Sermon Nuggets Mon Sept 10
Verses: Gen 28:1-22
Choices and Decisions
Every day
in our lives we are confronted with many choices and decisions. We are asked as
a nation to elect a new president, as well as other government officials. We
are asked to chose something as important as a mate for life and as simple as
if we want paper or plastic at the grocery store; choices of a job, or home as
well as what to wear.
I was told
a story many years ago of twin brothers who went into the army. They were very
different as one arose high in the ranks to become a general. The other never
made it out of perpetual KP. The stresses of life followed them and they had
nervous breakdowns and met again in a psych ward. The younger asked the older
why he was there. He said life as a General has many decisions. “Decisions,
decisions, decisions. I never knew how to decide. How about you?”
“ Same thing. My sergeant asked me
to peal the potatoes and put them in three piles, small medium and large.
Decisions, decisions, decisions.”
There is a book out called don’t
sweat the small stuff. Someone added,
Everything is small stuff. Perhaps an eternal perspective helps us understand
that sometimes we major in the minors and minor in the majors.
As we looking at the choices and
decisions made and implied in this passage we see a very different direction
for Esau than Jacob, though we acknowledge both are sinners and fall short of
the glory of God. Judas and Peter were the same way you know. Both fell short
of the glory of God. But they handled their sins in different ways. One through
repentance and the other through remorse. One
through coming to Christ for forgiveness and the other taking matters
into his own hands to pay for his own sins.
What decisions are you facing this
week? Are you open to God’s leading? How might He best guide you? Do you really
want His best even if you do not know how to decide?
We are often faced in life with
many choices and decisions. What are the principles that help guide us? Prayer, Scripture, advice, and peace of heart
are all part of that. I see some contrasts that motivate the lives of Esau and
Jacob in their choices.
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Tues Sept 11
Gen 28:1-9 So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him and
commanded him: “Do not marry a Canaanite woman. 2 Go
at once to Paddan Aram, to the house of your mother’s father
Bethuel. Take a wife for yourself there, from among the daughters of
Laban, your mother’s brother. 3 May God
Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and increase your
numbers until you become a community of peoples. 4 May
he give you and your descendants the blessing given to Abraham, so that
you may take possession of the landwhere you now live as an alien, the
land God gave to Abraham.” 5 Then Isaac sent Jacob
on his way, and he went to Paddan Aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the
Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, who was the mother of Jacob and
Esau.
6 Now Esau learned that Isaac had
blessed Jacob and had sent him to Paddan Aram to take a wife from there, and
that when he blessed him he commanded him, “Do not marry a Canaanite
woman,” 7 and that Jacob had obeyed his father and
mother and had gone to Paddan Aram. 8 Esau then
realized how displeasing the Canaanite women were to his father
Isaac; 9 so he went to Ishmael and married
Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Ishmael son of Abraham,
in addition to the wives he already had.
Pleasure or Purity
There is nothing wrong with
pleasures, and may I add there is nothing wrong with purity. But given the two
options most in our culture would choose pleasure over purity. Pleasure crosses
the line when it is sin or it hurts other people. Pleasure is self centered; purity
is God centered. But when we are God centered we find a pleasure that is longer
lasting and deeper than the pleasures offered in this world.
Our society
says the pleasure is the greatest goal in our life. Whether it is drinking
beer, having sex, feasting on pornography, involved in gluttony. Whether it is
passing on gossip, or over indulging in sports or hobbies.
As we look at the passage now,
Isaac agrees with his wife Rebekah that it is God’s will that Jacob marry, have children
and be the ancestor of the promised line blessed of God. He changes his
attitude toward Jacob now when he realizes he was wrong in trying to do God’s
will his own way.
There was no question that when
Isaac was to find a wife she was the bride of God’s choosing. Abraham directed
his servant to go to his relatives Haran and the Lord directed his father’s
servant. They looked in the right place for the right reasons and sought Gods
direction and the Lord provided the right spouse.
Now you might think, since this was
a marriage made in heaven that they wouldn’t have any conflicts. Just like Christian
couples who pray and sense clearly Gods’ direction for them to marry for all
the right reasons and find to their surprise their spouse isn’t perfect.
Neither were Isaac and Rebekah. We saw they had conflicts mostly over their
children and showing favoritism. Married couples will face times of adjustment
and conflict. Part of the commitment in marriage is the faith to trust God they will be worked out, or grace to live
with them.
So Jacob obeyed and sought God’s will
and his parents blessing by leaving for the land of his ancestors for a wife.
Esau was
not concerned about God’s will for his life in finding a spouse. He knew about
the teachings of his grandfather, since Esau and Jacob were 14 years old when Grandpa
Abraham died. He knew about the example and teachings and stories of his father.
But the pleasure of a good time were
more important than spiritual concerns or seeking to live a godly life. He was
looking for pleasure. The women that satisfied him and his desires motivated
him to marry two Hittite women which met with the disapproval of his parents.
