you desire to do? 00:14:20.720 --> 00:14:27.760 In fact, this is contrasted very clearly through what it shares with us in verse 12 to 18 and verse 12 to 18, then goes 00:14:27.760 --> 00:14:28.840 on to tell the story of Ishmael. 00:14:29.180 --> 00:14:32.930 If you remember the story of Ishmael, this was Abraham's other child he had through Hagar. 00:14:33.840 --> 00:14:36.860 This was not following according to what God would desire. 00:14:36.880 --> 00:14:38.590 This is taking matters into their own hands. 00:14:39.200 --> 00:14:43.600 But God has Ishmael and it gives you the lineage of Ishmael in this story. 00:14:43.600 --> 00:14:45.690 It tells you all the kids that Ishmael has. 00:14:45.960 --> 00:14:53.020 But one of the things that is very clearly absent in this section of the Bible is the communication about the Lord 00:14:53.020 --> 00:14:57.390 and Ishmael's life, because Ishmael is not interested in the Lord in his life. 00:14:58.700 --> 00:15:00.040 And so what it's showing. 00:15:00.120 --> 00:15:00.260 Yes. 00:15:00.260 --> 00:15:01.230 Is the really the difference? 00:15:01.480 --> 00:15:02.980 Is it telling you all about Ishmael's life? 00:15:03.020 --> 00:15:04.280 But it doesn't say he's full of years. 00:15:04.280 --> 00:15:06.030 It just says he lived a certain amount of years. 00:15:07.540 --> 00:15:11.270 And so it's speaking to the importance of how Abraham walked faithfully. 00:15:11.620 --> 00:15:13.910 And the Bible is really setting up here future generations. 00:15:14.240 --> 00:15:20.640 So as you read throughout the rest of the Scripture, where certain people groups come from because Ishmael, Ishmael had children. 00:15:20.660 --> 00:15:24.230 And through that there were people groups that came through the lineage of Ishmael. 00:15:25.260 --> 00:15:30.260 But what's painfully absent from this story is Ishmael's desire to also follow after the Lord. 00:15:31.400 --> 00:15:36.560 So when it comes to following God in your life for means to experience point number one, fully surrender to the Lord. 00:15:36.580 --> 00:15:41.740 And don't neglect the simplicity of that you're calling today. 00:15:42.420 --> 00:15:43.850 It's not about what you do. 00:15:44.840 --> 00:15:48.780 It's about who you know, who God is calling you to become. 00:15:50.180 --> 00:15:54.290 And in surrendering your life to him, God will take care of the details of how you live. 00:15:55.800 --> 00:15:58.940 Point number two, then, is learn to wait on the Lord. 00:16:00.100 --> 00:16:00.120 Learn. 00:16:00.120 --> 00:16:01.860 Learn to wait on the Lord. 00:16:02.900 --> 00:16:10.100 And if I could just say culturally, if there's one thing out of these four points, that is, I think more important in this culture than maybe some 00:16:10.100 --> 00:16:12.780 others, it's learning to wait on the Lord. 00:16:15.060 --> 00:16:22.200 we're doing a mission trip this summer to Africa, and one of the things that I like to tell the groups when 00:16:22.200 --> 00:16:28.530 we get together in the beginning is when it comes to Africa, we're going to make a plan, and you just be prepared to throw that plan out the window. 00:16:28.560 --> 00:16:29.160 Right? 00:16:29.180 --> 00:16:30.030 Just don't bring your watch. 00:16:30.120 --> 00:16:31.040 Don't bring your watch. 00:16:31.040 --> 00:16:35.400 There are some cultures they don't operate the same as other cultures. 00:16:35.400 --> 00:16:37.890 And our culture waiting on the Lord is important. 00:16:38.800 --> 00:16:42.870 And you're going to see this told in the story of Isaac in this passage. 00:16:42.960 --> 00:16:43.200 Isaac. 00:16:43.800 --> 00:16:48.100 Isaac is one that learned his lessons from his father. 00:16:48.560 --> 00:16:50.290 Because you remember how the story goes. 00:16:50.340 --> 00:16:51.800 Abraham 75. 00:16:51.900 --> 00:16:56.160 He's told by the by the Lord, follow me, and I'll give you a land, and I'll give you a lineage. 00:16:57.420 --> 00:16:58.460 And Abraham follows him. 00:16:58.460 --> 00:17:03.150 For 25 years they waited you think Abraham might have felt embarrassed and foolish? 00:17:03.640 --> 00:17:05.660 He's 100 years old before he has a kid. 00:17:05.859 --> 00:17:11.240 But year nine, 24, when he's 99, he's wondering, God, are you going to deliver on this? 00:17:11.240 --> 00:17:11.920 What did I do? 00:17:11.940 --> 00:17:14.490 I left everything that I was familiar with to pursue you. 00:17:14.640 --> 00:17:16.099 How difficult that would be. 00:17:16.099 --> 00:17:19.140 At one point, Abraham tried to take matters into his own hands. 00:17:19.740 --> 00:17:21.500 When or Sarah came up with the idea. 00:17:21.500 --> 00:17:28.720 I should say that to have Hagar the Concubine have a child, as if they were saying, look, God promised this, promised us this, but he 00:17:28.720 --> 00:17:29.840 must need our help, right? 00:17:29.840 --> 00:17:31.780 And so they get ahead of the Lord. 00:17:31.780 --> 00:17:35.260 They don't wait on the Lord, but they take matters into their own hands. 00:17:35.260 --> 00:17:37.410 And out of that comes Ishmael and all sorts of conflict. 00:17:39.040 --> 00:17:40.120 And Isaac. 00:17:40.120 --> 00:17:47.340 Now in a similar situation, I think he learns from the lessons of his father how important that 00:17:47.340 --> 00:17:48.020 is. 00:17:48.020 --> 00:17:48.520 Right? 