Let's turn to Genesis and chapter twenty-five.
This is after Sarah's death.
Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah,
and she bore to him Zimran, Jokshan, Nidan,
Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.
These were six other children that Abraham had
after Isaac, and Jokshan became the father of
Sheba and Nidan, and the other sons of
Midian are mentioned in verse four.
And then verse five, Abraham gave all that
he had to Isaac, but to the sons
of his concubines Abraham gave gifts while he
was still living, and sent them away from
his son Isaac eastward to the land of
the east.
And there we see a good thing that
Abraham did, that he had made provision for
his children.
It's something that is mentioned even in the
New Testament, and that is good for us
to see that, so that we recognize our
responsibility as parents.
In 2 Corinthians 12, 14, it says in
the last part, children are not responsible to
save up for their parents, but parents for
their children.
Did you know that there was a verse
in the New Testament which says that parents
should save up something for their children?
Here it is.
If a man does not provide for his
own family, 1 Timothy 5, 8, it says
in God's word that he is worse than
an unbeliever.
And that is why we encourage people not
to spend everything they earn, but even if
it is a little, to save a little
so that you can meet the needs of
your children as they grow up.
Abraham did that.
And we read here further in verse 7,
and these are all the years, like Genesis
25, 7, these are all the years of
Abraham's life that he lived 175 years.
And Abraham breathed his last and died in
a ripe old age.
He has a very beautiful expression, an old
man and satisfied with life.
And he was gathered to his people.
And we can ask what it was that
made Abraham satisfied.
He had left his relatives nearly a hundred
years ago.
He was 75 when he left Ur of
the Chaldeans.
For 100 years he had never seen his
relatives.
Think of that.
Some people who just can't live without seeing
their relatives.
But Abraham lived 100 years to do the
will of God, to be where God wanted
him to be, to fulfill God's purpose for
him.
Even if it meant that for 100 years
of his life he'd never see his relatives,
he was satisfied.
It's foolish when we think our satisfaction comes
from these earthly values that we have acquired
from childhood.
He had lived comfortably in Ur of the
Chaldeans.
And he lived as a pilgrim, never having
a permanent house, always in a tent, moving
from place to place.
And he was satisfied with life.
And that is a tremendous expression that we
can ask ourselves whether when we come to
the end of our life, whether we will
honestly be able to say that, that we
are satisfied with the life we have lived.
I believe the only person who could say
it would be one who has really sought
with all of his heart to break free
from the ties of earth and relatives and
friends and money and earthly things to do
the will of God.
Even if it meant misunderstanding, I'm sure Abraham's
relatives misunderstood him a lot for the stand
he took.
He was not bothered.
He wanted to do the will of God,
whatever his relatives thought.
He was satisfied with life.
And those others who lived comfortably way back
in Ur of the Chaldeans, they died too,
but we don't even hear about them.
They never did God's will.
Humanly speaking, it wasn't an easy life Abraham
had.
It says he was rich, but this constant
moving around in tents and no certain dwelling
place, he was willing to face all that.
And he died satisfied with life, satisfied that
he had brought up one son who would
live for God and through whom his purposes
would be fulfilled.
These were the things that made him satisfied
with life when the time came finally for
him to die.
And then his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried
him in the cave of Machphela in the
field of Ephron, the son of Zohar.
We know that that was the only place
in Canaan that Abraham ever owned during his
lifetime.
God said, one day this land will be
yours, but the only place in that land
that he owned in his lifetime was a
graveyard.
And it came about that on verse 11
after the death of Abraham that God blessed
his son Isaac and Isaac lived by Beer
Lahai Roy.
And then we read a record of the
generations of Ishmael, Abraham's son described in the
next few verses and it says about the,
it's just one phrase here, it says about
Ishmael and his children in verse 18 they
settled from Havilah to Shur which is east
of Egypt as one goes toward Assyria.
He settled in defiance of all his brothers.
See there can be an attitude towards our
brothers and relatives which is one of defiance.
This is a contrast to the attitude Abraham
had because I find that when we speak
in the church about hating father, mother, brothers,
sisters, wives and children there are people who
get it in this spirit of Ishmael's children
in a spirit of defiance.
And then you know you're following Ishmael, not
Abraham.
That's the wrong spirit.
Abraham didn't have that spirit.
He was glad to live in peace, but
he wanted to follow God.
And we need to distinguish between these two
spirits.
