WEBVTT 00:00:00.180 --> 00:00:00.900 I'm going to invite you to Genesis. 00:00:01.440 --> 00:00:05.840 Chapter 27 is where we're at together today, Genesis chapter 27. 00:00:05.880 --> 00:00:11.520 And we're going to be dealing with the third round of a battle of manipulation between Jacob and Esau. 00:00:11.580 --> 00:00:13.470 That's what Genesis 27 is. 00:00:13.660 --> 00:00:17.620 brothers fighting and this time it's their third fight. 00:00:17.620 --> 00:00:22.300 And when I say third fight, we're talking about a third, third fight over big deals here, right? 00:00:22.320 --> 00:00:25.960 we've read about their lives together in Genesis chapter 25. 00:00:26.040 --> 00:00:27.380 They were fighting from the womb. 00:00:27.420 --> 00:00:31.340 Scripture tells us, in the very beginning, when they were born, they were born as twins. 00:00:31.480 --> 00:00:32.870 Esau was the first one born. 00:00:33.040 --> 00:00:34.420 Jacob came in second. 00:00:34.440 --> 00:00:41.560 But when he came out, he was grabbing the heel of his brother as if to if to say that he was wanting to really pull his brother back or hold 00:00:41.560 --> 00:00:42.160 him down. 00:00:42.160 --> 00:00:43.750 His interest was to get ahead. 00:00:43.880 --> 00:00:48.370 And then you see them battle a little bit later in chapter 25, over, over a birthright. 00:00:49.000 --> 00:00:52.160 We talked about them being in their probably their teenage years, the way they handle this. 00:00:52.540 --> 00:00:55.060 Esau thought he was going to starve to death, but he really wasn't. 00:00:55.360 --> 00:01:01.080 And he gave up his birthright over a bowl of lentil soup out of all soups, right? 00:01:01.100 --> 00:01:02.820 Like something is wrong with you. 00:01:02.820 --> 00:01:05.280 You give up your birthright over, over lentil soup. 00:01:05.319 --> 00:01:05.960 But that's what he does. 00:01:06.360 --> 00:01:10.700 And now we're going to read about, Jacob deceiving his brother for the blessing. 00:01:10.720 --> 00:01:13.190 We'll talk about the difference between those in a little bit. 00:01:13.540 --> 00:01:20.840 But when you read the story, it brings us to this place of really questioning what's going to happen to the promise that God gave to 00:01:20.840 --> 00:01:26.240 Abraham and to his descendants based on the turmoil of the family in Genesis 27. 00:01:26.380 --> 00:01:28.920 It sort of gives the idea that everything's hanging by the thread. 00:01:28.960 --> 00:01:32.560 The promises of God are hanging by a thread because this family is in disarray. 00:01:32.580 --> 00:01:39.500 There's division and deceitfulness and they're angry to the point that they want to kill each other and what's going to happen. 00:01:39.840 --> 00:01:46.960 And this promise was to bless all future people, groups and how in the world can we expect 00:01:46.960 --> 00:01:49.050 God to work in this situation. 00:01:49.560 --> 00:01:51.520 Like, have you ever gone through difficult circumstances in life? 00:01:51.580 --> 00:01:54.580 You might ask that question like, God, how can you work in this? 00:01:54.580 --> 00:02:01.640 I can't even conceive in the midst of this darkness and brokenness and all the problems, how you could work in this and why 00:02:01.640 --> 00:02:03.120 you would want to work in this. 00:02:03.120 --> 00:02:05.680 Like, what is it about you that does this, Lord? 00:02:05.680 --> 00:02:12.810 And what we begin to discover through the story of Genesis 27 is not only how God intervenes, but what it means for our lives. 00:02:13.420 --> 00:02:20.910 As we look at our own brokenness and understanding how to apply the grace of God as ointment to our soul, 00:02:21.280 --> 00:02:25.250 and what we really end up discovering is the true hero of the story. 00:02:25.520 --> 00:02:32.920 While you while you're going to read about Isaac and Rebecca and Jacob and Esau, the true hero of the story is God. 00:02:33.160 --> 00:02:39.180 But because he continues in his faithfulness despite what other people do around them. 00:02:39.520 --> 00:02:41.200 And so that's why we're titling today. 00:02:42.280 --> 00:02:46.580 I'm blessed despite my mess or maybe even asking the question, how am I blessed despite my mess? 00:02:46.660 --> 00:02:48.350 And I want you to know I kept today pretty simple. 00:02:48.480 --> 00:02:52.830 Normally I give you a series of, fill in the blanks of some things as it relates to the topic. 00:02:53.120 --> 00:02:55.310 But today we're just going to make two simple points. 00:02:55.700 --> 00:03:00.040 And the reason for it is because a lot of chapter 27 is negative, right? 00:03:00.120 --> 00:03:01.700 I'm thinking, man, I just don't want to get into this. 00:03:01.780 --> 00:03:04.420 And people have to write like four negative points about it. 00:03:04.830 --> 00:03:07.520 We're going to we're going to talk about the turmoil of this family. 00:03:07.520 --> 00:03:12.820 You can write down extra notes if you want to write down, but we're going to keep this simple and focusing on the midst of struggle. 00:03:13.140 --> 00:03:13.880 How am I blessed? 00:03:13.900 --> 00:03:15.710 How am I blessed despite my mess? 00:03:16.060 --> 00:03:19.820 And you see this in Genesis 27 as it starts to lay out for us. 00:03:19.880 --> 00:03:22.350 Point number one, we're going to talk about the mess today. 00:03:22.680 --> 00:03:25.440 We're going to talk about the mess in Genesis 27 verse one. 00:03:25.780 --> 00:03:28.700 We start to see this mess unfolding with the life of Isaac. 00:03:28.700 --> 00:03:35.700 And it says, when Isaac was old and his eyes were dim so that he could not see, he called Esau 00:03:35.700 --> 00:03:38.700 his older son and said to him, my son. 00:03:38.760 --> 00:03:40.420 And he answered, here I am. 00:03:40.560 --> 00:03:42.410 And he said, behold, I am old. 00:03:42.680 --> 00:03:44.920 I don't think that's like the most obvious statement, right? 00:03:44.920 --> 00:03:46.260 Oh, I am old. 00:03:46.260 --> 00:03:48.750 I don't know the day of my death. 00:03:48.880 --> 00:03:55.920 Now then, take your weapons, your quiver, and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me and prepare for me delicious 00:03:55.920 --> 00:03:58.110 food such as I love. 00:03:58.180 --> 00:04:00.570 And bring it to me so that I may eat. 00:04:00.820 --> 00:04:04.490 That my soul may bless you before I die. 00:04:05.100 --> 00:04:11.200 Isaac wanted to bless the oldest son in this story, which is customary according to culture, right? 00:04:11.280 --> 00:04:12.700 That's typically how that work. 00:04:12.700 --> 00:04:19.760 We talked about this together with the thought of the firstborn and past weeks that the father, when he would pass or before he would pass, 00:04:19.760 --> 00:04:23.800 he would bestow upon his son the right of the firstborn. 00:04:23.840 --> 00:04:29.290 And it was culturally assumed that the first oldest male child would receive the right of the firstborn. 00:04:29.500 --> 00:04:33.100 He would get a double portion of the inheritance of the family. 00:04:33.240 --> 00:04:37.200 And the reason for that is he also took the responsibility of caring for the family. 00:04:37.600 --> 00:04:44.840 And with that, the father would often give not just the right of the firstborn in the inheritance, but also a blessing for 00:04:44.840 --> 00:04:52.490 the future of the well-being of his family, as he takes the responsibility of caring for the immediate family. 00:04:53.180 --> 00:05:00.200 And here in the story, you see Isaac desiring to do that for Esau, which was customary, however. 00:05:00.200 --> 00:05:02.220 In reading the story about Isaac and Esau. 00:05:02.220 --> 00:05:10.020 What we've learned together is that God had told Rebekah in Genesis chapter 25, verse 23, 00:05:10.020 --> 00:05:13.160 that he would bless the younger over the older. 00:05:13.200 --> 00:05:17.840 In fact, in verse 23 it says, here at the bottom, the older shall serve the younger. 