1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:04,360 Well, we’re continuing our series today, Decks chairs on the Titanic How to Avoid 2 00:00:04,360 –> 00:00:09,480 a Plunge to Disaster, and we’re learning from some of the great disaster stories 3 00:00:09,480 –> 00:00:14,240 in the Bible. You might like to turn today to the story of Esau, which you 4 00:00:14,240 –> 00:00:21,000 will find in Genesis and Chapter 25. Now, we begin this story, again, in the 5 00:00:21,000 –> 00:00:26,719 maternity ward where Rebecca is having a difficult time giving birth to twins. 6 00:00:27,160 –> 00:00:30,980 In fact, it’s been a difficult pregnancy, because the Bible tells us these two 7 00:00:30,980 –> 00:00:37,099 boys were jostling together in her womb. It was the beginning, indeed, of a 8 00:00:37,099 –> 00:00:42,480 struggle, the Bible says, of two nations that would go on in tension with each 9 00:00:42,480 –> 00:00:46,779 other for generations to come, and it all began with the struggle between these 10 00:00:46,779 –> 00:00:51,560 two twins to be born. It seems that the struggle was over which one was to be 11 00:00:51,560 –> 00:00:56,540 born first, and the two of them are struggling inside the womb trying to get 12 00:00:56,959 –> 00:01:02,720 as it were, in pole position to be the first one out. Well Esau won the struggle 13 00:01:02,720 –> 00:01:08,660 but not by much, because no sooner was he born, then Jacob came out, and he came 14 00:01:08,660 –> 00:01:15,019 out arm-first, clutching on to Esau’s heel. I guess that the midwife was 15 00:01:15,019 –> 00:01:20,180 trying to haul Esau out, Jacob was trying to pull him back, but he was 16 00:01:20,180 –> 00:01:24,860 overwhelmed, and so Jacob ended up being pulled out at the same time. I think, by 17 00:01:24,860 –> 00:01:29,260 the way, that Jacob would have been a wonderful defensive football player. Any 18 00:01:29,260 –> 00:01:32,900 offensive runner who got past him, he’d grab the heel and they wouldn’t get 19 00:01:32,900 –> 00:01:40,599 terribly much further. Well, the point of this story is that the Firstborn in 20 00:01:40,599 –> 00:01:47,959 cultures of those days inherited a double portion of the inheritance. Now, by 21 00:01:47,959 –> 00:01:52,820 any standards that was significant, but for this family, that was particularly 22 00:01:52,860 –> 00:01:59,279 important because God had made special promises to Abraham, I will bless you and 23 00:01:59,279 –> 00:02:04,580 through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed. There 24 00:02:04,580 –> 00:02:09,860 was to be a line of descendants from Abraham through whom God’s blessing 25 00:02:09,860 –> 00:02:15,100 would come to the whole world, and the Old Testament, as you know, follows the 26 00:02:15,100 –> 00:02:20,419 story of that line of Abraham. Abraham’s son was Isaac, and then when Isaac and 27 00:02:20,559 –> 00:02:24,940 Rebekah had their two sons, the obvious question was through which branch of the 28 00:02:24,940 –> 00:02:30,839 family would God’s promises continue, into which line would the Savior of the 29 00:02:30,839 –> 00:02:36,899 world be born. Well that is what this story is all about. Now as we introduce 30 00:02:36,899 –> 00:02:43,179 Esau, we are told first in Genesis chapter 25 and verse 27 that he was a 31 00:02:43,179 –> 00:02:51,020 skillful hunter and a man of the open country. I think of him with a pickup 32 00:02:51,020 –> 00:02:56,119 truck, you know the kind that are built like a rock, I think that would be Esau’s 33 00:02:56,119 –> 00:03:01,820 kind of wheels, and definitely he would have been into off-road driving, he loved 34 00:03:01,820 –> 00:03:06,259 to hunt, loved to go on a fishing expedition, nothing better than to stock 35 00:03:06,259 –> 00:03:11,479 a deer on his own out in the country, and if you went out for a meal with Esau 36 00:03:11,580 –> 00:03:18,679 don’t expect him to order a salad, he’s not that kind of guy, steak done rare, 37 00:03:18,679 –> 00:03:23,880 that’s Esau when he’s in a restaurant. It seems true that Esau had a big 38 00:03:23,880 –> 00:03:29,880 personality, his muscular appearance, his very distinctive hair, gave him a 39 00:03:29,880 –> 00:03:35,940 striking presence, and notice in verse 27 we’re told that Jacob was quiet and it 40 00:03:35,940 –> 00:03:40,880 seems almost that that’s a contrast with Esau, who was evidently the life and 41 00:03:40,880 –> 00:03:44,279 soul of the party, Esau always had stories coming 42 00:03:44,279 –> 00:03:49,699 back from the hunt, people laughed at his jokes, and so here we have a man with 43 00:03:49,699 –> 00:03:55,160 everything going for him, born into a situation of great privilege, he’s fit, 44 00:03:55,160 –> 00:04:03,679 he’s adventurous, he’s skillful, he has the world at his feet, and Esau took a 45 00:04:03,960 –> 00:04:12,460 plunge to disaster. Now, here’s the story. One day Esau had been out hunting, and 46 00:04:12,460 –> 00:04:18,260 he came back absolutely starving, he was ravenous, and it so happened that his 47 00:04:18,260 –> 00:04:22,859 little brother, Jacob, was cooking some stew. Now, you know what it’s like when you 48 00:04:22,859 –> 00:04:24,959 come back from work, if you’ve missed lunch, 49 00:04:24,959 –> 00:04:29,000 the traffic has been backed up, you’re absolutely starving, and you come home 50 00:04:29,040 –> 00:04:34,679 there’s this marvelous, marvelous smell of wafting, cooking coming, and meeting 51 00:04:34,679 –> 00:04:41,119 you at the door. Maybe you don’t know what that’s like, but very wonderful. 