Genesis 25:19-34 How...
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Object:
Genesis 25:19-34
How can there possibly exist such things as a covenant, and "God's chosen people," when a con artist like Jacob can push his way to the front of the line?
The answer, for the people of Israel -- and for us -- is that God's covenant triumphs anyway. It's kind of like the prophet Elijah on Mount Carmel. Elijah's having a contest with the prophets of Baal to see who can call fire down from heaven. Elijah douses his woodpile with water and digs a trench around it, so the whole campfire is sitting in a huge puddle. It is only then that Elijah calls fire down from heaven: demonstrating that God can triumph over any obstacle!
The whole story of Jacob, which runs for many chapters in the book of Genesis, is one long illustration of the fact that nothing, but nothing can stop God's plan -- not even a shifty shyster like Jacob!
Genesis 25:19-34
That was a costly bowl of stew that Esau purchased from his brother, Jacob, when he came home from hunting, famished, and the whole place was filled with the tantalizing, irresistible aroma of a thick, tasty stew.
Esau willingly gave up his inheritance for a few moments of pleasure.
What a dumb thing to do, we say. Yet maybe you and I have pushed aside our inheritance as our Lord's children in order to enjoy something that we thought we had to have.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German pastor who was martyred by the Nazis during World War II, urges us that when such temptation comes upon us we should not rely on our own strength but immediately flee to our Lord for help. He quotes 2 Peter 2:9: "The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trial."
(From Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Temptation [New York: Macmillan, 1959, p. 128)
Genesis 25:19-34
It was a family reunion of sorts, at the local nursing home where Barbara is a resident. The occasion was to photograph five generations. Barbara is 93; her son, Bill, is 70; his daughter, Sarah, is 49; Sarah's daughter, Anita, is 24; and Anita's baby, Todd, is two- months-old. As they posed for the picture the baby was handed to Barbara. She held the baby in her frail hands as other family members stood around them. It was a priceless moment.
Barbara began talking to the baby and other family members about her life experiences. She spoke of her family and what it was like growing up. She told of all the progress and changes she has seen in her lifetime. Holding Todd she could not even imagine what her great-great grandson would see and experience in his lifetime. Tears welled up in her eyes as she continued speaking. Sarah said she wished she had her video camera with her to record her grandmother's reminiscing. Barbara told of walking to church as a young girl and how her faith guided her entire life. It was a wonderful afternoon at the nursing home. Several weeks later the picture appeared in the local newspaper.
Sarah was so moved by the experience that she began writing down their family history; she would visit her grandmother to hear more stories from her life as well as ask about her parents, which would be her great-grandparents whom she never met. Then she talked with her dad and finally reflected on her own experience. She was not sure anyone would be interested in her research but it gave her a greater sense of identity.
Rebekah would have twins. Like any other expectant mother she wondered what her children would be like. We give thanks to God for our families.
Genesis 25:19-34
In an article for The Journal for Youth and Adolescence (vol. 36, 2007, pp. 661- 671) Ron Scholte reports his findings after studying 416 sibling pairs. He found that when younger boys perceived that they were treated less favorably by their mothers than their older sibling, they were most likely to show high levels of vandalism and violence. The study also showed that younger girls who felt treated less favorably than their older sibling, were most likely to show high levels of theft.
Isaac and Rebekah displayed their favoritism openly, with the result that Jacob and Esau deceived one another and were estranged from each other for many years.
Romans 8:1-11
A suicide in London became famous. The man was John Ellis, who for a quarter century executed some of Britain's most notorious criminals. Ellis quit the executioner business in 1926, stating he was repulsed by his former profession, mainly because of the horror he experienced while hanging a woman, Mrs. Edith Thompson, who was guilty of murdering her husband. In 1932, Ellis committed suicide.
He's remembered because of the strain upon him of obeying the law. He did what was lawful, yet, the law is negative. The law, to some degree, restrains people from evil but doesn't inspire people to good. Even those who must enforce the law can be negatively affected by the law: Note the high percentage of police suicides.
Writing about Christ, Paul states, "What the law, weakened by the flesh could not do." The law can protect us a little. It cannot save us.