00:05:17.960 --> 00:05:21.000 If you remember how the story went, Rebekah was pregnant. 00:05:21.000 --> 00:05:22.660 She felt trouble within her womb. 00:05:22.660 --> 00:05:24.280 So she prayed to the Lord. 00:05:24.280 --> 00:05:28.520 And God said, surprise, you're not having one kid, you're having two kids. 00:05:28.620 --> 00:05:32.220 And the reason you feel this tension in your womb right now is because, well, they're fighting. 00:05:32.740 --> 00:05:33.410 That's what he says. 00:05:33.700 --> 00:05:38.460 But then God gives this promise that the older will serve the younger. 00:05:38.980 --> 00:05:46.340 But here in the story, you find out that Isaac, rather than rather than bless the younger as God has said, he 00:05:46.340 --> 00:05:48.680 decides to bless the older Esau. 00:05:48.880 --> 00:05:51.040 And the question is, why would he do that? 00:05:51.880 --> 00:05:55.130 Why would he decide to do something contrary to what the Lord said? 00:05:55.380 --> 00:05:58.800 And I think there's a couple of possibilities you could postulate here. 00:05:58.900 --> 00:06:01.280 I'm going to tell you what I think the accurate conclusion is. 00:06:01.540 --> 00:06:02.300 But I'll let you know. 00:06:02.580 --> 00:06:03.900 It's up to debate. 00:06:03.980 --> 00:06:04.180 All right. 00:06:04.180 --> 00:06:06.420 So this is not this is not told to us in this narrative. 00:06:06.920 --> 00:06:14.020 But you can kind of assume through some context clues, the way this is laying out why Isaac's decided to bless Esau instead of 00:06:14.020 --> 00:06:15.820 instead of Jacob. 00:06:16.120 --> 00:06:17.820 But I think there's a there's a couple possibilities. 00:06:18.820 --> 00:06:24.270 One is Isaac is unaware of what God said about these two children. 00:06:24.740 --> 00:06:31.840 And the reason for that is because, when Rebecca praised the Lord because of the problem within her womb, God answers 00:06:31.840 --> 00:06:37.040 Rebecca's prayer and he tells her the older will serve the younger. 00:06:37.520 --> 00:06:45.200 But never do we find within the narrative that Rebecca then tells Isaac, God said this, so it's possible Rebecca 00:06:45.200 --> 00:06:49.480 took that promise, and she kept it private to herself that God answered her prayer. 00:06:49.900 --> 00:06:51.120 And this is what God said. 00:06:51.340 --> 00:06:54.220 That's possible that Isaac is ignorant in that way. 00:06:54.320 --> 00:06:59.340 Or Rebecca told him like ten times, and he never retained it all. 00:06:59.340 --> 00:07:04.580 In fact, he can't even he can't even tell you, who his kids doctors are. 00:07:04.580 --> 00:07:06.270 He has no idea who his kids teachers are. 00:07:06.560 --> 00:07:09.410 He didn't even know the greatest that his kids are in. 00:07:09.500 --> 00:07:11.140 He's lucky if he guesses their age. 00:07:11.200 --> 00:07:11.380 Right? 00:07:11.500 --> 00:07:13.540 Like, that's typical. 00:07:13.540 --> 00:07:14.040 Right. 00:07:14.100 --> 00:07:15.030 So that is possible. 00:07:15.120 --> 00:07:16.680 He's just unaware of the promise. 00:07:16.680 --> 00:07:20.190 Either she told him and he forgot or she never shared it with him. 00:07:20.640 --> 00:07:27.700 Or Isaac is completely aware and determines that he wants to do what he 00:07:27.700 --> 00:07:29.120 desires rather than God. 00:07:29.120 --> 00:07:32.160 What God desires, what Isaac is actually doing. 00:07:32.240 --> 00:07:34.420 And this is what I tend to think is Isaac's playing favorites. 00:07:35.520 --> 00:07:42.800 And the reason for that is because in Genesis 25 and verse 28, we found, Isaac and Rebecca did something terrible for children, 00:07:42.940 --> 00:07:45.500 okay, in reference to their own children. 00:07:45.520 --> 00:07:47.010 And that is, they played favorites. 00:07:47.480 --> 00:07:48.180 They picked favorites. 00:07:48.220 --> 00:07:52.200 That you should not do this with your kids, but this is what you find in Genesis 2528. 00:07:52.240 --> 00:07:54.720 Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game. 00:07:54.820 --> 00:07:57.280 But Rebecca loved Jacob, right? 00:07:57.360 --> 00:07:59.980 So you see them kind of picking their favorites. 00:08:00.000 --> 00:08:01.520 Great way to mess kids up, right? 00:08:01.520 --> 00:08:03.650 Is picking a favorite as parents. 00:08:03.880 --> 00:08:07.000 That is not the fatherly love of God at all. 00:08:07.280 --> 00:08:09.380 Like God, God does not pick favorites. 00:08:10.180 --> 00:08:15.660 now, some of us may experience a walk with the Lord that's closer than others, but that's not because God picks favorites. 00:08:16.000 --> 00:08:20.500 It's because sin has this way of creating distance and relationship. 00:08:20.860 --> 00:08:26.700 It's like you as a parent when you have kids, if you if you've got one kid, you're okay to pick a favorite, right? 00:08:26.760 --> 00:08:27.360 You got one. 00:08:27.360 --> 00:08:29.820 So you tell them, you're my favorite of all my kids. 00:08:29.820 --> 00:08:30.390 You're my favorite. 00:08:30.660 --> 00:08:34.370 But if you got two, that's not reflective of the heart of God at all. 00:08:34.659 --> 00:08:40.440 God's love for us is a love in which he desires for our well-being. 00:08:40.440 --> 00:08:40.600 Right? 00:08:40.600 --> 00:08:41.000 He. 00:08:41.000 --> 00:08:45.410 God's desire is to work things together for good to those who love him, who are called according to his purpose. 00:08:46.120 --> 00:08:47.910 That love is unconditional, sacrificial. 00:08:48.400 --> 00:08:54.020 It's not about picking favorites that if you're in Christ God's for your desires to work all things together for good. 00:08:54.820 --> 00:08:58.740 it's reflective of the father's love to demonstrate that kind of love. 00:08:58.740 --> 00:09:05.740 Now, it may be if you've got multiple kids, you've learned that there are some kids, that it becomes easier to enjoy that 00:09:05.740 --> 00:09:11.340 relationship and loving one another, because you don't have to tell them things 100 times, right? 00:09:11.340 --> 00:09:17.580 there's not a rebellious spirit within them, but it doesn't change how you feel towards them. 00:09:17.640 --> 00:09:24.760 In fact, one of the most beautiful passages, I think, that reflects the heart of a father's love towards his children is found in Luke 15 00:09:24.760 --> 00:09:26.480 with the story of the prodigal son. 00:09:27.020 --> 00:09:30.060 Tim Keller does a wonderful job in talking about that parable. 00:09:30.180 --> 00:09:32.340 He says, we've mistitled it. 00:09:32.400 --> 00:09:37.080 It should never be referred to as the prodigal son, but rather it should be referred to as the prodigal father. 00:09:38.020 --> 00:09:40.760 The focus of that story is not really about the son, though. 00:09:41.100 --> 00:09:43.980 The length of the story is centered around him. 00:09:43.980 --> 00:09:51.200 The focus of the story is about the heart of the father, because in that story, the father has two sons, one who's a legalistic religious 00:09:51.200 --> 00:09:52.900 person and the other is rebellious. 00:09:54.320 --> 00:09:59.520 And when the child and rebellion runs away from the father, the father continues to open the door of. 00:09:59.540 --> 00:10:00.960 Relation to his child. 00:10:00.960 --> 00:10:02.000 He looks for his child. 00:10:02.000 --> 00:10:09.030 He longs for his child because the love of the father is to lavish his love on his child, so his child can flourish in that relationship. 00:10:09.500 --> 00:10:11.080 He wants the best for his child. 00:10:11.160 --> 00:10:15.580 Now the child doesn't get to experience the goodness of that fellowship because he's fled from the father and rebellion. 00:10:16.640 --> 00:10:16.660 But. 00:10:16.780 --> 00:10:22.240 But it's the love of the father continued to be extended to his child that ultimately transforms the heart of the rebellious child. 00:10:22.280 --> 00:10:26.810 That when the child returns, he returns humble and the father celebrates with the party. 