202505025_IWillNotLeaveThee

[0:00] Thank you for gathering us together, and thank you for condescending to mankind and redeeming us through the blood of your son Jesus.

[0:16] ! And I don't understand the incarnation, but I'm thankful that it's true.! I thank you, Lord, for redeeming us at your great expense and mercy and your grace. And then you gave us your word, and you tell us something about yourself.

[0:38] And it is that that we hope to learn this morning, Lord. Help us to encourage one another and to pay attention to your word.

[0:52] It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. So we left Jacob and Esau, so we're going back to them.

[1:05] Now, this is chapter 27, beginning with verse 41. That's where we left off. And so we're going to see a little bit. I'm going to learn a little lesson about myself. I don't like that lesson.

[1:30] But I'm going to learn a little lesson about myself, about what it means to blame others for my own doings. And we'll look at that a little bit this morning.

[1:42] Chapter 27, beginning with verse 41. If you read those, oh, first six verses there. It'll give us a launch.

[1:59] So, what's Esau thinking about Jacob at this time? I'm sorry. I thought I heard.

[2:12] He hates him. How much does he hate him? Yeah. And not in a fit of rage. He's planning it out.

[2:30] He's angry, but what's he saying? He's going to die pretty soon. Yeah, dad's old. He's going to die pretty soon. And after the time of mourning, then what am I going to do?

[2:44] I'm going to kill Jacob. Well, that's a pretty big deal. Now, why is he going to do that?

[3:01] Okay. What's he angry about? Is that it?

[3:16] Okay. So, he said he took what? He took my birthright and my blessing. Now, hang on a minute.

[3:28] Okay. I never have done this. But I've known people who did.

[3:41] Well, it's the officer's fault that I got caught for speeding. Why are you stopping me from doing this?

[4:06] I didn't do anything wrong. Well, you stole from the store. That's justice shopping. You see, Esau sold his birthright.

[4:28] I mean, that was his own doing, wasn't it? But who's he blaming? Jacob. I decide that I'm going to, I really want this automobile.

[4:47] And I want it so badly because of the way it looks. It really looks cool. It's on blocks, but it looks fast.

[4:58] But who do I blame for making a bad deal? The guy who sold it to me or something like that. So, there are many ways that I can maneuver that, but it was Esau's fault.

[5:14] It was Esau's fault. Now, the blessing, that's another matter. We don't know that it was Esau's fault.

[5:25] We know that there was family division. I mean, right from the beginning, right from the beginning, we read that Isaac loved Esau and Rebekah loved Jacob.

[5:47] So, there's family division right in the beginning there. Nevertheless, God had ordained at, before the birth, that the blessing or the promise to Abraham is going to be carried through Isaac and from Isaac to Jacob.

[6:14] So, Jacob is going to be the one that's going to carry the Abrahamic promise. Now, and by the way, these are the three names that we associate, well, I say we, God, associates regularly to Israel.

[6:34] I am the God of? Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Right. And in fact, the Lord Jesus is going to correct the Sadducees on this point.

[6:49] He's the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And then Jesus is going to say, he's not the God of the dead.

[7:02] He's the God of the living. See, this was totally unplanned, as you can see, obviously.

[7:15] Incidentally, in the whole of the Gospels, or the synoptics, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and you see it in John as well.

[7:27] Now, it's very interesting, because the Sadducees and the Pharisees did not get along.

[7:39] They were miles apart. The Sadducees largely controlled the priesthood at the time that Jesus walked the earth.

[7:49] The Pharisees saw themselves as the guardians of the true religion, of course, as did the Essenes, but they're not mentioned as often.

[8:05] But it's funny, isn't it, how they united against Jesus Christ. They conspired together, even though they hated one another.

[8:22] That was interesting to me. At any rate, back to the real point. So, when Esau lost the birthright, what did he lose in terms of this life?

[8:46] The double portion. He lost a big temporal blessing. Did he not? And he wanted the blessing from Jacob because he wanted the blessing from Isaac, from his father, because he wanted temporal blessings.

