OPEN: A man filled his car with gas at a self-service gas station. After he had paid and driven away, he realized that he had left the gas cap on top of his car. He stopped and looked and, sure enough, it was gone. He thought for a second and realized that other people must have done the same thing and that it was worth going back to look by the side of the road since even if he couldn’t find his own gas cap, he might be able to find another one that fit.
Sure enough, after only a short time of searching, he found a gas cap. He carefully wiped it off and slipped it into place with a satisfying click.
Climbing back into the car he turned to his wife and said, "I may have lost my gas cap, but I found another one that fits… and this one’s even better than the cap I lost!
“Oh,” she asked sweetly, “why is this one better
He smiled a self satisfied smile and replied “This one locks!"
(pause) Think about it for minute. He picked up a gas cap that he thought was a great replacement for the one he had because this one locked. But now he has a problem.
What’s the problem?
He hasn’t got a key!
Without the key that cap is going to require major surgery before the man can get any more gas in his tank. That gas cap was more than just worthless… it was WORSE than worthless.
In our text this morning, God tells us that this was essentially the same problem Esau had. Esau had lost his gas cap… he had LEFT the God of his father and grandfather by the side of the road. But that didn’t bother him because he found what he thought was a great replacement.
Instead of serving God of his ancestors, he decided to be… godless.
Hebrews tells us Esau’s decision was not a good one.
This replacement cap Esau chose was WORSE than worthless.
In rejecting God, Esau had brought more harm than help to his life.
Hebrews 12 commands us “See that no one… is GODLESS like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. He could bring about no change of mind, though he sought the blessing with tears.” Heb 12:16-17
Esau was a godless man.
And because he was godless he brought heartache and regret into his life.
Now, for those of you who aren’t familiar with Esau, let me retell his story for you.
When the Jews talk about their great ancestors they’d often talk of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Esau was the twin brother of Jacob… and actually the oldest son of Isaac.
Scripture tells us that as they “… grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was a quiet man, staying among the tents. Genesis 25:27
Esau was a “man’s man”.
One part of Scripture says Esau had chest covered with hair. In fact his whole body was hairy. And he was an outdoorsman, a skilled hunter.
Esau was one of the original “good ol boys”.
By contrast, Jacob was NOT a man’s man.
Jacob was a momma’s boy.
But Jacob was actually the smarter of the two sons.
The meal Hebrews refers to is a reference to the story found in Genesis 25:29-34
“Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished.
He said to Jacob, ‘Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!’ …
Jacob replied, ‘First sell me your birthright.’
‘Look, I am about to die,’ Esau said. ‘What good is the birthright to me?’
But Jacob said, ‘Swear to me first.’ So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.
Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright.”
Esau’s birthright was his inheritance as the first-born son.
In those days, the standard practice of dealing with an inheritance was that the oldest son became the executor of the will. As compensation for that duty, he was given twice as much as any other heir of the deceased. Thus, if Esau hadn’t sold his birthright to Jacob, he would have received 2/3s of their father’s inheritance and Jacob would have received the remaining 1/3. What Jacob was asking Esau for was to surrender his right as the executor to him. Thus, Jacob would receive twice as much from the inheritance now as Esau.
ILLUS: Essentially, that would be like saying that two brothers divided up a $30,000 inheritance. The older brother (according to the will) would receive 20,000, and the younger 10,000. But one day the older brother comes home, smells some soup and decides that he’s so hungry he’s willing to give up $10,000 for that meal.
Does Esau’s decision sound all that smart to you?
It doesn’t to me either.
I doubt that anyone who has an ounce of sense would do that.
Hebrews tells us not to be godless like Esau – who for a single meal sold his inheritance. But while his decision doesn’t seem to be intelligent, it hardly seems to qualify as being “godless”.
But that’s not what Hebrews is saying.
Hebrews IS NOT saying that Esau was godless because of what he did.
Hebrews is saying: Esau did what he did - BECAUSE he was godless.
