Two Wrongs Don't Make a Right.

Steve Gentry

[0:00] All right, go ahead and have a seat. [0:01] Welcome to Village Church. [0:02] If this is your first time here, my name’s Steve. [0:04] I’m one of the pastors here at Village Church. [0:06] And as always, I’m thankful and grateful [0:09] that someone showed up.

[0:11] So if you have your Bibles, go ahead [0:13] and open them to Genesis 27. [0:14] I mean, think about it. [0:15] If I was up here and no one was out there, [0:17] that would be awkward, mostly for me, [0:19] because you wouldn’t be here.

[0:21] Genesis 27 this morning, and by God’s grace, [0:24] we will cover the entire chapter. [0:26] But for the past six weeks, [0:28] we’ve been back in the book of Genesis, [0:31] which is, of course, the record of beginnings. [0:34] And Genesis records creation, the fall of man into sin,

[0:38] and God’s promise of redemption and restoration. [0:42] And then it goes into then telling the story [0:45] of how God began the journey to the cross of Jesus Christ. [0:51] It started with a promise to a man named Abraham [0:54] that God would give him, in spite of all of the reasons [0:59] that this wouldn’t happen, that God would give him

[1:01] a family, and then his family would grow into a nation [1:05] that would become a blessing to all nations. [1:09] And what started as small, God grew to be the nation [1:13] of Israel, and then ultimately birthed [1:16] the Son of God, Jesus Christ. [1:18] And this is the story that the scriptures as a whole

[1:22] record as the history of God’s interaction with humanity. [1:26] But when we look into the book of Genesis, [1:28] we can really, through all of the records [1:30] that are in Genesis alone, we can glean this entire [1:34] really arc through just the 50 chapters of this book. [1:38] And this is a story that God has told through history,

[1:42] that has been really told through regular people. [1:45] And we started back into the series, [1:47] we kind of had to shake off this notion [1:50] that as we sometimes read the scriptures, [1:52] we read it kind of like a movie, [1:54] as if these are characters that are nothing like us,

[1:56] but in all actuality, these are completely regular people, [2:00] just like you and I, that through meager circumstances [2:04] and through normal people, God has worked to deliver [2:08] on his promises through people trusting [2:11] in his sovereign power to actually deliver [2:15] on the promises that he has made.

[2:17] In each time, God has proven himself to be trustworthy. [2:23] But if you note, through every story, [2:25] we see the struggle that people have with sin. [2:29] And that sin, of course, causes struggles [2:31] with trusting in God. [2:34] In every record, as you see, when God is trusted,

[2:38] that his promises are enjoyed. [2:41] But when God is disobeyed, we disobey [2:44] because of our distrust in him. [2:46] And when we distrust him, we feel the sting of sin [2:50] that shows itself to be very ugly [2:53] through the discord and pain

[2:55] that we sometimes experience in this life. [2:58] But through every single circumstance, [3:01] God shows himself to be faithful. [3:04] And his faithfulness demands trust. [3:07] Trust in God is always seen in our lives [3:10] through submission to his plan and obedience to his ways.

[3:14] This, though, is the struggle throughout all of life. [3:17] And it was also a struggle even at the very beginning [3:21] of the journey towards Christ. [3:23] Now, last week, we began to really take a hard look [3:26] at the life of Isaac. [3:27] And we saw last week Isaac’s distrust in God

[3:30] because of his deception and cowardice. [3:34] But today, I want to take a look at a different moment [3:37] in Isaac’s life towards the end of his life [3:39] where we see a more active level of distrust [3:42] to the level of just outright disobedience [3:46] to what God had said he would deliver.

[3:49] There are times when we will claim [3:51] to be even going after God’s will, [3:53] but out of a lack of faith, [3:55] we see through motives and disobedient behavior [3:59] that there really was no trust in God’s will in any way. [4:03] And through it all, though, we can always see

[4:06] that in spite of our sin, God remains faithful. [4:10] And so look in Genesis chapter 27. [4:12] We’ll read the first few verses. [4:14] When Isaac was old, again, a very good description, [4:18] but if you’ll notice, this is similar language [4:20] that was used of his father towards the end of his life.

[4:24] And back a few chapters earlier, [4:25] we see when Abraham was old, [4:27] and here we kind of can see when we’re reading [4:29] through the Old Testament and we see kind of themes [4:32] that repeat, we understand that something similar [4:34] is taking place.

[4:35] So just as when Abraham was old, [4:37] he began to prepare for the next generation. [4:39] So here in Genesis 27, we see in Isaac’s age [4:43] that as Isaac was old, he’s going to begin to prepare [4:47] for the next generation of God’s promise. [4:51] It says, when Isaac was old and his eyes were dim

[4:53] so that he could not see, he called Esau, [4:56] his older son, and said to him, my son. [4:59] And he answered, here I am. [5:01] And he said, behold, I am old. [5:03] I did not know the day of my death. [5:06] Now then, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow,

[5:09] and go out to the field and hunt game for me [5:12] and prepare for me delicious foods such as I love [5:15] and bring it to me so that I may eat [5:18] that my soul may bless you before I die. [5:24] Pray with me. [5:26] Father, Lord, you are a good God.