00:17:48.520 --> 00:17:53.000 To look at these Bible stories and learn the lessons so you don't have to learn it the hard way. 00:17:53.480 --> 00:17:57.120 I tend to be the person that still wants to experience it myself, right? 00:17:57.120 --> 00:18:00.440 Like I don't, I don't always learn my lessons from others. 00:18:00.440 --> 00:18:02.400 I sometimes I have to learn it the hard way. 00:18:02.640 --> 00:18:06.200 But thank God Isaac learned it, through his father's example. 00:18:06.200 --> 00:18:06.780 And look at this. 00:18:07.040 --> 00:18:08.460 Verse 19. 00:18:08.460 --> 00:18:09.940 These are the generations of Isaac. 00:18:10.220 --> 00:18:11.120 Abraham's son. 00:18:11.440 --> 00:18:18.640 Abraham fathered Isaac, and Isaac was 40 years old when he took Rebecca, the daughter of Bethuel, the Aramean of Aram, the sister of 00:18:18.640 --> 00:18:20.660 Laban the Aramean, to his wife. 00:18:21.000 --> 00:18:28.380 And Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife because she was barren, and the Lord granted his prayer and Rebecca, his wife, conceived. 00:18:28.400 --> 00:18:29.020 Now look at this. 00:18:29.380 --> 00:18:30.750 So he's praying for his wife to have children. 00:18:31.000 --> 00:18:32.860 Verse 26, it tells you how long he waited. 00:18:33.440 --> 00:18:35.160 After talking about the birth of the kids. 00:18:35.160 --> 00:18:42.660 After his brother came out, Esau came out with his hand holding, This is Jacob being born and holding Esau's 00:18:42.660 --> 00:18:43.210 hill. 00:18:43.500 --> 00:18:46.150 So his name was called Jacob the deceiver. 00:18:46.500 --> 00:18:49.260 And Isaac was 60 years old when she bore them. 00:18:49.360 --> 00:18:54.900 So he was 40 years old when he got married, but he was 60 years old when the children were born. 00:18:56.000 --> 00:18:57.810 Similar to his father, who waited 25 years. 00:18:58.140 --> 00:18:59.800 Isaac is waiting 20 years. 00:19:00.540 --> 00:19:04.940 But as Isaac had learned through his own father, when Ishmael wanted to kill him, right? 00:19:04.980 --> 00:19:08.270 The reason Ishmael was sent away because he had ill will toward Isaac. 00:19:08.980 --> 00:19:16.220 Isaac learned from that not to get ahead of the Lord, but rather to wait for him to see how 00:19:16.220 --> 00:19:19.320 God desired to work things out. 00:19:20.160 --> 00:19:24.060 And so for 20 years, Isaac, he's praying for his wife. 00:19:24.420 --> 00:19:29.600 He knows God had promised that through his family would come a deliverer for all people groups. 00:19:29.680 --> 00:19:31.360 So God would have to bring a child. 00:19:32.480 --> 00:19:34.540 And Isaac waits for the Lord. 00:19:35.280 --> 00:19:40.640 Because in your own life, can I just tell you in Scripture, the Bible reminds us of that over and over again. 00:19:41.120 --> 00:19:42.960 A couple of my favorite stories in Scripture. 00:19:43.200 --> 00:19:50.400 Mark chapter four, if you remember in the 30s, verse the 30s, that Jesus, there's a story of Jesus with his disciples 00:19:50.400 --> 00:19:51.810 on a boat. 00:19:52.840 --> 00:19:55.920 And these disciples are familiar with the sea. 00:19:55.940 --> 00:19:57.100 I mean, they're professional fishermen. 00:19:58.140 --> 00:19:59.840 If anyone can handle the sea, it's the. 00:19:59.840 --> 00:20:06.870 These guys, but all of a sudden they find themselves in a storm and they're struggling and they're gritting their teeth and they're fighting and they're straining, 00:20:07.080 --> 00:20:11.200 and the waves keep coming, and they get to the point where they think they're going to die, right? 00:20:11.440 --> 00:20:13.100 sometimes people just get out of shore and panic. 00:20:13.380 --> 00:20:14.650 You know, some people don't like being on boats. 00:20:15.000 --> 00:20:15.810 Some people don't know how to swim. 00:20:16.420 --> 00:20:18.180 These guys, they're familiar with these waters. 00:20:18.180 --> 00:20:19.140 They've been through storms. 00:20:19.140 --> 00:20:20.140 They know what it's like. 00:20:20.660 --> 00:20:24.290 But for these guys to panic, you could imagine how extreme the moment is. 00:20:25.340 --> 00:20:28.600 And then as you read the story, you come to find out Jesus is on the boat. 00:20:28.620 --> 00:20:29.880 But what's Jesus doing? 00:20:30.740 --> 00:20:31.440 He's sleeping. 00:20:32.260 --> 00:20:33.960 Jesus is sleeping. 00:20:34.220 --> 00:20:36.600 And one of the disciples, do they start to freak out? 00:20:36.600 --> 00:20:40.480 Not only that, the storm's happening, but how in the world could Jesus sleep at a time like this? 00:20:40.480 --> 00:20:43.480 We're about to die and this guy is catching some Z's, right? 00:20:43.540 --> 00:20:45.330 And then so they wake Jesus up and this panic. 00:20:45.560 --> 00:20:46.530 And then what does Jesus do? 00:20:47.700 --> 00:20:48.460 Peace be still. 00:20:50.200 --> 00:20:51.040 Peace be still. 00:20:52.120 --> 00:20:59.120 This moment of life where they're getting ahead of God and they're panicked and they're trusting in all of their own strength to accomplish everything 00:20:59.120 --> 00:21:02.160 around them, to do everything that they know because, well, they're fishermen. 00:21:02.160 --> 00:21:04.160 If anyone can get them out of this, they can do it. 00:21:04.220 --> 00:21:07.500 And they get to this place of utter hopelessness because they don't know what else to do. 00:21:08.400 --> 00:21:08.990 But what do they discover? 