It Ain't Nothing But a Setup Subtitle: Something Good Will Come Out of This

Introduction

Text takes us into the dysfunctional family of Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob, and Esau.

Isaac was almost sacrificed and would have been but thank God there was a ram in the thicket of the bush

Story begins now Isaac around 40 gets married and starts his own family but not without problems. It appears to be a generational curse that has passed down from Abraham and Sarah; Isaacs parents in that Rebekah Isaacs wife is barren as Sarah was.

Isaac prayed to the Lord and the Lord answers his prayer and Rebekah then becomes pregnant. God has done it again. Because since He did it before what we know about God he is no respect of persons so if he did it before… you know the rest He’ll do it again... only this time there is not just one child as there was with Sarah but there are twins

The Bible says Genesis chap 25:22 that the two children struggled (they fought) together within her because she had two nations in her womb. The elder of the twins would serve the younger

We see that Isaac is his daddy’s child but Jacob, Jacob he is a mommas boy

Esau extremely spent almost to the point of death - gives his birthright away for a bowl of soup..... (finish story)

Jacobs name means supplanter

God had to get Jacob together.

Every now and again God has got to cross his hands. The child that you thought was going to take the world by storms becomes the one that decides to stay at home and the one you weren’t sure about that becomes the one...

Jacob had to get away from his mother and get with the Lord by himself. Some of us God is saying you’ve been listening to so many voices around you you need a Bethel experience

We’ve all got some Jacob in us.

But nothing not even you can stop the plan of God - God will meet you where you are to carry you to where He’s taking you to for His glory.

God seemingly never punished Jacob for his actions. But his actions were a part of God’s will. Letting us know that some of the stuff you did in your life that was ugly, that would perhaps make the person sitting next to and behind you move their seat - even that mistake will find its way to guide you into the will of God.

The will of God was not necessarily in Isaac’s favor who was the first born but it was in Jacob’s. So all the wrong that Jacob did - God only used it to carry out His plan.

For about three of you who will receive it, you’ve got to stop beating yourself up about your past because God will use your past so that something good comes out of it.

Jacob had to do it. He had to do it to get alone with God so that God could get him straight. Led him to Rachel. But the family saga of disfunction continues - Laban gives Jacob, Leah instead of Rachel. Jacob married Leah and stayed with her one week before he married Rachel too. Jacob loved Rachel and hated Leah. But oh it happens again Rachel was barren as Rebekah was, as Sarah was. Jacob had to do it. Leah had some children - seven to be exact. Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulon, and one girl Dinah. I’ve got to point out that one son Judah. Judah had 5 sons. The fourth in particular was named Perez. Perez had 8 sons. The three most notable would be Boaz, who begat Obed, who begat Jesse. Then Jesse begat David and it is through the lineage of David via his son Nathan that we get to Mary who conceived by the Holy Spirit - the savior of the world Jesus the Christ.

22 day journey from Beersheba to Haran; 20 year period between Bethel and Jabbok

Don’t you tell me what God can’t do…

You better be careful who you throw away in your family because they’ve done egregious things… God will meet them in Bethel and then get them straight in Jabbok

Close

I don’t know who I’m preaching to this morning but I’ve come to tell you something good is going to come out of what you’re going through.