[5:30] Lord, my prayer today is that you would soften our hearts [5:34] so that Holy Spirit, you can work to put your word [5:38] into our lives and draw out the faith and life change [5:42] that you desire. [5:44] Lord, I pray that you would help me to be faithful [5:46] to your word above all things.

[5:49] Be merciful to me a sinner. [5:51] In the name of Christ, I pray, amen. [5:54] Number one this morning, I wanna jump right into it. [5:57] Disobedience, excuse me, disobeying God is always wrong. [6:03] Disobeying God is always wrong. [6:05] Now I know what may be going through your mind right now.

[6:10] Yeah, we got that. [6:12] That’s kind of Bible 101. [6:16] We’re supposed to obey God in all things. [6:19] So why are we going to such an elementary level? [6:23] I think we need to be a little more creative [6:25] than just disobeying God is always wrong.

[6:28] And to that, my retort is really.

[6:32] If you have got that, then why are you disobeying God [6:38] so many different ways? [6:40] So disobeying God is always wrong. [6:42] This is an elementary thing that you don’t need [6:44] to be reminded of at all. [6:46] You don’t need explained to you at all.

[6:48] Then tell me friend, why tomorrow morning [6:50] will you begin a week in which you will sin [6:54] probably hundreds of times? [6:57] And we have some commands in the scripture [6:59] that are so simple. [7:00] So clear, do not lie.

[7:06] I’m not God so I don’t know, [7:08] but how many did you tell last week? [7:10] Even the white ones. [7:13] Even the ones that you say, but it was for a good cause. [7:16] I was saving their feelings. [7:17] Or really, but it was still a lie.

[7:19] So the fact that disobeying God is always wrong, [7:22] quite frankly, I would tell you, [7:24] is not so elementary as you may think. [7:27] It’s not so Bible 101 as you may think, [7:31] but rather it is something that we need [7:34] to take a good hard look at through all of our lives

[7:38] to understand why is it that even when God [7:42] has been so abundantly clear, [7:44] even as I am filled with the power of the Holy Spirit [7:47] because I am a person that has trusted Christ, [7:50] is this still a constant struggle [7:53] in so many places in my life?

[7:57] I think a great example of that [7:59] is what we’re dealing with with Isaac here. [8:03] In Genesis chapter 25, God was crystal clear [8:07] as he revealed to Rebekah, here’s what it says, [8:10] it says, the children, Jacob and Esau, [8:12] as they were still in her womb,

[8:14] struggled together within her and she says, [8:16] if it is thus, why is this happening to me? [8:19] So she went to inquire of the Lord [8:21] and the Lord said to her, two nations are in your womb [8:24] and two peoples from within you shall be divided. [8:28] The one shall be stronger than the other,

[8:30] the older shall serve the younger. [8:33] And I would submit to you that I think [8:35] that it is perfectly reasonable to think [8:37] that this information that God gave to Rebekah [8:40] was shared with Isaac and so they were both aware [8:44] of the prophecy that God had given to Rebekah

[8:47] while the children were in her womb. [8:49] Yet here at the end of his life, [8:52] Isaac is completely going out of his way to disobey God. [8:57] And that he is in his last days going to seek [9:00] to continue his blessing, to give the inheritance, [9:04] to give the birthright, to give the blessing of God to Isaac

[9:08] when God has already said it is to go to Esau, [9:14] excuse me, to Jacob. [9:16] You know, we tend to look at life [9:18] and think about it in all of the wrong ways. [9:22] We begin to look at this and think, [9:24] well, if we look at it, it’s kind of understandable

[9:27] why Isaac would do this. [9:29] I mean, but I wanna share with you two things. [9:31] The first thing is why did Isaac do this? [9:35] Why would he, if God has said, do this, [9:38] why would he do that?

[9:42] And kind of got asked a question. [9:43] Maybe that’ll give me some insight [9:45] as to why so many times in my life [9:46] I know that God has been clear, [9:48] I know what God has said, yet I don’t do it. [9:51] And I would look at the first thing and say that

[9:53] Isaac is actually just trying to be [9:55] completely culturally relevant with his life. [9:57] I mean, in that day, just as in our day in many cultures, [10:02] it was not culturally acceptable [10:04] to pass the blessing of the family onto the second born. [10:09] No, that was something that was to go to the first born.

[10:13] And so Isaac is like, but no, [10:14] we’re going to follow the tradition. [10:16] We’re going to follow the way [10:18] that things are supposed to go. [10:19] And so he seeks to give the blessing to Isaac. [10:22] What are ways that God has called you to obey him,

[10:26] yet it would make your neighbors kind of look at you funny [10:28] because that’s not culturally relevant. [10:30] That is not what we’re supposed to do in our day and age. [10:33] And so your neighbors would look at you funny. [10:35] So you say, well, I’m just kind of gonna withhold [10:37] obedience from God in this specific area

[10:40] because I need to be culturally acceptable. [10:44] But there’s a second reason that I think Isaac disobeyed God [10:47] and it is something that you should be very familiar with [10:50] because he wanted to.

[10:54] I think Isaac disobeyed because he wanted to disobey God. [10:57] You know, we have a lot of funny ways [10:58] of not taking responsibility for our sin. [11:01] I’ve loved it my whole life. [11:03] And I admit, I’ve been in the church for much of my life. [11:06] And so Sunday school was something I was very familiar with

[11:09] and by God’s grace, I’ve always known who Jesus Christ is. [11:13] And we would use these funny words, oh, he fell into sin. [11:18] Was the floor slippery?