Romans 8:1-11
Though few people give much daily thought to it, the judgment will be a fearsome encounter with the Lord. On that day, every person will have to give an accounting of the deeds done in the body.
We'll be responsible for a lifetime of choices. Every unkind word, every lustful thought, and every evil deed is recorded. Think of what it will be like to have all of your secrets revealed. There'll be embarrassment aplenty.
Wouldn't it be wonderful to stand before the Lord in the judgment and to have him say, "I find no basis for condemning you"? To have him say, "Welcome"? No one has lived a sin-free life. All of us have done foolish things. But if we are in Christ and attempting to please him, all of our failures will be covered by him. The record is expunged. There is "no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."
Romans 8:1-11
In Romans 8, the word "spirit" is used twenty times. It speaks of power. The Hebrew word for "spirit" is ruach or wind. And just as wind has unusual power, the power of the Spirit could transform and bring an unusual power to God's work and message. Pentecost forever stands out as the time of the indwelling presence and power of the Holy Spirit. We are reminded of this in Acts 2 when the Holy Spirit comes as the sound of a rushing wind. The still, small voice of 1 Kings is helpful:
And he said, "Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by." Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake and after the earthquake there was a fire but the Lord was not in the fire and after the fire a sound of sheer silence.
-- 1 Kings 19:11-12
Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
In chapter 18 of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain provides an example of some preaching whose seeds fell on rather rocky ground:
Next Sunday we all went to church, about three mile, everybody a-horseback. The men took their guns along, so did Buck, and kept them between their knees or stood them handy against the wall. The Shepherdsons done the same. It was pretty ornery preaching -- all about brotherly love, and such-like tiresomeness; but everybody said it was a good sermon, and they all talked it over going home, and had such a powerful lot to say about faith and good works and free grace and preforeordestination, and I don't know what all, that it did seem to me to be one of the roughest Sundays I had run across yet.
Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
We all know the parable of the seeds that fell on the various types of soil -- and we, of course, assume (or at least hope) that we're the good soil.
There's an old saying (or there should be): "You won't see much grass growing on the Interstate." Certainly not -- not on such a busy highway.
How about another saying: "Even rock gardens can't grow their plants on just rocks; they need soil."
And another: "Don't try to plant petunias in the midst of a patch of thorns and thistles."
The question is: What are you and I doing to make sure that we're the kind of soil that our relationship with our Lord can grow in?
Do we need to slow down the traffic a bit to make time in our lives for our Lord?
Do we need to clean out the rocks and thistles -- the things that take up too much space in our daily lives?
We can ask our Lord to help us be better soil.
Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
Anthony Flew was born in England, the son of a Methodist preacher. He was raised in a Christian home and attended a Christian school. As an adult, he abandoned the faith he was raised with claming to be an atheist. Over the course of his distinguished career as a professor, he wrote over thirty books on the subject of philosophy. With such a reputation Dr. Flew became known as the world's preeminent defender of atheism for over fifty years.
Then an amazing thing happened, Anthony, now in his eighties, left atheism and accepted the existence of God. His journey to faith came by reason, by asking questions as well as scientific inquiry. One of the world's leading atheists now believes in God.
Some might claim that he returned to his early roots which Anthony would agree. "I do know that the beliefs I formed in my early teenage years stayed with me for most of my adult life," he explains.
It may take some people longer than others to come to faith, we do all we can to cultivate growth. Jesus instructs us to cast our seeds, knowing that not all will bring forth results, but some will. "Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."
Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
On Greg's farm, his land varies greatly from one field to another, and even within a given field. One piece of land in particular illustrates this parable. The field starts in a low spot, beside a prairie slough. It then rises sharply up a hill, then falls away until it comes up alongside of an alkaline lake. The crops sown on this field vary greatly in yield. On the end that abuts the fresh water slough, the crops are usually heavy producing very high yields. The yield falls as the land climbs the hill, with the hilltop usually yielding only sparse crops. Then down by the alkaline lake the land is such heavy clay that only in very wet years does it yield anything at all -- and that only if Greg can get any machinery on it before it dries up.