Now remember, as we said before in another sermon, it was not the race as much as the false
faith of the people that is the Biblical objection as we see many exceptions to
the racial issues.
Many people live for pleasure only
to find they compromise their purity. We too often find that happiness defined
by our culture is pretty shallow and not fulfilling. Jacob is willing to wait
for the right woman rather than meeting his fleshly desires and making choices
that aren’t God’s best. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that just because it
is fun doesn’t mean its right and just because it is right doesn’t mean it
isn’t fun.
I have been surprised often of
people thinking all Christians do is sit home read the Bible, looking for
reasons to criticize others, and look for ways to squelch fun. Yet after they
come to the Lord and gotten involved in activities I have heard over again “I
didn’t know Christians could have so much fun.”
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Weds Sept 12
Gen 28: 8-17 8 Esau then realized how
displeasing the Canaanite women were to his father Isaac; 9 so
he went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and
daughter of Ishmael son of Abraham, in addition to the wives he already had.
10 Jacob
left Beersheba and set out for Haran. 11 When
he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had
set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down
to sleep. 12 He had a dream in which he saw a
stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the
angels of God were ascending and descending on it.13 There
above it stood the Lord, and he said: “I am the Lord, the
God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your
descendants the land on which you are lying. 14 Your
descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to
the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on
earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. 15 I
am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will
bring you back to this land. I will not leave youuntil I have done what I
have promised you.”
16 When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he
thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of
it.” 17 He was afraid and said, “How awesome is
this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the
gate of heaven.”
Pleasing others or Presence of God.
Esau has learned at least one of the reasons why he felt
unloved: his wives displeased his parents. I say “parents,” but you will
observe that Esau is not reported to have cared about his mother’s sentiments
toward him, only his father’s.
Desperately he sought to win the approval of his father. If having a
non-Canaanite wife was all that it took to please his father, then that was a
small price to pay for the approval he craved. Failing to see any problem in his
actions, Esau took Mahalath, the daughter of Ishmael (verse 9). This woman was
no Canaanite; she was of the family of Abraham. What could be more pleasing to
Isaac than this?
But Esau did not understand the matter of purity or the
presence of God. Ishmael had been rejected to carry out the line of Abraham
because he was a child of human effort. He was a product of human ingenuity,
not spiritual dependence. Marriage to a descendant of Ishmael was done it seems
to please dad and others. Without realizing it, he typified in this act the
very thing which God most condemned. Don’t things to please others instead of
God. Just as Abraham acted on his own to achieve a son, so Esau acted one his
own win the approval of others. Ishmael also represents the man’s way, the way
of the slave and not the way of grace.
Perhaps I can comment on in-law
relationships. I believe that Isaac and Rebekah knew what they were talking
about when they wanted to prevent Esau from marrying Caananite women. They knew
they would not help spiritually. They knew the culture around them and the ties
that compromise faith. As you have heard there were many cultures including the
Jewish culture where arranged marriages by parents were prominent. Listen to
your parents, even if you don’t agree with them you can be sure of two things,
they love you and have your best interests in mind generally, and they have had
experience.
Also remember when the Bible says “a
man shall leave your father and other and be joined to your wife and the two
shall become one flesh.” There is a place to realize that your mate is the most
important person in your life, and your commitment to your spouse is to be
above your parents. There are many unhealthy in-law relationships because of
interference in areas where parents have no right.
Thirdly, a healthy relationship is
when it is not competing for power, attention, or love. My advice is make the
very best of your in law relationships as you possibly can. The best type of relationship is where there
is acceptance, communication, respect and love. Do what you can to make that
happen for our spouses sake. Don’t force your mate to not have contact with his
or her parents. For both parents and children, as well as sisters and brothers
in law, the Bible says as much as it is up to you, live in peace.
Esau in seeking to be popular and
pleasing others also loose the close presence of God. Many of our choices and decisions are
influenced by other people. Now there is no problem with trying to please
others if it is also moral and ethical. For an employee to please a boss by
doing good work is commendable; for a salesperson to achieve notoriety by
working hard and making more than his quota and please his supervisors is
worthy as long as it is done honestly. A husband or a wife who do certain
things to please their spouse makes for strong marriages. For a student to
please a teacher or a soldier to please his officer can bring delight. But once pleasing others conflicts with
pleasing God it will hinder the presence of God.
Politicians will try very hard to
please the people in a popularity contest to get elected. But sometimes to
please others means you compromise principles and values. Pastors can be
tempted to please the people of his church at the compromise of truth or rebuke
that is Godly. It is never popular to be a prophet. But to declare the whole
truth of God is to be blessed of the father.
While Esau had lots of people
around him and would not be considered lonely with three wives and host of
servants. Here is Jacob all by himself, going where he is never known or loved.
