2024.06.30.Sermon Notes. GOD'S PROMISES AND THE BIRTHRIGHT OF SALVATION.
ABRAHAM & ISAAC, ISAAC & JACOB. GOD’S PROMISES CONTINUE WITH THE BIRTHRIGHT.
William Akehurst, HSWC
BIG IDEA: GOD’S PROMISES TO ABRAHAM CONTINUE. ABRAHAM TO ISAAC TO JACOB. BUT THE BIRTHRIGHT IS GIVEN THROUGH THE ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD, JESUS CHRIST, AND THROUGH HIM WE HAVE THE INHERITANCE OF ETERNAL LIFE.
Scriptures: Genesis 25:1-34, Hebrews 12:14-17, Ezekiel 38:13-17, James 4:3, Matthew 7:7-8, Isaiah 65:24, John 3:16, Romans 6:23, John 1:12-13, Galatians 4:4-7, Isaiah 53:3, Deuteronomy 30:11-20, Matthew 16:24-27, Romans 10:9-10, Romans 10:13.
Genesis 25:1-34
Abraham and Keturah (1 Chronicles 1:32, 33)
KETURAH means fragrant. She was beautiful
1 Abraham again took a wife, and her name was Keturah.
ABRAHAM TAKES ANOTHER WIFE AND HAS MANY MORE CHILDREN.
2 And she bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.
3 Jokshan begot Sheba and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim.
SHEBA AND DEDAN WILL BE MENTIONED IN EZEKIEL
Ezekiel 38:13-17 (NKJV)
13 Sheba, Dedan, the merchants of Tarshish, and all their young lions will say to you, ‘Have you come to take plunder? Have you gathered your army to take booty, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to take great plunder?’ ” ’
14 “Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “On that day when My people Israel dwell safely, will you not know it? 15 Then you will come from your place out of the far north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company and a mighty army. 16 You will come up against My people Israel like a cloud, to cover the land. It will be in the latter days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me, when I am hallowed in you, O Gog, before their eyes.” 17 Thus says the Lord GOD: “Are you he of whom I have spoken in former days by My servants the prophets of Israel, who prophesied for years in those days that I would bring you against them?
4 And the sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abidah, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah.
MIDIAN = THE MIDIANITE PEOPLE
5 And Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac. 6 But Abraham gave gifts to the sons of the concubines which Abraham had; and while he was still living he sent them eastward, away from Isaac his son, to the country of the east.
ABRAHAM GAVE GIFTS TO THE SONS OF KETURAH AND SENT THEM ON THEIR WAY (TO THE EAST = SAUDI ARABIA), BUT TO ISAAC, HE GAVE EVERYTHING HE HAD.
Abraham’s Death and Burial
7 This is the sum of the years of Abraham’s life which he lived: one hundred and seventy-five years. 8 Then Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people.
AND WAS GATHERED TO HIS PEOPLE.
WHO WAS HE GATHERED WITH? HIS FAMILY, YES, SARAH AT HER GRAVE, THE ONLY LAND TITLED AND DEEDED TO ABRAHAM IN THE PROMISED LAND.
9 And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, 10 the field which Abraham purchased from the sons of Heth. There Abraham was buried, and Sarah his wife. 11 And it came to pass, after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac. And Isaac dwelt at Beer Lahai Roi.
Beer Lahai Roi, the well of the “GOD WHO SEES”, where Hagar carried her young son Ishmael, and cried out to GOD for her son’s life.
This location was an important place to the 2 step brothers, Ishmael and Isaac. And while Ishmael has moved on, Isaac remains in this land of promise.
The Families of Ishmael and Isaac (1 Chronicles 1:29–31)
12 Now this is the genealogy of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s maidservant, bore to Abraham. 13 And these were the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: The firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15 Hadar, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. 16 These were the sons of Ishmael and these were their names, by their towns and their settlements, twelve princes according to their nations. 17 These were the years of the life of Ishmael: one hundred and thirty-seven years; and he breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people. 18 (They dwelt from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt as you go toward Assyria.) He died in the presence of all his brethren.
ISHMAEL’S FAMILY HAS BEEN BLESSED BY GOD WITH 12 SONS. THESE 12 NAMES ARE OR REPRESENT CURRENT DAY CITIES IN SAUDIA ARABIA.
19 This is the genealogy of Isaac, Abraham’s son. Abraham begot Isaac. 20 Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah as wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan Aram, the sister of Laban the Syrian.