52 00:04:41,119 –> 00:04:46,899 And Esau comes home, absolutely ravenous, he smells this marvelous stew, and he 53 00:04:46,899 –> 00:04:52,880 says to his brother, verse 30, I got to have some of that red meat. Now, Jacob knew 54 00:04:52,880 –> 00:04:57,660 something that others have discovered. When a man comes home, hungry, and you’ve 55 00:04:57,720 –> 00:05:04,920 got food, you can ask for almost anything. So Jacob said, well, now sell me your 56 00:05:04,920 –> 00:05:10,600 birthright. Now, that was a dirty trick. It really was. Jacob shouldn’t have done 57 00:05:10,600 –> 00:05:14,380 that, but we’re going to stay with Esau’s side of the story today, so don’t get 58 00:05:14,380 –> 00:05:21,339 distracted unto Jacob. Esau said, verse 32 of Genesis 25, Look, I’m about to die. 59 00:05:21,339 –> 00:05:26,820 What good is the birthright to me? In other words, he was saying, Hey, who cares 60 00:05:27,100 –> 00:05:32,260 about a stupid birthright? I’m dying for something to eat. That’s all that 61 00:05:32,260 –> 00:05:37,140 matters to me. Well, Jacob wasn’t satisfied with that, so he pressed it 62 00:05:37,140 –> 00:05:43,420 further. Now, swear to me first, he said. And so, verse 33, Esau swore an oath— 63 00:05:43,420 –> 00:05:50,820 that’s a binding promise—selling his birthright to Jacob. It’s interesting 64 00:05:50,820 –> 00:05:55,000 that Esau had no idea at this point of the significance of what he’d done. We 65 00:05:55,000 –> 00:05:59,440 were just told in verse 34 that Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil 66 00:05:59,440 –> 00:06:05,440 stew. He ate it and drank and then got up and left. We don’t read about him having 67 00:06:05,440 –> 00:06:10,600 any regrets. We don’t read that he was angry. He didn’t seem to have given the 68 00:06:10,600 –> 00:06:18,839 matter another thought. Now, before we see how the story ended, I want us to 69 00:06:18,959 –> 00:06:26,559 understand Esau’s problem. And it comes at three levels. The first and most 70 00:06:26,559 –> 00:06:33,559 obvious problem was that Esau was a man who acted on impulse. He made a major 71 00:06:33,559 –> 00:06:40,579 life decision with hardly a moment’s serious thought. Quick, he says, verse 30, 72 00:06:40,579 –> 00:06:44,600 I’ve got to have some of that red stew! Quick! Quick! That’s the operative word. 73 00:06:44,779 –> 00:06:51,959 I’m famished. And he swore an oath, verse 33, selling his birthright. So, Esau wasn’t 74 00:06:51,959 –> 00:06:59,260 a great thinker, or a great planner. He tended to go with the flow. He would 75 00:06:59,260 –> 00:07:05,140 often say, live for the moment, no doubt. When he felt hungry all that really 76 00:07:05,140 –> 00:07:09,239 mattered to him was that he should get some food. 77 00:07:09,239 –> 00:07:14,380 Now, this wasn’t the only time that he acted on impulse, because it does seem 78 00:07:14,380 –> 00:07:18,859 from the story that he acted in the same way when it came to choosing a 79 00:07:18,859 –> 00:07:24,500 marriage partner. The Bible records, you may remember, a long story about how 80 00:07:24,500 –> 00:07:30,100 Abraham sent out his servant to find a wife for Isaak. And there’s a long story 81 00:07:30,100 –> 00:07:35,679 about Jacob’s search for a wife, and his love for Rachel. But when it comes to 82 00:07:35,679 –> 00:07:40,940 Esau’s choosing of a partner, we’re just told in a couple of sentences in Genesis 83 00:07:40,940 –> 00:07:48,820 26 and verse 34, he married two Hittite women, one was called Judas, and 84 00:07:48,820 –> 00:07:55,160 the other was, would you believe it? Called Basemath. This is an extraordinary 85 00:07:55,160 –> 00:08:00,519 name. You would have to be impulsive, would you not? To marry a woman called 86 00:08:00,519 –> 00:08:09,260 Basemath. I mean, can you imagine this on Valentine’s Day? My dearest darling, 87 00:08:09,260 –> 00:08:15,679 Basemath. It just doesn’t have that ring, but the only comment that we have in 88 00:08:15,679 –> 00:08:20,359 the Bible on this is that his marriage to these two women was a source of great 89 00:08:20,359 –> 00:08:28,459 grief to Isaac and to Rebecca. And certainly Esau did not operate on 90 00:08:28,459 –> 00:08:34,760 principle in this choice. He did not act on the principle of finding a wife from 91 00:08:34,760 –> 00:08:40,280 among God’s people. It seems therefore that what happened here was that he saw 92 00:08:40,280 –> 00:08:45,200 this Canaanite woman, who was an absolute stunner, didn’t stop to think she swept 93 00:08:45,200 –> 00:08:48,539 him off his feet and, hey, Presto! before you know it he was married, he acted on 94 00:08:48,539 –> 00:08:56,340 impulse. Now, here is a man then whose whole approach to life is, I’ve got to 95 00:08:56,340 –> 00:09:02,619 have what I want, and I’ve got to have it now. He operated on 96 00:09:02,619 –> 00:09:09,340 the level of impulse. Now, you say, what’s wrong with that? Well, here’s the problem. 