He settled in defiance of his brothers.
Yes, they hated their brothers but not in
the right spirit.
And there are people today who hate their
father and mother but not in the right
spirit.
Or any of the others whom the Bible
tells us to hate but not in the
right way.
It's in a spirit of defiance which is
the spirit of Ishmael's children.
That's just in passing.
Then we read of the record of generations
of Isaac in verse 19 and verse 20
Isaac was 40 years old when he took
Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of
Paddan-aram the sister of Laban the Syrian
to be his wife.
And Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf
of his wife because she was barren.
And the Lord answered him and Rebekah his
wife conceived.
And it says here in verse 26 the
last part that Isaac was 60 years old
when she gave birth to them.
We just read that he was 40 years
old in verse 20 when he got married.
For 20 years he had no children.
And that was quite a depressing thing in
those days more depressing than it is today.
But you can imagine the questions that went
through Abraham through Isaac's mind.
Is this the one God has chosen for
me?
Have I made a mistake?
Because she is barren?
And yet we saw in our study last
week that this was one of the clearest
examples of the leading of God in a
marriage.
And yet God led him to be married
to a barren woman.
Think of that.
Many people think that if we are led
by God in something it means there will
be no problem.
No difficulties.
Everything is going to be smooth sailing.
That's not what God's word teaches.
We read in the leading of Paul and
his party in one of their missionary journeys
that once they got a clear leading from
God.
It's the only place in the Acts of
the Apostles where we read Paul getting a
clear leading from God and a vision to
go to Macedonia.
He saw a vision.
He went to many places but there was
once when it was under the clear leading
of God.
And as soon as he reached Macedonia Philippi,
we read he was locked up in jail.
We read of a time when Jesus told
his disciples to go across the lake.
Soon as they got into the water and
went across there was a storm.
So we shouldn't think that just because we
got into a little difficulty somewhere that we
are out of God's will.
There are many people who get married who
begin to question the wisdom of their marriage
just because they face a little difficulty.
That's foolish.
That's the devil coming and saying oh, you
may have missed the will of God.
Well what did he do?
And this is what we should do.
Pray to the Lord.
And he prayed to the Lord and I
can imagine he prayed for 20 years.
20 years he was barren.
He prayed and prayed and prayed and didn't
give up.
Prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed and
prayed.
He had a long wait to get a
son just like his father Abraham had to
get him.
And no doubt he had heard from his
father how God is a God who answers
prayer.
He would have heard from his father son
I waited nearly 20 years to get you
and I'm glad I got you.
And his faith was strengthened that he could
also lay hold of the same God and
pray for his wife.
For his mother was barren too.
And God had done a miracle in her.
And now his wife is barren and God
can do a miracle for her.
And that teaches us something as parents that
in the different situations in life if we
can teach our children faith that God is
a God who answers prayer and give them
examples and demonstrations of it when they grow
up and they set up their own homes
and they are in a difficult situation they
will remember what they learned from their parents
and say yeah I remember that type of
situation years ago when I was a child
and I know what my dad did he
prayed, trusted God and God did wonderful things.
That is an example for us brothers and
sisters.
That's why Isaac prayed he didn't give up
hope he didn't give up hope in 20
years because he had seen something in his
father's life.
It was not a message, it was not
a doctrine that Abraham gave Isaac but a
living faith.
A very beautiful verse in 2nd Timothy 2nd
Timothy 1 It's not just a father who
can give it.
Timothy didn't get it from his father he
got it from his mother and so the
sisters can take heart too.
2nd Timothy 1 verse 5 Timothy says I
am mindful of the sincere faith, Paul says
to Timothy I am mindful of the sincere
faith not the right doctrine but the sincere
faith within you which first dwelt in your
grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and I'm
sure it is in you as well Paul
knew that grandmother had faith first and she
transmitted that faith to her daughter Eunice and
Eunice transmitted that faith on to her son
Timothy so that Timothy could be one day
mighty co-worker of the apostle Paul and
that's what Abraham and Sarah passed on to
Isaac faith that God can do miracles and
God did it he prayed for 20 years
many another man would have given up hope
after maybe 4 or 5 years, not Isaac
he prayed and the Lord answered the Lord
answered him but we know from verse 26
that it took 20 years for that answer
to come 20 years he had an almost
similar experience as his father and then his
wife conceived there was another miracle Rebecca the
barren conceived just like Sarah and it teaches
us here the power of fervent continuous prayer
finally the children there were twins in her
womb struggled together within her and she said
why this struggle?