[11:21] Was there a banana peel? [11:23] Was this Mario Kart and he’s just kind of slipping into sin? [11:26] It’s like, oh my goodness, how did I end up here? [11:28] No, no one has ever fallen into sin. [11:32] People make choices to sin. [11:36] See, when we use words like, oh, I was not victorious

[11:39] in my faith in Jesus today, [11:42] we’re kind of excusing ourselves away from the reality. [11:45] No, you disobeyed. [11:48] You disobeyed God and you made a choice to do that. [11:53] No one did that for you. [11:55] You did that.

[11:57] The floor wasn’t slippery. [11:58] There was no banana peel. [12:00] You didn’t fall into anything. [12:02] You knew what God had told you to do and you said, [12:06] mm-mm, don’t wanna, wanna do this other thing. [12:09] And that’s what you did.

[12:11] That’s the reality of our lives is that Isaac liked Esau. [12:16] He did not like old twin tent dweller Jacob.

[12:21] And so he said, I’m gonna give the blessing of God [12:23] to the one that I want to give the blessing of God to. [12:26] But it wasn’t his blessing, it was God’s. [12:29] And so he disobeyed God. [12:32] I want you to understand a very simple thing [12:35] that’s very complicated in the way it works out

[12:37] in our lives, friends. [12:38] Disobeying God is always, always wrong. [12:41] And it will always, always mess your life up, [12:45] even if you don’t immediately see the consequences. [12:51] You see, when we are doing this thing [12:54] where we’re kind of sort of obeying God

[12:56] in a couple of things, but we’re not obeying God [12:59] in a couple of other things, [13:00] sometimes things tend to work out [13:01] and we don’t feel the consequences of our sin. [13:05] But that doesn’t mean the consequences aren’t there. [13:07] You see, Isaac’s probably thinking,

[13:10] I’m just gonna disobey God and it’s not gonna affect [13:11] anybody big right now because I’m about to die. [13:14] And even if I feel the consequences of this disobedience, [13:17] I’m gonna be dead anyway. [13:18] And so sometimes that’s the thing that you play [13:20] is that you’re like, well, I may not feel

[13:23] the consequences of this sin. [13:25] And sometimes you actually get through it, [13:26] you know, the consequences weren’t that big of a deal. [13:29] I guess I’ll march on. [13:31] But what’s about to follow the decisions [13:33] that Isaac and Rebekah make in this narrative

[13:36] is hundreds of years of discord. [13:40] And the lives of Jacob and Esau are affected greatly [13:45] because of the turmoil that comes out of the dysfunction [13:49] of this family. [13:51] Your sin always affects others. [13:55] Your sin always has ramifications,

[13:58] even if you don’t see it. [14:01] And so some of us will play this game [14:02] where we’ve got these two pots in our lives. [14:05] We’ve got this pot over here. [14:06] And let’s talk about this pot as the places [14:08] that we obey God.

[14:10] Like you’re here and you’re probably here [14:13] because, well, God would have you to be here. [14:16] So you’re obeying God. [14:17] And so let’s put that in the obeying God pot [14:19] is that I corporately gather with my church to worship. [14:22] I give that hour a week to the Lord.

[14:23] And maybe even you’re part of a community group. [14:26] So you give that part of your week to the Lord. [14:27] Maybe you even do some Bible study at some time [14:30] with some friends. [14:31] So you put that one in your pot to the Lord [14:32] and you’re still in the,

[14:33] I’m doing some awesome things for the Lord over here. [14:36] I’m so happy with myself. [14:38] Look at my obedience. [14:39] But then you’ve got pot number two. [14:41] Now here’s the stuff you won’t give God. [14:45] This is for you.

[14:47] Like, well, I know that God has called me to do X, Y, and Z, [14:52] but I would rather do P, Q, and R. [14:55] And so I got P, Q, and R in my pot over here. [14:57] And I know God has called me to sacrifice a few things, [15:01] but I’m not ready to sacrifice those things. [15:03] So those are in my pot over here.

[15:05] And I know that there are things [15:08] that I’m doing wrong with my life, [15:10] but I mean, nobody’s perfect after all, okay? [15:13] So I got some okay things going on over here [15:16] and you’ve got things going pretty good. [15:18] And you’re like, my life’s going okay.

[15:19] Everybody sees me doing this pot over here [15:22] and they think everybody’s okay. [15:23] And I just kinda don’t talk about this one. [15:26] All right, this is the Butterfinger that I ate [15:27] while I’m on a diet, but I was alone. [15:29] So did those calories really exist?

[15:32] You know, if a Butterfinger is eaten all alone, [15:35] did it really get eaten? [15:36] I don’t know. [15:37] All right, I burned the wrapper, nobody saw it. [15:40] All right.