His godlessness led him to make a foolish decision.
Esau turned his back on his inheritance because he had turned his back on the god of his fathers
So what does it mean – that Esau was Godless?
Does it mean he spent all his spare time down at the bar?
Does it mean that Esau stole from people?
That he slept around?
That he pushed old ladies into the gutter and stole candy from babies?
Well… he might have I guess, but I don’t think so.
The story Scripture paints for us implies that Esau may not have been such a bad fellow - by human standards. For example:
· He was a good son… Genesis 27 tells us that when his father Isaac was sick and thought he was about to die. He asked Esau to go hunting for him and prepare him what may have been his last meal. So Esau immediately goes out hunting for game. He catches something, kills it, prepares it and cooks it… all just for his father. He’s a good son.
· He was also forgiving brother… Genesis tells us that Jacob deceived his father into giving him the blessing that should have gone to Esau. Esau was so angry about this that he swore – once Isaac had died – so would Jacob. Jacob begins to realize it may not be healthy for him to stick around… and so he leaves home. He literally fled for his life and didn’t return for 14 years. But after 14 years of exile he finally decides to try to return.
As he returns, he receives a report that his brother is coming to meet him with 400 armed men. This doesn’t bode well for Jacob’s future, and so he sends a gift to Esau to attempt to make a peace offering. He sends on ahead a gift of nearly 300 goats, sheep, camels, cattle and donkeys.
But after seeing the gift Esaus tells Jacob, "I already have plenty, my brother. Keep what you have for yourself." Genesis 33:9
Esau forgave Jacob his sin. From that day forward, we read nothing in scripture that indicates there was ever any further discord or conflict between these two brothers. They even joined together to bury their father when he finally died.
So Esau was a good son, and he was a forgiving brother. And he may have had even more “good” qualities. He might have been someone you would have liked having for a friend or neighbor.
But Hebrews tells us “See that no one… is godless like Esau”
Well… if Esau wasn’t what we’d call a “bad” man what made him godless?
Esau was godless… because God wasn’t in his life.
Esau is what I often refer to as being a “nice pagan”.
He was probably pleasant enough to be around, but he lived his life without God.
Isaac built altars, Jacob erected pillars… but Esau????
As far as we can see in the Bible, Esau never in his entire life story even so much as prayed to God. He never asked God’s opinion, never sought God’s will for his life.
And Esau probably thought to himself: “Why should I need God?”
Esau was a man’s man, a skilled hunter and outdoorsman… he could take care of himself. He didn’t need God. He had his own gas cap… and it had a lock on it.
Esau was a self-sufficient individual who could take care of himself. That why – when Jacob tried to give him a peace offering – Esau didn’t need it. He’d done quite well for himself while his brother was in exile.
He didn’t need Jacob’s gift.
And – of course – he didn’t seem to need God either.
So, the next obvious question that occurred to me was this: What’s wrong with being godless?
Now, you might THINK that’s a bizarre question for a preacher to ask, but it’s still a legitimate question. What wrong with godless? I mean – there are some advantages to being godless. For example:
1. Unlike the Christian, the person without God has an extra day for his own pleasure. He can sleep in, play golf, go fishing, or anything he chooses on Sunday because there’s no God he has to answer to.
2. The godless man has extra funds for his personal use. He is not expected to share his prosperity with God’s cause. He doesn’t have to consider helping the poor, orphans, those who are down and out. And obviously, he will feel no need to underwrite missionary efforts for the cause of Christ.
3. He has no moral or spiritual restraints on his lifestyle.
He can live however he wants to.
He has no concerns about right and wrong.
He need not search his soul or apologize for violating some ancient precept of morality.
As Dostoyevsky said, “If God is not - nothing is morally wrong.”
I can do what I want to do… because God is not there to tell me it’s wrong.
· So, the godless have an extra day for their pleasure.
· They have extra funds for their personal use.
· And they have no moral or spiritual restraints on their lifestyle.
