The Blessings of Christ belong to those who cherish the Birthright of Christ - Genesis 27:1-46

Genesis 27
The Blessings of Christ belong to those who cherish the Birthright of Christ
INTRO
Chapter 27 of Genesis. Likely to all here,…a very familiar story of how Jacob,
by help of his mother, tricked his dad into giving him the blessing instead of to
his older brother Esau. I read through this chapter a number of times while
pondering,… “Lord, how do you want me to preach through this? What is the
heart of it that opens up to us to see Christ revealed?” And I found myself, as
is often the case - going to a movie scene that pictured how I felt. Are there
any Indiana Jones fans in the congregation? Raiders of the lost ark, Temple of
Doom, Last Crusade. My least favorite of that series was The Temple of Doom.
But I found myself picturing, as I’m sorting through this passage, I found
myself picturing the bug scene. Do you guys remember the bug scene. Indie
and the kid with him, ….who goes by the name SHORTY…they are in that room
in which spikes are closing in from the floor and ceiling. Time is short and the
lady friend outside of the room, (Willie was her name) she must locate the door
lever to rescue them. As she approaches she discovers that their are BUGS…
big creepy bugs…everywhere…and they begin to crawl all over her. Meanwhile
the room and spikes continue to close in on Indie and Shorty who are pleading
with her to find the lever and open the door. The classic line by Indie as a spike
is pushing down on his hat… “We are going to die!”
I picture the heart of this passage as the lever Willie locates deep into this
tunnel within the wall that is just loaded with griminess and bugs. She cringingly
pushes through it all to grab hold of the lever and pull it to open the room and
rescue Indiana and Shorty. WELL, this narrative story is grimy. Just filled with
all sorts of ugliness by all the characters involved. Isaac, Esau, Rebecca and
Jacob. All of them contribute to the cluster of a mess present here.
This family is every bit of dysfunctional. We see Deceit,…even the
premeditated type; There is outright Disregard of the Lord, Disrespect of
husband; a Dishonoring of father; Discord strengthened between siblings by
parent’s influence of favoritism. Just a Cluster of a grimy sin-soakedmess…..in which we need to dig through the ugliness to get a hold of the heart
of the passage, the lever if you will,….to open up to us CHRIST revealed in it.
That lever is….The Heart of the passage is The Blessings of Christ belong to those who Cherish the Birthright of Christ.

We’ll draw from Two outside passages as helpful lens to look through in our
examination of chapter 27 of Genesis which holds the Christ centered truth for
us today of The Blessings of Christ belonging to those who Cherish the
Birthright of Christ. SO, we won’t be moving through this line by line as is our
norm, but rather, through these two lens, sort through the cluster of a sinful
mess of a family to their own hurt and therefore warning for us to heed…sort
through all that to grab hold of some Biblical Truths to solidify deep in our heart
of how The Blessings of Christ belong to those who Cherish the Birthright of
Christ.
The first lens, and therefore our first point, being taken from Romans, chapter
9 mostly. Several verses from this epistle written by Paul that speak to God’s
purpose of election.
Our First point
BODY
1)
FIRST POINT - (Genesis 27:1-29).
God’s Purpose of Election
God’s purpose of election. (Romans 9:11-13) “though they (this would be Esau
and Jacob), though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or
bad—in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of
works but because of him who calls— she (Rebecca) was told, “The older will
serve the younger.” As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
We saw this just two chapters ago (Genesis 25:23). God speaking to
Rebecca….“Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you
shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve
the younger.”. The older shall serve the younger. GOD makes this promise to
which Paul is referencing in emphasizing God’s purpose of election. For after
Paul quotes the prophet Malachi (chapter 1 verse 2 & 3)“Jacob I loved, but
Esau I hated.” he continues…(verse 16) of Romans 9.
(Romans 9:16) “So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God,
who has mercy.” Let’s round this out with….
(Romans 11:32) “For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have
mercy on all.”