00:10:27.220 --> 00:10:32.640 Now the religious son is angry about that because what he wants the father to do is demonstrate a love that's merited. 00:10:33.780 --> 00:10:35.210 But that's not the heart of God at all. 00:10:36.220 --> 00:10:38.620 It's the grace of God that transforms us. 00:10:39.260 --> 00:10:46.520 The only reason you are here today, and you have even a day to exist, is because the grace of God is made known in your life. 00:10:46.520 --> 00:10:49.360 The mercies of God are new every morning. 00:10:49.360 --> 00:10:55.270 That God pursued you with his life and in his love gave himself for you, that you can find freedom in him. 00:10:55.360 --> 00:10:58.180 It's God's love that transforms you. 00:10:58.420 --> 00:11:03.860 And so Isaac, in this story, he's demonstrating a love that doesn't reflect the father's love. 00:11:03.900 --> 00:11:07.140 In fact, it's really no love at all because love is unconditional. 00:11:07.700 --> 00:11:10.020 It's sacrificial. 00:11:10.400 --> 00:11:15.860 But the question we can ask is, how does a parent do this to their children? 00:11:16.260 --> 00:11:18.540 And why would a parent do this to your children? 00:11:19.300 --> 00:11:27.260 And you see the answer really in chapter 25, verse 28, it tells you Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, saying, 00:11:27.280 --> 00:11:34.520 the quickest way to a man's heart is through his belly, but rather what it's really saying to you is, 00:11:35.520 --> 00:11:38.470 Isaac isn't loving his children because of what he has to give. 00:11:38.920 --> 00:11:41.140 Isaac's interest is completely selfish. 00:11:41.820 --> 00:11:49.200 Isaac's care for his children is because of what he gets, which is a terrible way to experience covenantal, relational 00:11:49.200 --> 00:11:50.480 love. 00:11:50.540 --> 00:11:57.760 And when you when the idea of a of a parent is not becoming a parent because of what your children give to you, but rather it's investing your life 00:11:57.760 --> 00:12:00.570 in someone else, helping them become who God has called them to be. 00:12:01.120 --> 00:12:04.310 It's a laying down of your life for their well-being. 00:12:05.520 --> 00:12:07.880 And so Isaac is not reflecting this. 00:12:07.880 --> 00:12:12.140 In fact, Isaac is being very deceptive in the way he's going about this. 00:12:12.200 --> 00:12:16.780 I think Isaac is completely aware of the promise that God said in Genesis 2523. 00:12:16.840 --> 00:12:24.290 And the reason for it is because how he's delivering this blessing to Esau, this should be something that the family celebrates. 00:12:24.940 --> 00:12:31.720 This should be something that they gather together and they prepare some sort of meal where everyone is gathered to see this moment, where this blessing is handed down. 00:12:31.720 --> 00:12:35.790 Because this is this is a deathbed blessing from his father. 00:12:36.760 --> 00:12:43.980 This is something that's to be honored among generations, but rather what Isaac is doing is he's doing this in the corner saying to us that Isaac 00:12:43.980 --> 00:12:45.360 is aware of the promises of God. 00:12:45.360 --> 00:12:47.700 Therefore, this is why he's not celebrating among other people. 00:12:47.700 --> 00:12:49.390 He's keeping it private with he and his son. 00:12:50.020 --> 00:12:51.700 He's doing this in a dark corner. 00:12:52.680 --> 00:12:57.740 And so because of that, it's creating all sorts of adversity within, within the family. 00:12:58.660 --> 00:13:06.620 And in this moment then Rebecca becomes aware of what Isaac's doing, being selfish and 00:13:06.620 --> 00:13:11.440 in his response, disobedient to the Lord, keeping things hidden. 00:13:11.500 --> 00:13:17.780 And now Rebecca responds in this, and we're going to read verse five down to verse 17 to hear how Rebecca now interacts. 00:13:17.780 --> 00:13:21.220 It says, Rebecca was listening when Isaac spoke to his son. 00:13:21.260 --> 00:13:27.840 See, she's it sort of gives this idea that she's off, but she's in close proximity to at least hear what's taking place. 00:13:28.020 --> 00:13:32.350 And it just perks her interest because she knows this is not what God said. 00:13:32.640 --> 00:13:40.110 So when Esau went to the field to hunt for the game and bring it, Rebecca said to her son, Jacob, I heard your father speak to your brother Esau. 00:13:40.540 --> 00:13:46.050 Bring me game and prepare for me delicious food, that I may eat it and bless you before the Lord, before I die. 00:13:46.340 --> 00:13:50.260 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice as I command you. 00:13:50.320 --> 00:13:57.460 Go to the flock and bring me two good young goats, so that I may prepare from them delicious food for your father, such as he 00:13:57.460 --> 00:13:58.160 loves. 00:13:58.860 --> 00:14:02.880 And you shall bring it to your father to eat, so that he may bless you before he dies. 00:14:03.080 --> 00:14:08.920 But Jacob said to Rebecca, his mother, behold, my brother Esau is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man. 00:14:08.920 --> 00:14:09.550 This is weird. 00:14:09.960 --> 00:14:10.370 It's getting weird. 00:14:11.200 --> 00:14:13.500 Perhaps my father will feel me and I. 00:14:13.820 --> 00:14:14.860 It's getting weirder. 00:14:14.860 --> 00:14:16.320 He shall fill me and I shall. 00:14:16.480 --> 00:14:21.150 I shall seem to be mocking him and bring a curse upon myself and not a blessing. 00:14:21.460 --> 00:14:24.540 And his mother said to him, let your curse be on me, my son. 00:14:24.680 --> 00:14:27.690 Only obey my voice and go, bring them to me. 00:14:28.240 --> 00:14:29.020 Verse 14. 00:14:29.020 --> 00:14:31.780 So he went and took them and brought them to his mother. 00:14:32.020 --> 00:14:35.370 And his mother prepared delicious food such as his father loved. 00:14:35.640 --> 00:14:42.860 Then Rebecca took the best garments of Esau, her older son, which were with her in the house, and put them on 00:14:42.860 --> 00:14:50.140 Jacob, her younger son, and the skins of the young goats she put on his hands, and on the smooth part of his neck, and she put the delicious 00:14:50.140 --> 00:14:55.540 food and the bread which she had prepared into the hand of her son. 00:14:55.800 --> 00:14:56.920 Jacob. 00:14:57.140 --> 00:14:59.740 Let me just say, in case you ever, um. 00:14:59.820 --> 00:15:05.760 In case you're ever in a situation where wearing goat hair sounds like an option, you need to reconsider your priorities. 00:15:05.780 --> 00:15:13.000 But this is where Rebecca has gotten to, and it's interesting when you consider what 00:15:13.000 --> 00:15:18.420 Rebecca's doing now as Isaac has responded deceitfully, creating division. 00:15:18.420 --> 00:15:20.980 Rebecca reacts the same way. 00:15:21.620 --> 00:15:28.720 But when you when you read about the story of Rebecca, if you remember in Genesis chapter 24, we were introduced to Rebecca at the end of Abraham's 00:15:28.720 --> 00:15:29.120 life. 00:15:29.120 --> 00:15:34.130 He looked at his servant and said, I want you to go find a future bride for my son Isaac. 00:15:34.460 --> 00:15:37.800 And the servant went off with ten camels, and he came to this well. 00:15:38.080 --> 00:15:40.580 And he finds Rebecca there, and we learn about her. 00:15:40.580 --> 00:15:45.500 She was a beautiful young lady, full of compassion, hospitality. 00:15:45.500 --> 00:15:46.330 She was a hard worker. 00:15:46.540 --> 00:15:53.820 I mean, we talked about when camels stopped to drink, their average amount of gallons they would drink is about 20 to 30 gallons per camel. 00:15:54.060 --> 00:15:56.370 I mean, that's a that's a lot of pulling water out of a well. 00:15:56.560 --> 00:15:58.590 And she didn't even know this servant at the time. 00:15:58.760 --> 00:16:01.800 And she was willing to minister that way. 00:16:02.500 --> 00:16:05.140 it speaks beautifully to the integrity of her character. 