why am I this way?
and she had acquired some good habits too
after having come into Abraham's family for 20
years being with Isaac for 20 years now
she knew that when she had a question
she should go to the Lord Lord why
like this?
why is it like this?
why this tussle going on inside my womb?
a good example for us to do to
go to the Lord Isaac went to the
Lord Rebecca went to the Lord wonderful example
for husbands and wives when you have a
question to inquire of the Lord there are
certain things that even your husband cannot answer
Rebecca could not have got an answer for
that from Isaac there are many things the
husband can help you in but certain things
you have to go to the Lord and
she went to the Lord and the Lord
spoke to her and said two nations are
in your womb that is Jacob and Esau
who are going to be the head of
two separate nations two peoples will be separated
from your body one people shall be stronger
than the other and the older shall serve
the younger that is Esau will serve Jacob
it's a picture we can say of the
struggle that goes on within us of the
flesh and the spirit the struggle that went
on in Rebecca's womb the struggle that goes
on in us flesh versus spirit and the
flesh is the older one because we were
born of the flesh long before we were
born of the spirit but the promise is
the older will serve the younger the spirit
will triumph the promise of victory that we
can lay hold of and thank God for
the one people will be stronger than the
other the power of the spirit is far
stronger than the power of the flesh the
struggle is there but one will triumph that's
God's word we have faith in it we
believe it will be so in our lives
and the other thing I want you to
notice here it says here the older will
serve the younger apart from the illustration of
it being a type of flesh and the
spirit in actual terms it was Jacob and
Esau and I want you to turn to
Romans chapter 9 and see what the Holy
Spirit says about this statement of God through
the Apostle Paul in Romans 9 in Romans
9 the subject of Romans 9 is the
sovereign choice of God God sovereignly chooses now
I want you to understand what I mean
by that sovereign choosing means that He does
it because He has the right to choose
Romans chapter 9 and verse 10 and not
only this but there was Rebecca also when
she had conceived twins by one man our
father Isaac for though the twins were not
yet born and had done nothing good or
bad it's obvious they had done nothing good
or bad and I think when Esau was
born he looked just as beautiful and just
as innocent as any other child sure I'm
sure Judas Iscariot looked just as innocent and
just as beautiful as any other child when
he was born and they had not done
anything good or bad in order that God's
purpose according to His choice that is His
sovereign choice might stand not because of works
that's the point but because of Him who
called it was said to her the older
will serve the younger that's the verse we
just read the older will serve the younger
God told Rebecca and we can ask why
there's an answer to that also you will
say to me then verse 19 why the
Holy Spirit anticipates that question you will ask
why and the answer is in verse 20
on the contrary who are you oh man
who answers back to God the thing molded
cannot say to the molder why did you
make me like this why I think it's
very important for us to understand a little
bit at least of the fact that God
chooses sovereignly it's not according to works it's
according to His choice have you ever marveled
at how God chose you to be His
child when perhaps your brothers and sisters have
no interest in the things of God if
you think it is because you were a
little better that's conceit it's God's choice He
picks up the worst one it's His sovereign
choice have you ever thought why it is
that God's enabled us to hear some of
these truths that led us into a godly
life that so many others have not had
the opportunity to hear I hope you don't
think it's luck or good fortune it's God's
sovereign choice that He allowed you to come
to a particular town and live in a
particular place and come across certain people and
come to hear the truth it should humble
us it's sovereign choice brothers and sisters meditate
on it many a time it's something that
has humbled me very deeply before God that
it's sovereign choice that's placed me where I
am and once we understand this it brings
a tremendous rest in us also concerning ministry
in the church do you know that ministry
in the church is a matter of God's
sovereign choice even if you try all your
life you can't have the ministry that God
has given to another it's got nothing to
do with works it's God's sovereign choice that's
why it's good for each of us to
humble ourselves and say Lord I'm quite content
with the ministry you have appointed for me
and the circle and boundary that you have
drawn around my life I'm not in competition
with anybody else I'm not jealous of anyone
else it is your sovereign choice that gave
another person that task and has given me
this the sovereign choice of God nothing to
do with works so that God's purpose according
to his choice might stand so that's something
we must learn while they were in the
womb think of this verse in the book