97 00:09:09,340 –> 00:09:18,580 In the course of your life, many impulses will come to you. Some will be 98 00:09:18,580 –> 00:09:25,859 good, and others will be bad. There are many good impulses. You see someone who’s 99 00:09:25,859 –> 00:09:30,500 cold in the street, you give them some money or a cup of coffee, that’s an 100 00:09:31,020 –> 00:09:36,880 impulse of compassion. It’s a good and a wonderful thing. Esau had good impulses 101 00:09:36,880 –> 00:09:41,359 sometimes. He chose at one point late in his life to forgive his brother. It was a 102 00:09:41,359 –> 00:09:47,099 wonderful thing. It was a good impulse. But the problem with acting on impulse 103 00:09:47,099 –> 00:09:51,700 is that our impulses are a mixture of good and bad. 104 00:09:51,700 –> 00:09:58,320 In fact, most temptations come in the form of an impulse. In fact, that’s 105 00:09:58,479 –> 00:10:04,380 what temptation is, an impulse to do something that God said you shouldn’t do. 106 00:10:04,380 –> 00:10:08,979 And it happens to all of us. It’s interesting that the New Testament in 107 00:10:08,979 –> 00:10:14,659 Hebrew chapter 12, which was read for us, tells us that Esau was a sexually 108 00:10:14,659 –> 00:10:21,000 immoral man. That’s not surprising. It’s just the characteristic of a man who 109 00:10:21,000 –> 00:10:27,419 acts on impulse, transferred to yet another area of life. He 110 00:10:27,479 –> 00:10:34,239 got into the habit of doing what he felt, and it led him to disaster. 111 00:10:36,580 –> 00:10:42,979 I was fascinated by the story of a reporter who some time ago interviewed 112 00:10:42,979 –> 00:10:48,919 Ruth Graham, the wife of Billie Graham, and of course wanted to ask questions 113 00:10:48,919 –> 00:10:52,380 about their marriage — you know, the kind of thing, What would it be like 114 00:10:52,599 –> 00:10:55,599 to be married to Billie Graham? 115 00:10:56,400 –> 00:10:59,219 So, the question was asked of her, 116 00:10:59,219 –> 00:11:03,460 Have you ever considered divorce? asked the reporter. 117 00:11:04,099 –> 00:11:07,599 Oh no, said Ruth. NEVER. 118 00:11:09,200 –> 00:11:14,900 I’ve considered murder many times, but never divorce. 119 00:11:16,400 –> 00:11:21,599 Now in the course of a lifetime, many impulses will come to you, 120 00:11:22,119 –> 00:11:28,119 even if you are as saintly a person as Mrs. Ruth Graham. 121 00:11:29,080 –> 00:11:34,080 If you live at the level of impulse as they come to you, 122 00:11:34,080 –> 00:11:39,059 then you will set yourself up for a plunge to disaster. 123 00:11:39,960 –> 00:11:42,280 Now that was the first level of Esau’s problem, 124 00:11:42,280 –> 00:11:44,700 but let’s go a little deeper now. 125 00:11:45,500 –> 00:11:49,960 Why did he live at the level of impulse? 126 00:11:50,099 –> 00:11:51,320 Why would he do that? 127 00:11:53,059 –> 00:11:55,960 And the Bible gives us a very clear answer to that question 128 00:11:55,960 –> 00:11:59,719 because he was confused about values. 129 00:11:59,719 –> 00:12:02,599 Look at verse 34 of Genesis 25. 130 00:12:02,599 –> 00:12:07,500 Esau despised his birthright. 131 00:12:09,340 –> 00:12:10,159 Now think about that. 132 00:12:10,159 –> 00:12:14,479 He is the firstborn son of the family 133 00:12:14,479 –> 00:12:16,700 that God has chosen to bless. 134 00:12:17,619 –> 00:12:19,400 It’s hard to imagine a greater privilege 135 00:12:19,460 –> 00:12:21,299 in all of the world than that. 136 00:12:22,479 –> 00:12:25,599 Priceless gifts from God are placed in his hand 137 00:12:25,599 –> 00:12:27,719 from the earliest days of his life, 138 00:12:27,719 –> 00:12:30,619 but he couldn’t see their value. 139 00:12:32,200 –> 00:12:35,479 All that mattered to Esau was the next meal, 140 00:12:35,479 –> 00:12:37,320 the next fishing trip, 141 00:12:37,320 –> 00:12:39,280 the next pay packet, the next contract, 142 00:12:39,280 –> 00:12:41,820 the next game, the next relationship. 143 00:12:41,820 –> 00:12:42,960 That was what he lived for. 144 00:12:42,960 –> 00:12:44,679 It was all that he could see. 145 00:12:44,679 –> 00:12:47,080 Nothing else really mattered. 146 00:12:47,900 –> 00:12:51,020 And of course Jacob knew that Esau 147 00:12:51,020 –> 00:12:53,119 didn’t care much for his birthright. 148 00:12:53,119 –> 00:12:55,320 You can’t hide that sort of thing. 149 00:12:55,320 –> 00:12:57,640 They would have spoken about it before 150 00:12:57,640 –> 00:12:59,780 and Jacob knew that at the right time 151 00:12:59,780 –> 00:13:02,140 and for the right price, it was for sale 152 00:13:02,140 –> 00:13:05,059 and he was waiting for the right moment to come. 153 00:13:06,200 –> 00:13:09,419 The reason that Esau acted on impulse 154 00:13:09,419 –> 00:13:13,859 was that he never saw the value of his birthright. 155 00:13:14,820 –> 00:13:17,419 And under a particular set of circumstances, 156 00:13:17,419 –> 00:13:20,200 a plate of stew seemed more important to him 157 00:13:20,200 –> 00:13:23,840 than a place in the purpose of God. 158 00:13:24,840 –> 00:13:26,380 And when Jacob offers him the stew, 159 00:13:26,380 –> 00:13:28,840 he says, look, I’m about to die. 160 00:13:28,840 –> 00:13:33,900 What good is my birthright to me. 161 00:13:35,640 –> 00:13:38,840 One of the greatest preachers on characters in the Bible, 162 00:13:38,840 –> 00:13:40,919 a man by the name of Alexander White 163 00:13:40,979 –> 00:13:43,520 makes this marvelous comment on Esau. 164 00:13:44,700 –> 00:13:49,700 No man he says, sells his birthright on the spot. 165 00:13:50,239 –> 00:13:52,320 He who sells his birthright, 166 00:13:52,320 –> 00:13:55,440 sells it in his heart many times 167 00:13:55,440 –> 00:13:57,900 before he takes it openly to the market. 