Evening Service (Online) - Victor Brittain-Wong 12Jul20

Birthright Gen 25:19-34, Rom 8:1-11, Ps 119:105-112, Matt 13:1-9, 18-23 As I start my talk this evening, I would like to do a quick survey. Are you the eldest in the family or the youngest? Or you may be the middle child? I myself am a middle child as my sister is the eldest and I have a younger brother. But I am the first born son. In many cultures today, there are privileges of being the first born especially the first born son. My talk this evening I would like to speak about birthright. Sometimes, when we revisit an old familiar story, there is a tendency to just skim through it and we switch off a little as it is read. Today’s reading from Genesis 25 gives us the story of the birth of Esau and Jacob. We also read how Esau gave his birthright away to Jacob. Birthright can be defined as a particular right in possession or privilege a person has from birth. Something that is received or owned especially because of your family, without having to be worked for. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word is ‘Behkorah’ - an honour given to the first born bestowing “head of household” status and the right to inherit his father’s estate. The son will receive double portion of whatever was passed down. It gives him the right to be leader of the family, judicial authority of the whole tribe, double portion of inheritance. In today’s modern culture and particularly in the West, there are many things in the Bible that are no longer practiced or done, for example ‘Paul wrote about food offered to idols’, Boaz having to negotiate with the guardian-redeemer in order to marry Ruth. We find it hard to identify with it or understand the meaning or its significance. In many parts of the world some of these traditions and practices still goes on today. And just because in the West it is no longer done, does not mean it is no longer true or no longer applies. Birthright is well understood, practiced and fought for. Some would even kill for it. As Christians, we are now a child of God, sons and daughters adopted in to His royal family, we are in Christ. All Christians have a birthright but our birthright is not by merit or because we have earned it, it was bestowed on us when you received Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. It entitles us to a position of lordship and authority in the Kingdom of God. God has delegated the power to dispense His blessings to others. What is the birthright of a Christian? Our birthright as Christians is to inherit all that God is in Christ. It is three aspects: image, dominion and participation in God’s kingdom. We are created in the image of God, we are now in the image of the invisible God Col 1:15. By our receiving the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness (a result of our conversion, being born again), we may reign over all things in Christ Rom 5:17 to exercise God’s authority. Our participation in God’s kingdom, this include the kingdom of God in the present age (Rom 14:17) and the kingdom’s full manifestation in eternity (Rev 20:6). 1) The Word – we have the word of truth, the Bible. The Bible is God’s word to us. When I was growing up in Malaysia, there were no Christian bookshops and the only way to purchase a bible for those who can afford it was from a handful of churches. In my late teens, there were a few Christian bookshops and I used to visit them regularly to browse the limited range of Bibles available, KJV, NIV, Good News, Study bible. Owning a bible was a dream as it was still quite expensive. When I came to England, I was like a kid in a sweet shop when I stumbled upon the Scripture Union bookshop, CLC in Central London. Rows and rows of bibles. Now I am guilty of taking things for granted. There are still many places in the world where there are no bibles, and being found reading the bible can mean death. The word of God, the Bible is precious and so important to our lives. God’s word lead us to salvation (Rom 10:9) many of us came to Christ by hearing about Him and by believing the truth of Scripture. David wrote in Psalms 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” as it gives us instructions, guidance. Psa 119:130 “the unfolding of Your words gives light, it gives understanding to the simple”. It is like a shield before us. 2 Tim 3:16 “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” His word can also give peace Psa 119:165 “great peace have those who love your law”, lifts our burden Psa 119:28 “my soul melts away for sorrow, strengthen me according to your word!”, be our help in times of trouble, our encouragement, our song in the night Psa 42:8 “by day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me”, it brings joy Psa 119:111 “your testimonies are my heritage, for they are the joy of my heart”. He will show us where to go, what to say and how to make decisions. Not only do we have the Word of God in the Bible, as it can be the most valuable possession we own because it is God’s written message to us. But we must not forget that the Word is also a person, the person of Jesus. Jesus is the Word. And He is alive, He