29, January 2006
Dakota Community Church
A Dinner or Your Destiny
Introduction:
Genesis 25: 27-35
The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was a quiet man, staying among the tents. Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob.
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!" (That is why he was also called Edom.
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.
Hebrews 12:15-16
See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son.
1. What is the birthright?
In short your birthright is everything you were meant to be in God, everything you are entitled to be in God.
Philippians 3:15-16 (The Message)
So let’s keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision--you’ll see it yet! Now that we’re on the right track, let’s stay on it.
Your birthright includes such things as:
- Forgiveness
- Freedom
- Fellowship
- Protection
- Provision
2Peter 1:2-4
Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
In Esau’s case the birthright was his place in the lineage of Christ.
He was entitled to a double portion of his father’s inheritance.
2. Am I under valuing my birthright?
“See that no one is godless like Esau.”
What did Esau do here that was so serious?
Jewish scholars have almost no mercy on him.
Hebrews 12: 16 (KJV)
Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
Profane comes from the Greek word (Strong’s - 953) beb-ay-los which means from the base or to cross the threshold.
In the Hebrew culture there are two realms, the sacred and the common.
To profane something is to take something sacred and reduce it to common status.
- The birthright of the first born is sacred.
- This is why we are not to use profanity. It is usually something sacred that we reduce to common status.
- Sex is sacred.
- Marriage is sacred.
- The temple of the Holy Spirit is sacred.
- Life is sacred.
There is no Bible verse that says not to smoke up. There is no command not to watch 5 hours of TV a day. There is no command not to waste away your life playing video games or shopping.
What there is throughout scripture is this sense of meaning and purpose to everyday of life. A sacredness that should not be reduced to a mere common state.
1 Peter 2:9-12
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
When we say no to God or remove ourselves from His plan, we are underestimating the birthright.
Examples:
- Moses – I cannot speak
- Gideon – I am from a family of losers.
- Isaiah – I am unworthy
- Jeremiah – I am too young
- Peter – I have unclean lips
God was not seeing any of these excuses as valid. He does not see us the way we see ourselves. God sees you in the light of the birthright in Christ.
Some modern Examples:
- I am a woman
- I am divorced
- I went bankrupt
- I am too shy
- I am afraid
- I can’t beat some sin or vice
Esau under valued his birthright by saying, what good is it if I starve.
Esau surrendered his divine destiny in God to satisfy an immediate craving!
That is really what we all do at times.
Which leads me to the third question this story should inspire in all of us:
3. What am I getting in the trade?
Genesis 25:30
He said to Jacob, "Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!"
The Hebrew word that is translated here as red stew is “ha-adam”
Give me some of that red stuff, the red stuff, quickly.
They believed that the life of a creature is in the blood so that eating the red meat had the ability to transfer the strength of the animal into the eater.
But look:
Genesis 25: 34
Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew.
LENTIL stew!
He just had to have it. – Now!
The thing that you are trading all that you could be for – is a lie.
Pornography does not satisfy.
On line poker does not make you a winner.
Another bargain at the mall does not satisfy the longing.
You walk out into the garage the day after you get it home. - Lentils
She rolls over the next morning and looks at the guy she just gave her virtue to. - Lentils
You stuff the last cookie from the family pack into your mouth. - Lentils
He wakes up for the first morning after she and the kids are gone and realizes that all day to play with the guys or the computer does not satisfy. - Lentils
If you have been trading it all for a lie, I want to pray for you this morning!
This Sermon based on a message by Rob Bell entitled “The Bowl or the Birthright” available for purchase at http://www.mhbcmi.org/findex.html
PowerPoint available on request – dcormie@mts.net