00:21:10.500 --> 00:21:15.340 That's where God exactly needed them to be so they can learn the most important lesson. 00:21:16.620 --> 00:21:24.560 That he is enough now for some of us, it's not until we've lost hope in all other things, in our own efforts, that 00:21:24.560 --> 00:21:28.420 we truly start to open our eyes to the reality that God is what we need. 00:21:29.900 --> 00:21:30.820 To wait for him. 00:21:32.300 --> 00:21:37.720 A second story like that is John chapter 11, when Jesus's best friend dies. 00:21:37.720 --> 00:21:38.300 Lazarus. 00:21:39.440 --> 00:21:42.540 And when Jesus is told that Lazarus is sick. 00:21:42.700 --> 00:21:47.500 You already understand from the very beginning of chapter 11, if they're coming to tell Jesus that Lazarus is sick. 00:21:47.580 --> 00:21:49.180 The situation is dire, right? 00:21:49.180 --> 00:21:50.240 He's got a cold. 00:21:50.240 --> 00:21:51.000 Come check it out. 00:21:51.240 --> 00:21:52.320 I mean, there's a problem here. 00:21:53.340 --> 00:21:59.350 And what does it tell us in verse five and six that Jesus waits for two days for their well-being? 00:21:59.760 --> 00:22:01.000 It's like, are you kidding me? 00:22:01.020 --> 00:22:03.400 Like you have the ability to heal anything, any time. 00:22:03.400 --> 00:22:06.180 How is it for my well-being that you just let me die, right? 00:22:06.200 --> 00:22:07.340 That doesn't make any sense. 00:22:07.360 --> 00:22:11.020 Jesus, you should immediately just stop what you're doing and go help your friend go. 00:22:11.440 --> 00:22:13.400 Go rescue him from his sickness. 00:22:13.400 --> 00:22:18.820 And then in verse 15, it tells you he looks at the disciples and says, it's for your benefit that this takes place, right? 00:22:18.820 --> 00:22:19.880 Like, come with me. 00:22:20.000 --> 00:22:21.220 This is this is for your well-being. 00:22:21.940 --> 00:22:25.080 And then when Jesus gets there, he's weeping over the death of his friend. 00:22:25.080 --> 00:22:27.440 The man has power over death, and he's weeping. 00:22:27.680 --> 00:22:32.650 He's about to raise the dead, and he's weeping about this, and it signifies the importance of life. 00:22:33.400 --> 00:22:38.860 And the question is, if Jesus had the ability just to help his friend, and they came to him and told him, why did Jesus wait? 00:22:39.380 --> 00:22:40.640 What was Jesus thinking? 00:22:41.100 --> 00:22:42.420 Did Jesus not care? 00:22:42.440 --> 00:22:43.960 Does Jesus not care about me? 00:22:44.500 --> 00:22:44.620 Right? 00:22:44.720 --> 00:22:47.530 That's the question we ask ourselves when we go through difficult times. 00:22:48.280 --> 00:22:48.960 God, where are you? 00:22:48.960 --> 00:22:49.860 You must not love me. 00:22:49.880 --> 00:22:52.240 I must be the exception to everything you say in Scripture. 00:22:52.640 --> 00:22:54.840 And then we start to panic and do things in our own strength. 00:22:56.200 --> 00:22:57.910 Why would God let Lazarus die? 00:22:59.580 --> 00:23:06.600 Because he wanted to teach them something so much more powerful about his presence in their life, that there is 00:23:06.600 --> 00:23:10.850 nothing that can stop what God desires to do, not even death. 00:23:12.500 --> 00:23:19.400 Because how important it is for all of us to learn that lesson in the adversity of what we experience in life. 00:23:19.440 --> 00:23:20.460 To wait on the Lord. 00:23:21.700 --> 00:23:24.900 Hey, what God wants to do is far better than anything I'm going to do in my own strength. 00:23:25.040 --> 00:23:27.670 And if I do things in my own strength, it just gets messy. 00:23:28.000 --> 00:23:30.540 Ishmael showed us that with the life of Abraham. 00:23:30.880 --> 00:23:37.820 And here you have again the story of Isaac, and he's demonstrating what it means just to trust in the Lord and see the goodness of God made known. 00:23:38.760 --> 00:23:39.250 Point number three. 00:23:39.340 --> 00:23:46.560 Then invest in what God desires to do in others for means to experience God. 00:23:46.560 --> 00:23:52.360 Point number three invest in what God desires to do in others, which is an interesting way to talk about experiencing God. 00:23:53.420 --> 00:23:55.640 But if you think about it, highly important. 00:23:56.720 --> 00:24:00.560 Everyone's made in the image of God being made in the image of God. 00:24:00.560 --> 00:24:07.440 If you want to see God work, look at how God is working in the hearts of people to display his glory in this world. 00:24:07.580 --> 00:24:14.600 I mean, God's gifted us all uniquely, and we have the privilege to serve and encourage one another in our relationship with him. 00:24:15.000 --> 00:24:18.580 One of the primary ways God wants to work in this world is to the miracle. 00:24:18.580 --> 00:24:22.640 He works in our hearts to minister to the hearts of people around us. 00:24:23.520 --> 00:24:30.460 And so God, God is very much interested in how you invest in the lives of people, because the work he did in you, he wants to do through you to the hearts of others. 00:24:31.920 --> 00:24:37.000 And you see this with Rebecca in the same spot talking about Isaac. 