of Jeremiah chapter 1 verse 5 Jeremiah 1
5 it says the word of the Lord
came to me saying before I formed you
in the womb I knew you when did
God know Jeremiah before he was conceived in
his mother's womb and when was he appointed
to be a prophet he wasn't appointed to
be a prophet when he was 20 years
old he was appointed to be a prophet
before he was born he was consecrated and
appointed to be a prophet to the nations
the ministry was given to him sovereignly when
he was in his mother's womb and in
his mother's womb God equipped him with the
intelligence and the abilities and the talents and
the gifts so that when he would come
forth he would grow up to be a
prophet you can't fight with that you can't
imitate that you can't imitate it that's why
I say it's the height of folly when
somebody tries to imitate somebody else's ministry you
got to get back into your mother's womb
and ask God to start all over again
if you want to do that it's impossible
you just got to humble yourself and accept
the way God made you in the mother's
womb God said the younger is going to
rule over the older that's it that settles
it that's the thing that brings us rest
that's the thing that delivers us completely from
jealousy and competition we need to see it
if Esau had seen it he could have
humbled himself but we read in Esau's life
all through he was fighting fighting fighting against
God's purpose but he didn't succeed God's purpose
still succeeded we can't fight against God's purpose
when God's given a task and a ministry
and a calling to somebody else it's no
use fighting against it you just lose out
yourself that's what we learned from Esau if
only he had humbled himself and accepted God's
verdict it might have gone a little better
with him Genesis 25 verse 24 and when
her days to be delivered were fulfilled behold
there were twins in her womb and the
first came forth red all over like a
hairy garment and they named him Esau and
this was a pretty quick delivery of the
second one after what his brother came forth
with his hand holding on to Esau's heel
so his name was called Jacob which means
grabber the one who takes hold of the
heel grabber so we see that he didn't
begin his life in a very good way
he came out grabbing his brother's heel all
through his life he was like that he
grabbed his brother's birthright by cheating his father
went away to grab a beautiful girl grabbed
his father-in-law's property began from the
mother's womb this grabber and the interesting thing
is that God could choose such a person
one would think that it would be a
sweet innocent little one whom God chose it
was a grabber and that is an encouragement
to us that Jesus came to choose sinners
he changed that grabber into a prince his
name became Israel later on we are also
grabbers I tell you we are all grabbers
we can be pious looking on the outside
but this grabbing spirit to grab the brother
by the heel is there in our flesh
and if you haven't seen it ask God
to help you to see it to seek
my own to seek what will the prophet
mean very much in our flesh tremendous encouragement
that God chooses to call himself the God
of Jacob the God of the grabber one
would think that he should call himself the
God of Israel by the new name which
he gave have you noticed this in Psalm
46 Psalm 46 this is
written many many years after Jacob died, after
Israel died Jacob's new name was Israel just
like Abram's new name was Abraham you know
that Abram's new name was Abraham and you
never read after Genesis 17 you never read
that old name of Abraham again in the
Old Testament have you noticed that he is
never called the God of Abram he is
always called the God of Abraham and following
that rule one would think that once Jacob's
name was changed to Israel God should call
himself the God of Israel always but he
doesn't it says here in Psalm 46 verse
11 the last part the God of Jacob
is our stronghold and verse 7 also the
God of Jacob and even at the burning
bush in Exodus 3 verse 6 Exodus 3
God told Moses I am the God of
your father not the God of Abram that
was his old name but Abraham the God
of Isaac he had only one name but
when it comes to Jacob why doesn't he
use the new name why doesn't he say
the God of Israel why the God of
Jacob that is to encourage us grabbers to
encourage us sinners that he has come for
us he is the God of the grabbers
so that he can transform them so you
can get the encouragement out of that praise
the Lord so we see that Jacob wasn't
a saint he was a crook he had
a different personality quite two extreme personalities like
very often we see in our children too
one this extreme the other extreme we read
in Genesis 25 when the boys grew up
Genesis 25 verse 27 Esau became a skillful
hunter he was a hairy man tough muscular
out in the fields rough can tackle hardship
outgoing extrovert making friends with everyone popular popular
in school tough big built timid shy retiring
not spiritual some of these quiet timid shy
retiring people are pretty good grabbers in secret
don't be deceived by that outward appearance oh
what a humble brother rubbish and God does
the work of transformation something will happen otherwise
this outward shy timid quiet disposition can conceal
a pretty covetous grabbing nature inside and don't