[15:43] And you’re like, but everything’s going pretty good for me. [15:46] But here’s what I want you to understand is, [15:48] is that even if you think that you’ve created [15:49] this little island to yourself that nobody knows about, [15:52] you haven’t. [15:55] If you’re a parent in here,

[15:56] and that’s very applicable to this story, [15:59] you’ve got children that are gonna be affected [16:00] by those two pots. [16:02] And what you’re doing is, is you’re teaching your children [16:05] kind of half obedience, half disobedience. [16:07] And then looking at you, choose what you’ll give to God

[16:10] and what you won’t give to God. [16:11] And what they’re saying is, [16:12] well, I can just give some to God. [16:14] Now, I don’t really like even all of the stuff [16:16] they’ve got in their pot, and that’s okay, [16:18] because I can just put that in the other pot,

[16:20] and I can just be left with one or two things [16:21] where they’ve got three.

[16:24] There’s more than your children too. [16:25] There’s your friends, there’s your family. [16:28] There’s the people that you would love to come to faith [16:30] in Jesus Christ. [16:32] And you’re hoping that your witness [16:34] will play something in that,

[16:36] but you’re teaching them this fragmented Christianity [16:39] that isn’t real Christianity at all.

[16:43] You see, Isaac’s decision had ramifications, [16:46] even if he didn’t think it was gonna have ramifications. [16:50] The consequences are there, even if not felt by you, [16:53] and sometimes the worst consequences that are ever felt [16:56] are felt to the next generation.

[17:00] Obedience to the call of God is bigger than you. [17:05] It goes to all those around you. [17:08] You see, friends, Isaac was wrong.

[17:13] That is what God wants you to glean here. [17:16] What Isaac did, think about it, [17:18] what Isaac did made sense, [17:22] but it was still wrong. [17:25] And if you want to follow Jesus, [17:27] that’s the understanding that you have to have.

[17:29] If you want to obey God, you will have to trust him [17:33] and live in his ways. [17:35] Sometimes that don’t make sense to those around you. [17:39] Sometimes that are completely cultural opposites [17:43] to the way everybody else is doing. [17:46] See, Isaiah chapter 520 warns us with this.

[17:48] It says, woe to those who call evil good and good evil, [17:51] who put darkness for light and light for darkness, [17:54] who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. [17:56] And that’s one of those texts that we’ll read [17:58] and we’ll be like, oh, let’s use this politically [18:00] and we should, and we’ll be like, let’s use this

[18:02] about this big issue that somebody else has [18:04] and we should, that’s good, [18:06] but you also need to take this and say, [18:08] how do I apply this to my life? [18:10] Have I ever been guilty of this? [18:13] And I would say we’re all marching towards that

[18:17] so long as we have all these different areas in our life [18:20] because what we will very soon do is we will begin to say, [18:23] oh, it’s okay, you see, and it’s okay [18:25] because I’ve got all these other places [18:27] where I’m obeying God, [18:28] so it’s good that I have this stuff for myself.

[18:31] I mean, I don’t want to be one of these extreme Christians [18:34] who are like, you know, where do I need to repent today? [18:37] And all of that actual stuff, you know, [18:38] I just kind of want to skirt through this, [18:40] get heaven in the end, [18:41] so I’ll just give them a little bit here, a little bit there,

[18:43] so it’s good that I’ve got this, you know, therapeutic, [18:46] we’ll call it therapy. [18:48] It’s good that I’ve got this therapeutic stuff [18:50] to help me out.

[18:54] See, and the thing is, [18:55] is that you will continue to lie to yourself [18:56] and you’ll say, oh, that’s not calling evil good,

[19:02] but it is. [19:04] You see, just like the title of this point, [19:06] so often we nod our heads and say, yeah, [19:09] yeah, that makes sense, [19:11] but the issue is that there are things in your life [19:14] that you know God has called you to do differently,

[19:17] yet you work to convince yourself that your evil is good. [19:23] We’ll even throw excuses around like, [19:24] well, where I am right now, this makes sense. [19:29] Friends, disobedience is disobedience. [19:32] In God’s economy, it doesn’t make sense, [19:36] even if it does in yours.

[19:40] Number two this morning, disobedience is never God’s will. [19:44] Disobedience is never God’s will, [19:47] and you may think to yourself, yeah, got it, but do you? [19:53] See, oftentimes I’ve heard this record, [19:55] and growing up in church, I heard this record many times, [19:59] and sometimes I would even hear the record

[20:01] of Jacob and Rebecca actually come in, [20:04] and they save the day. [20:06] They’re the heroes of the story, [20:07] because they come in and they undo this travesty [20:11] that Isaac was about to do, but that’s wrong. [20:14] See, they’re not the heroes of the story either.

[20:16] Look in verse five, now Rebecca was listening. [20:21] It’s a very telling line, [20:22] and I think it kind of sets the scene [20:24] for the sin that is to come. [20:28] So what happens here is, is that Isaac’s wife [20:32] is around the corner eavesdropping.

[20:36] That’s a dysfunctional family. [20:38] That’s a dysfunctional family, is that she’s eavesdropping. [20:41] And I wanna give you a little bit of marriage advice [20:44] right now, this is free, you don’t have to pay me [20:46] for this part, but if you are eavesdropping on your spouse, [20:51] all right, you’re tiptoeing around, you’re snooping,

[20:54] all right, you’re like playing private detective [20:56] over here and you’re like, I’m gonna catch them, [20:58] they’re deceiving me, I just know that they’re deceiving me. [21:01] Stop it, stop it, you’re like what, [21:04] oh, you want them to get away with it? [21:05] No, what I want is for you to talk to your spouse.

