ESAU (GEN. 27-34)

1) Some of you may have already read the new Christian Courier that was made available this morning.

2) Whether or not you have seen what is on the table I want to read part of what Wayne Jackson wrote.

3) Brother Jackson describes a little about his family life:

A) Read the courier article.

B) Similar comments have been made by many others.

C) When parents have two or more children they too wonder if there was not a mix-up at the hospital.

D) Quite often children from the same family are radically different.

E) This should not surprise us because this truth is found in God’s Word.

4) IN THE SCRIPTURE THAT WAS READ WE WERE INTRODUCED TO A FAMILY WHERE THE CHILDREN WERE DRASTICALLY DIFFERENT FROM EACH OTHER.

A) In tonight’s lesson I want to concentrate on only one of the sons (Esau).

B) There is, of course, information about Esau in the Old Testament.

C) However, The New Testament also records some information about this son.

D) The Hebrew writer had some things to say about Esau in Heb. 12.

E) What the Hebrew writer had to say was not favorable.

F) If you have turned to Heb. 12 let’s look at v. 16

G) Esau is described in several ways:

a) He was a fornicator and he was profane.

b) He was also willing to sell his birthright for some food.

c)To fully grasp what Esau did we need a little background information about birthrights.

d) The birthright was something that was normally given to the oldest son.

e) The one who had the birthright received a double portion of the inheritance.

f) If a family had 2 sons, the one with the birthright would get 2/3 and the other son 1/3.

g) The difference between the two sons in the inheritance was often substantial.

h) If in our time parents have an estate of $90,000 (and that is not a lot for an estate),

i) One son would get $30,000 less. That’s a large reduction.

H) In addition to the money, the birthright gave the son the right to become head of the family.

I) This headship allowed to the son to have authority over family members.

J) There was also the spiritual aspect to the birthright.

K) The son possessing the birthright had a close and special relationship with God.

L) For a time Esau had all of these rights and privileges.

M) However, according to Gen. 25 and Heb. 12 Esau sold all of his rights.

N) He was hungry and he wanted some food. Esau’s brother (Jacob) was fixing some food.

O) Esau felt like he had to have this food; the word “faint” is used in Gen. 25.

P) Jacob was willing to feed his brother but the meal wasn’t going to be free.

Q) Jacob said that the food would be given if Esau gave his brother the birthright.

R) According to Gen. 25:32-33 Esau accepted Jacob’s offer.

S) It may be difficult to understand why Esau would have made this kind of trade.

a) The birthright was a treasured privilege.

b) If it were lost the chance of gaining it back was slim to none.

c)Most would give at least a little thought to the future and one’s inheritance. Not Esau.

d) All this man could see was the pleasure of the moment and the instant gratification of food.

e) Esau had the attitude described in Isa. 22:13

T) The outlook on life that Esau had is still in our world.

U) We see people doing unwise things for momentary pleasure or satisfaction.

V) This type of behavior is especially prominent among teenagers.

W) Adults are guilty as well, but youth are especially susceptible.

a) Some of the violence in this country may be attributed to temporary pleasure.

b) A person concludes that they have not been treated fairly; someone has been mean to them.

c)It is believed that revenge would make the injured feelings better.

d) At least there will be temporary satisfaction from shooting, stabbing or beating someone.

e) The violence continues.

X) There are those who are addicted to a substance.

a) They know that one more DWI will result in a prison sentence.

b) Or one more incident will break up their family or cost them their job.

c)The pleasure from the bottle is so strong that they continue to drink.

d) The consequences from this decisions are pushed aside for the pleasure of the moment.

e) A young man says to a young women; “I love you; let’s go to a motel.”

f) The pleasure of the moment results in a pregnancy at 15, 16, maybe 17-18.

g) Others find that they become carriers of an infectious disease.

Y) A common outlook on life is, live as you want today and don’t give consideration to tomorrow.

Z) That attitude has been around for a long time. This is how Esau viewed his hungry stomach.

AA) The son had to learn hard lesson.

BB)A lot of people have had to learn the very same lesson that Esau learned.

a) Esau received instant gratification. The food must have tasted very good.

b) However, what was the price that he paid?

c)He lost out on one of the most valuable possessions available to him.

d) At a later time Esau fully realized what he had done.

e) Just like a drug addict or an alcoholic finally sees the light when they go to prison,

f) So Esau had a wake up call.

g) Let look at Heb. 12:17.

(1) Do you see the word diligently?

(2) Thayer says this words means “to seek out for one’s self, beg, crave.”

(3) Esau desperately wanted to get his birthright back.

(4) The Hebrew writer even adds that he shed tears.

(5) The picture is that of a man who is begging and pleading with earnest petitions.

(6) He must have been willing to say or do anything to get his birthright back.