think this tough brawny muscular extrovert type of
person is useless to God Esau didn't become
useless to God because he had hair on
his chest that's not the reason it's because
he made the wrong choice it makes no
difference whether you're an Esau or a Jacob
an extrovert outgoing brawny muscular tough shy retiring
timid both are grabbers both are equally lost
in sin both need equal salvation I say
that because very often particularly among young believers
they don't seem to have discernment in this
area they get fooled very easily as to
what true spirituality is they think being introverted
is true spirituality no Jacob was a grabber
but he was a quiet man he didn't
go out in the field he was sitting
in the tent he was not popular that's
true but God chose him because of his
sovereign choice Esau was a hunter he didn't
have much time for God only two hunters
mentioned in the Bible one is Nimrod the
other is Esau pretty bad company to be
in to have no time for God now
Isaac loved Esau Isaac these boys were probably
about 20 years old Isaac must have been
about 80 now and unfortunately Isaac is no
longer the type who goes out into the
field to pray and meditate like he was
when he was 40 years old you know
we read that last time that when he
was 40 years old he was going out
in the field praying and meditating but now
at the age of 80 some of his
lusts have been developed he likes deer's meat
very much deer's meat that meant more to
him now than meditating in the field and
it's an amazing word that says Isaac loved
Esau because not even because he was his
firstborn and that would have been some reason
but because he had a taste for venison
for deer's meat think of that think of
how this man drifted you know it's a
sad thing when you contrast the beginning and
ending of Abraham's life with the beginning and
ending of Isaac's life Abraham began out as
an idolater but he ended satisfied as we
just read because he lived for God, he
grew from grace to grace to grace to
grace not grace in the New Testament sense
but according to that level in the Old
Testament from one degree of glory to another
but Isaac started off so well think of
that submissive son in Genesis 22 submitting to
being tied to be slain by his father
meditating in the field and at the age
of 80 at the age of 40 he's
meditating at the age of 80 he's thinking
of which of my sons can get me
venison and I love that one but Rebecca
loved Jacob there was a division in the
family through love for the children instead of
loving one another very common in Indian families
father and mother love their children more than
they love each other and what is worse
partiality I love this child of mine more
than this one because he is more intelligent
because he is more good looking because he
is my firstborn all equally stupid reasons as
because I love deer's meat or here's another
stupid reason because this is the only daughter
I have, the others are boys that is
like loving deer's meat that is the partiality
that has ruined children I've seen many cases
of parents who have been partial towards some
children for some of these stupid reasons which
I just mentioned and then they treat maybe
one of their children in a little despising
way and you see that one who is
despised turns out to be the most spiritual
of the lot, just like here Jacob turned
out to be more spiritual the father loved
Esau be careful dear parents that you don't
drive away your children from God God is
on the side of those who are despised
and rejected and who are weak and considered
as nothing he is not on the side
of those who are attractive and intelligent and
who are appreciated by the father and mother
necessarily it's a very sad thing when there
is partiality towards a child and Jacob no
doubt was conscious that my father doesn't love
me as much as he loves Esau, many
children are sometimes conscious, my father or mother
don't love me as much as they love
another, it's a very sad thing and they
can carry that memory all through life even
if they forgive you when they are grown
up it's a very sad thing we harm
children by being, making one of our children
into a favorite doing special favor for one
that we won't do for another ungodly, with
God there is no partiality, let's be like
him, and what is worse when father loves
one, mother loves another and there are sides,
there is a division that must never be
found in the church never be found this
it could be the other way around, I
have so many daughters, this is my only
son oh, so he is special that could
be like that also in our country unfortunately
all these evil things we have to cleanse
ourselves from it and be like God that
all are the same, first born or boy
or girl or middle child or last child
or anything deformed child, intelligent child no different,
that is to be like God and if
we don't partake of divine nature here we
are just talking a lot of rubbish when
we talk about the new and living way
partiality is evil and it is in our
flesh we have to get rid of it
and that's what we saw divided that family
Isaac and Esau versus Rebecca and Jacob and
it was like that till the end of
their family life Isaac and Esau versus Rebecca
and Jacob and whose responsibility was that?