[9:09] How should I, as a Christian in this age of grace, view temporal blessings? Yeah, that's a trick question, isn't it?

[9:20] No, how should I view it? I should be thankful. Thankful for what? Okay, I should be primarily thankful for my eternal blessing.

[9:36] In fact, the church, God says, whether I realize it or not, or whether I allow myself to see it or not, or whether, no matter if I comprehend it, God says, you are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies.

[10:07] Now, that's wonderful for the spiritual and eternal blessings. And it's very important. But what about the temporal blessings?

[10:18] Okay, what's that mean? What's a steward?

[10:29] Could be an ambassador at some times. Abraham's steward was an ambassador when he got Rebecca for Isaac.

[10:45] An accountant. An accountant. An accountant. More than, he's the chief financial officer.

[10:57] He manages. Okay, so a steward manages. Who owns, who owns the car? Now, what do I say?

[11:10] That's my car. Is it really my car? It's really God's car. And I'm the manager of it.

[11:25] Because he says, you're going to give the account. So, but, should then I say, let me ask you, if God owns everything and we are stewards, should we, let me, should we say, well, I'm going to live in a cardboard box under the bridge so that all the money can go to other work?

[12:03] Is that a reasonable assumption? You may not have heard it, but I have heard people that have tried to put guilt trips on the church before about, well, here you sit in all your comfort and...

[12:23] You've never heard that? Now, can I overdo my comforts?

[12:35] Sure. Is what I do with my finances critical to my eternal security?

[12:53] No. Where's my righteousness come from? Jesus Christ. I can't be good enough.

[13:05] I can't give enough away. I can't sacrifice enough to be justified before God.

[13:19] Because I'm a sinner in nature. For all die for that all have sin.

[13:32] So, why do I get decrepit and why do I die? Because of sin. Now, not because of an individual sin, but sin is in the world.

[13:45] We're in a fallen world. It's broken. And Roger mentioned it earlier this morning before class started. The whole creation does what?

[13:59] Groans. Groans. Because of the subjection to the curse. Who subjected it? No.

[14:11] Who cursed it? God did. Now, and here comes my lack of understanding of God's glory and glorification.

[14:27] But he says that the whole creation groans until he reveals the redemption of the church before not just us, but angelic beings.

[14:40] so, before principalities and powers, he's going to display his glories. So, when he reveals the redemption of the church, the curse then, that's why creation's subjected for now.

[15:02] so that we, partly, so that the magnitude of sin I don't comprehend. The affront to God that the whole crash of sin and rejection of God has brought.

[15:22] But we see in Romans chapter 1 that mankind's tendency is to deny God.

[15:34] Now, that's, is it mankind's tendency not to think there's a God? No, it says that he suppresses the truth.

[15:53] So, mankind's tendency is not so much that he doesn't understand there's a God, it's that he doesn't want there to be a God. That's the big issue, isn't it, in Romans chapter 1.

[16:10] Therefore, all the tragedies we see perpetrated in the world are a result of mankind's refusal to acknowledge God as God. So, that's pretty important for me to remember.

[16:24] Roger. If you think man has a tendency to want to follow somebody, either themselves or another person, or a creature, creator, something?

[16:38] Let's do a little parable You're raising sheep You get a hole in the fence And the bell sheep, the bell ewe She finds that hole You get up tomorrow morning How many sheep are in your field?

[17:05] None Why? We tend to do that, don't we? All we like sheep have gone astray And turned everyone Now I know that's a little That's a little stretch and a little You know, there There are some of us that want to follow the leader And then there are some of us that want to be the bell ewe And But There is a tendency to follow something And We do definitely In the We do serve someone, don't we?

[17:50] We're going to serve Christ Or we're going to serve Satan We can say ourselves But that's the whole point of it You won't really die You won't really die God knows that In the day you eat of this fruit You'll be Like God's Knowing good and evil So That is There is a tendency of rebellion Yes Yes Okay Back to the temporal blessings What was Paul's Approach To the temporal blessings?