And lastly – The godless man has no need to worry about such things as judgment. That’s all tied into religion and God and since those things don’t exist (for him) there’s no ultimate judge of his behavior.
(John Waddey Christianity: then & now June 2008)
So, if the godless have those advantages what’s wrong with being godless?
Well first… folks that reject God tend to make bad decisions. For example, Esau made the wrong choices when it came to he was going to marry.
Genesis 26:34-35 When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite. They were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah.
Esau didn’t care whether God liked who he married or not. If the girl was cute that was all he wanted to know. But his choices in who he dated… led to the choices in whom he married, and those women he married merely served to hurt his parents and to draw him further away from God.
Now, God created us in His image, and he knows what works best for us. So it’s important for us to take note of what God has to say about getting married:
II Corinthians 6:14-15 “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?”
ILLUS: Most young people choose their dates like some folks buy cars.
If it looks good on the outside, it’s the right color, the right style; if it’s interior is pleasing to their eye and pleasing to the touch; and if it’s got all kinds of bells and whistles…that’s the car they want.
Now, if someone else warns them that the engine is underpowered, or that that model of car often has had mechanical problems… they don’t listen. All they care about is that the car “looks good”
And God warns His people… don’t settle for a fancy chasis.
Look under the hood.
And if the heart of the one you’d like to date loves ME (God says) you might have a pretty good time. But if not, your relationships might be headed for the ditch before long.
Esau didn’t want the advice of the master mechanic in his life and so he chose poorly. But being a godless man, Esau did that a lot. And that godlessness led him to make many choices that caused him grief.
Hebrews tells us “See that no one is … godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. He could bring about no change of mind, though he sought the blessing with tears.” Heb 12:16-17
Because he was godless, Esau traded away his future… and he couldn’t get it back.
But it can even get worse than that, he’d robbed himself of what God wanted to give him.
ILLUS: Someone has rewritten the 23rd Psalm to reflect what can happen in the life of the godless:
“I have no Shepherd, I constantly want.
Discontently I graze in parched fields; I can find no water to quench my thirst.
My soul is weary; I wander in the paths of sinfulness, seeking pleasure.
When I walk in the darkness of danger and death, I am afraid; I am all alone.
No power or principle gives me comfort.
There is no nourishment to strengthen me against my enemies.
There is no ointment for head. My life is empty.
Even though God’s goodness and mercy have been available all the days of my life I shall be banished from the house of the Lord forever."
(http://www.housetohouse.com/HTHPubPage.aspx?cid=6630)
The worst problem for the godless is that – they have no future; they have no hope.
Paul told the Christians at Ephesus that before they came to Christ they “were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, WITHOUT HOPE and WITHOUT GOD in the world. Ephesians 2:12
But once the Ephesians came to Christ, they had the promise of Psalm 23
“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.” (NKJV)
CLOSE: I want to close by telling you the story of my dad. Dad was a man’s man. Strong, resourceful, intelligent and quick – he could do just about anything that needed to be done and usually did it quite well. In his youth he’d been an accomplished athlete. He had been skilled at basketball and baseball. How did I know? Dad told me his stories, and I never grew tired of listening to them. Dad was my hero.
But before I was born, dad had been godless. Oh, he went to church once in a while with mom, but he didn’t need God. As far as dad was concerned – God was over there and he was over here, and that was a satisfactory arrangement.
But then, one day he went to church with mom and something changed. I don’t know if it was the love mom had for Christ, or something the preacher said in his sermon, or something else that God used to reach into his heart… but that day, my father stepped out into the aisle and made his way to the front. That day he gave his life over to Jesus.
One the way home, mom told that dad pulled over to the side of the road and began to weep. And he wept and wept and wept. From that day on dad never used another swear word and he became faithful in church, one day even becoming an Elder.
What made the difference? I suspect dad grew tired of being godless. He grew tired of the uncertainty and hopelessness that godlessness breeds. And once he realized that he set that way of life aside and never turned back.