Jesus' farmer seems to have land that varied greatly, too.
How can there possibly exist such things as a covenant, and "God's chosen people," when a con artist like Jacob can push his way to the front of the line?
The answer, for the people of Israel -- and for us -- is that God's covenant triumphs anyway. It's kind of like the prophet Elijah on Mount Carmel. Elijah's having a contest with the prophets of Baal to see who can call fire down from heaven. Elijah douses his woodpile with water and digs a trench around it, so the whole campfire is sitting in a huge puddle. It is only then that Elijah calls fire down from heaven: demonstrating that God can triumph over any obstacle!
The whole story of Jacob, which runs for many chapters in the book of Genesis, is one long illustration of the fact that nothing, but nothing can stop God's plan -- not even a shifty shyster like Jacob!
Genesis 25:19-34
That was a costly bowl of stew that Esau purchased from his brother, Jacob, when he came home from hunting, famished, and the whole place was filled with the tantalizing, irresistible aroma of a thick, tasty stew.
Esau willingly gave up his inheritance for a few moments of pleasure.
What a dumb thing to do, we say. Yet maybe you and I have pushed aside our inheritance as our Lord's children in order to enjoy something that we thought we had to have.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German pastor who was martyred by the Nazis during World War II, urges us that when such temptation comes upon us we should not rely on our own strength but immediately flee to our Lord for help. He quotes 2 Peter 2:9: "The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trial."
(From Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Temptation [New York: Macmillan, 1959, p. 128)
Genesis 25:19-34
It was a family reunion of sorts, at the local nursing home where Barbara is a resident. The occasion was to photograph five generations. Barbara is 93; her son, Bill, is 70; his daughter, Sarah, is 49; Sarah's daughter, Anita, is 24; and Anita's baby, Todd, is two- months-old. As they posed for the picture the baby was handed to Barbara. She held the baby in her frail hands as other family members stood around them. It was a priceless moment.
Barbara began talking to the baby and other family members about her life experiences. She spoke of her family and what it was like growing up. She told of all the progress and changes she has seen in her lifetime. Holding Todd she could not even imagine what her great-great grandson would see and experience in his lifetime. Tears welled up in her eyes as she continued speaking. Sarah said she wished she had her video camera with her to record her grandmother's reminiscing. Barbara told of walking to church as a young girl and how her faith guided her entire life. It was a wonderful afternoon at the nursing home. Several weeks later the picture appeared in the local newspaper.
Sarah was so moved by the experience that she began writing down their family history; she would visit her grandmother to hear more stories from her life as well as ask about her parents, which would be her great-grandparents whom she never met. Then she talked with her dad and finally reflected on her own experience. She was not sure anyone would be interested in her research but it gave her a greater sense of identity.
Rebekah would have twins. Like any other expectant mother she wondered what her children would be like. We give thanks to God for our families.
Genesis 25:19-34
In an article for The Journal for Youth and Adolescence (vol. 36, 2007, pp. 661- 671) Ron Scholte reports his findings after studying 416 sibling pairs. He found that when younger boys perceived that they were treated less favorably by their mothers than their older sibling, they were most likely to show high levels of vandalism and violence. The study also showed that younger girls who felt treated less favorably than their older sibling, were most likely to show high levels of theft.
Isaac and Rebekah displayed their favoritism openly, with the result that Jacob and Esau deceived one another and were estranged from each other for many years.
Romans 8:1-11
A suicide in London became famous. The man was John Ellis, who for a quarter century executed some of Britain's most notorious criminals. Ellis quit the executioner business in 1926, stating he was repulsed by his former profession, mainly because of the horror he experienced while hanging a woman, Mrs. Edith Thompson, who was guilty of murdering her husband. In 1932, Ellis committed suicide.
He's remembered because of the strain upon him of obeying the law. He did what was lawful, yet, the law is negative. The law, to some degree, restrains people from evil but doesn't inspire people to good. Even those who must enforce the law can be negatively affected by the law: Note the high percentage of police suicides.
Writing about Christ, Paul states, "What the law, weakened by the flesh could not do." The law can protect us a little. It cannot save us.