…..it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.”
….that God’s purpose of election might continue. As we’ve seen this from the
beginning of God’s storyline of redemption. It’s not man pursuing God but
rather God showing favor to man who has no basis to merit it. From early on in
Genesis, GOD choosing to work through certain individuals to bring about what
he promised in the garden after the fall of man. (Genesis 3:15) GOD speaking
to the serpent who deceived Eve. “I will put enmity between you and the
woman, and between your oﬀspring and her oﬀspring; he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.” Her oﬀspring being CHRIST. The promised one
who would come to make right all that had gone wrong. He,…Christ will bruise
your head (put an end to you satan) while you (satan) will bruise his heel. (Christ
will suﬀer and be put to death on a Roman cross). And God has been faithfully
at work in His creation bringing this about. And being that man will ultimately
fail on his own,…it is dependent therefore,…upon GOD for it to be fulfilled.
God’s purpose of election.
This is played out pointedly in chapter 27 is it not? ISAAC, more or less
outright disregards God’s promise made to his wife about the children in her
womb. ISAAC is acting in direct disobedience to GOD’S Word. (Verses 1-4)
reveal this plainly. “….prepare for me (Isaac says to Esau) prepare for me
delicious food, such as I love, and bring it to me so that I may eat, that my soul
may bless you before I die.” I’m old, says Isaac, not sure when I am going to
die…could be any day….so before I do die let’s work things out that my soul
may bless you, the older, my firstborn, my - favorite, so that my soul may
bless you before I die.”
Could this be anymore in direct disobedience to God’s will? I do not
believe so. But God’s purpose of election continues. We know the story, Esau
does not get the blessing. As depicted in (verses 5-29),….By help of his mother
and some extreme measures of deceit that included putting on of freshly killed
goat’s skin, which,…YUCK…that is just weird. And not to mention Jacob
repeatedly…repeatedly…LYING outrightly to his dad’s face,….ONE lie in
particular seen in (verse 20) including with it…. “because the Lord your God
granted me success.” All lies are an abomination to God,…but including GOD
in that way must reach a level of darkness on it’s own. And it was by all these
despicable acts of deceit,….whereby Jacob dupes his dad and brother into
receiving the blessing. Anyone here think that JACOB merits God’s blessing?
Does Jacob deserve to be shown favor by God?,….to be loved by God? Do
anyone of us? Do we, prior to the Holy Spirit moving upon our hearts, do we
give God any cause to be moved with feelings of love towards us? Do we merit,
do we deserve, do we possess any commendable quality of our own that

justifies a reward or commendation from God. That warrants favor from God
towards us as if we are entitled it?
Let’s go to the scriptures for the answer to these related questions.
Starting with Paul’s reference to (Psalm 14 and 53) in (Romans 3:9) he quotes
them.
“For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it
is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands;
no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become
worthless; no one does good, not even one.” “Their throat is an open grave;
they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.”
“Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.”
“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
In short “…..all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”…no one seeks
for God. No one merits favor from GOD.
Let’s add another layer among many passages that emphasize this TRUTH of
our depravity. (Ephesians 2:1-3) “And you (this is Paul speaking to Christians)
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked,
following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air,
the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all
once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and
the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”
What about that depiction of everyone of us would merit GOD’S favor?,
Would cause GOD to love us as if we earned any thread of entitlement to His
love? NOTHING. I don’t see anything.
GOD’S WORD responds to this condition of our soul this way. Picking
up in (verse 4) of Ephesians all the way through (verse 10) “But God, (But
God..someone had to act and man wasn’t going to). But God, being rich in
mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were
dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have
been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly
places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the
immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own
doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For
we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God
prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,
even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ
…saved us, rescued us. Showed abundant favor towards us by….grace.
Grace - unmerited favor from GOD. By grace you have been saved…this is not
your own doing. God’s purpose of election. …..it depends not on human will or
exertion, but on God, who has mercy.” ….that God’s purpose of election might
continue.
How does Paul say it in Romans a short distance down from saying “…..all
have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”…no one seeks for GOD. No
one merits favor from GOD. He then says this in (Romans 5:6-11).
“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For
one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person
one would dare even to die—but God (there it is again),..but God shows his love
for us in that while we were still sinners, (don’t miss that saints) while we were
still sinners Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by
his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. (SAVE
BY GOD FROM THE WRATH OF GOD) For if while we were…enemies ,…(while
we were enemies) we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much
more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that,
we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have
now received reconciliation.”
God’s purpose of election. …..it depends not on human will or exertion, but on
God, who has mercy.”
…Okay preacher. You’ve emphasized this point.
God’s purpose of election. “Jacob I loved, Esau I hated.” Both men don’t
merit GOD’S favor but God’s purpose of election continues. Jacob receives the
blessing and not Esau. So how does this tie into what you say is the heart of
the passage?
The Blessings of Christ belong to those who Cherish the Birthright of Christ.
How does it tie into that? I’m glad you asked. The other lens to peer through
along with God’s purpose of Election…is God’s Blessing Obtained. Meaning who get’s the blessing.
WELL,…didn’t we just answer that? The elect
obtain it. YES, YES,..but…but lest we fall into the error of fatalism and render
ourselves indiﬀerent to life and therefore void of life, it would do us well to
peer intently through this lens as we finish our study of Genesis 27.
2)

SECOND POINT - (Genesis 27).