00:16:05.760 --> 00:16:10.720 But it's also a reminder that just because you start well doesn't mean you finish well. 00:16:10.800 --> 00:16:17.900 In fact, I've encouraged you in recent weeks that God's more interested in where you finish than where you start, and that God wants to do a work in 00:16:17.900 --> 00:16:22.860 your heart that unites you and him for his glory, for all the days of your life. 00:16:22.940 --> 00:16:24.900 And God secures you in him. 00:16:24.900 --> 00:16:26.100 And that's what God desires to do. 00:16:26.120 --> 00:16:28.470 But just because you start well doesn't mean you finish well. 00:16:28.900 --> 00:16:34.540 And even in the midst of that, we can have situations where we just lose sight of what it is that God desires. 00:16:35.740 --> 00:16:38.800 And you see this with Rebecca, she's eavesdropping. 00:16:38.800 --> 00:16:43.860 And I think the reason she responds the way that she does is that she panics. 00:16:44.600 --> 00:16:51.640 She gets to this place of anxiety, of worry, of fear, and she feels like now God needs me to 00:16:51.640 --> 00:16:53.900 step in and rescue him, right? 00:16:54.100 --> 00:16:55.760 Like, God's been good up to this point. 00:16:55.980 --> 00:17:02.340 You can go back through their family history and see generations of God's faithfulness to their family in the midst of hardship. 00:17:02.360 --> 00:17:05.740 When things look bleak, circumstances around them weren't going well. 00:17:05.740 --> 00:17:10.790 God still showed up and delivered again and again and again, even when they were the ones making the mistake. 00:17:11.119 --> 00:17:13.060 God, by his grace, was always there. 00:17:13.180 --> 00:17:20.220 And now all of a sudden, it's as if Rebecca forgets about the goodness of God and what he has promised and determines to take matters in her own hand 00:17:20.220 --> 00:17:23.619 out of worry, fear, anxiety, and concern. 00:17:23.720 --> 00:17:27.200 The text never tells us that specifically, but a couple of reasons. 00:17:27.300 --> 00:17:30.010 I think that this is why Rebecca is responding the way she is. 00:17:30.300 --> 00:17:37.460 If you look at the end of chapter 26, the last two verses, and you look at the end of chapter 27, the last two verses, 00:17:38.100 --> 00:17:39.900 it recognizes something about Esau. 00:17:39.920 --> 00:17:42.260 Esau married multiple women. 00:17:42.840 --> 00:17:50.540 And it says within the end of chapter 26 that Esau and his brides made life bitter for Isaac and Rebecca. 00:17:50.800 --> 00:17:57.820 And at the end of chapter 27 it repeats it again that she says, I loathe my life because of the Hittite women that Esau married. 00:17:59.140 --> 00:18:04.880 And so I think Rebecca knows that this blessing is for generations to come. 00:18:05.000 --> 00:18:09.060 And she sees the godlessness within Esau, and she's concerned. 00:18:09.800 --> 00:18:16.880 And so she feels she needs to usurp the hand of God, as if to live like she's God in order to produce 00:18:16.880 --> 00:18:18.640 the result that the Lord wants. 00:18:19.540 --> 00:18:24.100 And here's what you find in the family deceit and division. 00:18:25.100 --> 00:18:28.500 In fact, the word division literally means two visions. 00:18:29.040 --> 00:18:32.100 They're not on the same page at all, Isaac and Rebecca. 00:18:32.120 --> 00:18:39.180 And because of this, the consequence is it divides their family to the point that they're feuding and want to kill each other. 00:18:39.220 --> 00:18:46.400 You'll see at the end of this, thinking that what they wanted was best or what she wanted was best, she now runs 00:18:46.400 --> 00:18:51.580 the risk of tearing the family apart, and she buys into the old thought. 00:18:51.580 --> 00:18:55.940 We tend to think this as people that the ends justifies the means, right? 00:18:55.980 --> 00:18:59.060 Well, my intentions are good, and we'll just. 00:18:59.060 --> 00:18:59.480 Wait a minute. 00:18:59.480 --> 00:19:00.500 Let me just get to the results. 00:19:00.840 --> 00:19:04.130 You know, as soon as we get to the results, we'll go back to following God again. 00:19:04.380 --> 00:19:09.700 But let me let me get to this successful point first, and then we'll turn our ear to what God desires. 00:19:10.380 --> 00:19:17.480 But can I tell you, as in the life of the believer, that what God's interested in you is not 00:19:17.480 --> 00:19:19.000 the fruit you produce? 00:19:20.600 --> 00:19:25.620 Because the Bible tells us it's the Lord that produces the fruit in your life. 00:19:26.020 --> 00:19:26.950 That's not your job. 00:19:27.800 --> 00:19:31.480 It's his job, rather what the Bible calls you to do. 00:19:31.480 --> 00:19:35.420 Get this John 15 verse five gives you one command. 00:19:35.980 --> 00:19:40.940 It says, Abide in him and he and you. 00:19:41.760 --> 00:19:48.880 And the result of that is you will bear much fruit, not because of what you do, but 00:19:48.880 --> 00:19:51.330 because of what he does through you. 00:19:52.340 --> 00:19:55.600 The call of the believer is not manifest fruit. 00:19:55.600 --> 00:19:59.590 That's never been your call, the call of the believer. 00:20:00.380 --> 00:20:02.160 It's to surrender your heart to the Lord. 00:20:02.160 --> 00:20:02.480 What God? 00:20:02.620 --> 00:20:05.560 What God is interested in is not what you do. 00:20:06.460 --> 00:20:09.200 What God is interested in is who you're becoming. 00:20:10.840 --> 00:20:16.620 Because who you're becoming will lead to what you do and the fruit it produces. 00:20:18.340 --> 00:20:20.930 What God wants is your heart. 00:20:21.160 --> 00:20:25.320 So what God desires as we surrender our hearts to him is to walk with us through that process. 00:20:26.480 --> 00:20:30.080 And then he is the one that produces the fruit. 00:20:30.140 --> 00:20:34.860 So the end isn't about justifying the means, but rather the opposite of that. 00:20:34.860 --> 00:20:40.750 Rather than look to the end, we look to where our heart is in the moment and trust in the Lord. 00:20:42.040 --> 00:20:49.160 It's important for all of God's people to focus our heart on being who God calls 00:20:49.160 --> 00:20:54.970 us to be so that our lives produce the fruit that only God can produce in us. 00:20:55.600 --> 00:21:00.450 But what you discover in the life of Rebecca is fear may be motivated with a little bit of selfishness. 00:21:01.760 --> 00:21:09.100 I mean, her intentions, her desire, may be honorable, but the way that she's going about it completely ignores how 00:21:09.100 --> 00:21:11.300 God desires to do it. 00:21:11.940 --> 00:21:12.180 God's. 00:21:12.260 --> 00:21:13.650 The same could be true with the church. 00:21:15.640 --> 00:21:22.640 Can I tell you the church can always run the risk of losing focus of its mission to know maybe what God 00:21:22.640 --> 00:21:26.620 desires to do, but to pursue it for the wrong way. 00:21:27.080 --> 00:21:30.730 Meaning the Bible tells us the Word of God doesn't return void. 00:21:31.720 --> 00:21:38.800 When the church loses sight of the importance of God's Word, it will resort to gimmicks and what you win 00:21:38.800 --> 00:21:41.090 people with, you keep them with that. 00:21:41.780 --> 00:21:47.120 There's all kinds of methods you can employ in this world, but none of it should take precedent from the truthfulness of what God says. 00:21:48.260 --> 00:21:50.420 And this is what it's saying in the in the life of Rebecca. 00:21:50.740 --> 00:21:52.100 God has given this word. 00:21:53.180 --> 00:21:53.360 Why? 00:21:53.440 --> 00:21:58.100 Why feel like you need to step in the position of God and be deceitful in the circumstance? 00:21:59.000 --> 00:22:06.160 Fear, worry, concern and the fear of God never, never leads to healthy or excuse me, the fear of God, the 00:22:06.160 --> 00:22:10.000 fear of circumstance will not lead to healthy walk in the Lord. 00:22:11.200 --> 00:22:15.740 And Rebecca is stepping in that and the result it's producing. 00:22:17.060 --> 00:22:19.720 It's contrary to what the Lord desires to do. 00:22:20.680 --> 00:22:22.240 I mean, we can even do this with preferences. 