Stolen Blessing
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Intro
Intro
Text - Genesis 27.33-36
33 Then Isaac trembled exceedingly, and said, “Who? Where is the one who hunted game and brought it to me? I ate all of it before you came, and I have blessed him—and indeed he shall be blessed.”
34 When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, “Bless me—me also, O my father!”
35 But he said, “Your brother came with deceit and has taken away your blessing.”
36 And Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright, and now look, he has taken away my blessing!” And he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?”
Title - Stolen Blessing
Background
Background
Various ideas on blessing -
“feeling” blessed
blessing is all about material possessions
blessing is gained by doing certain activities
praying a set of prayers
following after the zodiac signs
“like” “amen” “share” pictures of money
feng shu - proper positioning of objects in the house
numbers - lucky and unlucky - 13; 4; 6; etc.
kumakaway na pusa
wearing lucky charms -
displaying “round objects” on new year’s eve
Issues
can your blessing be taken away from you?
how can we best secure God’s blessing over our life?
Key Points
Esau and Jacob are illustrations of modern Christians in relation to blessing
Two categories of blessing
Blessing under the Covenant
Jacob the new man
Esau and Jacob are illustrations of modern Christians in relation to blessing
Esau and Jacob are illustrations of modern Christians in relation to blessing
Esau had no regard for his birthright
Esau had no regard for his birthright
Today’s Esau’s have no regard for their Christian faith
Genesis 25.32-34 “32 And Esau said, “Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?” 33 Then Jacob said, “Swear to me as of this day.” So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. 34 And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.”
“what is this birthright to me if I will die”
Esau “despised” his birthright - look down with contempt
Today’s Esau’s are self-confident that no one can take away their “blessing”
Paul’s warnings
take heed lest you fall - 1 Cor 10.12
do not be haughty, but fear - Romans 11.20
what “over-confident” Christians do -
miss 1 or 2 Sundays
not correcting their offenses against a brother/sister
not giving their tithes or missing their pledges
Esau blamed Jacob for his misfortune
Esau blamed Jacob for his misfortune
Genesis 27.36 “36 And Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright, and now look, he has taken away my blessing!” And he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?””
Today’s Esau’s blame others in their misfortune -
they blame their fellow Christians, even their pastor
they blame their office mates, the government, etc.
Today’s Esau’s get bitter when others are blessed
Jacob was obsessed with “blessing”
Jacob was obsessed with “blessing”
he was ready to do anything in order to get the blessing
he did not care if others will get hurt by his actions - he must get the blessing
he deceived his father
he supplanted his brother
Jacob - “supplanter”
supplant - to take by the heel; to come from behind; to restrain; to cheat;
M-W Dic. - to supersede (another) by force, trickery or treachery (synonyms - cut out, displace, usurp)
Today’s Jacob’s are obsessed with “blessings”
their favorite sermons are all about blessings
their focus in life is material gain
they read the Bible for the sake of earthly gain
when they do good, they do so in order to gain more
they go where there is opportunity to gain more
Today’s Jacob’s have no regard for the welfare of their fellow Christians
Today’s Jacob’s will even steal
What Jacob failed to see during those times -
the blessing is not the goal of life - there is more to Christian life than material gains
Romans 14.17 “17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
the end does NOT justify the means - carnal actions do not produce godly results
a noble intention does not give us authority to transgress
the birthright is not the ONLY way to gain the blessing of God
steal - to take what belongs to another wrongfully; to gain by trickery, skill or daring (act);
There is no real blessing gained by stealing -
11 Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished, But he who gathers by labor will increase.
17 Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.
8 “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings.
real blessing CANNOT BE STOLEN from others - IT IS GIVEN!
Two categories of blessing
Two categories of blessing
God is good to everyone, even to the non-believing
45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
but there are differences in how his blessings are gained
The bible shows us 2 types of blessing based on how they are gained.
one is gained by doing good - human effort
one is received under covenant with God - divine favor
1 Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you.
2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
“I will bless you” - God’s blessing to Abram under the covenant
“I will bless those who bless” - God’s blessing to anyone who do good to Abram
These 2 types of blessing were evident in Isaac’s pronouncements
to Jacob (who wanted to steal the blessing)
28 Therefore may God give you Of the dew of heaven, Of the fatness of the earth, And plenty of grain and wine.
29 Let peoples serve you, And nations bow down to you. Be master over your brethren, And let your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, And blessed be those who bless you!”
God’s divine favor preceds the person’s life
to Esau
39 Then Isaac his father answered and said to him: “Behold, your dwelling shall be of the fatness of the earth, And of the dew of heaven from above.