It is an unpopular place to be. But in this setting he has a meeting with God.
This is a story of grace revisited. God meets him while he is by himself
seeking to obedient to he call and finding a wife among the family of his mother
a different line from his Grandfather Abraham.
And what a
meeting it was. He sees the angel coming up and down from heaven and the
revelation that all that was promised to his Grandfather and father would now
be his. The vision represents, symbolically, what the divine promise declared
in words (verses 13-15) and forms a bridge between heaven and earth. At the
foot was a poor, helpless and forsaken man. Jacob here represents human nature
with its inability and helplessness. The angels of God ever descend to bring
help and give deliverance. This forsaken and helpless man is to become the
source of blessing and medium of salvation to the whole world.
As we today look back on the
fulfillment of the promise of blessing, we know that this blessing was to be
accomplished by the descent of the fullness of the personal God into helpless
and unworthy human nature, through the incarnation of God in Christ.
In the immediate sense, the Lord
seems to make a particular application to Jacob and speaks as though that
ladder were placed between heaven and earth for Jacob only. "Behold, I am
with you and will keep you wherever you go." and "I will not leave
you." The Lord reveals to us what we call His particular providence over
those who are His servants. Wherever we are, he declares He sees us; He tells
us He is with us. He assures us He cares for us and pledges to keep us.
Jacob was about to leave the land
of promise for a twenty year sojourn in Paddan-aram. He might be tempted never
to return to this land again. By means of this dramatic vision God impressed
Jacob with the significance of this land. It was the place where heaven and
earth met. It was the place where God would come down to man and where men
would find access to God. It was, as Jacob asserted, “the gate of heaven.”
Throughout those twenty years Jacob
would never forget this dream. He would realize that ultimately, to be in the
will of God, he must be in the place of God’s choosing, the land of promise. It
was in the land that God’s blessings would be poured out upon God’s people.
While Jacob must leave, he must surely return.
Do you remember a similar picture
described in the New Testament? Jesus was picking his disciples when he came across
Nathanael sitting “under the fig tree” He said here is one without guile. Nathanael questioned him how any good could
come from Nazareth. And He said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you shall
see the heavens opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the
Son of Man” (John 1:51). Nathanael had put too much stock in place. How could
Messiah come from Nazareth? Jesus had been born in Bethlehem. Don’t put the
emphasis on the land, but on the ladder.
He, Jesus of Nazareth, was the ladder.
Jacob saw God above the ladder;
Jesus revealed God as the ladder. Ultimately it was Jesus Christ who bridged
the gap between heaven and earth. It is through Him that God has come down to
man. It is through Him that man will have access to God. Jacob saw what he
needed to see at that moment in his life. Jesus revealed to Nathanael that
there was much more to be seen than what Jacob had perceived in his day.
Jacob rather than seeking to please
others found himself in the presence of God and that was more blessed. Which
would you pick and why?
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Thurs Sept 13
Verses Gen 28:18-2118 Early the next
morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as
a pillar and poured oil on top of it.19 He called
that place Bethel, though the city used to be called Luz.
20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying,
“If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking
and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear 21 so
that I return safely to my father’s house, then the Lord will
be my God 22 and this stone that I have set up
as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will
give you a tenth.”
Prosperity or Peace.
There is another ingredient that is in play with our choices
and decisions. It has to do with possession or prosperity instead of peace of
mind and trust in God. This is implied more than stated with Esau, but he had
plenty compared to Jacob who left it all at this point.
In Jacob’s meeting with God there were some very important
promises: "I am with you. Wherever you go, whatever you do, whatever your
circumstances are, I am with you." And he underscores this by this vision
of the stairway. "Jacob, utter your needs, and I will respond. Ask and you
shall receive; seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened to
you." This represents a continual supply; whatever our need is, God meets
that need. This is what the Lord wanted Jacob to know. Wherever he went, he had
this same sort of access to God.
Actually, this had been true in
Jacob's life for seventy-seven years. The Lord had been that kind of God to
Jacob. Whatever his need was, he met it. But it was only now that Jacob saw it.
The veil was torn away from his eyes so that, for an instant, he saw spiritual
truths which ordinarily are hidden--because we humans live, for the most part,
in the physical dimension-but which are none the less true.
The blessing of his two sons was
the last we have in the active life of Isaac. Jacob now becomes the leading
figure in the sacred history. Abraham’s life was one of authority and decision,
Isaac’s of submission and quietness, and Jacob’s one of trial and struggle.
There was no accumulation of wives, no material blessings yet for Jacob. Esau’s
household grows and the more wives you have the more in the culture in which
you live looked upon you as wealthy. The things of this earth become important to
so many and possessions become so important- unfortunately more important than
peace.