Isaac if he had meditated on the fields
at the age of 80 like he had
done at the age of 40 he would
not have been so foolish, if he had
stopped loving deer's meat and loved prayer a
little more than deer's meat, he wouldn't have
been so foolish it's sad that family got
divided because father and mother were divided when
father and mother are divided children are divided
remember that you destroy your children when you
are not one with your wife or husband
to the best of your ability keep that
in mind example of a warning here let
me read verse 29 when Jacob had cooked
stew, Esau came in from the field, he
was famished Esau said to Jacob please let
me have a swallow of that red stuff
there, for I am famished therefore his name
was called Edom red, that's how he got
that name, Edom because he ate that red
stuff Jacob said, first tell me your birthright
you see, he was not such a sadhu
after all, he was pretty shrewd he knew
this is the time to get what I
want out of this fellow, these shy, quiet
timid, retiring types they know when the time
comes to grab, not only my brother's heel
but my brother's birthright as well don't be
deceived by the outward appearance he said, first
tell me your birthright he was a real
business man this sadhu looking fellow like a
lot of sadhu looking people today are, real
business men inside the spirit of the business
man I'll give you this and Jacob knew,
this is what I want from this chap,
he happened to be born just a few
seconds before me and therefore he's got the
birthright but I'm going to get it back
from him and Esau said, maybe Jacob had
been waiting, waiting, waiting I wouldn't be surprised
if Jacob sort of purposely made it when
he saw Esau coming just as out of
temptation to grab him, he's capable of anything
and Esau said behold, I'm about to die
what use then is this birthright to me
and Jacob said, first swear to me, he's
a real business man, he's got to if
they had registrar's offices and all, you know
taken him there before he gave him the
meal and got it all sealed and signed
swear to me that you've really given it
and so he swore he said, alright I've
come to see that these people who are
outwardly very brash and open and very brusque
about their manner are actually safer than these
quiet timid types, they say still waters run
deep and it's usually like that they're more
dangerous very often, and he got it with
the shrewdness he managed it, he sold his
birthright to Jacob and Jacob gave Esau bread
and lentil stew and he ate and drank
and rose and went on his way, thus
Esau despised his birthright for Esau is a
young man, around 20 years of age, I
presume that was a moment of crucial decision
he made a decision that day that affected
the whole course of the rest of his
life his children, grandchildren and all his posterity
one decision, and I believe that with many
young people there comes a time in their
late teens or early 20s it's usually around
that time of life late teens or early
20s when they have to make a decision
which can affect the course of their whole
life in most cases, the direction is set
there are few cases where miracles take place
later on but in most cases the direction
is pretty well set particularly if you are
a believer the choice is between that which
will satisfy my physical earthly need now this
pottage, may not be pottage, it may be
sex it may be money, it may be
some earthly ambition it can be anything, put
anything into that bowl in Esau's case it
was food some lust in the body, whatever
it is maybe the desire for food which
I haven't mastered, that I'm a glutton anything
but it's a choice between that and what
is spiritual because the birthright meant that whoever
got it would get the promises that was
given to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob knew
that's a tremendous thing, to get those promises
and it says Esau despised his birthright and
in the New Testament the Holy Spirit warns
us in Hebrews chapter 12 Hebrews chapter 12
verse 14 pursue after peace with all men
and after sanctification, and there's a price to
be paid for sanctification, and that price is
that we must master the desires of our
body and see it without which no one
will see the Lord, see to it that
no one comes short of the grace of
God that means misses out on God's grace
that no root of bitterness bringing up cause
trouble and by it many be defiled, that
there be no immoral or godless person like
Esau Esau was an immoral godless person who
sold his own birthright for a single meal
who sold his spiritual calling for the sake
of one lust in his flesh I believe
that there are people whom God could have
used mightily if they had conquered one bad
habit that they kept in their life one
habit, not two one one bad habit that
they never really mastered and overcame and because
of that of course God blesses them in
a limited way in which God does things
for them and through them but it can
never be what God really wanted to accomplish
through them because of one habit one bowl
of porridge they wanted to satisfy their bodily
lust be careful dear young brothers and sisters
that you don't lose out your calling for
the sake of one dirty habit you will
discover in eternity what you have missed by
retaining one dirty habit in your life one
one dirty thought process that keeps on going
around in your mind and you never really
take it seriously radically to get rid of
it it could be a habit of gossiping
with some of you sisters, one dirty habit
that you never master, never get a hold
of your tongue and you become just a
meeting attender and not a powerful effective member
in the body of Christ remember the word
of God that you hear so that you
don't have any regrets in eternity the word
of God in the church is to save
us from regrets at the judgment seat of
Christ yup, for one meal he gave up
his birthright and there are millions, millions who
have followed in the footsteps of Esau he
was very cunning in earthly matters, cunning to
catch that deer cunning cunning to kill those
leopards and the other wild animals but satan
was too cunning for him many who are
so cunning in earthly matters satan is far
too cunning for them why does that habit
remain?