[18:35] I'm sorry? Well As far as his own righteousness They were rags Whether it was his doings Or his possessions That's true In Okay Let's try Philippians I'm I know I'm jumping into it Philippians chapter 4 But this was written a long time before I knew that Philippians chapter 4 Breeze through there And A church has sent Paul An envoy with money Support What's he say?

[19:24] Okay Okay What's the key To temporal blessings?

[19:36] You Before you answer Let me ask Or let me throw out This Wrinkle You know someone Who looks around And sees someone Who has it better And says That should be me And I should have that Or Why don't I have that?

[19:58] You know someone Who has said I don't believe in God Because I prayed for This or that Usually it's for a healing for grandma or something And God didn't give it to me Well I really needed a car But God didn't give it to me As though my rejection of God Is going to unseat him from his throne That's not going to happen Is it?

[20:33] Okay Back to the Back to the point Because There are Christians Who don't have much We just There are Christians Who are going hungry There are Christians Who don't have the blessings that we have In North America In fact Very Most Probably Don't have the blessings we have in North America Temporal blessings The comforts that we have And the And Readily available food And that kind of thing Okay So what's Paul say About that Gift Okay So what's that mean?

[21:31] Does he He said I know how to live With a lot I'm sorry about the misuse of that term That's not a lot of land A plot It's a I know how to be In wealth And I know how to live in want And what does he say about that?

[22:00] I have Learned That It doesn't come by nature to me Does it? The nature of man is Self-centered Is it not?

[22:17] Who has to teach The child To say Give me Who has to teach that? I knew that Before I knew how to Articulate it Didn't I?

[22:37] Okay So Paul says I have learned How to be Content With whatever I have And sometimes The Lord gives me a lot As now You've given me this gift Sometimes I'm in what?

[22:59] Does that mean that God Has abandoned me? No God is And And we've been on The different giftings And we haven't talked about this But Is everyone A businessman?

[23:16] There are some Who are Who are Excellent Excellent Technicians But they would go bust Because God hadn't gifted them In In certain Capacities In management Or management Of people Or different things Like that I could be ever so good At a task But if I don't know How to run a business I'm not going to be A business fan I'm not going to Do well at that Alright So I may be a worker Does that make a person Less?

[24:16] No What What God says Every Task That your hand Finds to do Do it heartily As unto The Lord And not as unto men Now that's easy to say When I'm in comfort It might be a little Harder When the boss Is Crazy But then you have also Worked beside people Who Every boss Is crazy Does that mean That The That the Person who owns The business And has The wealth Does that mean They're A Better Person Than the Person Who works For them Is that true?

[25:11] Has God Blessed them Better? He's blessed Them in Different ways Perhaps But But no That doesn't Make them A better Person Let's Reverse it Does the Person who Works for Them Are they Automatically A better Person Than the Owner No It's just A different Stewardship Isn't it In In That way So Well I I overheard A lady In In my Last Ten years Of employment I worked At At A Small Factory And We Manufactured Custom Electrical Harnesses Anyway Somebody Was Complaining About Well The owners

[26:11] Are wealthy And You know They're So chintzy And I Only make This much Money And this Lady said I never Had a I never Had a Poor Man Give me A job Good Point Good Point That The The point Isn't In In terms of Temporal Blessing Where Esau Is For the Christian The point Isn't Has God Blessed Me With Much Or With Little The point Is Learning To Be Content And The Old Testament The Old Testament Against Is A Is A Transcendent Order The Child Of God Is Not To Be Covetous Are We That I Know That Was A Rhetorical Question

[27:11] But No We're Not To Covet So Back To The Point Of Of Esau He's Angry Now Part Of It Was His Own Doing Part Of It Was Deception But God Is Orchestrating It All Toward His Plan Okay Now Oh By The Way Look At Verse 13 There If You Still Have Philippians Chapter 4 Open Open I Hadn't Planned This Either But It Just Struck Me How Many Of Us And Go Ahead And Raise Your Hand I Do Want To Know How Many Of You Have Ever Heard This Verse Used Grossly Out Of Its Context 4 13 I