168 00:13:58,799 –> 00:14:03,000 He belittles it, despises it and cheapens it to himself 169 00:14:03,000 –> 00:14:05,799 long before he sells it so cheaply to another. 170 00:14:06,719 –> 00:14:10,280 No man or woman falls in a fatal way 171 00:14:10,320 –> 00:14:12,440 without having prepared their fall 172 00:14:12,440 –> 00:14:16,000 for themselves in their hearts. 173 00:14:17,719 –> 00:14:22,700 He took a plunge to disaster because he acted on impulse. 174 00:14:23,520 –> 00:14:26,739 But the reason he was a man who acted on impulse 175 00:14:26,739 –> 00:14:28,440 was that he was at a deeper level 176 00:14:28,440 –> 00:14:31,799 a man who was confused about values. 177 00:14:33,280 –> 00:14:35,719 But let’s go one more time a level deeper 178 00:14:35,719 –> 00:14:36,619 and ask this question. 179 00:14:36,619 –> 00:14:40,000 Why was he confused then about values? 180 00:14:41,179 –> 00:14:44,080 And the New Testament gives us a very clear answer 181 00:14:44,080 –> 00:14:49,080 to that question, because Esau was godless, godless. 182 00:14:51,080 –> 00:14:53,500 That’s the stunning word that the New Testament 183 00:14:53,500 –> 00:14:54,960 uses to describe this man. 184 00:14:54,960 –> 00:14:56,599 Hebrews 12, 16, 185 00:14:56,599 –> 00:14:59,460 see to it that nobody in the church 186 00:14:59,460 –> 00:15:03,440 is godless speaking like Esau, 187 00:15:03,440 –> 00:15:05,440 who sold his inheritance rights 188 00:15:05,440 –> 00:15:09,799 as the oldest son for a single meal. 189 00:15:10,919 –> 00:15:13,359 Esau had no place for God in his life. 190 00:15:14,440 –> 00:15:15,820 He loved the open country, 191 00:15:15,820 –> 00:15:17,299 but he had no love for God. 192 00:15:18,400 –> 00:15:19,739 He was brought up to know God, 193 00:15:19,739 –> 00:15:22,039 but he didn’t ever see his need for God. 194 00:15:22,880 –> 00:15:25,859 The things of God remained at a distance from him, 195 00:15:25,859 –> 00:15:28,039 he was godless. 196 00:15:29,200 –> 00:15:30,039 Godless. 197 00:15:32,099 –> 00:15:35,080 Now, do you see how these three things tie together 198 00:15:35,080 –> 00:15:38,719 as the three levels of Esau’s fundamental problem 199 00:15:38,719 –> 00:15:40,140 that led to disaster? 200 00:15:40,960 –> 00:15:43,760 You lose touch with God, 201 00:15:43,760 –> 00:15:46,820 you will become confused about values. 202 00:15:47,679 –> 00:15:49,880 And when you’re confused about values, 203 00:15:49,880 –> 00:15:51,799 you will end up drifting through life, 204 00:15:51,799 –> 00:15:54,739 living on impulse, and if you do that you set yourself up 205 00:15:54,739 –> 00:15:56,580 for a plunge to disaster. 206 00:15:58,960 –> 00:16:01,359 Now, you see this speaks so powerfully to us today, 207 00:16:01,359 –> 00:16:04,000 because is this not the great issue 208 00:16:05,119 –> 00:16:07,020 for our nation at this time? 209 00:16:07,900 –> 00:16:11,520 We have lost touch with God 210 00:16:11,520 –> 00:16:16,219 and we have become confused as a result about values. 211 00:16:17,619 –> 00:16:21,219 Why is it that in this country that we love, 212 00:16:22,219 –> 00:16:27,000 42 million lives have been lost? 213 00:16:28,500 –> 00:16:32,440 One-third of all infants who may have been born 214 00:16:32,440 –> 00:16:36,020 have had their lives taken before that moment even came. 215 00:16:37,679 –> 00:16:42,020 How could such a thing have happened over 40 years here? 216 00:16:43,859 –> 00:16:48,380 Because, like Esau, we have become godless. 217 00:16:49,380 –> 00:16:52,380 And without God over a period of 40 years, 218 00:16:52,380 –> 00:16:56,359 we have increasingly lost sight of the value, 219 00:16:56,359 –> 00:16:58,619 the sanctity of human life. 220 00:16:59,979 –> 00:17:02,520 And without that value, 221 00:17:02,520 –> 00:17:05,060 we have become a nation living and reacting 222 00:17:05,060 –> 00:17:06,699 and responding on impulse. 223 00:17:06,979 –> 00:17:08,579 And we have set ourselves up 224 00:17:08,579 –> 00:17:11,979 for the plunge to disaster that we have experienced. 225 00:17:13,900 –> 00:17:15,300 And do you see the pattern here? 226 00:17:15,300 –> 00:17:17,839 These things tie together. 227 00:17:17,839 –> 00:17:19,219 It doesn’t matter whether you’re talking 228 00:17:19,219 –> 00:17:22,420 about an individual or a family or a nation. 229 00:17:22,420 –> 00:17:23,979 The pattern is always the same. 230 00:17:23,979 –> 00:17:25,719 Lose touch with God, 231 00:17:26,819 –> 00:17:28,880 and you become confused about values, 232 00:17:28,880 –> 00:17:30,500 become confused about values. 233 00:17:30,500 –> 00:17:32,140 You start acting on impulse, 234 00:17:32,140 –> 00:17:33,780 start acting on impulse. 235 00:17:33,819 –> 00:17:36,900 And you will eventually take a plunge to disaster. 236 00:17:39,699 –> 00:17:41,819 Now, of course, that plunge to disaster 237 00:17:41,819 –> 00:17:43,880 may not be immediately obvious. 238 00:17:45,099 –> 00:17:48,540 The person who is confused about values like Esau 239 00:17:48,540 –> 00:17:50,339 very often can go for years 240 00:17:50,339 –> 00:17:52,640 without ever realizing what they’ve lost. 241 00:17:53,780 –> 00:17:54,780 It’s a fascinating thing. 242 00:17:54,780 –> 00:17:56,859 At the end of Genesis chapter 25, 243 00:17:56,859 –> 00:18:00,459 Esau sold his birthright and had no clue 244 00:18:00,459 –> 00:18:03,459 that he’d given away the most important thing in his life. 245 00:18:04,479 –> 00:18:07,680 So let’s, for that reason, take up the story 246 00:18:07,680 –> 00:18:10,959 and see where it ends. 247 00:18:10,959 –> 00:18:12,680 Will you turn forward a page in your Bible 248 00:18:12,680 –> 00:18:15,660 to Genesis and chapter 27. 