The Right Place at The Right Time
Genesis 27:1-26
Hebrews 11:20
As a Pastor I have a sacred trust with God. I have been entrusted to give you the good news about Jesus Christ. I have also been entrusted to lead you to green pastures that are lush with every kind of spiritual food necessary to help you grow. I am also to protect you from all enemies that would seek to snatch you away if you should wonder off or if those enemies sneak in and try to steal you away at night under the cover of darkness.
God in His infinite wisdom has called me to be your shepherd at the right place and at the right time. Have you ever used that phrase, the right place at the right time? A lot of people use it and for some it becomes their mantra or philosophy.
There are people who put more trust in a catchy phrase than in Gods word. But I can understand their reasoning. The world we live in seems upside down. Wrong is made to be right and those with more want even more while those with less get ever less every day. The honest man seems to have an up hill climb when it comes to keeping a roof over the heads of his loved ones while the dishonest man seems to get away with murder.
Is it just a matter of being in the right place at the right time? Is that all we have to do? Find the right place and find the right time to be there and everything will turn out O.K.
Is it all just a matter of luck or chance or knowing the right people? How can I find my way to the right place at the right time and know success, and honor, and prestige, and importance and purpose and change my mediocre life into one that is marvelous. Those are the missing things in my life are they not? If I had things like that my life would be better and satisfying would it not?
We have all heard the stories of the heroes of the faith. From the time many of us could talk we were exposed to these great men and women of the bible. There are over 2900 different persons mentioned in the scriptures. The book of Hebrews chapter 11 lists some of the familiar names we have come to recognize as real spiritual heroes. Or were they just in the right place at the right time? Let us take a look.
Remember Jacob, who was born holding on to the heel of his twin brother Esau?
Jacob tricked his brother into selling his birthright for a meal of stew.
By Jon W. Quinn
From Expository Files 10.7 July 2003
In ancient times, the birthright was a very important and sacred thing. It belonged to the firstborn. The family name and titles were to pass along to the eldest son. He would also receive a chief portion of the inheritance. But it was more than just a title to the physical assets of a family. It was also a spiritual position, and in the case of the people of God, God would lead the family through patriarchs, or fathers (Hebrews 1:1-2). Additionally, in the special case of Esau and Jacob that meant the one to whom the birthright belonged was the one through who the covenant promise made to their grandfather, Abraham, would be realized. Ultimately, the Messiah would come through the holder of the birthright and bless the nations of the earth. Esau was the firstborn, and the birthright was his. But like many, he failed to appreciate its value and sacredness.
Jacob dressed up in costume to fool his dying father and steal his brothers blessing also.
Jacob used lies, disguise and the help of his mother as well as his own desire to steal what was rightly his brothers position for himself. That all happened in Genesis Chapter 26-35 yet in Hebrews Chapter 11 Jacob is called a hero of faith. You might ask yourself how Jacob made the transition from lying, tricking, conniving thief of a brother to become a hero of the faith.
Well he had to put up with a lot of heartache and a lot of disappointment. He was tricked by his father in law into marrying a girl he did not love. He worked seven years to finally get the girl he loved and then he ran away from his father in law after twenty years of servitude. He was hunted by the brother he tricked but made peace with him. He wrestled with God and had his name changed to Israel. He became the father of the 12 tribes of Israel. One of those tribes came from his son Joseph.
Jacob gave his son Joseph a coat of many colors.
Joseph was a tattletale who told on his older brothers.
That act of favoritism infuriated his older brothers and they threw Joseph into a well and then sold him into slavery to a passing caravan. Like his father Jacob Joseph would discover that no matter where you are in life you are in the right place at the right time if you reach out to the living God.
So my friends I ask you again are you in the right place at the right time?
Do you like Esau the firstborn want to sell your birthright? Do you fail to appreciate its value and sacredness?
The God who fashioned you, who crafted you and designed you to be they way you are and to be who you are did so because he wanted you to be here with us at the right place at the right time.
You do not need to seek someone elses place no not even a family members place in order to receive Gods blessing. You do not need to use tricks or costumes or lies to try to get the most out of your Christian life.
All you need do is be yourself and ask God to forgive you of your sins and to make your life into something marvelous.
Maybe you feel frustrated by the success of others and their Christian lives and you see a lack of success in your Christian life. Maybe you see them as heroes of the faith but what you have really failed to realize is that they had to do a lot of changing and crowing to get to where they are.
Maybe you want to throw them into a well and sell them to some far off country as slaves and teach them a lesson.
Well the lesson may be for you and not for them. We strive with so many things as human beings. Let us not strive against one another in the Christian Church.
We need leaders in our church if it is to survive and flourish. Our present leaders have labored long and hard and continue to labor out of love. Do not envy them for their service but rather mimic them and become like them.
A house divided against itself can not stand and a church supported only by the same few hard working saints can not continue unless others step up to help.
You may not be a hero of the faith yet. But that does not disqualify you from learning from one. We hold a precious thing here in our church and it needs great loving care in order to continue.
We need your help we need you to be willing to serve like so many before you have. We need you to walk with us in the right place at the right time. We need you to make this place the right place and to make this time the right time.
Please consider serving God through your service in this church. Do not leave it for the same few do not think that only they alone are qualified to carry out the work. God has brought you to this place at this time to do His work.
Do not sell your birthright? Do not fail to appreciate its value and sacredness.
Now let us roll up our selves together and be a blessing to one another.
