What Ever Happened To Seth?
Genesis 4:25-5:32
Key Verse 4:26 Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 2-13-11
“Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh.
At that time men began to call on the name of the Lord.”
Today we want to look closely at a little known, but very influential, man of God, named Seth. After the double tragedy of loosing two sons, one to murder and the other to the power of sin, God granted Adam and his wife a third son, Seth. His descendants through Seth were different from the descendants of Cain. Cain's descendants were corrupt and full of violence, but Seth's descendants called on the name of the Lord (4:24). Seth bore the image of his father Adam, and the image of God. The Bible says that when Seth's son Enosh was born, people began to call on the name of the Lord. God used Seth and his family to influence the all the people towards faith in God. His descendants form the slender, unbroken thread of God's life in people. Through such people as Seth, hope is always alive. Through a study of this passage we will see how God works in the world to turn the hearts of the people to him in prayer and worship. We will see the importance of one man of faith. May God also work in our hearts, so that through our lives, people at NIU and DeKalb may call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Part l: The Birth Of Seth (4:25; 5:2-3)
At the murder of Abel and the loss of their son, Cain, to his sin, Adam and Eve could have easily given up on God and life. They could stop trying to move forward and building a future for themselves and their people. But they did not succumb to despair. Look at verse 25, “Adam lay with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, ‘God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.’” She said, “God has granted me…” They named their son, Seth, which means “granted”. There is no trace of bitterness in her words. Adam and Eve never blamed God for what happened to their kids. They attributed the birth of their child to God’s grace. They did not blame each other either but loved each other and set out to build their family. They continued on their mission from God to be fruitful and multiply. (Gen 1:28) They had hope for a future beyond their pain.
How easy it is for us to give up when we have experienced failure and tragedy in our lives. We end up blaming God and each other for the way things work out. These things make us fall into such a deep sense of despair that we don’t want to try again. How many parents in Adam and Eve’s situation would not want to parent another child? How many, when experiencing failure in college, would never want to study again? How many in ministry, when they have tasted rejection and no outer fruit, even after decades of sacrifice, would just want to close up shop? The majority. There is only a few, who, in the depth of their dungeons of despair have faith enough to look up to heaven to try again, and again and again. It takes faith.
Mother Theresa once wrote poem, that holds a dear place in my heart. It is called, “ Anyway” It was written on the wall of Mother Teresa's home for children in Calcutta, India. It was even written on the wall in Mother Teresa's own room. These words express the spirit in which she lived her life. Listen closely… “People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway. If you are honest and sincere, people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway. What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway. If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway. The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway. Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway. In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.” Forgive and be kind and succeed anyway. Be honest and sincere and happy anyway. Create anyway. Do good anyway. Give your best anyway. Such was the atmosphere of the home in which Seth was born and such can be the atmosphere of our own house churches and ministry here at NIU UBF. A positive attitude, full of faith to move ahead despite of anything that has happened or is going on around us.
Part ll: Seth…A Man In The Image Of God (5:1b-3)
Seth was also a man who grew in the image of God Look at Genesis 5:1b-3, “When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. 2 He created them male and female and blessed them. And when they were created, he called them ‘man.’ 3 When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth.” According to the Law of Syllogism, if A = B and B = C, then A = C. In the same way, since Adam was made in the image of God and had a son in his own image, then Seth also bore the image of God. What does it mean, that Seth was made in Adam’s image, who, in turn was made in the image of God? The image of God is God’s character and personality. God is holy, just, truthful, full of sacrificial and unconditional love, righteous, hopeful, kind, pure, gentle, joyful and powerful. Jesus is the exact reflection of the image of God. (Hebrews 1:3) Seth bore the image of God.