249 00:18:15,660 –> 00:18:18,459 And we’re going to follow the story here 250 00:18:19,900 –> 00:18:23,739 of what happened at the end of Isaac’s life. 251 00:18:23,739 –> 00:18:26,800 Isaac the father is an old man now, 252 00:18:26,800 –> 00:18:28,140 and he’s about to die. 253 00:18:29,359 –> 00:18:33,140 But before he died, he knew that God would enable him 254 00:18:33,160 –> 00:18:37,339 to speak God’s word of blessing. 255 00:18:37,339 –> 00:18:39,880 In other words, he would be given the special gift 256 00:18:39,880 –> 00:18:42,780 to speak like a prophet words 257 00:18:42,780 –> 00:18:45,280 that God would actually give him 258 00:18:45,280 –> 00:18:49,180 that would predict the future and would certainly come true. 259 00:18:50,079 –> 00:18:51,959 It would be a great moment for the old man 260 00:18:51,959 –> 00:18:55,219 before he died to speak the future 261 00:18:55,219 –> 00:18:59,420 that would come to be for his sons and their descendants. 262 00:18:59,420 –> 00:19:01,819 And he knew that this was the most important thing 263 00:19:02,040 –> 00:19:04,079 that he had to do before they died. 264 00:19:05,119 –> 00:19:06,979 Isaac was close to Esau, 265 00:19:08,160 –> 00:19:10,219 and so he wanted that God’s special blessing 266 00:19:10,219 –> 00:19:11,459 would be on him. 267 00:19:11,459 –> 00:19:13,079 So one day he said to Esau, 268 00:19:13,079 –> 00:19:15,760 now, you go out and catch some game, 269 00:19:15,760 –> 00:19:18,219 prepare some food and then come in 270 00:19:18,219 –> 00:19:20,199 and I will give you my blessing. 271 00:19:21,400 –> 00:19:24,400 Rebecca overheard what Isaac had said 272 00:19:24,400 –> 00:19:26,699 and she rushed over to the younger boy, Jacob. 273 00:19:27,839 –> 00:19:29,599 Look, Jacob, she said, 274 00:19:29,780 –> 00:19:33,339 your father’s ready to announce God’s blessing 275 00:19:33,339 –> 00:19:35,060 and he wants to give it to Esau. 276 00:19:36,020 –> 00:19:38,540 You can go in and pretend to be Esau 277 00:19:39,579 –> 00:19:41,920 and then the blessing will be yours. 278 00:19:42,979 –> 00:19:46,479 I’ll never work, said Jacob, why? 279 00:19:47,599 –> 00:19:50,219 Well, I’m nothing like Esau. 280 00:19:50,219 –> 00:19:54,020 He’s as hairy as a goat and my skin is smooth. 281 00:19:54,020 –> 00:19:56,020 Dad only needs to touch my arms 282 00:19:56,020 –> 00:19:57,619 and you’ll know I’m not Esau. 283 00:19:57,619 –> 00:20:00,280 Don’t you worry, says his mother. 284 00:20:00,280 –> 00:20:03,439 We’ll make you as hairy as a goat too. 285 00:20:03,439 –> 00:20:05,199 Your father will never know the difference, 286 00:20:05,199 –> 00:20:06,959 don’t you worry, I’ve pulled the wool 287 00:20:06,959 –> 00:20:08,780 over his eyes many, many times. 288 00:20:10,000 –> 00:20:12,459 Well, Rebecca had thought of everything. 289 00:20:12,459 –> 00:20:14,880 She took some hair from a goat’s skin 290 00:20:14,880 –> 00:20:16,880 and covered Jacob’s arms. 291 00:20:17,819 –> 00:20:21,160 She dressed him in Esau’s clothes 292 00:20:21,160 –> 00:20:23,459 and then Jacob took his mother’s stew 293 00:20:23,459 –> 00:20:25,000 into his father’s room. 294 00:20:25,060 –> 00:20:28,540 The old man was blind and had only 295 00:20:28,540 –> 00:20:31,640 the most limited awareness of vision. 296 00:20:33,040 –> 00:20:36,920 Who is it? said the old man as Jacob came into the room. 297 00:20:38,260 –> 00:20:40,640 Esau, he said. 298 00:20:41,520 –> 00:20:45,719 Sit up and take some food and then give me your blessing. 299 00:20:48,540 –> 00:20:50,579 Isaac sensed something wasn’t quite right. 300 00:20:50,579 –> 00:20:53,500 How did you get the game so quickly? he said. 301 00:20:54,339 –> 00:20:56,000 Jacob had already answered. 302 00:20:56,000 –> 00:20:58,239 Oh, the Lord helped me. he said. 303 00:20:59,619 –> 00:21:02,900 Come near and let me touch you, my son, 304 00:21:02,900 –> 00:21:07,380 to know whether you are Esau or not, verse 21. 305 00:21:08,520 –> 00:21:10,459 So Jacob went right up to his father. 306 00:21:10,459 –> 00:21:13,780 He must have been trembling you would think, wouldn’t you? 307 00:21:13,780 –> 00:21:16,579 The old man touched his hands. 308 00:21:18,180 –> 00:21:22,160 The voice is the voice of Jacob, he said. 309 00:21:23,079 –> 00:21:24,979 But the hands are the hands of Esau. 310 00:21:27,160 –> 00:21:29,819 I love the comment that Martin Luther makes at this point. 311 00:21:29,819 –> 00:21:31,920 He said, if it had been me at this point, 312 00:21:31,920 –> 00:21:33,640 I would have dropped a dish of stew 313 00:21:33,640 –> 00:21:36,079 and run out of the room in terror. 314 00:21:36,079 –> 00:21:37,400 Now don’t you think he would have done that? 315 00:21:37,400 –> 00:21:41,040 But not Jacob, he holds his nerve, 316 00:21:41,040 –> 00:21:43,859 he’s the coolest liar in the business. 317 00:21:44,760 –> 00:21:47,800 Once more Isaac asks him, are you really Esau? 318 00:21:47,819 –> 00:21:49,180 Do you know the verse 24. 319 00:21:50,079 –> 00:21:52,219 I am, so Jacob. 320 00:21:53,760 –> 00:21:57,219 Then Isaac began to speak out words 321 00:21:57,219 –> 00:21:59,479 that God was giving him. 322 00:21:59,479 –> 00:22:02,079 Words of blessing poured out from his mouth. 