00:22:24.260 --> 00:22:28.300 That we focus on the mission of what God has created his church to do. 00:22:28.480 --> 00:22:31.140 God desires to work in a unity among his people. 00:22:31.200 --> 00:22:32.810 That's how God moves, not in division. 00:22:33.300 --> 00:22:36.920 God wants to work in a unity of his people, understanding the mission for which he has called us on. 00:22:36.920 --> 00:22:44.470 There's some beautiful passages in the book of acts that describes the church as they walk in unity of what God desires to do in acts chapter two. 00:22:45.080 --> 00:22:52.100 It tells us very early in the beginning of the church, it says they were devoted to one another, and the breaking of bread and the fellowship and the word of God 00:22:52.100 --> 00:22:53.980 having all things in common. 00:22:54.120 --> 00:22:58.560 And then it says in verse 47, and the Lord added to them day by day those who were being saved. 00:22:59.220 --> 00:23:06.360 What it's saying is this community became contagious, but not in a Covid 19 way, like in a in a good, healthy, wholesome way that it was making such 00:23:06.360 --> 00:23:13.420 an impact to see the love that they had and the mission they were living for the Lord, that people came to know Christ through, that people knew that they 00:23:13.420 --> 00:23:14.400 were missing something. 00:23:14.460 --> 00:23:21.580 And this is what brought them in to hear the Word of God taught to be united together on that mission for his purpose and glory. 00:23:21.860 --> 00:23:22.020 Me. 00:23:22.040 --> 00:23:22.960 Acts 13. 00:23:22.960 --> 00:23:28.630 When the Apostle Paul and Barnabas were called on their first missionary journey, they didn't look at the church and say, we're going to go do this. 00:23:28.740 --> 00:23:35.940 But rather God's people gathered together and were praying, and they laid hands on Paul and Barnabas, and God united them and 00:23:35.940 --> 00:23:38.720 calling them on mission for the Lord. 00:23:39.740 --> 00:23:44.700 And God desires to work in unity among his people, not the ends justify the means. 00:23:44.740 --> 00:23:50.780 And sometimes we can have this tendency of making the church about my priorities, my preferences. 00:23:51.280 --> 00:23:52.550 That's not the mission of the church. 00:23:52.600 --> 00:23:54.040 And by the way, that's not you guys. 00:23:54.040 --> 00:23:54.360 Okay? 00:23:54.480 --> 00:23:55.140 That is not you guys. 00:23:55.220 --> 00:23:56.540 One time I shared this story. 00:23:56.600 --> 00:23:57.020 First service. 00:23:57.020 --> 00:23:58.260 I may not share this third service. 00:23:58.540 --> 00:24:05.620 It depends how this goes over, but one time I had this I had this particular person that about every other week 00:24:05.620 --> 00:24:10.310 would come to me and tell me what they thought I needed to do in order to serve them better on Sunday. 00:24:10.340 --> 00:24:11.790 They would, I mean, critique everything. 00:24:12.420 --> 00:24:18.190 And finally they looked at me one Sunday and said, this is before we had this entire interior completed. 00:24:18.920 --> 00:24:22.000 They looked at me and said, as we were, we were working on the stage, finalizing the stage. 00:24:22.040 --> 00:24:26.840 They said, if you ever paint the stage black, I'll never go to a church that paints the stage black. 00:24:27.340 --> 00:24:34.430 And then that Sunday I went and bought this paint called Black Magic and it and it made someone disappear. 00:24:36.180 --> 00:24:39.780 And look, look, I'm saying look, it's that's not nice, right? 00:24:39.800 --> 00:24:41.190 But at least you know the name of the paint. 00:24:41.860 --> 00:24:44.500 But look. 00:24:45.380 --> 00:24:48.320 We it's okay to have your preferences. 00:24:49.100 --> 00:24:53.700 It's okay to, maybe you grew up in a certain kind of church that was done a certain kind of way. 00:24:53.720 --> 00:24:56.740 And as a, as a child, you connected to God that way. 00:24:56.740 --> 00:24:57.860 And sometimes you long for that. 00:24:57.920 --> 00:24:58.680 Those things are okay. 00:24:58.720 --> 00:25:04.360 There are certain music that important to you when you came to know the Lord that you love to sing, all those things are fine. 00:25:05.300 --> 00:25:12.960 But man, the mission that God's called us on to reach souls, that's far more important to not make our preferences create 00:25:12.960 --> 00:25:17.960 the division that stops the body of Christ from doing what God desires to do among us. 00:25:18.080 --> 00:25:25.380 And I'm not saying this as a complaint, like it has been a pleasure to be a pastor at Alpine Bible Church with the hearts of God's people, 00:25:25.500 --> 00:25:28.180 because I think we're a very missional, focused church. 00:25:28.800 --> 00:25:31.400 But to also understand sometimes we can lose perspective of that. 00:25:31.980 --> 00:25:32.860 That's what Rebecca did. 00:25:32.900 --> 00:25:36.400 But let me just say this to kind of put things in perspective for us. 00:25:37.220 --> 00:25:44.360 Out of all the places you could live in America, do you realize you live in the lowest percentage of a population of mainstream 00:25:44.360 --> 00:25:47.060 Christianity out of any other county in the world? 00:25:47.100 --> 00:25:54.280 Or, excuse me, in the United States, your walk with Jesus matters and to 00:25:54.280 --> 00:26:01.380 make the desire of what God desires, what he wants to do in you and through you a priority and live that 00:26:01.380 --> 00:26:02.040 out. 00:26:02.080 --> 00:26:05.730 But you see that Rebecca is doing the opposite of that in this in this moment. 00:26:05.780 --> 00:26:08.580 She's driven maybe by fear or concern or worry. 00:26:08.580 --> 00:26:10.240 And the text doesn't specifically say that. 00:26:10.280 --> 00:26:16.100 But the way the way the story unfolds between the end of chapter 26 and 27, you might think that her heart has that concern. 00:26:16.120 --> 00:26:19.360 And so she's trying to take the position of God and force these things to happen. 00:26:19.360 --> 00:26:22.230 She's coming up with these gimmicks as if God needs her help. 00:26:23.060 --> 00:26:26.820 And the Word of God is what transforms the hearts of people. 00:26:27.200 --> 00:26:28.520 And not only that, I got to move quicker. 00:26:28.720 --> 00:26:30.000 You got Jacob here, right? 00:26:30.080 --> 00:26:31.780 Let me let me just read this quickly with Jacob. 00:26:31.840 --> 00:26:34.480 Jacob falls in the same pattern in verse 12. 00:26:34.480 --> 00:26:41.150 I want you to see this when Rebecca comes to Jacob and tells Jacob what she wants to do, look at Jacob's concern. 00:26:41.460 --> 00:26:48.680 He says, perhaps my father will fill me in verse 12, and I shall seem to be mocking him, and bring a curse upon myself 00:26:48.680 --> 00:26:49.660 and not a blessing. 00:26:50.340 --> 00:26:52.180 Can I just tell you the unhealth of this kind of statement? 00:26:53.200 --> 00:27:00.420 Jacob's concern isn't the fact that he's dishonoring his father and being dishonoring to the Lord, but 00:27:00.420 --> 00:27:02.350 rather his concern is what if I get caught? 00:27:03.010 --> 00:27:03.970 That's that is his worry. 00:27:04.480 --> 00:27:05.900 That's his worry and that's unhealthy. 00:27:06.100 --> 00:27:13.160 But truth be told, that's how we treat sin a lot of times in our lives that when we think about the destruction of sin, this is what 00:27:13.160 --> 00:27:13.750 we tend to think. 00:27:14.120 --> 00:27:15.540 Oh Lord, I don't want to get found out. 00:27:15.540 --> 00:27:16.720 I'll be embarrassed, right? 00:27:16.720 --> 00:27:18.780 Or oh, I hurt them. 00:27:18.780 --> 00:27:19.820 You know, it impacted them. 00:27:19.820 --> 00:27:21.020 That makes me feel bad. 00:27:21.040 --> 00:27:22.360 I'm sorry for hurting you. 00:27:22.440 --> 00:27:23.720 And if you hurt somebody else. 00:27:23.760 --> 00:27:28.160 I'm glad that you feel sorry for hurting someone else, but can I tell you what makes sin? 00:27:28.280 --> 00:27:32.360 Sin is not hurting someone else, although that's a consequence of it. 00:27:33.180 --> 00:27:35.570 What makes sin is it's always an affront to God first. 