00:24:37.200 --> 00:24:44.340 You see Rebecca seeing the hand of God work in her life by providing children, and now she's seeking after the Lord and what God 00:24:44.340 --> 00:24:47.780 must be doing in these kids because there's something happening to her. 00:24:47.780 --> 00:24:51.500 In verse 22, it says the children struggled together within her. 00:24:51.640 --> 00:24:55.160 And she said, if it is thus, why is this happening to me? 00:24:55.400 --> 00:24:56.820 So she went to inquire of the Lord. 00:24:56.900 --> 00:25:02.220 And the Lord said to her, two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided. 00:25:02.220 --> 00:25:04.300 The one shall be stronger than the other. 00:25:04.300 --> 00:25:06.260 The older shall serve the younger. 00:25:06.300 --> 00:25:10.740 When her days to give birth were complete, behold, there were twins in her womb. 00:25:10.880 --> 00:25:14.840 The first came out red, all his body like a hairy cloak. 00:25:14.840 --> 00:25:15.320 That's so gross. 00:25:15.660 --> 00:25:17.420 And so they called him Esau. 00:25:17.940 --> 00:25:19.240 And they should have called him gross. 00:25:19.280 --> 00:25:19.420 Right? 00:25:19.420 --> 00:25:24.180 And, afterward his brother came out with his hand holding Esau's heel. 00:25:24.240 --> 00:25:26.500 So his name was called Jacob the deceiver. 00:25:27.440 --> 00:25:30.030 So you ain't got you got a Furby and you got a deceiver. 00:25:30.200 --> 00:25:34.100 That's what she gets. 00:25:34.100 --> 00:25:34.100 And that's what you're that's what you're giving birth to. 00:25:34.100 --> 00:25:34.580 Of course you're going to seek the Lord. 00:25:34.580 --> 00:25:35.240 What do I do here? 00:25:35.580 --> 00:25:36.380 God. 00:25:36.620 --> 00:25:38.520 But here's what she finds out. 00:25:38.520 --> 00:25:41.780 She seeks after the Lord, and God hits her with this zinger from the beginning. 00:25:41.940 --> 00:25:43.680 You're not having one, you're having two. 00:25:44.580 --> 00:25:45.830 You got you got some twins. 00:25:55.100 --> 00:25:58.960 And not only that, you're having twins. 00:25:58.960 --> 00:25:58.960 God has a plan for their lives. 00:25:58.960 --> 00:25:58.960 And not only does God have a plan, they're going to become two nations. 00:25:58.960 --> 00:26:00.060 And not only are they two nations surprised they're boys, which is why they're fighting in your womb right now. 00:26:00.180 --> 00:26:01.710 And that's just what they do. 00:26:02.480 --> 00:26:09.500 but through that, there's some things that we learn through through Becca being involved in her children and seeking after the Lord and 00:26:09.500 --> 00:26:15.240 what God desires to do when she learns that she's having twins and God has a plan. 00:26:15.580 --> 00:26:18.600 What we discover is the value of human life from the womb. 00:26:19.800 --> 00:26:22.340 I think there are plenty of passages that speak about this. 00:26:22.340 --> 00:26:29.400 Psalm 139 is incredible in the way that God has designed all of us, but God gets very specific in his plan for these. 00:26:29.560 --> 00:26:35.360 Particular children, showing that God has a purpose and a plan for children starting from the womb. 00:26:35.940 --> 00:26:42.340 That everyone's made in the image of God, which I find important to highlight while we're collecting baby bottles for the Pregnancy Resource Center. 00:26:42.380 --> 00:26:49.500 Having just got out of January, the Sanctity of Life Month, and this is not the only time you see this communicated in Scripture and to 00:26:49.500 --> 00:26:50.600 Jeremiah. 00:26:51.660 --> 00:26:53.740 God says, before I formed you, I knew you. 00:26:54.700 --> 00:26:57.420 And not that Jeremiah knew God, but God knew about Jeremiah. 00:26:58.340 --> 00:27:02.840 Or when Mary and Elizabeth interact in Scripture, when they're both pregnant. 00:27:03.000 --> 00:27:10.120 It tells us in Luke chapter one, verses 41 to 44, that when Elizabeth sees Mary coming to her, that John the Baptist in 00:27:10.120 --> 00:27:13.280 Elizabeth's womb leaps in worship. 00:27:14.320 --> 00:27:17.970 I mean, a child in the womb worshiping the Lord. 00:27:18.520 --> 00:27:25.880 even in King David and second Samuel, chapter 12, when he's losing his child, verse 23, David says, 00:27:26.240 --> 00:27:29.190 I, my child isn't coming to me, but I'm going to go see my child. 00:27:30.300 --> 00:27:35.430 And Psalm 23 verse six, David clearly said, we sang it this morning, and the house of God forever. 00:27:36.100 --> 00:27:38.310 David knew he would be in the presence of the Lord forever. 00:27:39.080 --> 00:27:46.420 So when David knew he was going to be in the presence of the Lord forever, and David talks about seeing his child one day, David saying his child 00:27:46.420 --> 00:27:47.800 is before the Lord's presence. 00:27:47.840 --> 00:27:55.100 I find that those verses incredibly comforting to families that may have lost a child, ever had a miscarriage, to see how God 00:27:55.100 --> 00:28:00.810 views the importance of life, that it is a soul and God cares for that soul. 00:28:01.660 --> 00:28:06.080 Not only does she learn that God has a plan, but she learns these kids are going to become two nations. 00:28:07.580 --> 00:28:14.800 The idea of these two nations speaks to the importance of how God can take something so small and feeble and do great things with it, 00:28:15.580 --> 00:28:17.370 but it really depends on what it surrendered to. 00:28:18.980 --> 00:28:22.020 for all of us, God made us all strong. 00:28:22.620 --> 00:28:26.540 And if you choose to use your strength for your glory, it'll be to the detriment of the people around you. 00:28:27.180 --> 00:28:34.090 But if you use it for his glory, it should be a blessing to the people around you that God is raising up two nations within her. 00:28:34.160 --> 00:28:40.400 How important it is for her to nurture those children before the Lord, and what they will be capable of doing. 