[21:10] Don’t stand around the corner trying to catch them, [21:13] walk in the room and say, hey, we’ve got an issue. [21:18] We’ve got something that we need to talk about. [21:22] Overcommunication is always better than undercommunication. [21:27] Communication is always the key. [21:29] The moment that you find yourself with such a barrier

[21:33] in between the two of you, that you can’t go immediately [21:36] in and have the honest and frank discussion, [21:39] that’s an issue, that’s the enemy of a healthy marriage. [21:44] You do not want to live like that, [21:47] and so what we’re bringing into this story [21:49] through just the way that Rebecca and Isaac act

[21:53] is that this is a dysfunctional family. [21:57] There are issues that need to be dealt with [21:59] with the two of them that aren’t being dealt with [22:02] and because of that, so many problems will ensue. [22:08] Jacob and Esau need a father and a mother, [22:13] and they need them to be a united front.

[22:16] That’s why fatherlessness is such a problem in our culture [22:20] because parents are going to be the barometers [22:24] of the health of any family, and your children need you. [22:29] But here’s Rebecca, she’s eavesdropping, [22:32] and when Isaac spoke to his son Esau, she hears it, [22:35] and so when Esau went to the field to hunt for game

[22:37] and bring it, Rebecca immediately went in to Isaac’s room [22:42] and had a good discussion with him. [22:44] Nope, that’s the way it should have happened. [22:48] That’s what should have gone down. [22:51] Rebecca should have gone into the room and said, [22:53] but Isaac, the Lord said,

[22:57] but Isaac, that’s not what needs to happen. [23:00] You remember what the Lord revealed to me [23:03] when they were in my womb. [23:04] Now she hatches a scheme, and unfortunately, [23:08] she influences her son Jacob to come into it.

[23:13] She tells Jacob, she said, [23:14] I heard your father speak to your brother Esau. [23:16] I said, bring me game and prepare for me delicious food [23:19] that I may eat it and bless you before the Lord [23:21] before I die. [23:22] Now therefore, my son, obey my voice as I command you.

[23:25] What a travesty that a mother would say, [23:27] obey me, don’t obey God.

[23:30] Go to the flock and bring me two good young goats [23:34] so that I may prepare from them delicious food [23:37] for your father, such as he loves, [23:38] and you shall bring it to your father to eat [23:41] so that he may bless you before he dies. [23:43] But Jacob said to Rebecca, his mother,

[23:45] behold, my brother Esau is a hairy man.

[23:50] He’s some weirdos, man. [23:51] Now I know some of y’all won’t appreciate my candor here, [23:56] and you’re like, but Steve, this is the Bible. [23:59] Esau was a freak.

[24:02] This was a movie back in the 80s, [24:03] and I’ll date myself here, [24:05] but Michael J. Fox was in this called Teen Wolf, all right? [24:09] That’s the picture that I have of Esau, all right? [24:13] You know something’s going on when your child is born, [24:16] and then a week later,

[24:17] you gotta take him to the pet groomer. [24:19] I mean, this guy had fur, all right? [24:22] This is odd. [24:24] And some of you are like, oh, it’s a good thing I shaved. [24:26] Yeah, keep shaving, it’s weird, all right? [24:29] Because Esau had some sort of anomaly going on here.

[24:33] Wow, okay. [24:35] And so Rebecca continues, it says, [24:38] go to the flock and bring me two young goats. [24:39] You shall bring it to your father to eat [24:41] so that he may bless you before he dies, Jacob says. [24:43] But Esau’s a hairy man, and I am a smooth man.

[24:46] I don’t know what that means. [24:48] I don’t think they had Gillette sensor excels back then, [24:51] so I think he also had the opposite medical condition. [24:55] He didn’t have any hair. [24:57] He says, perhaps my father will feel me, [24:59] and I shall seem to be mocking him,

[25:00] and bring a curse upon myself, and not a blessing. [25:03] His mother said to him, and here is a big key. [25:06] Let your curse be on me, my son. [25:09] Only obey my voice and go, bring them to me. [25:13] Verse 13 is one of the sadder texts in all of scripture. [25:19] Someone that had heard the voice of God,

[25:21] someone that had received a revelation of prophecy [25:24] of the future of what God would do through her children, [25:27] someone who knows the power of the Lord, [25:29] and she looks to her son and says, let the curse be on me. [25:32] But what she doesn’t understand, that when you walk [25:34] into sin, you don’t choose the consequences.

[25:38] When you walk knowingly into disobedience to God, [25:42] you do not get to choose the ramifications of your sin. [25:46] And the curse would not be on just Rebecca. [25:49] The curse would follow her two sons the rest of their lives. [25:54] And we’re tempted to look at this, [25:55] because the way that the story goes is,

[25:57] is that Jacob goes out, he gets the goats, [26:00] he cooks the stew, takes it to his father, [26:03] puts some of the goat fur onto himself, [26:06] so he’s got like this weird sleeve going on here, [26:09] tricks his father, and his father thinks that he’s Esau, [26:12] and so his father blesses him.