00:27:37.120 --> 00:27:44.160 Now Jacob is lying in this story and what would be healthy would be Jacob saying to his mom, mom, I don't want to do that because I'm lying to 00:27:44.160 --> 00:27:46.240 the Lord by doing that, right? 00:27:46.260 --> 00:27:49.600 But and here's the reason why anytime we ever sin, it's always first a sin against God. 00:27:49.600 --> 00:27:52.730 Because, well, in terms of lying, God is a truth teller. 00:27:54.240 --> 00:28:01.280 And when God's given us truth and when we're not willing to tell the truth and live in the truth, we're denying the one who created 00:28:01.280 --> 00:28:02.810 us in his image, who is the Lord. 00:28:03.780 --> 00:28:10.020 And not only that, because what Jacob's doing, it's destroying relationships and it's dishonoring to his father. 00:28:10.080 --> 00:28:13.620 And when it's dishonoring to his father, it's always first dishonoring to God. 00:28:14.320 --> 00:28:16.210 Because God made people in his image. 00:28:16.960 --> 00:28:19.460 And God foreordained that Isaac would be his father. 00:28:20.160 --> 00:28:26.690 And so to dishonor that relationship and to dishonor Isaac as a person is ultimately to dishonor God, who is the creator of all life. 00:28:28.080 --> 00:28:30.370 And so the correct response isn't, oh, what if I get caught? 00:28:31.800 --> 00:28:38.240 The correct response is to think about the heart of God, and so it reveals to you where Jacob's heart is. 00:28:38.300 --> 00:28:42.500 And he goes on in verse 18 it says, so he went into his father and said, my father. 00:28:42.500 --> 00:28:43.700 And he said, here I am. 00:28:43.700 --> 00:28:44.710 Who are you, my son? 00:28:44.760 --> 00:28:47.460 And Jacob said to his father, I am Esau, your first born. 00:28:47.840 --> 00:28:52.200 So not only is he lying about being Esau, but he's also pointing out I'm here for the firstborn, right? 00:28:52.280 --> 00:28:57.020 I've done as you have told me, and I'll sit up and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me. 00:28:57.020 --> 00:28:58.960 But Isaac said to his son, how is that? 00:28:59.000 --> 00:29:00.750 You have found it so quickly, my son? 00:29:00.920 --> 00:29:04.590 He answered, because the Lord your God granted me success. 00:29:04.840 --> 00:29:09.460 Look at this now he's lying to the point that he's representing God. 00:29:09.720 --> 00:29:12.310 And notice the way he describes God in this passage. 00:29:12.940 --> 00:29:15.100 He doesn't say My God. 00:29:15.340 --> 00:29:18.230 Rather, he's recognizing in this story, Jacob, I don't think he's a believer. 00:29:19.100 --> 00:29:21.380 He's simply referring to the relationship of the Lord. 00:29:21.380 --> 00:29:26.550 But before his father, you know your God, not my God, your God, your God has given me success. 00:29:26.660 --> 00:29:33.740 Can I can I just tell you, James, chapter three, verse one warns us, it says in Scripture, that teachers will 00:29:33.740 --> 00:29:39.020 be held to a higher standard, that when you represent God, that is not something to take lightly. 00:29:39.140 --> 00:29:44.070 Now, that's not saying don't represent God or don't teach about God, but rather it should bring us to the sobering reality. 00:29:44.520 --> 00:29:51.740 When I say anything on behalf of God, I want to make sure that it's truth, that it represents him well. 00:29:52.620 --> 00:29:54.840 And Jacob is not doing this story, he says. 00:29:54.880 --> 00:30:02.040 Then Isaac said to Jacob, please come near, that I may fill you, my son, to know whatever you are really my son Esau or not. 00:30:02.420 --> 00:30:03.900 And then he says, verse 22. 00:30:03.900 --> 00:30:09.870 So Jacob went near to Isaac, his father, who felled him, and said, the voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands of the hands of Esau. 00:30:10.260 --> 00:30:15.260 And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau's hands. 00:30:15.280 --> 00:30:16.290 So he blessed him. 00:30:16.700 --> 00:30:18.560 And he said, are you really my son Esau? 00:30:18.980 --> 00:30:20.160 And he answered, I am. 00:30:20.840 --> 00:30:22.500 And lying to his father. 00:30:23.740 --> 00:30:30.260 Why in the world would he lie just that blatantly just lying to his father? 00:30:30.440 --> 00:30:34.540 And then he said, bring it near to me, that I may eat of my son's game and bless you. 00:30:35.020 --> 00:30:38.500 So he brought it near to him, and he ate it, and he brought him wine, and he drank. 00:30:39.000 --> 00:30:42.780 And his father said to him, come near me and kiss me, my son, can I just tell you this? 00:30:42.780 --> 00:30:47.030 A little side note, but one of the things I was really thankful for in reading this passage is grocery stores. 00:30:47.640 --> 00:30:54.660 So they reading all the effort that went into making all of this stuff, man, I'll just go down the 00:30:54.660 --> 00:30:56.120 street and go home and cook. 00:30:56.460 --> 00:31:03.500 27 so he came near and kissed him, and Isaac smelled the smell of his garments and blessed him and said, see, the smell of my son is the 00:31:03.500 --> 00:31:05.160 smell of the field, and the Lord has blessed. 00:31:06.040 --> 00:31:11.340 And may God give you of the dew of heaven, of the fatness of the earth, and the plenty of grain and wine. 00:31:11.440 --> 00:31:13.920 Let people serve you and nations bow down to you. 00:31:13.920 --> 00:31:17.760 Be Lord over your brothers, and may your mother's sons bow down to you. 00:31:17.760 --> 00:31:20.900 Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be everyone who blesses you. 00:31:20.920 --> 00:31:28.000 And as soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, when Jacob had scarcely gone out of the presence of Isaac, his father Esau 00:31:28.000 --> 00:31:30.120 his brother, came in from hunting. 00:31:30.440 --> 00:31:31.140 Close call. 00:31:31.140 --> 00:31:32.340 Right. 00:31:32.500 --> 00:31:38.920 But here he is, Jacob, in this story, he's experiencing the good hand of God. 00:31:38.920 --> 00:31:43.120 But the question still remains like God's God is going to be. 00:31:43.140 --> 00:31:43.950 Let me just say it like this. 00:31:44.440 --> 00:31:46.670 God's grace is going to be made known in the midst of the struggle. 00:31:47.480 --> 00:31:52.360 But the question really is, and why would you lie to your father? 00:31:54.280 --> 00:32:00.260 What would lead you to be so deceiving that you would pretend to be someone that you're not? 00:32:01.680 --> 00:32:03.540 And the results of this is destructive. 00:32:04.680 --> 00:32:07.360 Pretending to be someone, not lying, especially to your dad. 00:32:07.380 --> 00:32:08.040 It's destructive. 00:32:08.080 --> 00:32:15.160 You see in verse 35 and going a little bit faster here, but verse 35, Esau comes in to his dad and it says, his dad 00:32:15.160 --> 00:32:17.430 said, your brother came deceitfully. 00:32:18.120 --> 00:32:19.430 He's taken away your blessing. 00:32:19.880 --> 00:32:23.960 And he said, is it not rightly named Jacob for has cheated me these two. 00:32:24.160 --> 00:32:24.280 Few times. 00:32:24.960 --> 00:32:25.740 Yakub. 00:32:26.060 --> 00:32:28.650 Yakub Yakub is actually a play on words. 00:32:29.400 --> 00:32:32.080 A cove is a cab and a cab. 00:32:32.080 --> 00:32:34.480 These words mean heel, grabber and deceitful. 00:32:34.980 --> 00:32:37.500 So is this play on words Esau saying he is that heel grabber. 00:32:37.500 --> 00:32:39.260 He is deceitful, free is cheating me. 00:32:39.260 --> 00:32:42.790 These two times he took away my birthright and behold, now he's taken away my blessing. 