00:28:41.140 --> 00:28:43.550 Same thing is true for you as a parent or us as a church. 00:28:43.680 --> 00:28:50.700 When we think about the young people that are a part of ABC, to invest in the lives of the young people, to help them become who God has called them to be, 00:28:50.860 --> 00:28:54.840 because God desires to do something more than just in you, but through you. 00:28:55.920 --> 00:29:02.360 When it comes to the life of these children, you see through this text, they have different personalities, right? 00:29:02.360 --> 00:29:09.280 It says when the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, which Jacob was a quiet man dwelling in tents. 00:29:09.620 --> 00:29:14.300 Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob. 00:29:14.300 --> 00:29:15.770 I love this dads like you feed my belly. 00:29:15.960 --> 00:29:16.850 You know I love you. 00:29:17.580 --> 00:29:19.680 And I'm saying their parenting was perfect. 00:29:20.240 --> 00:29:22.560 They're obviously a little different in their love here, though. 00:29:22.580 --> 00:29:23.540 I love each child equally. 00:29:23.540 --> 00:29:25.040 That's not what it says in this verse. 00:29:25.080 --> 00:29:27.720 They're not the best of parents. 00:29:27.720 --> 00:29:32.720 But it is highlighting the uniqueness of these children when it comes to parenting. 00:29:32.760 --> 00:29:35.820 You can't always parent your kids the same way, right? 00:29:35.820 --> 00:29:40.500 They've got unique personalities and how they are cared for. 00:29:40.500 --> 00:29:41.370 And what you learn about Jacob. 00:29:41.680 --> 00:29:43.100 He's a mama's boy, right? 00:29:43.160 --> 00:29:44.330 He's a lover, not a fighter. 00:29:44.660 --> 00:29:47.110 He likes being in the air conditioning, working a desk job. 00:29:47.660 --> 00:29:49.520 The boy, he will never have dirt under his nails. 00:29:49.520 --> 00:29:52.060 He probably drives a Prius and carries a Yorkie with a sweater. 00:29:52.100 --> 00:29:52.440 That's. 00:29:52.540 --> 00:29:53.380 That's kind of the. 00:29:53.420 --> 00:29:54.620 I'm sorry if you. 00:29:54.620 --> 00:29:57.940 I only say that because I drive a Prius and have a Yorkie with a sweater. 00:29:57.960 --> 00:29:58.590 I'm just kidding. 00:29:58.680 --> 00:30:01.760 I don't I do have a little dog, but I don't have a Yorkie with a sweater. 00:30:02.360 --> 00:30:04.400 Esau. 00:30:04.460 --> 00:30:05.080 Esau. 00:30:05.080 --> 00:30:10.730 He's like, he's probably always listening to country music, driving his 4x4 with a shotgun in the background, dirt under his fingers constantly. 00:30:11.280 --> 00:30:13.330 And if he's not hunting, he's working on his truck. 00:30:16.420 --> 00:30:16.840 You know, that's Esau. 00:30:16.840 --> 00:30:17.180 Two different personalities here. 00:30:18.080 --> 00:30:19.760 And how you parent is important. 00:30:19.780 --> 00:30:24.500 But understanding, understanding the calling of the Lord in their lives. 00:30:24.500 --> 00:30:31.360 And it goes on further and it just shows the brokenness of these two people and their need to be nurtured. 00:30:31.620 --> 00:30:38.760 You know, it's interesting, out of all the creatures God made when it comes to human beings, like there's no other creature in the animal kingdom that 00:30:38.760 --> 00:30:43.760 spends 18 years nurturing something else to become what God has called it to be. 00:30:43.880 --> 00:30:47.920 You know, some some are like your birth and kicked out of the nest, right? 00:30:47.920 --> 00:30:55.300 Like, and you think how unique it is as human beings speaking to the importance of rearing children, because if they 00:30:55.300 --> 00:31:01.560 don't align their heart with the Lord properly, the way that they can lead their lives can be destructive to other people. 00:31:02.660 --> 00:31:05.200 And I don't say all that to guilt everyone around us. 00:31:05.260 --> 00:31:05.400 Right? 00:31:05.440 --> 00:31:10.060 Like you don't have to have the perfect home to live a godly life. 00:31:10.060 --> 00:31:12.140 And the Lord can certainly forgive you where you are. 00:31:12.140 --> 00:31:19.260 I remember when my son was born and I walked out of the hospital, I kept thinking to myself, surely someone's going to take him away before I get like, they just hand me this kid, 00:31:19.360 --> 00:31:21.280 like it just I know where he came from. 00:31:21.280 --> 00:31:26.100 But like, it just walking out of the hospital and thinking, I'm responsible for this life. 00:31:26.120 --> 00:31:29.160 It was overwhelming, but, you know. 00:31:29.160 --> 00:31:36.220 Regardless of where you've come from, if your home life was good or if it was broken, you have a Heavenly Father that 00:31:36.220 --> 00:31:40.000 loves you and he is good and he is perfect. 00:31:41.020 --> 00:31:48.160 And he will guide your life to nurture home, to nurture your children, to help them become who God has called 00:31:48.160 --> 00:31:49.040 them to be. 00:31:49.940 --> 00:31:56.940 I think the aim of parenting is not primarily focused on what your children do, but who God has called them to be. 00:31:57.000 --> 00:31:59.920 But one of the things it's important to know is that we're all fallen. 