[26:14] And we’re like, okay, well, everything turned out. [26:15] I mean, God said Jacob was the one [26:17] that was going to be blessed. [26:19] He was the one that the nation was going to be birthed out of. [26:21] But understand that when we look at life and think, [26:24] well, everything seemed to turn out okay,

[26:26] so I guess it doesn’t matter how I got here. [26:29] We are not thinking biblically. [26:32] That is an ungodly way to think. [26:35] It takes no faith to look at life that way. [26:42] How would the story have been different [26:44] if Rebecca had simply, in honesty of heart,

[26:47] had that conversation with Isaac? [26:48] We’ll never know. [26:51] All that we will know is a father and a mother [26:53] who are not leading their children very well at all. [26:56] And we see a mother who is not seeking God’s will, [27:00] she is seeking her way.

[27:02] And there is a big difference. [27:05] You see, friends, determination to get your way [27:08] only reveals selfishness. [27:11] Notice the discord going on in this family. [27:14] Notice the turmoil. [27:15] Why is it all so wrong?

[27:18] I think the book of James actually sheds some light [27:20] in chapter four, starting in verse one, [27:22] when it says, what causes quarrels, [27:24] and what causes fights among you? [27:26] Is it not this that your passions are at war within you? [27:29] You desire and do not have, so you murder.

[27:33] You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. [27:36] You do not have because you do not ask, [27:38] and so we focus on that last part. [27:40] We’re like, oh, I don’t have what I want, [27:41] so I’ll ask God for it. [27:43] But sometimes, when you’re asking,

[27:45] you’re not gonna get because of why you’re asking. [27:49] And that’s the heart of what Rebecca is struggling with here. [27:52] She wants what she wants because Jacob is her favorite, [27:56] and even though Esau is Isaac’s favorite, [27:58] I’m gonna get the blessing for Jacob, [28:00] no matter what it takes.

[28:01] I will get my way.

[28:07] You see, verse 13 sums Rebecca’s heart up completely. [28:12] Even if it takes her away from God, it’s worth it. [28:17] She’ll just take the curse. [28:18] You see, this isn’t about God’s will. [28:21] Much of what you do probably isn’t either, [28:25] but so often you connive and you deceive.

[28:29] Sometimes you probably even deceive yourself [28:33] to think and convince others that your motivations [28:37] for the things that you do are about God’s will. [28:41] See, friend, you were not created to live life [28:47] based on what you think is best. [28:49] You were created to order your life

[28:53] around what God says is best. [28:56] The problem with Rebecca is that she is training Jacob [28:59] to believe that deception is how you go about life. [29:04] And this will greatly affect him as he goes forward. [29:08] You see, she had the opportunity to talk to Isaac. [29:11] She could have reminded him of what God said.

[29:13] She could have interceded so that God’s glory could be had, [29:17] but instead, what do we see? [29:20] Complete and total dysfunction.

[29:24] See, friend, you need to stop not obeying God [29:28] and expecting good things to come out of it. [29:32] You see, things continue to go down this path of dysfunction [29:35] because no one slows down to seek God. [29:38] There are times when we aren’t seeking God, [29:41] we aren’t worried about the integrity

[29:43] that he wants our life to have, [29:45] and we know what we should be doing and we don’t do it, [29:49] and then in all of that, we will wonder [29:52] why we aren’t experiencing God. [29:56] We may even blame God for not drawing us into his presence. [30:00] I want you to understand, you cannot do things your way

[30:04] and live the mission of God at the same time. [30:08] You cannot do things your way [30:11] and have a passionate, vibrant relationship with God [30:16] at the same time. [30:18] You cannot do things your way [30:21] and have a huge desire to be in God’s presence,

[30:25] to worship him at the exact same time. [30:28] It doesn’t work that way. [30:31] You can’t have these two pots and say, [30:33] well, everything’s okay, [30:35] but why isn’t God working in my life?

[30:40] And so often, we will obey one principle, [30:46] and we’ll say, oh, I’m doing pretty good over here. [30:49] Then in seven other areas, [30:52] we’re completely self-centered, completely irresponsible, [30:56] completely disobedient to the focus that God wants us to have, [30:59] and we will use the one thing to excuse all the other things.

[31:05] That’s not how it works. [31:07] Then we retort, what? [31:09] You can’t expect perfection. [31:12] And to that I say, well, God does. [31:15] He says multiple times in Scripture, [31:18] he says, be holy as I am holy.

[31:20] He says, be perfect as I am perfect. [31:23] You see, friends, the life of following Jesus is about growth. [31:27] It’s not about making excuses about why you deceive, [31:30] or making excuses about why you practice apathy, [31:34] about making excuses as to why you refuse to sacrifice for God, [31:38] and making excuses, so your decisions that don’t go

[31:42] to further the glory of God into the next generation.

[31:48] John 14, 21, Jesus reminds us [31:51] that if you love God, you will obey him. [31:54] You see, the key is that you will fail, [31:57] but when you fail, you admit it, and you seek to correct it, [32:02] but you don’t act like your motivations [32:05] don’t define your obedience and love.

[32:10] You see, the Gospel of Jesus Christ tells us [32:12] that God, through Jesus, forgives us of all of the sin, [32:17] forgives us of all of the dysfunction, [32:19] forgives us of all of the places [32:21] that we have sought to deceive, [32:23] all of the places that we have been corrupt, bankrupt,

[32:27] just full of deception, and he calls us to himself, [32:30] and then he says, follow me, follow me. [32:35] The life of following Jesus, [32:36] while it is one where you will stumble along the way, [32:39] while it is one that you will willfully [32:41] disobey him at times, when you realize that disobedience,

[32:44] what is your reaction? [32:46] Do you make excuses?