[28:11] Will Admit It Have You Heard That Too The The This Is The This Is The Wall Hanging That We Put On Our Kitchens Or Our Dining Rooms Or Our Living Rooms Right And It's Usually Grossly Out Of Context The Context Is I Have Learned Contentment I Know How To Do With A Lot I Know How To Do With A Little I Can Do All Things Through Christ Who Strengthens Me It Doesn't Mean That I Can Go Out And Be An NBA Player If I Have Enough Faith That's Not What It Means That's Not How He Uses It So Another Good Reason To Take To Remind Ourselves To Be To

[29:13] Study To Be A Good Workman Right Rightly Dividing The Word Of Truth Because If I Pull It Out Of Its Context Is It Then The Word Of God No Because That's Not How God Used It I Need To Be Careful Of That Now Does God Enable Us To Do Many Things Yes But That's Not Where That Verse Comes!

[29:46] In That's Not Where That Verse Comes In That Verse Comes In And Hey Learn Contentment Which Is Almost Exactly Opposite To What Some People Use That Verse To Say Isn't It If You Really Had Enough Faith You'd Be Driving A Mercedes I Actually Heard A Guy Say That Of Course He Was The One Driving The Mercedes Because Along With That Came You Need To Give Me The He Wasn't About To Give It Up No He Hadn't Learned The Contentment Part Okay So Back To Esau In Chapter In Verse 41 Esau Says In His Heart What I This Is To Get Me Back On Track The Days Of Morning From

[30:48] Okay My father Dad's Going To Die Pretty Soon Then We'll Go Through The Appropriate Time Of Morning Then I'm Going To Kill Jacob Now He Must Have Told More Than Just Himself This Because The Servants Apparently One Of The Servants Or Someone Told Rebecca So What She Do With The Information Chapter 27 Verse 42 Okay Go Ahead Okay She Acted Upon The Information What She Say Okay

[31:50] Specifically What Does She Say To Jacob Shiloh Okay Okay How Does She Word It Stay With Laban What Yes Stay With Laban A Few Days Somebody Help Me With How Many Days That Turned Out To Be At Least 14 Years About 7300 Days

[32:50] That's A Few Days All Right Actually It Approaches Somewhere At The Minimum It Was A Little Over 14 Years And Could Have Been Around 20 So This Is Quite A Few Days All Right I Just Found That Interesting Stay A Few Days Until This Fury Turns Away And Then I'll Fetch You And She Says Why Should I Be Deprived Of Both Of You In One Day Because At The Very Least She's Going To Sever Ties With Esau If He Succeeds In This I Don't Really Know What She May Mean!

[33:50] It There Are Some Commentators That Say Well It Would Be The A Near Relative Would Be Supposed To Take Vengeance Upon The Murder But The Scripture Doesn't Necessarily Say That At This Point So Now We Move To Oh Stay With Him A Few Days Until He Forgets What What You've Done To Him Hang On Mom Whose Idea Was It With The Blessing Business That Wasn't My Idea Children Obey Your Parents In The Lord For This Is Right Now

[34:54] By The Way I Have Heard That Misused By Children The Guy Who Said Well My Dad Is Not Acting Christian So I Don't Have To Obey Him And The Response Was If Dad Pulls Up To The Convenience!

[35:18] If Dad Pulls Up to the Convenience Store And Tells You To Put on A Hood Take The Gun In And Rob The Store Then You Can Say No If Dad Tells You To Take Out The Trash That Doesn't Count You Still Obey Him Because That's In The Lord That's What God Said Of Course Older Folks Never Misuse I Never Misuse The Scripture To Try To Turn It Around To My Own Ends Do I Okay So Take Off Now Until He Forgets What You've Done To Him Now Rebecca Addresses Isaac About Their Daughters In Law Who Are Their Daughters In Law At This Time I Don't Know Their Names But They Are Hittite Women Right Okay These Are Esau's Wives

[36:18] Okay They Do Have Names Judith And Basimath What Well What Does She Say About Her Daughters In Law Yeah Yeah I Don't Like Them I'm Tired Of Living What Good Is My Life To Me With These Women Okay And If Keep Going If Jacob If Jacob Marries One Of Them Then I Just As Soon Die My Life Won't Be Worth Anything So!