God’s Blessing Obtained
God’s Blessing Obtained - TURN with me to Hebrews chapter 12 if you’d like.
I’m am going to read a few verses from that chapter that give some insight into
the narrative of Esau and Jacob.
(Hebrews 12:12-17) “Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your
weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not
be put out of joint but rather be healed. Strive for peace with everyone, and for
the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to
obtain (now pay attention here)…See to it that no one fails to obtain the (what??)
the grace of God; …..See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God
(which implies that one may fail to obtain the grace of God does it not??) (grace
being that unmerited favor of God toward us,….by grace we-are-saved)…See to
it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness”
springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; that no one is
sexually immoral or unholy like ESAU, who sold his birthright for a single meal.
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.” This
is critical to understand here. Notice the two key things (birthright and blessing)
that ESAU, who failed to obtain the grace of God, notice how ESAU relates to
those two key things…starting with the birthright. As we just read from
Hebrews. Esau sold his birthright for a single meal.
You likely remember that account in (Genesis 25:31-34). ESAU comes in from
the field, he is exhausted and hungry, demands the stew his brother Jacob has
made and when Jacob said it would cost him his birthright, ESAU doesn’t flinch
but freely gives it up for that,..in-the-moment indulgence of a meal. “….. “I am
about to die; (Esau says) of what use is a birthright to me?” Jacob says, “Swear
to me now.” So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob
gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his
way. Thus ESAU….despised his birthright.” OKAY that is key. ESAU, as made
clear by his actions - despised his birthright. YET…“afterward, when he desired
to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent,
though he sought it (the blessing that is…that’s the ‘it’) though he sought it with
tears.” Another key point. ESAU really wanted the blessing. Despised his
birthright but wanted the blessing which he didn’t obtain. The narrative
storyline of this account is seen in (verses 30-41) of Genesis chapter 27 here.
Those passages share the details of that which yield the sad outcome for
ESAU…(verses 42-46) along with it depict the mature state of ugliness of the
dysfunctional state of their family due to all the sin present and the grief it brings

them,….which should serve as a warning to each and everyone of us. A heap
amount of do nots can be gleaned from the details of this family’s behavior
towards one another. They are not hidden, I mentioned them at the beginning.
Through this lens though,… God’s Blessing Obtained…… we have proper focus
on how ESAU wanting the blessing,…while disregarding,….despising….the
birthright. If ESAU were here today,…. complaining about the outcome…one
could say to him..
“You can’t have your cake and eat it too.” In other words…you can’t live
independent of God’s rule of your life ‘and’ have the blessing of being with him
in Heaven for all eternity. That’s what it means when scripture says “he found
no chance to repent, though he sought it (the blessing) he sought it with tears.”
….… while he despise his birthright. And you cant’ have the blessings of the
promise without the birthright. Is not this what so many think today? JESUS is
my Savior, I’m Forgiven, I’m Saved from the wrath to come,…I have Eternal
Life in him….but He is not my Lord. At least, their lives do not portray that,.…
at all.
LISTEN, if you don’t know and worship JESUS as LORD then you don’t
know Him as SAVIOR. Jesus is Lord and Savior. They go together. Many
unholy people like Esau, want the blessing while despising the birthright.
(1 Corinthians 6:19-20) “….do you not know that your body is a temple of
the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for
you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” CHRIST has
purchased your birthright to be children of the promise and be counted
therefore as the oﬀspring of God. A born again Christian’s greatest comfort is
knowing that their life is not their own. LISTEN…..
If you have no interest in belonging to GOD now, in this life now…what makes
you think you will when you die?
There is no flipping of a switch in your
heart when you pass from this life into the next in which you all of a sudden, all
of a sudden…you enjoy God and delight in His Word…and to obey it from the
heart….where you are filled with wonder and awe at His majesty and are
overcome with unceasing worship of His Holy name….
WHEN no hint,.. of that,….by faith in Jesus was present at all while living
out your days here on earth.
Don’t be fooled. The flipping of that switch in your heart,…takes place
here and now in your response to the gospel message of Jesus Christ. Where
your sin is exposed,..the ugliness of it all, your heinous, grimy sin is plainly seen
by you, where the wrath of God for your sin becomes pointedly clear and
inescapable and therefore forgiveness and reconciliation to GOD oﬀered