00:32:43.020 --> 00:32:45.670 Then he said, have you not reserved a blessing for me? 00:32:46.040 --> 00:32:49.620 So what he's identifying is not just the birthright, which is. 00:32:49.880 --> 00:32:57.180 It has more to do with the inheritance, earthly inheritance of this world, but also the blessing which is more focused on the spiritual component 00:32:57.180 --> 00:32:58.640 for the future of the family. 00:32:59.440 --> 00:33:01.070 He's saying both of these have been robbed. 00:33:01.160 --> 00:33:07.640 For me, that deceitfulness of Jacob means he can't be trusted because he can't be trusted. 00:33:07.640 --> 00:33:14.820 Nothing he says can be believed, and this destroys their relationship because the same thing is true 00:33:14.820 --> 00:33:15.470 for you. 00:33:16.320 --> 00:33:21.820 You know, good leadership understands that God's got you in a place to influence. 00:33:22.400 --> 00:33:23.940 You don't have to have a title to be a leader. 00:33:24.940 --> 00:33:32.020 God's got you in a position in this world to influence others relationships around you, whatever, wherever you're at, as you interact with people, God's got you in a 00:33:32.020 --> 00:33:39.080 place to influence, and your influence is only going to be as good as you can be trusted, because that trust is what gives you a foundation 00:33:39.080 --> 00:33:41.130 for people to believe what you say. 00:33:41.620 --> 00:33:44.820 Now, it doesn't mean that if you mess up, you can't rebuild that trust. 00:33:44.860 --> 00:33:45.790 But that takes time. 00:33:46.380 --> 00:33:53.850 But to understand that the preciousness of the trust that you have in the lives of people, to use it to honor the Lord for their well being. 00:33:54.340 --> 00:33:57.020 You know, recently we had a quote in our small group this past week. 00:33:57.020 --> 00:34:04.160 We're reminded of this where it says the single greatest cause of atheism are those who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out and deny them by 00:34:04.160 --> 00:34:04.780 their lifestyle. 00:34:04.920 --> 00:34:07.460 It's what an unbelieving world finds unbelievable. 00:34:09.560 --> 00:34:13.679 The credibility of what you stand for is demonstrated in the way that you live your life. 00:34:15.179 --> 00:34:16.739 And this is destroyed for Jacob. 00:34:17.639 --> 00:34:18.270 And not only that. 00:34:18.320 --> 00:34:23.440 Verse 41 Now Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him. 00:34:23.500 --> 00:34:28.400 And Esau said to himself, the days of mourning for my father are approaching, and I will kill my brother. 00:34:29.120 --> 00:34:29.650 I mean, it destroyed. 00:34:30.179 --> 00:34:36.120 It brought death, it destroyed, and brought death to family relationship between brother and brother. 00:34:36.159 --> 00:34:38.719 And it looks like it could literally lead to physical death. 00:34:39.719 --> 00:34:41.880 Why would you lie to your father? 00:34:43.060 --> 00:34:45.600 Why, Jacob, would you pretend to be something that you're not? 00:34:46.860 --> 00:34:54.020 But before you throw stones at Jacob, can I just tell you that his pattern of behavior is exactly what 00:34:54.020 --> 00:34:55.540 Scripture says about all of us? 00:34:56.580 --> 00:34:57.510 We do the same thing. 00:34:59.160 --> 00:35:03.500 We will live behind a lie in order to pretend to be something that we're not. 00:35:04.980 --> 00:35:12.020 there's a famous painting by Norman Rockwell of a butcher and a lady who goes to the store to buy a turkey, and at first, at first, it looks 00:35:12.020 --> 00:35:19.080 great, these two interacting, putting it on the scale until you look at their fingers, and then you realize they're both playing the game of trying to give 00:35:19.080 --> 00:35:20.920 the appearance of it's something you're not one. 00:35:21.520 --> 00:35:29.140 One of them wants the turkey to be a little bit lighter, and the other one wants it to be a little bit heavier because they're interested in how they can serve themselves. 00:35:29.820 --> 00:35:31.700 It's self motivated, right? 00:35:31.800 --> 00:35:35.700 The Bible tells us that the same things and the serving of yourself, you don't. 00:35:35.700 --> 00:35:39.940 You'll never receive what it is that God desires to do in you and through you. 00:35:40.100 --> 00:35:42.840 And there's reasons we may react for our own selfish interests. 00:35:42.920 --> 00:35:46.750 One could be out of fear and concern, not really knowing God's heart for us. 00:35:47.180 --> 00:35:48.690 Adam and Eve did that in the Garden of Eden. 00:35:49.340 --> 00:35:51.400 Remember in Genesis three they sinned. 00:35:51.400 --> 00:35:51.960 They messed up. 00:35:51.960 --> 00:35:52.380 What do they do? 00:35:52.880 --> 00:35:58.860 Out of worry and concern, they take matters in their own hands and they cover themselves up for the purpose of appearing better than the circumstances. 00:35:58.940 --> 00:36:03.440 Are they put on the fig leaves as if to say to God, look, God, everything's all right. 00:36:03.620 --> 00:36:04.810 They wanted deceive. 00:36:05.380 --> 00:36:07.880 And Jesus in the New Testament warned us over and over. 00:36:07.880 --> 00:36:15.130 He liked to use this word hypocrite or hypocrisy, which is really a word for an actor playing a part of something that you aren't. 00:36:15.840 --> 00:36:23.020 And in Matthew seven, A sermon on the Mount, he said, you hypocrite, take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck 00:36:23.020 --> 00:36:24.020 out of your brother's eye. 00:36:24.440 --> 00:36:29.120 Or he's saying, look, we're always quick to point the blame and saying justice for them. 00:36:29.640 --> 00:36:32.380 And we fail to see how much grace we need in our own life. 00:36:33.540 --> 00:36:40.760 And Jesus is acknowledging that if you really want to see the heart of God working, he's got to start with you and looking at your need 00:36:40.760 --> 00:36:41.280 for the Lord. 00:36:41.340 --> 00:36:44.940 We tend to think as people, we're a lot better than we believe that we are, right? 00:36:44.940 --> 00:36:48.440 We tend to say, as long as you're good, that's all that matters, right? 00:36:48.440 --> 00:36:49.180 Just be a good person. 00:36:49.860 --> 00:36:53.140 But then you look at the extent that Jesus was willing to go to rescue you. 00:36:53.180 --> 00:36:57.920 It screams at you that there is something direly wrong with this world. 00:36:57.960 --> 00:37:02.130 And what we need that it requires God to become flesh and die for us. 00:37:02.560 --> 00:37:04.280 It just simply say, oh, just be good. 00:37:04.280 --> 00:37:04.860 That's all that matters. 00:37:05.120 --> 00:37:07.790 Undermines the sacrifice that Christ made for your life. 00:37:08.560 --> 00:37:11.060 He came for a reason to rescue your soul. 00:37:11.060 --> 00:37:18.480 And so we tend to make light of the white lies that we tell because we compare ourselves to one another, the tolerance 00:37:18.480 --> 00:37:21.320 of immodesty within our own culture, because we call it entertainment. 00:37:22.960 --> 00:37:23.560 The. 00:37:23.560 --> 00:37:29.560 Jealousy, the fits of anger that may not be expressed on the outside that we have on the inside compared to one another. 00:37:29.560 --> 00:37:36.200 We might be able to keep this appearance up to play the part, but before a holy God. 00:37:37.740 --> 00:37:40.360 For a holy God, it's important to understand where we are. 00:37:42.240 --> 00:37:46.390 And Jesus reminds us of this in this passage. 00:37:46.540 --> 00:37:48.840 He says in verse 27 of chapter 23 of Matthew. 00:37:49.040 --> 00:37:56.340 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites, for you are like whitewashed tombs which outwardly appear beautiful, but within 00:37:56.340 --> 00:37:58.480 are full of dead man's bones. 00:37:59.340 --> 00:38:00.900 It's like saying the facade of religion. 00:38:01.140 --> 00:38:05.610 It looks it looks nice on the outside, but when you get on the inside, you realize there is no substance there. 