only because the person is not radical enough,
that's all that's why that one dirty habit
remains in many believers because they are not
radical they don't fear God sufficiently they don't
value their birthright it says see to it
that you don't become an immoral godless person
thing to be called an immoral godless person
who gives up what spiritually I can get
just for the sake of a little pleasure
for my body little pleasure for my body
one dirty habit, one cigarette one glass of
whiskey a little filthiness that's it that's it
and God sees it what men don't see
one filthy habit and he sees, he saw
that transaction going on between Jacob and Esau
and he saw what Esau valued and it's
in those moments when we are tempted with
a lust in our flesh that God sees
what we value our birthright, which is to
partake of divine nature, that's the birthright as
far as we are concerned and I can
partake of divine nature and be a part
of Christ's bride for all eternity I can
despise that and throw it away for the
sake of one dirty habit and I'm just
fooling myself if I think I'm following in
the footsteps of Jacob, no I'm following in
the footsteps of Esau Jacob had his failings
but God called himself the god of Jacob,
but he's never called the god of Esau
no take that to heart Genesis 26 verse
1, now there was a famine in the
land besides the previous famine that had occurred
in the days of Abraham so Isaac went
to Gerar to Abimelech king of the Philistines
and the Lord appeared to him and said,
do not go down to Egypt stay in
the land of which I shall tell you
I want you to notice something here which
is very significant there was a famine in
the time of Abraham and Abraham went to
Egypt without consulting God at all and he
came out of Egypt and brought Hagar with
him as we saw, and through Hagar came
Ishmael and all the problems associated with Ishmael
and his descendants till today in Isaac's time
also there was a famine and he also
was ready to go down to Egypt and
the Lord appeared to him and said, don't
go down to Egypt in Jacob's time again
there was a famine and we read in
Genesis 46 verse 3 and 4 God told
Jacob go to Egypt and be with your
son Joseph there you see the contrast God
told Isaac here don't go to Egypt many
years later when there was similar famine, God
told Jacob, Genesis 46 verse 3 and 4,
go to Egypt what do we learn from
this just this one simple truth, that God's
will for another person is not God's will
for you He may tell another person to
go to Egypt He may tell you not
to go and we must not take our
example from others He did this so I
can do it we can miss the will
of God like that if it is concerning
these external things, we can imitate another person
in the way he is following Christ in
his life, in character but in the external
details of our life we are not to
say, that brother has got this in his
house so I can have it, so it
must be alright for me to have it,
that is stupidity learn it and God told
Moses to leave Egypt, think of that all
different each person has to find God's will
for himself God told Joseph to stay and
be the ruler in Egypt, God told Moses
who had the chance to be the ruler
don't be the ruler in Egypt see when
we read the biographies of other men we
have to be careful that we don't imitate
what they do there is a habit among
some usually immature believers, they like to hear
anecdotes about some great man of God tell
me more about what this man did in
certain situations, they have got a mental list
of all the things that various men of
God did in various situations to imitate them,
ah Joseph stayed and became the ruler in
Egypt so Moses could have said, maybe I
should also stay and become ruler in Egypt,
because Joseph was a man of God, he
would have missed God's will completely take this
simple warning and be delivered from the immaturity
of imitating what some other man of God
did, live by the spirit and seek God
yourself he may have told that man to
go to Egypt, he may be telling you
to get out so that is important the
Lord appeared to him and said don't go
to Egypt stay in the land of which
I shall tell you sojourn in this land
and I'll be with you and bless you,
to you and your descendants I'll give these
lands I'll establish the oath to transport your
father Abraham I'll multiply your descendants as the
stars of heaven give your descendants all these
lands by your descendants all the nations of
the earth shall be blessed the same blessing
that he gave to Abraham for Abraham's sake
even though Isaac I think had backslidden a
bit by now but still God for Abraham's
sake keeps that word because not because you're
so spiritual because Abraham obeyed me it's true
that children are blessed because of a God
fearing father I wonder if you dear young
people realize that the greatest blessing on earth
you can ever have is a God fearing
father and mother so that even if you
backslide because your father and mother were so
God fearing some blessings still come down to
you but even though Isaac's taken up with
venison and deer meat now he says I'll
still bless you because Abraham obeyed me and
kept my child that's why I encourage you
young people to give thanks to God if
you are fortunate enough to have God fearing
parents who have led you in the right