00:32:00.640 --> 00:32:02.800 Your children aren't born good and then corrupted. 00:32:03.040 --> 00:32:09.770 I hate to break that to somebody if you believe that, but we're all born sinful in our nature, which means our bend is to live for our glory and not for God's. 00:32:10.320 --> 00:32:11.540 And you see this with Jacob and Esau. 00:32:12.580 --> 00:32:15.750 Once when Jacob was cooking stew, Esau came into the field, and he was exhausted. 00:32:16.200 --> 00:32:20.150 And Esau said to Jacob, let me eat some of the red stew, for I am exhausted. 00:32:20.520 --> 00:32:22.400 Therefore his name was called Edom. 00:32:22.400 --> 00:32:24.300 Jacob said, sell me your birthright now. 00:32:24.340 --> 00:32:26.280 And Esau said, I'm about to die. 00:32:26.280 --> 00:32:28.140 Of what use is the birthright to me? 00:32:28.240 --> 00:32:29.560 And Jacob said, swear to me now. 00:32:29.920 --> 00:32:32.400 So he swore to him, and sold him his birthright to Jacob. 00:32:32.560 --> 00:32:37.430 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose, and went his way. 00:32:37.600 --> 00:32:39.860 Thus Esau despised his birthright. 00:32:39.960 --> 00:32:43.320 I know like these guys are definitely in their teenage years here. 00:32:43.880 --> 00:32:48.700 and the reason I know that is because, Esau is he's way emotional in his reaction. 00:32:48.800 --> 00:32:53.780 Like, no one, no one that's about to die from starvation is going to pick lentil soup as the way you give your. 00:32:53.820 --> 00:32:54.580 I mean, who does that? 00:32:54.780 --> 00:32:57.300 He's like, he is certainly overstating his problem. 00:32:57.300 --> 00:33:00.470 Someone needs to step in and be like, look, Saul, you're at about a ten right now. 00:33:00.480 --> 00:33:01.980 I want to need you to bring this down to a two. 00:33:02.260 --> 00:33:02.600 All right. 00:33:02.660 --> 00:33:02.960 This is. 00:33:03.140 --> 00:33:04.160 You're a little bit hungry. 00:33:04.240 --> 00:33:05.680 Let's not get all up in our emotions here. 00:33:06.000 --> 00:33:06.840 Let's just focus. 00:33:07.440 --> 00:33:07.820 Right. 00:33:08.040 --> 00:33:09.630 You're about to give your birth right away. 00:33:09.680 --> 00:33:10.420 You need some wisdom. 00:33:10.420 --> 00:33:11.080 This is. 00:33:11.140 --> 00:33:12.280 This is not a good decision. 00:33:12.980 --> 00:33:14.500 And helping him think through that. 00:33:14.500 --> 00:33:15.540 And Jacob's the same. 00:33:15.540 --> 00:33:19.650 He's taking advantage of his brother rather than bless or serve his brother. 00:33:19.700 --> 00:33:22.100 He's taking advantage of his brother. 00:33:22.420 --> 00:33:27.720 And then it says to you something interesting, he that Esau despised his birthright. 00:33:28.260 --> 00:33:32.980 And what he's saying is not just saying Esau didn't want his birthright or because Jacob took the birthright. 00:33:33.040 --> 00:33:34.320 Now he doesn't like it anymore. 00:33:34.980 --> 00:33:41.620 What he's saying, what he's saying is Esau didn't carry a concern for what it was that God had put him in a position to do. 00:33:42.460 --> 00:33:49.600 And what I mean is, we've talked about the idea of firstborn a few weeks ago in the family, the tradition responsibility was the 00:33:49.600 --> 00:33:50.500 firstborn. 00:33:50.640 --> 00:33:54.740 If a father died, the firstborn was given a double portion of the inheritance. 00:33:55.540 --> 00:34:02.000 And the reason was, is because it became his responsibility to become the father figure to the family, to look after the needs of the family. 00:34:02.540 --> 00:34:06.960 And so by Esau, rejecting his birthright, it's demonstrating how selfish he really is. 00:34:07.020 --> 00:34:14.639 He's not only saying, he's only concerned with what he gets in that moment, just gratifying his flesh, but he doesn't give a rip about the people around him, because 00:34:14.639 --> 00:34:17.739 that was the position that God had him in by being a firstborn. 00:34:18.600 --> 00:34:20.679 So it becomes important to nurture the hearts of children. 00:34:20.739 --> 00:34:22.260 One of my favorite verses in the Bible. 00:34:22.820 --> 00:34:29.239 So in dealing with children, Psalm 127, verse four, like arrows in the hands of a warrior are the children of one's youth. 00:34:29.520 --> 00:34:33.850 I think if there's ever been a great verse that painted parenting, it's this one. 00:34:34.100 --> 00:34:37.730 Because, parents, this is what it says you are, you are a warrior. 00:34:38.199 --> 00:34:39.650 You have gone to battle. 00:34:40.739 --> 00:34:42.980 And then there's never an ending to win. 00:34:42.980 --> 00:34:43.960 That battle could happen. 00:34:44.620 --> 00:34:46.960 even last night, my wife, I asked her how was. 00:34:47.060 --> 00:34:48.040 How was your sleep last night, honey? 00:34:48.040 --> 00:34:48.670 And she said it was terrible. 00:34:48.840 --> 00:34:49.560 And I said, why was it terrible? 00:34:49.679 --> 00:34:50.800 She said, because you snore. 00:34:50.800 --> 00:34:51.659 And I said, well, I know that. 00:34:51.659 --> 00:34:54.320 But she said, no, no, no, you invented a new snore. 00:34:54.420 --> 00:34:55.219 And I said, oh, really? 00:34:55.320 --> 00:34:55.639 What's this? 00:34:55.719 --> 00:35:00.080 She said, now when you snore, you actually say something that sounds like mom, right? 00:35:00.100 --> 00:35:05.640 So she's like, I kept waking up all night thinking the kids were calling for me, but it was just your creative snore, right? 