323 00:22:02,079 –> 00:22:04,859 Look at them in verse 28 and 29. 324 00:22:05,800 –> 00:22:10,119 May God give you of heaven’s dew and of earth’s riches 325 00:22:10,119 –> 00:22:12,800 an abundance of grain and new wine, 326 00:22:12,800 –> 00:22:16,420 may nations serve you and peoples bow down to you, 327 00:22:16,459 –> 00:22:19,339 be Lord over your brothers 328 00:22:19,339 –> 00:22:22,739 and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. 329 00:22:22,739 –> 00:22:24,020 Then this. 330 00:22:24,020 –> 00:22:27,459 May those who curse you be cursed 331 00:22:27,459 –> 00:22:30,339 and those who bless you, be blessed. 332 00:22:30,339 –> 00:22:32,280 That was God’s promise to Abraham 333 00:22:33,339 –> 00:22:36,140 and now it belongs to Jacob. 334 00:22:37,459 –> 00:22:41,000 It was the word of God and it had been spoken. 335 00:22:42,760 –> 00:22:45,560 Isaac thought he was giving this blessing to Esau 336 00:22:45,920 –> 00:22:48,619 but he had given it unwittingly to Jacob 337 00:22:48,619 –> 00:22:50,339 which was God’s purpose all along. 338 00:22:50,339 –> 00:22:52,520 He had spoken the word of God 339 00:22:52,520 –> 00:22:55,280 and God’s word stands forever. 340 00:22:56,459 –> 00:23:00,719 It was rather like signing a contract on a house 341 00:23:00,719 –> 00:23:02,660 when the papers are finalized. 342 00:23:02,660 –> 00:23:05,180 Once the documents are signed and sealed, 343 00:23:05,180 –> 00:23:06,420 the deal is completed. 344 00:23:06,420 –> 00:23:08,280 It cannot be undone. 345 00:23:11,420 –> 00:23:14,000 So now try to imagine the scene. 346 00:23:15,000 –> 00:23:18,260 A few moments later when our man Esau 347 00:23:20,459 –> 00:23:22,719 arrives back with the game, 348 00:23:24,040 –> 00:23:28,119 the meal that he’s prepared ready for his father. 349 00:23:29,300 –> 00:23:30,119 Verse 32. 350 00:23:30,119 –> 00:23:31,119 Sit up Dad. 351 00:23:32,020 –> 00:23:32,859 Got some food. 352 00:23:32,859 –> 00:23:36,219 I’m here to receive your blessing 353 00:23:36,219 –> 00:23:38,280 and as the old man hears another visitor 354 00:23:38,280 –> 00:23:41,060 unexpectedly coming in, he says, 355 00:23:41,060 –> 00:23:42,060 Who are you? 356 00:23:42,640 –> 00:23:46,599 I’m your first born son, Esau, he says. 357 00:23:48,319 –> 00:23:50,900 And then when Isaac realized what was happening, 358 00:23:50,900 –> 00:23:54,040 we’re told, he began shaking. 359 00:23:55,160 –> 00:23:57,939 Picture this, the old man and he’s at death’s door 360 00:23:57,939 –> 00:23:59,339 and he’s in his bed. 361 00:23:59,339 –> 00:24:01,160 And there, verse 33 we’re told 362 00:24:01,160 –> 00:24:05,260 he trembled violently shaking in his bed. 363 00:24:08,400 –> 00:24:11,140 Who was it that hunted game then 364 00:24:12,119 –> 00:24:13,800 and brought it to me? 365 00:24:16,939 –> 00:24:21,939 Suddenly, both of them knew it was Jacob. 366 00:24:25,420 –> 00:24:28,819 Then we’re told, verse 34. 367 00:24:32,060 –> 00:24:34,260 When Esau heard this 368 00:24:36,359 –> 00:24:40,859 he bursted out with a loud and bitter 369 00:24:41,979 –> 00:24:42,819 cry. 370 00:24:45,219 –> 00:24:46,060 Ah! 371 00:24:51,660 –> 00:24:54,900 Because he knew he had lost everything 372 00:24:56,459 –> 00:24:57,500 that really mattered. 373 00:24:59,780 –> 00:25:01,099 He lost the blessing 374 00:25:03,380 –> 00:25:05,979 because he sold the birthright. 375 00:25:06,979 –> 00:25:09,420 He had no place for God in his life, 376 00:25:13,119 –> 00:25:17,619 and at the end he found himself outside of God’s blessing 377 00:25:22,459 –> 00:25:24,760 with only a loud and a bitter cry. 378 00:25:28,119 –> 00:25:29,959 And that’s seen in the story. 379 00:25:29,959 –> 00:25:32,060 You see, points us directly through some words 380 00:25:32,859 –> 00:25:35,400 of the Lord Jesus Christ, 381 00:25:35,400 –> 00:25:37,280 because he spoke about a day 382 00:25:37,280 –> 00:25:39,979 when some people would find themselves 383 00:25:39,979 –> 00:25:42,339 outside of God’s kingdom. 384 00:25:44,040 –> 00:25:45,839 And he said on that day, 385 00:25:47,079 –> 00:25:51,719 there would be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 386 00:25:54,520 –> 00:25:58,880 Now, nobody here wants to find themselves there 387 00:25:58,880 –> 00:25:59,959 on the last day. 388 00:26:02,579 –> 00:26:05,060 Nobody here wants to end their life 389 00:26:05,060 –> 00:26:10,060 and stand in eternity with Esau’s loud and bitter cry. 390 00:26:13,900 –> 00:26:17,579 So, the greatest question that this story poses for us 391 00:26:17,579 –> 00:26:21,459 is obviously how then can you 392 00:26:21,459 –> 00:26:25,579 avoid Esau’s plunge to disaster? 393 00:26:27,339 –> 00:26:31,380 And if you’ve understood how he got there, 394 00:26:31,380 –> 00:26:33,060 then you will see very clearly 395 00:26:33,060 –> 00:26:37,180 how God leads us to be delivered from there. 396 00:26:39,219 –> 00:26:41,500 You have to start with the heart of the matter. 397 00:26:41,500 –> 00:26:45,260 Remember at the core, Esau’s problem was that he was godless 398 00:26:46,459 –> 00:26:50,859 and so if you are to avoid Esau’s plunge to disaster, 399 00:26:50,859 –> 00:26:54,540 you have to begin by submitting yourself fully 400 00:26:54,540 –> 00:26:56,060 to the authority of God, 401 00:26:56,060 –> 00:26:58,739 you have to begin with the heart of the problem. 