way don't despise them because Abraham kept my
commandments he kept my charge he kept my
commandments he kept my statutes and he kept
my laws what a testimony God could give
about Abraham I was the man who obeyed
me, kept my charge kept my commandments kept
my statutes, kept my laws one with whom
God was delighted blessed are we if we
can follow in his footsteps so Isaac lived
in Gerar when the men of the place
asked about his wife he said she's my
sister for he's afraid to say my wife
thinking the men of the place might kill
me on account of Rebecca for she's beautiful
came about when he'd been there a long
time that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked
out and through a window and saw and
behold Isaac was sporting with his wife Rebecca
then Abimelech called Isaac and said behold certainly
she's your wife how then did you say
she's my sister Isaac said to him because
I said lest I die on account of
her and Abimelech said what is this you've
done to us one of the people I
easily have lain with your wife and you'd
have brought guilt upon us so Abimelech charged
all the people saying you touching this manner's
wife shall surely be put to death our
children copy not only our good qualities but
also our bad qualities who was the first
person who said concerning his wife this is
my sister Abraham and so we find that
his son Isaac also does the same thing
and I'll tell you something children find it
easier to follow our sins than to follow
our good habits you've probably discovered that have
you noticed sometimes an older child speaking with
a commanding tone of voice to the younger
brother and then you sit and say where
did he hear that he must have heard
it from you that's why he's bossing over
his younger brother or sister like that now
they copy our sins and our failures more
than our good habits so Isaac says she's
my sister the same thing the same failure
of Abraham Isaac sowed in the land and
reaped in the same year a hundred fold
and the Lord blessed him we must remember
they were living in times when the light
was not as bright as it is today
we can't get away with it so easily
today if you say that's your sister we're
living in brighter light under the new covenant
a lot of things God overlooked in those
days God even permitted divorce in Moses time
a lot of things God overlooked in Abraham
and Isaac which he would not overlook today
because the light is brighter so God could
still bless him the Lord blessed him and
the man became rich and continued to grow
richer until he became very wealthy for he
had possessions of flocks and herds and the
philistines envied him and all the whales which
his father's servants had dug in the days
of Abraham his father the philistines stopped up
by filling them with herds you see he
was rich he had many flocks the philistines
didn't have so many flocks and so they
didn't have need of those whales so they
blocked it up one would think it so
foolish to go and block up a whale
unnecessarily it was just to make life difficult
for Isaac amazing the evil of human nature
when we are jealous what all we'll do
just to make life difficult for somebody else
and to be happy when somebody else's flocks
don't have water their flesh is no different
from yours and mine jealousy that made them
block up those whales then Abimelech said to
Isaac go away from us for you are
too powerful for us and Isaac departed from
there and camped in the valley of Girar
and settled there then Isaac dug again the
wells of water which had been dug in
the days of his father Abraham for the
philistines had stopped them up after the death
of Abraham and he gave them the same
name which his father had given them when
Isaac's servants dug in the valley and found
there a well of the margins the living
water I just want to say this in
closing that this is a picture of the
wells that were dug in the days of
Abraham, our father means in the days of
the apostles which traditions and the denominational churches
have blocked up and now we come like
Isaac to dig again those truths that have
been buried there for centuries and opened up
and it says he gave them the same
name verse 18 this was called the baptism
in the Holy Spirit in the days of
the apostles we shall today call it the
baptism in the Holy Spirit this was called
the new and living way we shall call
it the new and living way to dig
up all the wells that have been blocked
up because there is living water as it
says here in those wells living water that's
our calling and there was contention it says
when they did it, verse 20 the men
of Girard quarreled there was a fight there
is always contention when we dig up those
wells from all these denominational people but that's
our calling may God help us to be
faithful to open up those things that have
been blocked for centuries that have kept God's
people thirsty the flocks of God thirsty so
they can drink once again that's our calling
in the church to open up every well
that the apostles dug and that have been
buried through the centuries and that is the
reason why we are in a constant battle
with others who don't want to accept these
truths but we are following in the footsteps
of men who have fought that battle and
fulfilled God's purpose