is still on His throne, He is still working for you. Jesus said in John 10:10 “the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full”. John 15:7 “if you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you”. One very encouraging thought for me as a Christian is knowing that God is for me. And by that I mean, every promises in the Bible is for me, every testimony, every healing, every miracle is for me. My family history. I may not…. know much about the history of my great grandparents and their parents before them, but in the Bible I have my family history. The promises of God are for me and for all believers, and these promises are unique to the believer. One of my favourite verses is Rom 8:28 “and we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose”. The promise in this verse, that God will work all things together for good, is for the believers only. And the amazing fact about God’s promises can be found in Joshua 21:45 “Not one of word of all the good promises that the Lord … had failed”, and Joshua repeated it again as he was dying in Josh 23:14 “not one word has failed of all the good things that the Lord promised” and in 1 Kings 8:56 “not one word has failed of all his good promise”. Let’s cultivate our relationship with Him with Jesus, to love His voice, to love the Bible and to know Him more. 2) The Spirit The Holy Spirit is a person, He is part of the Trinity and that means we can have a relationship with him, just as we do with Jesus. The Holy Spirit has a role in our conversion but we must not miss out on His role as Helper in our ongoing life as a believer. Don’t be like the Galatians, your new life in Christ had begun by responding to the Holy Spirit through faith, don’t try to maintain it by your own human effort rather than relying on Him. The Holy Spirit guides us into Jesus’s truth, John 16:13-14 “but when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth…He will glorify Me (Jesus)”. John 14:26 He is the counsellor that will guide us “but the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things”. The Holy Spirit in John 16:8 will convict us of sin and righteousness. The Holy Spirit is not a silent person in the Trinity, He does speak with us Acts 13:2. And just as Jesus daily intercedes for us, the Holy Spirit helps in our weakness Rom 8:26 “for we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us” and v27 “intercedes for the saints according to the will of God”. He has always been here and always will be here. The Holy Spirit was constantly present during Jesus’ life on earth and as believers we will always need him every day and in every season. He transforms our lives as He remains with us and helps us to recall things that we have learned about God, John 14:26 “bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you”. That was the prayer I used to pray every time I sat an exam. When the invigilator instructs the exam hall that we can open the exam paper, I will use the first minute in prayer with my hand over the exam paper and I pray that God will bring to me remembrance everything that I have read, studied, revised and practised. Eph 5:18 says that we must be filled with the Spirit. John the Baptist was full of the Holy Spirit even in his mother’s womb. Jesus was filled with the Spirit, the disciples were too in the Upper Room. It was the Holy Spirit that empowered Peter to proclaim the good news of Jesus on the day of Pentecost. It is only through the Holy Spirit that we can bear fruit. Gal 5:22 the fruit of the Spirit such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control. Any area of our lives that lack these qualities is an opportunity to invite the Holy Spirit into. We are invited to know the Holy Spirit and walk with Him daily Gal 5:25 “since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit”. Even Moses knew that he had to have the presence “unless your presence goes with us, do not lead us up from here”. He directs your steps into the abundant life that Jesus promised. He guides our thoughts, attitudes, words and actions as we follow His leading, directing us through all the complicated paths of life and keeping us from sin. He wants to be deeply involved in our lives. Together, the Word (Jesus) and the Spirit we have the 2 most powerful persons walking with us daily. Why would we not want that? These are the believer’s birthright. We should guard it jealously and not be like Esau. Esau’s tragic folly of greatly undervaluing his birthright and selling it cheaply to Jacob, for something temporary. The world may satisfy our hunger for experience, for food, for fun but it is short lived. The world’s shallow enticement cannot compare with having Christ expressed through us, reigning in us and corporately enjoyed by us as the church. Don’t take your birthright for granted. Let me encourage you to live each day, filled with the Word and the Spirit, exercising the inheritance and authority that your birthright in Christ has given you. Inheritance of the testimonies and promises of God and the authority as sons and daughters of the King. Let us be the ones, the channels to dispense God’s blessings to others.