Sermon Tone Analysis

My Evil Twin; The battle, The doubt and The Promise

God has a word for us concerning the battles we face here on earth.

I see a side in all of us that needs to be overcome, mastered and defeated.

It rises up in our lives at every opportune time and desires to rule every relationship we have.

Desires to be the smartest person in the room.

If not mastered will take us every dark path.

Sometimes that path seem’s to even be illuminated with God like light but is deceptive at its core and will seduce you into believing a lie “that you can do it.”

I’m talking about my “evil twin” and we all have one.

Jacob and Esau gives a great analogy of such a battle.

My Evil twin will wrestle me for the promise.

Jostled: bruise, bray, crush; to break, to break in or down.

to oppress, to treat violently, to break in pieces.

they are described as smashing each other (“struggling together” understates the violence involved) in their mother’s womb.

This makes life so painful for Rebekah that she wonders whether life is worth living, foreshadowing the pain their future antagonism will cause her

Jewish legends say Jacob and Esau tried to kill each other in the womb.

Also, every time Rebekah went near an idol’s altar, Esau would get excited in the womb, and when she would go near a place where the Lord was worshipped, Jacob would get excited.

What you feed is what will lead.

Its clear that we must get our flesh to submit to God’s Spirit.

I believe all of us have a God given vision or conception of ourselves.

If we just turn to him we will walk in it.

I remember seeing this in my life when I was young but had no idea how to obtain it until I gave my heart to Jesus.

I must overthrow my evil twin.

Esau was described adjectively; reddish, hairy.

(The Edomite Nation)

Jacob - Supplanter: was described verbalistic; he was grabbing.

Supplanter: trip up or overthrow.

you could say he was keeping a firm grasp on the flesh or he was already grabbing for the promise.

You cant let your flesh go unchecked!

My evil twin will cast off the restraint of God.

Rebecca despised those women

Jacob dwelt among the tents.

Some say he visited with Melchizedek.

Jacob was a mild man: The Hebrew word for mild has the idea of “wholeness” instead of someone who is weak or effeminate.

The Hebrew word tam (mild) is used of Job in Job 1:8: Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?”

I dare to say that Jacob knowing that there was possibility of succumbing to the world that surrounded him decided to hem himself by dwelling amongst the tents.

surrounding himself with accountability and the community of God.

Imagine putting a chocolate chip cookie in front of a three-year-old and asking him not to eat it.

Could he resist?

Some researchers did exactly this: Children were given a single cookie, with the promise that if they didn’t eat it for five minutes, they would be given a second cookie.

While some of the children resisted the temptation, others simply couldn’t.

The researchers found that the children who resisted the cookie at three years old were far more likely to succeed in school, relationships, finances, and their future careers.

Why?

The simple answer is that: success requires delaying present desires for later gratification.

Success requires delaying present desires for later gratification.

Esau encountered such a decision in Gen 25:29–34.

Famished after a full day of hunting, he faced a difficult test: Should he immediately eat a bowl of his favorite soup but, in exchange, give up his birthright—which granted him the majority share of his father’s estate in the distant future?

Esau settled for the temporary pleasure of a tasty meal.

Your evil twin will live for the moment rather than the future.

Ask yourself an honest question: In what ways are your decisions like Esau’s?

How are you giving up long-term good for a present thrill?

Think about your decisions with money, school, and even sexual purity.

Are you sacrificing God’s great plan for you by indulging in temporary pleasure?

Many of my friends who were sexually active in high school are now paying a heavy price.

Some have been divorced, and others did contract STDs.

Even though I felt like giving in to the pressure at the time, I am thankful that I had the strength and support to focus on the long term.

It wasn’t easy, but it was worth it.

You may not feel like continuing to follow Jesus and doing the right thing now, but remember: “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and have not entered into the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Cor 2:9; Isa 64:4).

It will be worth it in the end.

Remind yourself:

God will bless you in unimaginable ways if you remain faithful now.

My evil twin will devalue the call of God on my life.

The birthright consisted afterwards in a double portion of the father’s inheritance (Deut.

21:17); but with the patriarchs it embraced the chieftainship, the rule over the brethren and the entire family (Gen.

27:29), and the title to the blessing of the promise (Gen.

27:4, 27–29), which included the future possession of Canaan and of covenant fellowship with Jehovah (Gen.

28:4).

Jacob knew this, and it led him to anticipate the purposes of God.

Esau also knew it, but attached no value to it.

My evil twin will not let me enter my God given destiny.

What is my destiny?