402 00:26:58,859 –> 00:27:01,380 Esau was brought up to believe in God, 403 00:27:01,380 –> 00:27:04,060 but he allowed God no weight in his life. 404 00:27:04,060 –> 00:27:06,800 He never submitted to the authority of God. 405 00:27:06,800 –> 00:27:08,319 He’s just going around saying, 406 00:27:08,319 –> 00:27:10,380 oh yes, yes, I believe in God. 407 00:27:13,819 –> 00:27:15,400 When you come to God, 408 00:27:16,660 –> 00:27:19,140 you will find that he is merciful. 409 00:27:20,140 –> 00:27:21,439 Understand this today, 410 00:27:21,439 –> 00:27:23,660 whatever you have done, 411 00:27:23,660 –> 00:27:27,339 there is mercy for you in God today. 412 00:27:27,339 –> 00:27:30,020 This is why Jesus Christ has come into the world, 413 00:27:30,020 –> 00:27:32,180 so that there may be forgiveness 414 00:27:32,180 –> 00:27:36,359 for the most desperate and vile of sins and offenses. 415 00:27:36,359 –> 00:27:39,319 And you can come to Him in the name of Jesus Christ, 416 00:27:39,319 –> 00:27:41,660 and He will forgive your sin, 417 00:27:41,660 –> 00:27:46,000 but you must submit to his authority. 418 00:27:47,400 –> 00:27:49,800 You must come, unlike Esau, 419 00:27:50,699 –> 00:27:52,140 to that place of saying, 420 00:27:52,140 –> 00:27:55,000 Lord, as I come to you seeking mercy, 421 00:27:55,900 –> 00:27:58,959 I crown you as Lord of my life, 422 00:28:00,319 –> 00:28:03,479 and at the very center of what my life is about, 423 00:28:04,619 –> 00:28:06,040 I enthrone you. 424 00:28:07,439 –> 00:28:12,439 Submit yourself to the authority of God. 425 00:28:12,900 –> 00:28:14,560 And when you submit yourself, you see, 426 00:28:14,560 –> 00:28:16,719 to the authority of God, 427 00:28:16,719 –> 00:28:18,819 then God will give direction to your life. 428 00:28:18,819 –> 00:28:22,719 You will be able to establish God’s values 429 00:28:23,079 –> 00:28:26,280 as the navigating points of your life. 430 00:28:26,280 –> 00:28:27,819 You see, you can’t start with values. 431 00:28:27,819 –> 00:28:29,239 You can’t say, oh, I’ve gone wrong, 432 00:28:29,239 –> 00:28:31,260 I maybe need a new set of values. 433 00:28:32,500 –> 00:28:36,900 No, you start by establishing God at the center of your life 434 00:28:36,900 –> 00:28:39,900 by submitting to him and to his authority. 435 00:28:41,420 –> 00:28:42,979 When you have done that, 436 00:28:43,979 –> 00:28:48,540 you’ll then be in a position to know what his values are 437 00:28:48,540 –> 00:28:51,160 that will become the navigating points of your life. 438 00:28:52,160 –> 00:28:55,239 I was greatly helped at high school 439 00:28:56,319 –> 00:28:59,079 by reading in a book by Dr. Martin Lloyd Jones 440 00:28:59,079 –> 00:29:00,739 a single phrase that has stayed with me 441 00:29:00,739 –> 00:29:02,400 since I was 16 years old. 442 00:29:03,719 –> 00:29:04,819 This is what he said. 443 00:29:06,119 –> 00:29:10,680 Every young man, he said, should make it their business 444 00:29:12,239 –> 00:29:14,939 to vows that there are certain things 445 00:29:14,939 –> 00:29:16,939 that they will never do. 446 00:29:18,880 –> 00:29:20,339 Very powerful phrase. 447 00:29:22,000 –> 00:29:24,400 Some things you will never do. 448 00:29:26,040 –> 00:29:28,040 Now I was reminded of that just this week again 449 00:29:28,040 –> 00:29:30,140 when I heard an interview with the tennis player 450 00:29:30,140 –> 00:29:31,060 Michael Chang. 451 00:29:31,060 –> 00:29:33,079 Some of you may have heard this interview 452 00:29:33,079 –> 00:29:35,599 when he first emerged on the tennis scene 453 00:29:35,599 –> 00:29:37,719 as a major force. 454 00:29:37,719 –> 00:29:40,760 He was asked by an interviewer if there were any 455 00:29:40,760 –> 00:29:43,640 things that he would never do. 456 00:29:43,640 –> 00:29:44,979 I think the interviewer must have known 457 00:29:44,979 –> 00:29:47,000 that he had committed his life to Jesus Christ. 458 00:29:47,000 –> 00:29:49,300 And this is what Michael Chang said. 459 00:29:50,180 –> 00:29:53,359 That he was committed, he was still a teenager 460 00:29:53,359 –> 00:29:55,060 when he said this. 461 00:29:55,060 –> 00:29:57,939 To save sex for marriage. 462 00:29:59,140 –> 00:30:01,359 He still isn’t married. 463 00:30:01,359 –> 00:30:02,619 It’s late 20’s I think. 464 00:30:03,839 –> 00:30:08,020 He spoke this week of how that commitment still stands. 465 00:30:08,020 –> 00:30:10,140 You see what he’d done? 466 00:30:10,140 –> 00:30:12,099 He’d committed himself as a teenager 467 00:30:12,099 –> 00:30:14,359 to the authority of God in his life 468 00:30:14,359 –> 00:30:18,500 and for that reason he’d come to value what God values. 469 00:30:18,520 –> 00:30:23,300 He saw that this gift of sexual union was sacred to God. 470 00:30:24,500 –> 00:30:29,180 And therefore it became a navigating point for his life. 471 00:30:29,180 –> 00:30:33,939 And his values kept him from living on impulse. 472 00:30:35,660 –> 00:30:38,699 So what is there in your life that is sacred? 473 00:30:39,939 –> 00:30:42,459 You see once you’ve established the authority of God 474 00:30:42,459 –> 00:30:43,699 at the center of your life, 475 00:30:43,699 –> 00:30:46,500 you’re not searching around in confusion for values, 476 00:30:46,500 –> 00:30:49,420 you will value what God values. 477 00:30:49,420 –> 00:30:53,260 That means that life to you will be sacred. 478 00:30:53,260 –> 00:30:55,099 That marriage will be sacred, 479 00:30:55,099 –> 00:30:57,219 that sexual union will be sacred. 