ISAAC WAS 40 YEARS OLD WHEN HE TOOK REBEKAH AS HIS WIFE. AND THEY WERE MARRIED FOR 20 YEARS, WITHOUT CHILDREN.
HERE IS ISAAC, WHO KNOWS THE BLESSING HIS FATHER ABRAHAM SPOKE OVER HIM.
HE KNEW THAT HE WAS THE PROMISED SEED FROM WHOM NATIONS WOULD FOLLOW.
AND YET, HE SEES HIS BROTHER ISHMAEL, FATHERING ALL THESE CHILDREN, AND ISAAC HAS NONE.
SO ISAAC PRAYS. ISAAC PLEADS WITH THE LORD FOR HIS WIFE.
WE DON’T KNOW HOW LONG IT WAS BEFORE ISAAC PRAYED FOR REBEKAH.
HE MAY HAVE BEEN PRAYING FOR HER ALL ALONG.
OR HE MAY HAVE, AFTER 20 YEARS, BEGAN TO PRAY FOR REBEKAH.
WE DON’T KNOW, BUT WE SEE HIM PRAYING, BECAUSE HE KNEW THE PROMISE. THEREFORE, ISAAC WAS PRAYING “THE WILL OF GOD” UPON REBEKAH.
AND THEREFORE, GOD ANSWERED THE PRAYER.
James 4:3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.
Matthew 7:7-8 7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
Isaiah 65:24 “It shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer; And while they are still speaking, I will hear.
IT’S POSSIBLE THAT ISAAC WAS PRAYING FOR REBEKAH FOR 20 YEARS BEFORE GOD ANSWERED HIS PRAYER.
OR, PERHAPS ISAAC WAITED 20 YEARS UNTIL FINALLY REALIZING THAT THE PROMISE WASN’T HAPPENING, AND IT WASN’T UNTIL HE PRAYED ACCORDING TO GOD’S WILL, THAT GOD ANSWERED HIM.
EITHER WAY, IT SAYS ISAAC PLEADED WITH THE LORD FOR REBEKAH, AND THE LORD GRANTED HIS REQUEST, AND REBEKAH CONCEIVED.
GOD ANSWERS PRAYER.
21 Now Isaac pleaded with the LORD for his wife, because she was barren; and the LORD granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived.
22 But the children struggled together within her; and she said, “If all is well, why am I like this?” So she went to inquire of the LORD.
TWINS. 2 CHILDREN STRUGGLING, WRESTLING IN HER WOMB.
REBEKAH INQUIRES OF THE LORD, WHAT IS HAPPENING WITHIN ME?
SHE FEELS THE ACTIVITY WITHIN HER BELLY. LIFE IS HAPPENING.
23 And the LORD said to her:
“Two nations are in your womb,
Two peoples shall be separated from your body;
One people shall be stronger than the other,
And the older shall serve the younger.”
TWINS, 2 NATIONS, QUARRELING AND AT WAR WITHIN THE WOMB.
GOD KNOWS THESE 2 SONS ALREADY IN THE WOMB. HE KNOWS WHO THEY ARE EVEN BEFORE THEIR BIRTH. HE KNOWS WHO THEY WILL BECOME, FROM THE BEGINNING OF THEIR LIVES, EVEN WITHIN THE WOMB.
THE OLDER SHALL SERVE THE YOUNGER.
24 So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb. 25 And the first came out red. He was like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name Esau. 26 Afterward his brother came out, and his hand took hold of Esau’s heel; so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.
ESAU MEANS RED. HE WAS RED AT BIRTH, RED HAIR ALL OVER.
ESAU – Doer, Maker, Worker. Esau's offspring would form a nation that would be called Edom and Seir.
JACOB is a Hebrew name meaning "holder of the heel" or "supplanter", from the biblical patriarch who became Israel.
Supplanter - A supplanter is someone or something that replaces or takes the place of another.
He Who Sets [His Own] Heel Down, Who Closely Follows [Others]: He Who Hides [His Own] Intentions, Who Manipulates Feelings [Of Others]
27 So the boys grew. And Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a mild man, dwelling in tents. 28 And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.
ISAAC LOVED ESAU AND HIS DESIRE TO BE AN INDEPENDENT OUTDOORSMAN.
