Genesis 27 - The Promise Line Will Stand

READ THE TEXT

Gn 27

PRAYER Psalm 119:11 “11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”

CHILDREN Story of a kid caught stealing (GRACE) VS. Jacob not getting caught lying (CONSEQUENCES).

What is the will of God for us?

INTRODUCTION Wacky Races (Corrida Maluca)

Dick Dastardly, Muttley, Pink Penelope, etc..

Cheating to win

Means are not important

Lose in the end.

Same in the story of this dysfunctional family

It seems that they Philippians 2:21 “21 For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.” This text is showing us that God cares both about the means as the ends of his mission.

We are called to follow the RIGHT PATH to follow God.

One way or another… THE PROMISE LINE WILL STAND… Because God is the one keeping the covenant with His people

CONTEXT This part of the text is directly following the story of Esau marrying foreign wives, also in the beginning of chapter 28.

Last sermon - God’s blessing was permeating the whole chapter.

Now, the family conflict becomes full-blown because of the patriarch’s blessing. They are all “racing” for it.

PROPOSITION There is a right and wrong path to relate to God We will witness all the characters in the story doing the wrong thing. I- v.1-13 The plan

v.1-4 The wrong path is marked first by unbelief, as seen in verses 1 through 4.

Isaac, old and with failing eyesight, calls his eldest son Esau to hunt and prepare a meal so he can bless him before dying.

The problem is twofold:

Isaac knew Esau had sold his birthright, and more importantly, he knew the divine oracle stated the spiritual blessing belonged to Jacob. Despite knowing God’s will, Isaac attempts to bypass it through a private ceremony involving only Esau.

Like Isaac, sometimes we try to use God to get what we want.

God cannot be domesticated.

The second part of the problem:

v.5-13

Rebekah, hearing this, also takes the wrong path. While we might initially side with her because she holds the "Oracle of God," she acts out of unbelief by thinking she needs to "help" the Lord fulfill His promises through deception.

Isaac tries to change God’s path, while Rebekah tries to take a shortcut.

They both treat God as a means to an end, failing to realize that God is better than any of His blessings and that His leadership must be trusted.

We do this today when we use sinful means—like lying at work to earn more or using worldly strategies for church growth—thinking that a "pious end" justifies illegitimate means. However, for God, the means matter as much as the ends. Application That is what unbelief does to us.

We try to make God a means to an end. (Isaac)

We try to use sinful paths to an end that He determined. (steal to provide for family, bring people to church by pragmatism, etc.)

2 Timothy 2:5 “5 An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.”

Jesus’ temptation - (He was offered the kingdom of men without the Cross)

Wait and trust in you God.

II. v.14-24 Lying to get the blessing.

Argumentation The wrong path is also characterized by lies, as seen in the interaction between Jacob and Isaac (verses 14-24).

Jacob approaches his father in a disguise made of animal skins and Esau's clothes. He tells three specific lies: he claims to be the firstborn Esau, he claims God put the game in his path to explain his speed, and he reaffirms his false identity when questioned again.

Jacob attempts to buy the blessing with a tasty meal, and Isaac, in a sense, sells it.

“Just as Esau had been willing to trade his birthright for a bowl of stew, Isaac is willing to transgress the Lord’s revealed will for a portion of food.” Iain M. Duguid (ESV Expository Commentary)

How will the blessing be given?

v.25-29

The blessing of Abraham (similarities)

Did Jacob win? Is Isaac serving God? What about Rebekah?

While the men in this story seem to be manipulating the outcome, God is the one who ultimately wins because He fulfills what He promised from the beginning.

We often live as if everything depends on our performance, bringing this "tyranny of performance" into our homes and jobs.

We treat religion like a checklist to demand a blessing from God. But the Gospel teaches that we are not accepted by what we do, but because we are clothed in the righteousness of Christ. Application Why to live as everything depended on you?

The Gospel will free us from the tyranny of performance. Instead of trying to earn something from God, we are called to learn to receive by GRACE.

The Gospel is the only message that in order to receive it you have to acknowledge that you can’t achieve it by yourself.

It is done! III. v. 30-40 Regret vs. Repentance Argumentation The wrong path leads to a specific kind of crying. When the deception is discovered, Isaac experiences an "emotional earthquake" because his "idol" of controlling God was destroyed.

However, it is possible that Isaac eventually repents and agrees with God's path, refusing to retract the blessing from Jacob.

Esau, on the other hand, lets out a "bitter cry," but not because he lost a relationship with God.

He is lamenting the loss of material blessings and his father's inheritance.

Esau had previously traded his birthright for a plate of food and showed no regard for spiritual things throughout his life.

He cries for the consequences, not for his sin.

Application

Many today approach God only when they want something and distance themselves when they don't get it.

The author of Hebrews warns that Esau found no place for repentance, even though he sought it with tears.

Hebrews 12:17 “17 For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.”

We must use the "tremors" of life—frustrations and crises—to awaken a sincere faith and return to God as our refuge.

The true Christian will truly repent. They will not live only in remorse (Just suffering because he was caught in sin). IV. v.41-46 The consequences Finally, the wrong path has severe consequences. (The whole family is a mess in the end)

Esau nurtures a grudge and decides to kill his brother, aligning himself with the "lineage of the serpent."

Rebekah, though she "won" the blessing for her favorite son, has to send Jacob away and never sees him again in her lifetime.

Jacob, who fought for the blessing, ends up fleeing with nothing but the clothes on his back.

Every character in this text sinned, and they all paid dearly. You cannot sin without getting hurt. Whether it is a lost ministry, a broken family, or a loss of peace, sin always finds you out.

Application

What you sow you will reap.

Even Christians will suffer the consequences of their actions.

CONCLUSION If you are like Dick Dastardly, trying to win this race on your own way and you think there is no way for you there is hope through the descendant of Jacob: Jesus.

Just as God transformed Jacob the liar into Israel, He can transform you.

If you are like Rebekah—who wished the curse of the deception would fall on her instead of Jacob—know that Jesus actually took our place.

He wore our guilt and received our curse on the Cross so that we could be clothed in His justice.The Gospel does not tolerate the contemporary culture of "victimhood."

It tells us that we are all guilty before God for our own sins. But it also invites us to abandon the wrong path and receive the light yoke of the Savior King.

Stop living as if you are the king or queen of your own life; bow your knee and receive the salvation that comes from the one who died on the cross.