Each day we make hundreds of decisions and each one leads to one of two directions – either towards God or away from him.
Sermon Title: BIRTHRIGHT AND A BOWL OF STEW
Sermon Text: GENESIS 25:19-34 NIV
Sermon Series: IMPERFECT FAITH
By: PTR. NIC SY
Sermon Notes:
GENESIS 25:19-34 NIV
19 This is the account of Abraham’s son Isaac. Abraham became the father of Isaac,
20 and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram and sister of Laban the Aramean.
21 Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was barren. The LORD answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant.
22 The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the LORD.
23 The LORD said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.”
24 When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb.
25 The first to come out was red, and his whole body was like a hairy garment; so they named him Esau.
26 After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when Rebekah gave birth to them.
27 The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was a quiet man, staying among the tents.
28 Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob.
29 Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished.
30 He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom. )
31 Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.”
32 “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?”
33 But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.
34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright.
HEBREWS 11:8 NIV
8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.
Scene 1. THE BIRTH OF ESAU & JACOB
ROMANS 9:10-12 NIV
10 Not only that, but Rebekah’s children had one and the same father, our father Isaac.
11 Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad--in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: 12 not by works but by him who calls--she was told, “The older will serve the younger.”
Behind all of life is God himself.
Scene 2. BOWL OF STEW & BIRTHRIGHT
ESAU: MISSING THE ESSENTIAL FROM THE NON-ESSENTIAL
GENESIS 26:34-35 NIV
34 When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite. 35 They were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah.
GENESIS 28:6-9 NIV
6 Now Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him to Paddan Aram to take a wife from there, and that when he blessed him he commanded him, “Do not marry a Canaanite woman,”
7 and that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother and had gone to Paddan Aram.
8 Esau then realized how displeasing the Canaanite women were to his father Isaac;
9 so he went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Ishmael son of Abraham, in addition to the wives he already had.
How easy it is to mistake something as essential when it is not.
In what areas have we sold our birthrights for a bowl of stew?
HEBREWS 12:16-17 NIV
16 See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son.
17 Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. He could bring about no change of mind, though he sought the blessing with tears.
Each day we make hundreds of decisions and each one leads to one of two directions – either towards God or away from him.
JACOB: SEEKING THE BEST FOR THE WRONG REASON
Manipulation shows a lack of trust in God’s sovereignty, and deceit shows a lack of respect for God’s truth.
1 PETER 2:1-3 NIV
1 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.
2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.
The process is just as important as the product.
In what areas are we replacing God’s process with ours?