[32:49] Or do you say, Lord, I failed, please, again, forgive me, [32:55] and restore to me the joy of my salvation? [32:58] See, our reactions tell us a lot about ourselves. [33:02] Number three this morning, God is faithful. [33:06] God is faithful. [33:08] And his faithfulness means that we should always obey.

[33:12] So here’s the summary of the whole story. [33:15] Jacob deceives, he receives the blessing, [33:17] Esau is devastated, doesn’t receive the blessing, [33:20] and he hates his brother, and the family continues [33:23] in complete dysfunction. [33:25] But God is faithful to his plan.

[33:29] And so we kind of step back and we’re like, okay. [33:34] So is the moral of the story fatalistic? [33:38] I would say no, it’s not fatalistic at all. [33:41] You see, this family could have enjoyed God. [33:45] They could have found peace and joy in God’s will, [33:50] even in light of the turmoil of this world.

[33:53] But instead, dysfunction continued in the lives [33:56] and families of Jacob and Esau, [33:58] and God marched on in his faithfulness. [34:03] Friend, I want you to understand something about your life. [34:06] You were created to obey God and enjoy the fruits [34:10] of his faithfulness.

[34:13] You see, since God is so faithful, [34:15] since his will is rock solid, [34:19] we should rest in the comfort of obeying him, [34:23] rather than following where the whims and deceptions [34:26] of our self-centered hearts will take us. [34:30] That is what will heal your turmoil.

[34:35] Since God is faithful, I can follow him in trust [34:39] and know that he will do good in all things to his glory. [34:45] In the Old Testament, there’s a text, Jeremiah chapter 29. [34:49] Here’s what it says starting in verse 11. [34:51] The father says, he says, through the prophet Jeremiah, [34:53] I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord,

[34:56] plans for welfare and not for evil, [34:58] to give you a future and a hope. [35:00] Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, [35:03] and I will hear you. [35:05] You will seek me and find me when you seek me [35:08] with all of your heart.

[35:10] You see, all of God’s plans for me are good, [35:14] no matter what they are. [35:18] You see, Isaac had a better plan. [35:20] He thought than God had. [35:22] He didn’t believe that God’s plan [35:25] was going to be for his best.

[35:27] Rebecca had a better plan to get God’s will [35:31] than she thought God did, so she thought to deceive. [35:35] But here in Jeremiah, God says, [35:38] I know the plans I have for you, they’re good. [35:40] And so sometimes, this is kind of a coffee cup verse. [35:42] Some people are like, oh, this is my life verse,

[35:44] and so we’ll misinterpret what it means, [35:46] and we’ll be like, we’ll apply it to our lives [35:48] and say, oh, God has good plans for me. [35:50] All of my wildest dreams will come true, [35:52] and everything that I want to happen [35:54] will go exactly the way that I want it to happen.

[35:56] Everything that I want, I will get. [35:59] God will just deliver them, [36:00] and I’ll be on easy street the rest of my life. [36:01] Why? [36:02] Jeremiah 29, 11. [36:04] Let me break down the context

[36:05] of what’s actually going on in Jeremiah 29, 11. [36:09] God is preparing the nation of Israel [36:11] to be overrun by a wicked kingdom, the Babylonians, [36:14] and they will actually be taken out of their land [36:16] and be taken to Babylon, [36:18] and they will be oppressed

[36:19] for decades and decades and decades. [36:22] And while under that oppression, [36:24] God’s going to tell them, hey, [36:25] while I’ve got you over here, [36:27] and you’re all uncomfortable, and you’re all miserable, [36:29] I actually want you to live in such a way

[36:31] to bless the Babylonian oppressors [36:34] so that they will know that I am a good God.

[36:39] I don’t think that’s what any of the Israelites [36:41] would have chosen. [36:43] You know, that sounds great, fantastic. [36:45] I’ll put the shutters up now.

[36:49] No, no. [36:52] Jeremiah 29, 11 through 13 is God telling them, [36:56] even when you’re not necessarily enjoying [36:59] the circumstances of my will, [37:01] even when you’re not necessarily enjoying [37:03] the direction of my will,

[37:05] I want you to know that I have a reason [37:09] for every single thing that I am bringing into your life, [37:12] and you can trust that it is ultimately good, [37:17] and even while the circumstances may be painful, [37:20] you can have the joy of knowing that the glory of God, [37:25] which is always good for you,

[37:30] is happening all around you. [37:34] All of God’s plans are good, [37:39] even when I don’t understand. [37:41] You see, friends, you need to live [37:45] and teach trust in God rather than trust in yourself.

[37:51] Parents, if you want your kids to trust God, [37:55] stop teaching them the opposite by the way that you live. [37:59] Don’t just say, trust God. [38:01] That’s an easy thing to do. [38:04] Actually teach them how to trust God [38:06] rather than themselves,

[38:08] and to do that, you probably need to make drastic changes [38:12] to the way that you live, [38:13] and you have the opportunity to teach everyone around you [38:17] to follow God in all things. [38:20] My fear, though, is that many of you will choose [38:23] to teach to follow God in some things

[38:26] and do whatever you want when it really matters. [38:31] The outcome of that is typically [38:32] that when things aren’t going well [38:34] and you don’t really know how to seek God, [38:37] you will blame him for your troubles. [38:41] You see, friend, look in the mirror.