Romans 8:1-11
Though few people give much daily thought to it, the judgment will be a fearsome encounter with the Lord. On that day, every person will have to give an accounting of the deeds done in the body.
We'll be responsible for a lifetime of choices. Every unkind word, every lustful thought, and every evil deed is recorded. Think of what it will be like to have all of your secrets revealed. There'll be embarrassment aplenty.
Wouldn't it be wonderful to stand before the Lord in the judgment and to have him say, "I find no basis for condemning you"? To have him say, "Welcome"? No one has lived a sin-free life. All of us have done foolish things. But if we are in Christ and attempting to please him, all of our failures will be covered by him. The record is expunged. There is "no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."
Romans 8:1-11
In Romans 8, the word "spirit" is used twenty times. It speaks of power. The Hebrew word for "spirit" is ruach or wind. And just as wind has unusual power, the power of the Spirit could transform and bring an unusual power to God's work and message. Pentecost forever stands out as the time of the indwelling presence and power of the Holy Spirit. We are reminded of this in Acts 2 when the Holy Spirit comes as the sound of a rushing wind. The still, small voice of 1 Kings is helpful:
And he said, "Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by." Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake and after the earthquake there was a fire but the Lord was not in the fire and after the fire a sound of sheer silence.
-- 1 Kings 19:11-12
Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
In chapter 18 of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain provides an example of some preaching whose seeds fell on rather rocky ground:
Next Sunday we all went to church, about three mile, everybody a-horseback. The men took their guns along, so did Buck, and kept them between their knees or stood them handy against the wall. The Shepherdsons done the same. It was pretty ornery preaching -- all about brotherly love, and such-like tiresomeness; but everybody said it was a good sermon, and they all talked it over going home, and had such a powerful lot to say about faith and good works and free grace and preforeordestination, and I don't know what all, that it did seem to me to be one of the roughest Sundays I had run across yet.
Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
We all know the parable of the seeds that fell on the various types of soil -- and we, of course, assume (or at least hope) that we're the good soil.
There's an old saying (or there should be): "You won't see much grass growing on the Interstate." Certainly not -- not on such a busy highway.
How about another saying: "Even rock gardens can't grow their plants on just rocks; they need soil."
And another: "Don't try to plant petunias in the midst of a patch of thorns and thistles."
The question is: What are you and I doing to make sure that we're the kind of soil that our relationship with our Lord can grow in?
Do we need to slow down the traffic a bit to make time in our lives for our Lord?
Do we need to clean out the rocks and thistles -- the things that take up too much space in our daily lives?
We can ask our Lord to help us be better soil.
Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
Anthony Flew was born in England, the son of a Methodist preacher. He was raised in a Christian home and attended a Christian school. As an adult, he abandoned the faith he was raised with claming to be an atheist. Over the course of his distinguished career as a professor, he wrote over thirty books on the subject of philosophy. With such a reputation Dr. Flew became known as the world's preeminent defender of atheism for over fifty years.
Then an amazing thing happened, Anthony, now in his eighties, left atheism and accepted the existence of God. His journey to faith came by reason, by asking questions as well as scientific inquiry. One of the world's leading atheists now believes in God.
Some might claim that he returned to his early roots which Anthony would agree. "I do know that the beliefs I formed in my early teenage years stayed with me for most of my adult life," he explains.
It may take some people longer than others to come to faith, we do all we can to cultivate growth. Jesus instructs us to cast our seeds, knowing that not all will bring forth results, but some will. "Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."
Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
On Greg's farm, his land varies greatly from one field to another, and even within a given field. One piece of land in particular illustrates this parable. The field starts in a low spot, beside a prairie slough. It then rises sharply up a hill, then falls away until it comes up alongside of an alkaline lake. The crops sown on this field vary greatly in yield. On the end that abuts the fresh water slough, the crops are usually heavy producing very high yields. The yield falls as the land climbs the hill, with the hilltop usually yielding only sparse crops. Then down by the alkaline lake the land is such heavy clay that only in very wet years does it yield anything at all -- and that only if Greg can get any machinery on it before it dries up.
Jesus' farmer seems to have land that varied greatly, too.