00:38:06.440 --> 00:38:12.980 There is no life there, that it's only Christ who truly brings that life. 00:38:12.980 --> 00:38:20.160 And the religious leaders hated Jesus for this, because they were more interested in what people thought about them than the truth 00:38:20.160 --> 00:38:21.380 that Jesus spoke to them. 00:38:23.140 --> 00:38:25.250 And therefore their hearts were never truly transformed. 00:38:26.140 --> 00:38:27.120 So where's the hope in this? 00:38:27.120 --> 00:38:27.820 I need to get to the hope. 00:38:27.880 --> 00:38:30.010 I got six minutes to give you hope, so let's do that. 00:38:30.240 --> 00:38:30.820 All right. 00:38:30.820 --> 00:38:33.340 the last part, the blessing. 00:38:34.460 --> 00:38:35.650 Here's the blessing, and here's what we learn. 00:38:36.540 --> 00:38:37.560 You could ask the question why? 00:38:37.800 --> 00:38:37.800 When? 00:38:38.120 --> 00:38:40.940 When Jacob got discovered, why didn't why didn't they take the blessing away? 00:38:40.940 --> 00:38:43.540 Why didn't he call a time out and say, family meeting. 00:38:43.540 --> 00:38:44.190 Let's get back in here. 00:38:44.540 --> 00:38:46.140 I got tricked, haha. 00:38:46.140 --> 00:38:47.720 we're going to we're going to redo this. 00:38:58.540 --> 00:39:03.520 We're going to rewind this and give the blessing to Esau now, which is what I intended to do. 00:39:03.520 --> 00:39:03.520 Why didn't he do that? 00:39:03.520 --> 00:39:03.520 I think for a few reasons. 00:39:03.520 --> 00:39:06.370 One, this was customary culture on a on a deathbed blessing. 00:39:07.120 --> 00:39:11.560 There was no there was no takes backseat. 00:39:44.780 --> 00:39:59.040 All right. 00:39:59.580 --> 00:40:32.660 There was no there was no, that's not that's not how the culture, honored this, 00:40:44.860 --> 00:40:51.000 that once you gave a deathbed blessing, it was sealed. 00:40:51.410 --> 00:40:51.480 It was done. 00:40:51.480 --> 00:40:52.100 But not only that, I think Isaac ultimately knew what God's heart was. 00:40:52.100 --> 00:40:52.100 And for him, it was like, ah, he got me. 00:40:52.100 --> 00:40:52.100 The Lord got me right. 00:40:52.100 --> 00:40:53.360 Like the Lord has this incredible way of still being faithful when we aren't. 00:40:53.360 --> 00:41:00.760 God had promised that he would bring this blessing through the younger 00:41:00.760 --> 00:41:01.360 child. 00:41:01.400 --> 00:41:03.320 In fact, in Hebrews chapter 12, verse 16 and 17, it tells us Esau was an ungodly man. 00:41:03.320 --> 00:41:03.320 He never repented, didn't know the Lord, and so God divinely orchestrated this despite how he work. 00:41:03.320 --> 00:41:05.580 You ever ask the question, God, how can you work in the midst of this difficulty? 00:41:16.460 --> 00:41:37.280 Why would 00:41:40.860 --> 00:43:09.220 you work? 00:43:09.960 --> 00:43:11.820 It's not because of you. 00:43:12.980 --> 00:43:17.460 It's because of the faithfulness of his good hand. 00:43:18.680 --> 00:43:25.760 It's because of the greatness of who he is and his grace and 00:43:25.760 --> 00:43:25.760 love. 00:43:27.680 --> 00:43:28.200 It's not contingent upon us. 00:43:28.200 --> 00:43:30.500 He will orchestrate all things together for good. 00:43:32.720 --> 00:43:36.540 God can continue to work in his. 00:43:37.220 --> 00:43:40.320 He doesn't need us. 00:43:40.480 --> 00:43:45.380 It's wonderful if you walk with him, but it's important to see how God in his sovereignty can still orchestrate things together for his good. 00:43:45.380 --> 00:43:45.480 And this is what happens in the life of Jacob, that this covenant blessing becomes a demonstration of God's grace and his faithfulness, that God desires to work this way. 00:43:45.480 --> 00:43:45.530 And God orchestrates these things to work this way, despite what people choose to do or don't don't do. 00:43:45.530 --> 00:43:45.530 It's demonstrating that God is the main character of the story causing to come about even though they're acting sinfully, causing to come about what he desires to accomplish in this world. 00:43:45.530 --> 00:43:45.530 And the same thing is true for us, you might ask, well, this is great for Jacob, but what does this mean for me? 00:43:45.530 --> 00:43:45.530 Why does this blessing for Jacob? 00:43:45.530 --> 00:43:45.530 What does it have anything to do with me? 00:43:45.530 --> 00:43:45.530 And I would say the answer is every thing. 00:43:45.530 --> 00:43:45.530 It has everything to do for you, for you. 00:43:45.530 --> 00:43:45.530 Because if you remember the promise, it started with Abraham, that through him would come a seed that would bless all people groups. 00:43:45.530 --> 00:43:45.530 And here we're reading about this story. 00:43:45.530 --> 00:43:45.530 Even in the brokenness of family, that God continues to be faithful from one generation to the next, to bring about what he desires to bring about for the for the salvation of people groups that we would have the opportunity to know him. 00:43:45.530 --> 00:43:45.530 So it's important to us to see in the midst of this broken, this brokenness of this family that we are to. 00:43:45.530 --> 00:43:45.530 We are more sinful than we often dare confess. 00:43:45.530 --> 00:43:45.530 We tend to be actors in the play, but. 00:43:45.530 --> 00:43:45.530 But in addition to that, we're also more loved than we could ever fathom in the hands of God. 00:43:45.530 --> 00:43:45.530 And that's what gives us hope. 00:43:45.530 --> 00:43:45.530 The God, even though he knows we're sinners and despite our sinfulness, would still pursue us and would still give his life for us, that we would have freedom in him. 00:43:45.530 --> 00:43:45.530 And so because of that, the blessing that has come through Abraham and Isaac and Jacob is extended to you today, in fact. 00:43:45.530 --> 00:43:45.530 And I want to read one verse in this, but in Ephesians chapter one, verse three, it says this. 00:43:45.530 --> 00:43:45.530 Look at this. 00:43:45.530 --> 00:43:45.530 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who look at this, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. 00:43:45.530 --> 00:43:45.530 Now I don't have time to go on and describe to you every spiritual blessing and what that means, but I want you to know you have every spiritual blessing in Christ. 00:43:45.530 --> 00:43:45.530 If you want to go, read it later this week. 00:43:45.530 --> 00:43:45.530 Ephesians chapter one, verse three is where it starts. 00:43:45.530 --> 00:43:45.530 The end of that, describing that blessing doesn't end until verse 14. 00:43:45.530 --> 00:43:45.530 It's the longest sentence in the Bible describing to you what every spiritual blessing is. 00:43:45.530 --> 00:43:45.530 It's what gives literary teachers a nightmare. 00:43:45.530 --> 00:43:45.530 Grammar teachers a nightmare. 00:43:45.530 --> 00:43:45.530 It's a run on sentence on top of a run on sentence, on top of a run on sentence that the apostle Paul writes. 00:43:45.530 --> 00:43:45.530 But he wants you to understand your position in Christ, that secure for eternity, because you're sealed in the spirit and you belong to him forever. 00:43:45.530 --> 00:43:45.530 This incredible blessing. 00:43:45.530 --> 00:43:45.530 Now notice it doesn't talk about the physical blessing in this. 00:43:45.530 --> 00:43:45.530 It's literally just referring to the spiritual blessing. 00:43:45.530 --> 00:43:45.530 Because in Jesus's first coming, he is spiritually renewed our lives in him, but in his second coming he restores all of creation. 00:43:45.530 --> 00:43:45.530 But the reality is it gives us people, a place of hope that in the midst of our own brokenness, we ask God, how could you work? 00:43:45.530 --> 00:43:45.530 Why would you work? 00:43:45.530 --> 00:43:45.530 The answer is simple it's not you, but it's because of the faithfulness and the goodness of who he is. 00:43:45.530 --> 00:43:45.530 So no matter what you go through, you can always keep taking a step forward because of who you are in Christ. 00:43:45.530 --> 00:43:45.530 If you belong to him, every spiritual blessing belongs to you.