All of Jacob’s efforts to achieve
the blessing of God are in vain as well. It was only by entering into a
relationship with the covenant God of Abraham and Isaac that Jacob could
experience the blessings of God. The basis for such a relationship was the
revealed word of God.
I find it amusing that while Jacob
could not find God by striving, he was found by God while in his sleep. Surely
God is trying to tell us something by this. It is by resting in Him and in His
Word that we can be blessed. This does not mean the absence of activity on our
part, but it does mean that self-effort will always be futile.
What is Jacob request? Vs. 20-21. If God will be with me and
watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and
clothes to wear so that I may return to my father house, then the Lord will be
my God.”. What will bring Jacob peace? Not possessions or prosperity but
knowing God, resting in his protection, having food and clothes. That would be
it. Anything else is a tremendous blessing.
1 Tim 6:8 “But if we have food and clothing, we will be
content with that.”
Heb 13:5 “Keep your
lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because
God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.".
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Fri Sept 14
Gen 28:20-22 20 Then Jacob made a
vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this
journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear 21 so
that I return safely to my father’s house, then the Lord will
be my God 22 and this stone that I have set up
as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will
give you a tenth.”
Performance or Promise
Ultimately the question of faith is
– do I trust what I’m going to do for God, or do I trust God and His promises?
Back in the mid 1960s, three out of four Americans said they trusted the
federal government to do what is right all or most all the time, according to
Gallup. Twenty years ago that figure had dropped to 44%. Ten years ago only 19% have that kind of faith
in the government. Last year according to CNN only 15% people polled trust the
federal government to do what is right.
Last year the Gallup poll showed
75% of the people trusted the military and 45% trusted the church or faith
communities.
Many do not live in trusting anyone
or anything because they have been disappointed. People who have been burned
aren’t sure they can trust much again.
Judge “How could you swindle those people who
trusted you so?”
Con man: You can only swindle those
who trust you.”
God promises to be our God, our Savior.
We do not have the same call as Jacob did, nor Abraham, nor Sarah, nor Hannah.
What is God’s call and promise in your life? “I will never leave you, nor forsake
you- therefore you can confidently say, the Lord is my helper, Why can man do
to me?”
Many times in our lives God allows us to
experience the results of our choices and our decisions even though we think we
are doing them for God, to find that we need only accept the promises laid out
before us.
I believe when we accept God at his
word, then it is a response, not a performance that comes from the heart, not
obligation to express our love back to God in wanting to live for him and in
worship and service. That is the vow that Jacob makes, to put a marker of his
faith commitment at the place of meeting with God and promises by means of
giving God 10% of all he has or will have which is symbolic of giving himself.
Even our choices can be selfish, or made to be a performance, but the promise
of God come as a gift to us even while we are sinners, or lack faith, or lack
understanding.
I don’t believe there is anything
special about that spot except that is where God meet Jacob, not the other way
around. The reason God was there was that Jacob was there. Wherever Jacob went,
God would be there. Jacob was on his way up to Haran, which by this time had
become idolatrous. The people there had rejected the truth and worshiped
another god entirely, as becomes apparent later on. He was going to be in a
situation where people were deceitful, cruel, vicious, and untrustworthy. But
wherever Jacob went, that would be "Beth-el," "the house of
God," that would be the gate of heaven. There would be access to God
there. God would be there, because Jacob would be there.
I like what one preacher said, “We
have a tendency to invest certain places with religious significance, because
we feel that is where God is. God does not live in this church building. He is
here when we are here. But when we are gone, this is not a holy site. Wherever
you go, that is the house of God- that is the gate of heaven. This means that
your house -- which may seem a cold and loveless place to you--is the house of
God. There are angels ascending and descending upon you as you move about in
that house. Your kitchen sink is the house of God, when you are there. That
ought to change your attitude about washing dishes! When you have been cooking
all afternoon, have served up a fine meal, and then everybody has gone off to
watch TV and you are left to wash the dirty dishes, remember, that is the house
of God. God is available to you right there. For some of you businessmen, your
car is your office, and in it you go from place to place. And because of the
state of the economy, you are really suffering. Remember, that car is the house
of God. Your office or workbench, or wherever you are throughout the day, is
the house of God.” (I lost the source of the quote)
At times of deliverance from life’s
disparities we vow our future faithfulness to God; yet our futures are marked
with the grief and guilt of vows forgotten and contracts broken. God yearns for
a fellowship with us in which we are committed to Him in devotion, service and
faithfulness to our vows. It is profound that God is faithful to us in our
unfaithfulness to Him.
Entering into a relationship with
God does not guarantee only good times and happy experiences; but it does
assure us of the forgiveness of sins, the hope of eternal life, and the
presence of God in our everyday lives. Based on that it is worthy to make
choices and decisions based on faith in God rather than pleasures, prosperity,
pleasing others, or performances. How about you?
Pastor Dale