[37:20] I Imagine I Imagine Family Gatherings At The Holidays Were Something Okay So Isaac Responds Well We Know That These Women At The End Of Chapter 26 They Were A Grief Of Mind To Isaac As Well There's Something About The Practices That Didn't Sit Well With The In Laws Okay Now We Begin In Chapter 28 Then And Why Don't We Hold That And Just Take Our Break Right Now Because I Don't Want To Launch Into Too Much

[38:20] Right Now With A Couple Minutes To Go Any Any Comments That Need To Be Added Before We Break Up Roger I Did Not Try To Dig That Up I Think He Got Married When He Was 40 Years Old No I Don't Know I I Think You Could Go Back And Maybe Try To Dig An Approximate Time Yes Well They Weren't A Good Influence We Know That What Do We Know About The Hittites

[39:20] Who Are Amongst The People Of Canaan What Do We Know About Them What Do We Know About Them From Noah They Were Under The Curse Now Canaan Wasn't Born When Noah Or As Far As We Know And Canaan Wasn't The One That Uncovered His Or That Gazed With On His Father And Went And Told His Brothers It Was His Dad That Did That So Somewhere In The Looking Down The Annals Of History And Seeing Everything At One Spot God Said This Is How It's Going To Be And So The Hittites

[40:20] No They Were Not They Were Not A Good Influence Now Abraham Was Friends With A Couple Of Hittites But And He Bought He Bought The Field From A Hittite Where He Buried Sarah And Then Where They Buried Him I Think That's In Syria Now Isn't It Or Jordan It It's In An Arab Held Country Okay Anything Else No I Don't Know How Long Yes Ron Yep Isn't

[41:23] It Yes Well Where Was Saul Of Tarsus Going When He Encountered The Lord Jesus To Damascus Was He Going To One Of Those New Type Synagogues That Followed The Way I Want I Want I Want I Want I What

[42:24] Where Was Abraham Living And What Do We Know From Later On In When Joshua Addresses The Children Of Israel Just Before They Enter Canaan What Do We Know About Abraham!

[42:44] I Want To To! Choose You This Day Whom You Will Serve Are You Going To Serve The Idols That Your Father Served Beyond The River Or Are You Going To Serve The Idols From Egypt Or Are You Going To Serve The Lord And Here's Another Of The Wall Hangings As For Me And My House We Will Serve The Lord Now That One Is In Context By The Way That's A Good One And That Is In Context As For Me And My House We Are Going To Serve God But Your Forefathers Were Idol Worshippers Okay Um Rahab Was A Yeah A

[43:45] Prostitute A Harlot She Lived In Come On Quickly Now We've Oh Quickly She Lived In Jericho And She She Talked To The Spies And She Said I Recognize That God Gave You This Land I Want To Be Associated With God And God Took A Pagan Prostitute And Put Her In The Lineage Of She's Going To Marry Boaz's Great Great Great Something Grandfather And Then Boaz Is Going To Be Here In Israel And Naomi Is Going To Go Into

[44:45] Moab Who They Worship Chemosh A Gross Worship They Were Burning Babies And Ruth Says Your People Will Be My People And Your God Will Be And God Put Her In The Lineage Of Jesus Christ By Marrying Boaz I Don't Know Why God Does It But Is That Not Amazing That God's Plan And I Find Great Comfort In That By The Way That When I Think Everything Is Unglued God's Plan God's Not Going To Be Unseated Because I'm Unglued He

[45:52] He Does He Can Be Grieved It Does Say That His Emotionally He He Can Be Grieved And By The Way That Said To The Church Okay Have A Great Week