00:35:05.640 --> 00:35:07.600 By the way, I don't want you to fix my story. 00:35:07.600 --> 00:35:08.320 I love my story. 00:35:08.340 --> 00:35:08.820 So don't tell me. 00:35:08.820 --> 00:35:10.640 Don't tell me whatever you think is going to be best for that. 00:35:11.240 --> 00:35:13.140 But that's what I know. 00:35:13.140 --> 00:35:14.110 She doesn't love it. 00:35:14.180 --> 00:35:15.300 But, um. 00:35:15.460 --> 00:35:18.160 But when it comes to parenting, this is what it's like, right? 00:35:18.160 --> 00:35:19.760 And you're a warrior. 00:35:19.760 --> 00:35:21.950 It's 24 hours a day, seven day a week job. 00:35:22.360 --> 00:35:26.690 But then it also says to us, look, as parents, warriors, children are arrows. 00:35:27.420 --> 00:35:29.440 I think what a beautiful description of kids, right? 00:35:29.480 --> 00:35:30.180 Just get them out of the house. 00:35:30.260 --> 00:35:30.760 No, just kidding. 00:35:30.980 --> 00:35:36.960 But it's saying you get to launch them into this world to become who God's called them to be. 00:35:37.840 --> 00:35:39.400 More than just what they do. 00:35:39.820 --> 00:35:43.170 You get to nurture a heart in the Lord to make a difference. 00:35:43.820 --> 00:35:45.370 You get to send that arrow. 00:35:45.860 --> 00:35:50.710 You get to spend those formative years of their life pouring into them the goodness of who the Lord is. 00:35:51.440 --> 00:35:54.480 How important that is that we invest in the lives of others. 00:35:55.180 --> 00:36:01.100 And it doesn't just have to be in terms of a parent, but we could we could carry it in terms of just relating to people in general. 00:36:01.100 --> 00:36:06.070 God wants to do something in the hearts of people around you and to keep our eyes open to that. 00:36:06.800 --> 00:36:10.550 Point number four, and this last point, I'm just going to tell you this is anecdotal. 00:36:11.460 --> 00:36:17.870 This is not directly from a verse in this passage, but it's something that you see demonstrated in the lives of the patriarchs over and over again. 00:36:18.580 --> 00:36:20.920 And it's what allows them to do what God's called them to do. 00:36:20.920 --> 00:36:23.600 And it's this be ready to forgive along the way. 00:36:25.300 --> 00:36:26.880 Be ready to forgive along the way. 00:36:29.060 --> 00:36:34.510 You don't see the word forgive in this story, but it certainly lived out in the lives of the patriarchs. 00:36:36.740 --> 00:36:42.160 No one in this story lived perfectly, and no one in these stories are treated perfectly. 00:36:42.260 --> 00:36:43.760 And you'll see this throughout the rest of Genesis. 00:36:45.860 --> 00:36:50.050 Abraham had tension with Hagar, and so did Sarah. 00:36:50.860 --> 00:36:53.140 Isaac certainly had trouble with Ishmael. 00:36:53.680 --> 00:36:55.620 Jacob had battles with Esau. 00:36:56.340 --> 00:37:03.700 Joseph has battles with his brothers, which we'll read in the end, but it's the ability to forgive that gives them the opportunity to continue to move forward. 00:37:04.780 --> 00:37:07.440 And when it comes to forgiveness, it doesn't mean you have to be best friends with people. 00:37:07.460 --> 00:37:09.320 In fact, that would be a probably terrible advice. 00:37:10.620 --> 00:37:12.300 because it takes time to rebuild trust. 00:37:13.920 --> 00:37:21.220 But letting go of the past to trust in what God desires to do in the present is important, and forgiveness becomes a 00:37:21.220 --> 00:37:22.740 central part of that. 00:37:24.100 --> 00:37:27.560 It doesn't mean like sometimes if someone's wronged you, that you can't call authorities. 00:37:27.840 --> 00:37:28.720 I mean, that's why police exist. 00:37:28.980 --> 00:37:35.700 If something that significant has happened and that's completely okay to utilize resources like that if something bad happens. 00:37:35.760 --> 00:37:38.120 But it does mean vengeance is not ours. 00:37:39.080 --> 00:37:43.190 And what God wants to do is going to be greater than anything you do in your own strength anyway, so why waste it? 00:37:44.400 --> 00:37:45.320 Forgiveness. 00:37:45.700 --> 00:37:47.340 Forgiveness, though, is hard. 00:37:49.340 --> 00:37:54.480 And the reason forgiveness is hard is because in order to forgive, a piece of you must die. 00:37:56.060 --> 00:38:03.140 And what I mean is, you die to the person that you would become if you didn't forgive. 00:38:05.160 --> 00:38:10.150 Meaning you died to a person becoming a person of bitterness. 00:38:11.460 --> 00:38:13.270 You died to being a person of resentment. 00:38:14.760 --> 00:38:16.800 You died to being a person of vengeance. 00:38:18.520 --> 00:38:25.520 You died to a person that gets stuck in the past and can't move forward, so that you can become all that God has 00:38:25.520 --> 00:38:26.720 called you to be. 00:38:29.200 --> 00:38:32.100 Unforgiveness will eat your life like a cancer. 00:38:34.660 --> 00:38:36.480 It will poison your soul. 00:38:37.820 --> 00:38:45.240 So to forgive is to kill the unhealthy person and path it can create, so that you can step into what God is calling you to be. 00:38:46.460 --> 00:38:48.150 And you don't read the word forgive. 00:38:48.660 --> 00:38:54.190 But you certainly see, in order for these patriarchs to move where God has called them to, those were the kind of people they were. 00:38:55.420 --> 00:39:02.760 In fact, one of the things that I love when Jesus teaches us to pray in Matthew chapter six, he really teaches four ideas in 00:39:02.760 --> 00:39:03.580 the Lord's Prayer. 