(7) Have we ever seen a person who begged with all their might?

(a) Imagine someone down on their knees.

(b) They are sobbing. Their face reflects intense anguish.

(d) You are the only one who take care of this.

(e) I beg you to help me. This person asks, and asks, and asks. They relentlessly beg.

(f) This is what Esau did.

(g) Though he must have pleaded with all his might, he couldn’t retrieve w/had been lost

5) Is there not a lesson in Esau’s error for our day and time?

A) Are there not things that we can lose and never regain? Yes.

B) Some here have never used illegal drugs, drank, gambled, or smoked.

C) Those who have never tried these things are in a state of ignorance.

a) That is there is no actual experience with these things.

D) If we cross the line and try any of the things that I just mentioned,

E) We cannot return to a state of ignorance. We cannot undo these experiences.

F) Have we ever met a young person who became sexually active before marriage…
Who said, “I wish I would have waited”? I have. I have had that statement more than once

(1) The loss of virginity is permanent. It cannot be regained.

(2) Many things in our world, if lost, cannot be regained.

(3) Parents have one chance at training their children.

(4) When a child reaches adulthood the opportunity to train the child is gone.

(5) No matter how hard some try, that opportunity will never again exist.

(6) If we refused to impart proper moral and religious instruction to our offspring,

(7) We do not get a second chance at the formative years.

G) We may make a similar point about our judicial system.

H) Some young people have reasoned, “I can do whatever I want. I don’t care about any record

(1) Years later that thoughtless attitude becomes a problem.

(2) Many have wanted to erase a permanent record and undo the past.

(3) We all start out with a good record; that good record with the law can be lost.

6) If anyone here has never gambled, chewed tobacco, drank alcohol, tried illegal drugs, etc. don’t try it If you do you will lose your innocence concerning these things. That loss cannot be regained.

7) You can regret what you have done; you can be forgiven of sin; you may do it once & never again

8) However, once some things are lost it is impossible for them to be regained.

9) For Esau and thousands of others this has been a tragic and painful lesson to learn.

10) BOTH THE YOUNG AND THE OLD NEED TO BE MINDFUL OF LOSING THINGS THAT CANNOT BE REGAINED. IF THERE ARE THINGS IN OUR LIFE THAT WE KNOW WE HAVE NOT LOST—THINGS LIKE I HAVE MENTIONED TONIGHT—DO NOT LOSE THEM.

A) Esau tells me and you that doing so will bring terrible pain and agony into our lives.

B) Perhaps some in this assembly are thinking, “It’s too late for me.”

C) There are things I wish I would not have lost, but they are gone.

D) I have lost my ignorance about sins in the world.

E) I have lost a good record or something else. What do I do?

F) I find two choices in the book of Genesis.

G) Esau lost his birthright and he continued to make foolish choices.

H) One of his choices is found in Gen. 27:41

I) Esau deepened his problems by engaging in hate.

J) His hate was so intense that he planned to kill his brother.

K) The next chapter (Gen. 28) shows that Esau went even further.

L) Esau knew that something would make his parents very, very unhappy (v. 8)

M) Esau married a woman that his parents didn’t approve of.

N) Esau could have lost the birthright, been sad about it, and move on. He didn’t.

O) We still find many who live just like Esau. They make bad choices & continue in that way

P) Things do not need to be this way.

Q) Do we remember the Corinthians? The Corinthians had lost their innocence.

R) 1 Cor. 6 shows that they had been exposed to all kinds of filth and sin.

S) Yet, these people decided to leave that type of life for Jesus Christ.

T) The Corinthians decided to become Christians.

U) In the 11^th verse of 1 Cor. 6 Paul said, and such were some of you.

V) These people had lost their purity and wholesomeness.

W) They made some bad choices in their lives. Paul wrote to them and said there is good news

X) While they could not actually undo what they had done, they could find forgiveness.

Y) They could stand justified, cleansed, and redeemed in the sight of God.

Z) Those who are here but still innocent concerning many things that the Bible condemns,

AA) Go home thinking about Esau.

BB)A man gave up something he could never get back and this decision caused to cry & cry.

CC) Save yourself from a similar experience.

DD) For those who have lost something that cannot be regained, go home thinking about 1 Cor. 6

EE)Though you cannot undo the past, through Christ you can reconcile it in your mind & life.

FF) You can know that you have been forgiven and thus you may forgive yourself.

11) CONCLUSION

12) Eternity will surely be filled with lost people who have regrets.

13) If only life could be lived over again. If only I could have the chance to decide again.

14) Some decisions are only made once. Once made they cannot be undone.

15) One of the most important decisions we will ever make is the choice to become a Christian.

16) If we die outside of Christ the choice we make cannot be undone.

17) If we die in Christ our choice cannot be undone. This is the choice that we hope you want to make