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Sermons about Jacob
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Discerning the Difference
While Esau's genealogy does not strike us as filled with great spiritual insight, we must agree that as part of Scripture it is filled with the characteristics Paul explains that all Scripture possesses. It too is profitable for our growth equipping us for every good work that God has created us in Christ Jesus to do. We perhaps understand it in this way when we understand Ch. 36 in light of its place in the lager story of Genesis and indeed the whole Bible. What we see in Esau's descendants are similarities that lead us to the conclusion that from a number of perspectives there really is very little difference between the Edomites and the Israelites. What we have to conclude is that the difference centers on God; God brought his word and revealed to Jacob's forefathers and Jacob where to live and how to live. God blessed Jacob and his descendants in a way in which he did not bless Esau. It tells us something profound about how the Christian should think about his or her difference in relation to the non-Christian and how the Church corporately should do as well.
Our Only Hope and Protection
While many in the church today seem to think that it is the duty of Christians individually and the church corporately to harness their resources, and redeem the culture by bringing the kingdom of God to bear upon the world, this perspective is very questionable given the history of God's people. Our history reveals that it is God in his omniscience (all-knowing) and omnipotence (all-powerful) who accomplishes his promises despite the ignorance and impotence of his people. Jacob's separation from Laban highlights these truths.
THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD: and a Defense of the Gospel (Message #16 * Romans 9:1-13) 03-03-2013
Israel’s Rejection of the Gospel ● Paul’s Heart for his fellow Israelites: as an Apostle to the Gentiles (vs1-3) ● The Favored Status of Israel: in God’s plan of salvation history (vs4-5) --> Embrace an Intercessor’s Heart: and be well-versed in the OT Scriptures God’s Faithfulness and the Gospel ● The Word of God has Not Failed! – The true children of God are the children of the promise (vs6-9) ● God’s Purpose in Election Prevails! – by His powerful call and because of His covenantal love (vs10-13) --> Trust in God thru Faith in Christ: and humbly worship the faithful covenant-keeping God who has saved us!
Receiving Blessing
Everyone wants to be blessed. It is a fundamental need and a drive that we unknowingly commit our lives to. The biblical story of Jacob and Esau provides great insight as to how we often pretend to be someone we’re not in order to obtain blessing. Real blessing is found in authentic living and devoted faith.
Where's the Difference?
In our second sermon on Genesis 25:19-34 we look at the recorded history from the perspective of what the interactions within Isaac and Rebekah's family means about them and God's family: the Church. While Malachi 1 and Romans 9 reveal that God chose to have mercy on Jacob and did not choose to have such mercy on Esau for salvation, such mercy worked itself out in a particular way in the historical details of Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob and Esau's lives. Their lives reveal that apart from God's sovereign mercy and grace there is no difference between those who are God's redeemed covenant people and those who are not. In addition, their lives reveal that to the degree that God's redeemed covenant people do not obey God they merely assist those outside the Church in sinning against God. It all reveals the profound humility and gratitude the Christian should have towards God.
Yahweh: The Sovereign Lord of History
Genesis 25:19 begins a new section in Genesis. This last main section in Genesis 25 expands on the story of Abraham and hints at what is to come. But how we interpret the events that are told about Jacob and Esau is central to all of what constitutes biblical Christianity, as the apostle Paul helps us understand in Romans 9. Paul's quote in Romans 9:13 of Malachi 1:2-3 regarding Jacob and Esau, after he quoted Genesis 25:23 reveals to us how we ought to understand the relationship Genesis 25:23 to verses 24 to 34. It reveals Yahweh as the sovereign Lord of history; the one who creates, sustains, controls, interprets, and judges all the events of human history. It is these truths that are abundantly revealed throughout Scripture and indeed all history, and we are aided in understanding these truths by the prophet Isaiah, whom the apostle Paul also relied as he wrote his letter to the Romans.
Magnificent Defeat
Jacob is in a foxhole of sorts, and for the first time in his life, this self-serving, self-preserving, self-sustaining man admits that he needs help from God to save him from his angry brother. At the River Jabbok, Jacob runs smack into his hopes and fears, the dreams and nightmares of his past, his present and his future.
Where did you see Jesus today?
Where did you see Jesus today? It's a question we may not normally ask, but God is with us always and makes his presence known in our daily experience and loving contact with others. Jacob thought he was alone, but there in the night he met God. And this changed him forever.
Mortal Combat
The Bible is interesting – and consistent - in the way it presents the character and destinies of individuals before they are born. The way people are described in the womb is not just metaphoric or prophetic – it is very concrete – “this is who this person is and this is how this person is, and this is why they are created by God.”
The God of Jacob: Grace or Wages, Serving Yourself or Serving God
We continue the story of Jacob with him living now with his Uncle Laban, marrying and raising a family. But everything continues to go wrong. His Uncle swindles and tricks him so Jacob marries Leah instead of Rachel. Laban then barters the daughter Jacob really loves for more years of free labor from Jacob. There is conflict and rivalry in the family business, there is conflict and rivalry in Jacob’s home. But God made a promise. And God will keep the promise of blessing in spite of all the flaws and wrongs breaking around Jacob. ‘But God . . .’ is our hope and trust as we admit and encounter our flaws and limitations.