REBEKAH LOVED JACOB, WHO WAS VERY MUCH LIKE ISAAC, WELL ROUNDED, A FAMILY MAN WHO CARED FOR HIS FAMILY. JACOB WAS A MILD MAN, DWELLING IN TENTS. MEANING, A COMPLETE MAN, A FAMILY MAN, ONE WHO WAS WELL ROUNDED.
PARENTS SHOWING FAVORITISM.
Esau Sells His Birthright (Hebrews 12:16)
29 Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary. 30 And Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary.” Therefore his name was called Edom.
EDOM = RED
31 But Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as of this day.”
32 And Esau said, “Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?”
33 Then Jacob said, “Swear to me as of this day.”
So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. 34 And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.
Birthright could be sold or given to another. Future, Jacob gives Reuben’s birthright to Joseph.
Birthright gives the right to the double blessing and inheritance.
2 sons, divide the inheritance by 3, and give the oldest, the one with the birthright, double what is given to the other.
Jacob understood the significance of the birthright, and may have just put it out there, thinking Esau wouldn’t even consider it. But Esau disregarded his birthright. The here and now was more important to Esau than his future.
Hebrews 12:14-17 (NKJV)
14 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:
15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; 16 lest there be any fornicator or profane (godless) person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. 17 For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.
ESAU GAVE UP AND REJECTED HIS BIRTHRIGHT, HIS BLESSING AND INHERITANCE FOR THE THINGS OF THIS WORLD.
WHEN HE REALIZED AND WANTED THAT BLESSING AND INHERITANCE, IT WAS TOO LATE. HE WASN’T ABLE TO GET IT BACK, IT WAS TOO LATE.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
John 1:12-13 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Galatians 4:4-7 4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” 7 Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
KEY POINT.
GOD’S GIFT OF SALVATION, THROUGH THE SON, JESUS CHRIST, IS OUR BIRTHRIGHT. YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE THE FIRSTBORN MALE, YOU DON’T HAVE TO BUY IT, THIS BIRTHRIGHT IS GIVEN TO YOU, MALE AND FEMALE ALIKE, TO AS MANY AS WILL RECEIVE IT.
OUR BIRTHRIGHT COMES THROUGH THE ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD, JESUS CHRIST, OUR LORD, SAVIOR, REDEEMER AND KING.
AND YET, SADLY, MANY WILL GIVE UP OR REJECT THE FREE GIFT OF SALVATION TO PURSUE THE THINGS OF THIS WORLD. JUST AS ESAU DESPISED HIS BIRTHRIGHT, THERE ARE MANY WHO DESPISE GOD’S GIFT OF SALVATION.
Isaiah 53:3 He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
AND WHEN THE DAY OF JUDGMENT ARRIVES, IT WILL BE TOO LATE, THEY WILL THEN UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY ARE MISSING, BUT THERE WILL BE NO TURNING BACK, AND THEY WILL BE IN A STATE OF FOREVER SORROW.
SO THE QUESTION IS…
• WHAT’S YOUR DECISION? Deuteronomy 30:15 “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil,"
• WHAT DO YOU CHOOSE? Deuteronomy 30:11-20
• WHOM WILL YOU SERVE? Deuteronomy 30:20 love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them
• WILL YOU STAND WITH CHRIST? Matthew 16:24-27 If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
OR
• OR...WILL THE PLEASURES OF THIS WORLD AND THIS LIFE TAKE GREATER HOLD ON YOUR LIFE? Matthew 16:26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
Deuteronomy 30:11-20 (NKJV)
11 “For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off. 12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 13 Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 14 But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.
15 “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, 16 in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the LORD your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. 17 But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, 18 I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess. 19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; 20 that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”
TAKE UP YOUR CROSS, AND FOLLOW HIM.
Matthew 16:24-27
4 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
27 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.
Romans 10:9,10 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Romans 10:13 For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”
Let's pray,
FATHER,
We come to the reality that YOU have provided FOR OUR SALVATION, AS THE BIRTHRIGHT for us, through YOUR ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, JESUS CHRIST. WHO Gives it freely to anyone who will receive it. And YOU SEAL that BIRTHRIGHT OF SALVATION IN us, by the POWER and PRESENCE of HOLY SPIRIT. We receive it FATHER, in the Name of JESUS.
We pray for those who have rejected and despised this BIRTHRIGHT of SALVATION. We pray for their souls, and that they would come to YOUR SAVING GRACE and be turned in their hearts back to YOU while they still have time.
To YOU FATHER, we give all Praise, Honor and Glory, in JESUS Name, Amen.
Be Blessed and Be a Blessing!
Bill