through Jesus Christ is the most wonderful news in all the world and you run to
God for this matchless gift and are filled with love for Him who first loved you
and delight to belong to Him as your,…LORD….and Savior, as being
purchased by the precious blood of Jesus who died on the cross as a ransom
for your sin and find no greater delight than to live a life (Romans 6:17)
“obedient from the heart” to God. Placing His Word as the (Psalm “lamp unto
your feet” - (Colossians 1:9-10) …..“that you may be filled with the knowledge
of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner
worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and
increasing in the knowledge of God;”
That’s the heart change. The flipping of that switch on your heart takes place
here and now by faith….not after you die. IF you have no interest in belonging
to God now, what makes you think you will when you die? Answer - YOU
WON’T. YOU WON’T! You will have died in your sins and forever suﬀer the
consequences of that,…in HELL…where there will be weeping and gnashing of
teeth.
ESAU sold his birthright for a single meal. He lived for in-the-moment
indulgence with no attention to long term matters. Just LISTEN to that again.
(end of chapter 25) “…. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he
ate and drank and rose and went his way. “Went his way”. As in not asking
God “make me know the way I should go” as the Psalmist so often says..
“Your way God, not mine….Your way…I joyfully surrender to Your way.”
NO, ESAU, and those whom repentance is not found like ESAU, insist on their
own way. They go their own way with no thought to GOD'S way as being that
which directs their steps. Such a thought is foreign to them…..they know
nothing about it. “They eat, they drink, they rise,….they go…their way.” Thus,
like Esau….they despise the birthright.” Just in-the-moment pleasure with no
thought to the value, the tremendous worth of the birthright. But when the
blessing comes that belongs to the birthright, which is assuredly wanted….it the blessing - will not to be found.
“In that day their will be weeping and gnashing of teeth”….by those who want
the blessing,….but disregard …..who despise the birthright through faith in
JESUS to be an heir of the blessing.
Why does this occur? Which is a reasonable question. Why does this occur?
Because there is a cost of discipleship. There is a cost to discipleship.
There is a cost to follow Jesus. Deny myself, Pursue holiness in the fear of
God, fight against temptation and sin. Be mocked, be a minority, be known

as a Bible thumper. To not fit into many, if not most crowds….that doesn’t
have appeal. “…of what use is a birthright to me?” “I am about to die; (Esau
says) of what use is a birthright to me?” ……“I am about to die”.
Doesn’t Jesus call us to die?
Swallow these words from our LORD (Luke 14:26-33). And I emphasize
‘cannot’ in these verses.
“If anyone comes to me (Jesus says) and does not hate his own father and
mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own
life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come
after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower,
does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete
it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who
see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to
finish.’ Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit
down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who
comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a
great way oﬀ, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So therefore,
any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.”
Cherishing the birthright,…is viewing that command of JESUS, not as a
burden,..but rather at delight. Gladly “bear your own cross” - i.e. die to self,
gladly “renounce all that you have.” Die to Self preservation, die to self
promotion, die to self love, die to selfish gain, die to self seeking, Die to self
interests, Die-to-Self. I hold nothing, not even my own life, I hold none of it
above belonging to Christ. I renounce it all that I may have Him. This is
pursued and delighted in by those who Cherish the Birthright. FAILED
AT ,YES…but by God’s help progressed in as we become more like JESUS
(Philippians 2:6-8) “…who, though he was in the form of God, did not count
equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form
of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form,
he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on
a cross.” Cherish the birthright.
CONCLUSION
Jacob did. Filthy sinner, YES, but there is a cherishing of the birthright
underway….he recognized it’s worth, it’s tremendous value. He sought to have
it. He ultimately wrestles with God and is blessed by God in the end. We’ll get
there in the coming weeks. God promises that “..if you seek him with all your
heart….He will be found by you.” Don’t seek to know if you are one of the elect.

Seek Him as His Word instructs us to and He will reveal Himself to you aﬃrming
that you are of the elect. In this way, the more you become to understand
election the more your heart is humbled before GOD and overwhelmed by HIS
grace towards you.
(1 Peter 1:3-5). “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!
According to his great mercy, HE has caused-us-to-be born again to a living
hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance
that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by
God’s power (not our own,…we would fail..but) God’s power are being guarded
through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” The blessing
of the birthright of being a child of God.
(John 1:12 & 13). “But to all who did receive him (him Jesus), who
believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were
born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”
- BORN OF GOD. Born into the birthright of the only begotten Son of God,
Son of the promise - Jesus Christ the Righteous - through whom all blessings
come. Being born of God, (Romans 9:8) “…the children of the promise are
counted as oﬀspring.” Meaning those born into the birthright of the only
begotten Son of God..the Son of the promise - JESUS.
Adopted Sons and
Daughters of God and fellow heirs with Christ…through faith in him. Those
who Cherish this Birthright of Christ obtain the Blessing of Christ….they are
counted as oﬀspring.
The Blessings of Christ belong to those who Cherish the Birthright of Christ.

- PRAY
COMMUNION - (Philippians 2:1-11)
BENEDICTION
(1 John 3:1-10)
“No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him;
and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.”


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