480 00:30:57,219 –> 00:30:59,140 Your word will be sacred. 481 00:30:59,140 –> 00:31:01,260 God’s name will be sacred. 482 00:31:03,180 –> 00:31:05,819 And when you’ve established God’s values 483 00:31:05,819 –> 00:31:08,020 as the navigating points of your life, 484 00:31:08,020 –> 00:31:09,560 that will bring you to our third thing. 485 00:31:09,560 –> 00:31:12,020 You will be able to live with wisdom 486 00:31:13,020 –> 00:31:15,640 in the power of the Holy Spirit. 487 00:31:15,680 –> 00:31:16,920 That’s a wonderful thing. 488 00:31:17,880 –> 00:31:19,800 You come to God, whatever you’ve done, 489 00:31:21,079 –> 00:31:23,260 whatever the mess ups of the past, 490 00:31:23,260 –> 00:31:25,680 and there’s mercy, if you will now 491 00:31:25,680 –> 00:31:27,920 submit yourself to his authority. 492 00:31:30,400 –> 00:31:33,599 And as you do so, he will give direction to your life, 493 00:31:33,599 –> 00:31:36,040 but not ust direction, he gives power. 494 00:31:36,040 –> 00:31:37,599 Don’t think that Christianity 495 00:31:37,599 –> 00:31:40,239 is just taking on a big set of rules. 496 00:31:41,199 –> 00:31:43,199 God gives direction to your life, 497 00:31:43,239 –> 00:31:45,439 but with that direction he gives 498 00:31:45,439 –> 00:31:48,400 the power of his holy spirit 499 00:31:50,619 –> 00:31:51,920 to move in that direction. 500 00:31:54,800 –> 00:31:55,719 So where are you? 501 00:31:59,420 –> 00:32:01,520 With Esau who lived on impulse 502 00:32:01,520 –> 00:32:03,280 because he was confused about values, 503 00:32:03,280 –> 00:32:06,040 because he never really established 504 00:32:06,040 –> 00:32:08,920 the authority of God in his life, he was godless. 505 00:32:09,880 –> 00:32:11,180 Live that way and you’re set up 506 00:32:11,180 –> 00:32:12,579 for a plunge to disaster 507 00:32:12,579 –> 00:32:19,380 and in eternity itself you will utter 508 00:32:19,380 –> 00:32:21,619 Esau’s loud and bitter cry. 509 00:32:24,339 –> 00:32:30,219 Don’t go there, submit yourself to the authority 510 00:32:30,219 –> 00:32:34,619 of this merciful wonderful God who made you, 511 00:32:35,520 –> 00:32:40,239 this God who whatever you have done invites you now 512 00:32:40,239 –> 00:32:42,479 to come into his blessing, opened up to you 513 00:32:42,479 –> 00:32:47,079 through the coming of Jesus Christ into the world and 514 00:32:47,079 –> 00:32:50,079 as you submit to him make that which he values 515 00:32:50,079 –> 00:32:54,920 the navigating points of your life so that you will 516 00:32:54,920 –> 00:32:59,079 be able in the power of his spirit move in a new 517 00:32:59,939 –> 00:33:02,959 direction, to live with wisdom and to arrive one day 518 00:33:02,959 –> 00:33:06,420 with great joy in his presence. 519 00:33:06,420 –> 00:33:11,380 Shall we stand for a closing prayer together? 520 00:33:17,239 –> 00:33:19,560 Father, we bow our heads and our hearts in your 521 00:33:19,560 –> 00:33:22,260 presence right now. 522 00:33:22,260 –> 00:33:27,599 Not one of us here wants to end where ESaw ended. 523 00:33:28,260 –> 00:33:35,260 And so, we thank you for your Word that shows us so clearly 524 00:33:35,260 –> 00:33:37,819 how to avoid a plunge to disaster. 525 00:33:41,300 –> 00:33:44,800 You alone know all the mess ups, failures and regrets 526 00:33:44,800 –> 00:33:46,920 that are represented in this room right now. 527 00:33:49,459 –> 00:33:56,420 And we ask that you will cover this with your mercy 528 00:33:56,880 –> 00:34:03,420 with your mercy, your love and your grace 529 00:34:03,420 –> 00:34:08,020 that flows through Jesus Christ to all 530 00:34:08,020 –> 00:34:15,120 who will come, ceasing to be godless 531 00:34:15,120 –> 00:34:20,219 to bow before you as the sovereign of our lives. 532 00:34:22,879 –> 00:34:25,379 Thank you that you lead us in a new 533 00:34:25,379 –> 00:34:27,459 and a safe direction, that you plot a 534 00:34:27,459 –> 00:34:30,399 course by which we may navigate our way 535 00:34:30,399 –> 00:34:33,679 through the many and varying impulses of life. 536 00:34:36,080 –> 00:34:37,919 Thank you for that wonderful gift of 537 00:34:37,919 –> 00:34:39,399 the power of your spirit 538 00:34:41,219 –> 00:34:43,219 that enables us to say no to what is 539 00:34:43,219 –> 00:34:48,560 destructive, and yes to the way of life. 540 00:34:50,439 –> 00:34:52,419 So, let us live on this path we pray 541 00:34:52,419 –> 00:34:54,120 for your glory and for your honour. 542 00:34:55,060 –> 00:34:58,239 May your mercy be upon us individually 543 00:34:58,239 –> 00:35:00,979 and together as we pursue this path, 544 00:35:00,979 –> 00:35:03,439 and upon our nation. 545 00:35:03,439 –> 00:35:05,820 That we may live to see 546 00:35:05,820 –> 00:35:09,239 a turn from godlessness 547 00:35:09,239 –> 00:35:12,560 to you, the living God, 548 00:35:12,560 –> 00:35:15,540 a restoration of true values 549 00:35:15,540 –> 00:35:18,600 in this land that we love 550 00:35:18,600 –> 00:35:22,459 and many born again into the Kingdom of God, 551 00:35:22,479 –> 00:35:24,879 a new and living life 552 00:35:24,879 –> 00:35:27,760 in the power of your Spirit. 553 00:35:27,760 –> 00:35:31,179 To that end, take us, bless us, and use us 554 00:35:31,179 –> 00:35:33,899 in these days that lie ahead. 555 00:35:33,899 –> 00:35:37,699 For these things we ask in Jesus’ name. 556 00:35:37,699 –> 00:35:41,699 And all God’s people together said amen.