40 By your sword you shall live, And you shall serve your brother; And it shall come to pass, when you become restless, That you shall break his yoke from your neck.”
he was not cursed - but he will have to go and find out for himself
he will survive by his own strength
Examples of blessing by good works
1 Blessed is he who considers the poor; The Lord will deliver him in time of trouble.
2 The Lord will preserve him and keep him alive, And he will be blessed on the earth; You will not deliver him to the will of his enemies.
3 Blessed are those who keep justice, And he who does righteousness at all times!
17 Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobles, And your princes feast at the proper time— For strength and not for drunkenness!
Blessing under the Covenant
Blessing under the Covenant
While God blesses all of His creation, He does have divine favor over others.
Esau and Jacob are not the same in the eyes of God -
they are not different as a matter of preference (based on favorable actions on their parts)
The main difference between is that God has a plan over Jacob’s life!
to Esau - he had none
11 (for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls),
12 it was said to her, “The older shall serve the younger.”
God’s purpose with Jacob -
was determined before the foundation of the world
was to be fulfilled under the covenant which God established with Abraham and his descendants
WHAT’S THE POINT?
God has a blessing reserved and predetermined for His people -
they are found under the covenant with God
they are not only material blessings
they are in Christ
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”),
14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Jacob must have thought he could gain the blessing by treachery!
True blessing is not gained by human effort - it is given by God; it is declared by God over your life!
Isaac’s “blessing” was no ordinary father’s blessing
Isaac’s blessing is not simply a blessing for the firstborn - it was a continuation of the covenan
God would not allow Isaac to bless Esau because -
WHAT’S THE POINT?
JACOB WAS RIGHT OVER ONE THING - THE BLESSING THAT FLOWS FROM HIS FAMILY CAME FROM GOD
However, Jacob was not “blessed” just because he was able to steal the blessing from his brother!
HE MUST COME FACE TO FACE WITH GOD IN ORDER FOR THE COVENANT TO BE ESTABLISHED!
God met him personally - God made Himself KNOWN to Jacob!
13 And behold, the Lord stood above it and said: “I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants.
14 Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.
15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.”
God corrected Jacob’s wrong ideas
his obsession with “blessing” - without knowledge of God
his supplanting and deception
Characteristics of the blessing under the covenant -
Characteristics of the blessing under the covenant -
the blessing is NOT the center - GOD’S PURPOSE
the blessing FOLLOWS the life of the people of the covenant
1 “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth.
2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God:
3 “Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country.
4 “Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.
17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;
18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
the blessing FLOWS from one generation to another generation of those who - but every generation must affirm the covenant with God
Gen 17.7 - God’s covenant is between you and your descendants after in their generations
Deut 7.9 - God keeps His covenant for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments
the blessing FLOWS TO ALL THE FAMILIES OF THE EARTH
Genesis 12.2 - Abraham shall be a blessing
Gen 18.18 - all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him
Gen 22.18 - all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in Abraham “seed”
Gen 26.4 - In Isaac’s seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed
Gen 28.14 - in Jacob’s seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed
WHAT’S THE POINT?
THE PURPOSE OF GOD BLESSING YOUR LIFE IS SO THAT GOD CAN BLESS THE NATIONS WITH THE SEED THAT HE HAS PLACED IN YOUR LIFE - THAT SEED IS CHRIST THE WORD OF GOD!
Conclusion
Conclusion
If you are God’s child today, it is time to STOP RUNNING AFTER MATERIAL THINGS!
You are already blessed before you were even born!
What you need to do is -
GET TO KNOW YOUR GOD - THE GOD OF THE COVENANT!
GET TO KNOW HIS PURPOSE IN YOUR LIFE!
36 And Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright, and now look, he has taken away my blessing!” And he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?”
38 And Esau said to his father, “Have you only one blessing, my father? Bless me—me also, O my father!” And Esau lifted up his voice and wept.
IF YOU ARE CHILD OF GOD, HAVE REGARD FOR YOUR BIRTHRIGHT -
YOU WILL NEVER HAVE TO BEG FOR BLESSINGS!
YOU WILL NEVER HAVE TO WORRY THAT YOUR BLESSINGS WILL BE TAKEN AWAY!
JACOB, STOP OBSESSING WITH BLESSING -
GO TO BETHEL HAVE MEET WITH YOUR GOD!
SONGs
What a Faithful God Have I
The Goodness of God
All my life you have been faithful
Great is Thy Faithfulness