[38:43] That’s who’s causing the majority of your personal problems. [38:49] Ultimately, you must understand that God’s faithfulness [38:52] means obedience is always the best idea. [38:56] I can’t say this enough. [39:00] Always, always, always obey God. [39:05] Then, when you fail, trust the gospel of Jesus

[39:10] and his forgiveness, and then obey God more. [39:16] See, don’t fall into the trap of obeying him in some things [39:19] to excuse your arrogance in other areas. [39:22] Don’t fall into the trap of thinking [39:23] that since things seemed to have turned out okay, [39:26] it excuses your sinfulness.

[39:29] You see, God is faithful, [39:31] and he calls us to be faithful to him [39:33] because that’s the best place that you can ever be in. [39:39] His faithfulness went to the cross. [39:42] Therefore, he has brought me in, forgiven me completely, [39:46] and said, follow me.

[39:49] Friend, I ask you, and I tell you, [39:52] let’s follow him completely. [39:57] As the band comes up, [40:00] so often when we’re reading these Old Testament narratives [40:03] and we see the actions and the activities of people [40:07] like Isaac and Rebecca, we’re kind of struck to our hearts,

[40:11] and that’s a good thing. [40:13] It’s a good thing because I read this story, [40:16] and just as a father, I can see myself [40:20] making disobedient choices too. [40:23] I can understand why you would want to work [40:26] and be so determined to get your way

[40:28] because you think your way is the best way. [40:32] Friend, I want to tell you all today [40:34] that God’s way is the best way. [40:38] There are so many times where I push [40:40] and try to just get what I want, [40:42] and I have to remind myself through the word of God

[40:45] every single day, Steve, follow God. [40:49] Follow yourself. [40:51] There are some of you in here this morning, [40:53] and I think maybe you’re in a place, [40:55] you’re saying, I want to obey God. [40:57] When you talk about dysfunction and turmoil,

[41:00] I know what you’re talking about. [41:01] I’ve got plenty of that in my life. [41:04] I want to obey God. [41:05] Can somebody tell me how? [41:06] And I can tell you, the first step in obeying God [41:09] is called to faith.

[41:12] See, you can’t follow God until you’ve trusted [41:15] in his plan of salvation. [41:17] You see, God knows our sinfulness. [41:19] He knows that when we read the record, [41:21] we’re struck by how sinful we are [41:23] in light of how sinful the people of Scripture are,

[41:26] and because of that, God sent his son, [41:29] Jesus Christ, to this earth, [41:31] and he lived a perfect life. [41:33] It’s hard to imagine anyone doing that, [41:36] but Jesus Christ did it, [41:37] and the reason that he was perfect

[41:39] is because when he went to the cross, [41:42] he didn’t have any of his own sin to die for [41:44] so that he could substitute himself for you. [41:47] See, he took the penalty of your sin and my sin [41:51] onto himself, and when he died, [41:54] he died so that he could forgive me in a just way.

[41:59] He died so that he could forgive you. [42:03] And what he says your response needs to be is to trust. [42:07] To trust in him with your entire life [42:09] and say, I know that I’ve sinned, [42:11] but I also know that Jesus, well, he died for my sin, [42:15] and he’ll forgive you completely.

[42:18] And then he looks at you, just like he looks at all of us, [42:22] and he says, I’ve forgiven you. [42:23] Now follow me. [42:26] Follow me, trust me in your actual life. [42:30] And when we stumble and when we disobey, [42:35] he looks to us and he says, I forgive you.

[42:38] I’ll never leave you. [42:39] I’ll never forsake you. [42:41] Come on, keep following. [42:44] Friend, if that’s you, [42:45] I’m gonna ask you to do something for me. [42:47] In just a moment, when we reflect on communion,

[42:49] I’m gonna ask you not to eat and drink of communion, [42:52] but instead I’m gonna ask you to walk out into the foyer [42:54] where someone can pray for you, [42:56] someone can pray with you, [42:58] someone can answer any questions that you might have [43:00] so that we can help you understand

[43:02] what salvation in Jesus Christ is all about. [43:06] For those of you in here that are believers, [43:08] you’ve trusted in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. [43:12] On these tables around this room, [43:14] on the plate is the bread that represents [43:17] the broken body of Christ,

[43:18] on the cups is juice which represents [43:22] the shed blood of Jesus Christ. [43:25] On a day like today, I love the significance of this meal [43:28] that God calls us to share, [43:31] because some of you are in a place right now [43:32] where you’re like, I am trusting.

[43:34] My faith is stronger than it’s ever been, [43:37] and some of you are in here and you limped in. [43:40] You said, I’m struggling. [43:42] I’m struggling to trust. [43:44] I’m struggling to believe, but I still believe. [43:48] God says, come, eat, drink.

[43:53] Be reminded that God has taken down [43:56] all of the barriers to you trusting, [43:59] all of the barriers to you believing. [44:01] When you eat and drink, [44:03] you proclaim the life of Christ is in me. [44:07] And then when you walk away from this table,

[44:09] hear the voice of God calling you, saying, follow me. [44:15] And then follow him into the world around you. [44:17] When you’re ready, come.