00:39:04.740 --> 00:39:06.660 Our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be your name. 00:39:06.660 --> 00:39:10.360 Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 00:39:10.360 --> 00:39:17.620 Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as tho as we forgive those who have trespassed against us, versus 00:39:17.620 --> 00:39:19.340 the kingdom, power and the glory, forever and ever. 00:39:19.360 --> 00:39:19.640 Amen. 00:39:20.640 --> 00:39:21.390 You know, I think about that prayer. 00:39:21.820 --> 00:39:22.920 How important it is. 00:39:22.920 --> 00:39:27.540 What God is calling us to one is to recognize the sacredness of who God is, right? 00:39:28.100 --> 00:39:30.330 How holy are you, Lord? 00:39:30.660 --> 00:39:32.960 And then to realize God has called us on mission. 00:39:32.960 --> 00:39:33.860 Your kingdom come. 00:39:34.540 --> 00:39:35.180 And then to pray. 00:39:35.200 --> 00:39:37.440 God, provide for me what I need today to be successful. 00:39:37.600 --> 00:39:39.080 Give us this day our daily bread. 00:39:39.120 --> 00:39:46.030 It's just saying, as I wake up today, Lord, you know what I need and be there to meet that need as I live for your kingdom, knowing the holiness of who you are. 00:39:46.300 --> 00:39:53.460 And in all that Lord, I realize I'm going to have to be a forgiving person, the kind of person that learns about your forgiveness because, 00:39:53.460 --> 00:39:54.600 well, you had to forgive me. 00:39:56.240 --> 00:40:03.520 And in order to live how God has called us to live, to let go of that resentment and vengeance for the purpose of living 00:40:03.520 --> 00:40:05.540 for something so great, much greater. 00:40:06.920 --> 00:40:13.940 And when we can let go of the bitterness of the past in order to walk in forgiveness, today now gives me the freedom to do what God has 00:40:13.940 --> 00:40:14.440 called me to. 00:40:14.460 --> 00:40:22.720 If I want to experience the Lord, it's to walk in that path of forgiveness with him, not only being forgiven by him, but 00:40:22.720 --> 00:40:28.340 forgiving others through him, because what God desires to do is far greater than anything I do in my strength. 00:40:30.220 --> 00:40:33.440 there is a story of Abraham Lincoln. 00:40:33.500 --> 00:40:34.850 I'll close with this. 00:40:35.700 --> 00:40:36.020 Or not. 00:40:36.120 --> 00:40:36.540 Abraham Lincoln. 00:40:36.540 --> 00:40:36.900 Excuse me. 00:40:36.900 --> 00:40:37.960 Get my presidents wrong. 00:40:38.000 --> 00:40:38.580 George Washington. 00:40:38.900 --> 00:40:39.580 George Washington. 00:40:39.580 --> 00:40:40.080 There we go. 00:40:41.240 --> 00:40:48.480 George Washington, after he came to the fight in the Revolutionary War, he led us through the Revolutionary War, George 00:40:48.480 --> 00:40:55.600 Washington's concern became that the people would not use the victory to walk in the new freedom 00:40:55.600 --> 00:41:03.140 they have found, meaning their life would just simply be about hanging their hat on that victory, but never truly moving forward. 00:41:04.040 --> 00:41:10.020 And he was worried, and he saw that victory as a defining moment of an opportunity to now walk in a new path. 00:41:11.300 --> 00:41:13.100 And guys, the same thing is true for us. 00:41:14.300 --> 00:41:15.490 You know, it's good to know the gospel. 00:41:15.920 --> 00:41:22.920 If you know the gospel that Jesus forgave you of your sins, that you could have relationship with him, that you could come to God no matter how broken you 00:41:22.920 --> 00:41:25.960 feel and say, God, forgive me and find that new life in him. 00:41:26.440 --> 00:41:27.100 That's important. 00:41:27.720 --> 00:41:31.280 But what's also important is to learn to walk in the victory of that gospel every day. 00:41:31.960 --> 00:41:39.140 That the same way you start that journey with Jesus is the same way you continue that journey every day, being made new in Christ, walking in that freedom because 00:41:39.140 --> 00:41:40.510 God wants to do something new. 00:41:41.220 --> 00:41:48.420 In fact, thinking about the Revolutionary War, George Washington said this it is yet to be decided whether the revolution must ultimately be 00:41:48.420 --> 00:41:53.230 considered as a blessing or a curse, not to the present age alone. 00:41:53.780 --> 00:41:57.180 For with our fate will the destiny of unborn millions be involved. 00:41:58.200 --> 00:42:04.330 And what he's saying is, look, it's good that we've got this freedom now, but what you do with it matters. 00:42:05.580 --> 00:42:07.180 Same thing is true with your relationship with the Lord. 00:42:08.140 --> 00:42:08.660 It's great. 00:42:08.660 --> 00:42:09.680 God can forgive us. 00:42:10.200 --> 00:42:11.640 But what are you going to do now because of it? 00:42:12.420 --> 00:42:20.820 Just hang your hat on the gospel and say I'm saved and I live however you want, or continue to experience the goodness of who God is surrendering 00:42:20.820 --> 00:42:21.980 to the Lord. 00:42:22.000 --> 00:42:23.740 Point number one fully surrender to him. 00:42:24.160 --> 00:42:26.180 Point number two learn to wait on the Lord as you go along. 00:42:26.760 --> 00:42:31.100 Invest in what God is doing in others and be ready to forgive along the way.