Does that mean that he is perfect? By no means. Seth was still a sinner, born into a fallen world. He was prone to sin and his weaknesses just like another person. But, unlike Cain, Seth bore God’s image. As he engaged in a positive spiritual struggle to do what is right before the eyes of God, he grew in God’s image. He became more holy, more just, more truthful and loving. His was a journey of growth in the image of God. In life we can grow in two ways, we can grow in the image of God or in the image of the devil. It all depends on our personal spiritual struggle to come to God in repentance and faith. Also, have you noticed that when children fix their eyes and a certain adult, they begin to become like that adult? They start to dress like them and talk like them. Likewise, growing in the image of God depends on fixing our eyes on Jesus. It is a life long journey that will not end until we are resurrected and go to heaven. Then we will be like him.
Part lll: Seth…A Mortal Man Who Had Faith (4:26a)
Seth was keenly aware about the reality of life in this fallen world. Look at verse 4:26a, “Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh…” Enosh, literally means “mortal.” Seth saw people living a long time in the world. How easy it would be for him to think that life in this world as actually as good as it gets…that life in this world is the only thing worth living for. That is what Cain felt. He tried to immortalize himself through building a walled city and naming it after his son. But Seth was not deceived. He remembered God’s word to Adam, “…from dust you are and to dust you will return.” (Gen 3:19b) Seth’s naming of his son reminds us that we are on a pilgrimage. The truth is that we came from God and we are going back to God. While living in this world we learn faith. We learn to love God and love one another. We draw near to Him as we prepare for eternal life.
The Bible teaches us that we must always be aware of the end of our days. King David says in Psalm 39:4-5, “Show me, O LORD, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man’s life is but a breath.” (2010 NIV) James says in James 4:14b “…What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” There is a certain disposition to those who know that they are mortal beings. They see the world as it really is, with eternal life on mind. Peter writes about the practicalities of this hope. He says in 1 Peter 1:13-15, “Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do.” Seth knew that he while living in this world he needed to seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness. (Matt 6:33) May God open our spiritual eyes to adopt the world view of Seth.
But nowadays our young people forget that they are mortal. We ignore our seniors and hide them away in nursing homes. They die alone in private rooms in hospitals. They are cremated so that no one can even see a tombstone. Our Hollywood stars spend millions to hide their age with one plastic surgery, and one “insanity workout” after another. Technological advances and media bolster the culture of perpetual youth. People, who forget they are mortal, spend their whole hearts trying to living a better life in this world, rather that living for the Kingdom of Heaven. I personally thank God for my nursing job. Through it, I am always confronted with end of life issues each time I go to work. I can keep the proper perspective and understand that we are mortal and that we must engage in a holy pilgrimage.
The fact that he named his son, Enosh, after a spiritual epiphany, revealed that Seth had spiritual priorities. Cain built a city and named it after his son Enoch. Cain was living for his glory and the glory of his son. Seth had a son and named him after an eternal, spiritual truth. Seth lived his life for the glory of God and wanted the same for his children.
Part lV: People Began To Call On The Name Of The Lord (4:26b-5:32)
After Seth was married and started to have children, something wonderful happened among the populace. Let’s read 4:26b, “…At that time men began to call on the name of the LORD.” Somehow, because of Seth’s family’s influence, people began to call on the name of the Lord. The prevailing culture was influenced by Cain and his descendents. It was filled with violence, pride and misuse of the word of God. (Gen 4:23-24) The spiritual awakening occurred at this most improbable time. The revival, brought about through Seth’s family, flowed counter to the prevailing godless culture. Any work of God, in any generation, will flow counter to the majority culture in which is resides.
Nowadays, our young people are falling away from Jesus at 4-5 times the historical rate. (Dr. John Armstrong 2010) People are thinking that Christian life is all about doing acts of charity only. Calling on the name of the Lord does not seem to be a goal. We think that the current of the prevailing godless culture is to too strong to swim against. But we can see that through the influence of one family of faith, our young people in America can begin to call on the name of the Lord, even in today’s context!
What does it mean to call on the name of the Lord? Well, for one, it means to pray to God. We call out to Jesus in times of distress and in times of thanksgiving; in times of plenty and times of want. Crying out to God means that there is a recognized need in us. St. Augustine once said that there is a “God sized” hole in each person’s heart. Those who cry out to God realize that only God can fill that void. There is a worship song called “I Cry Out”. One of the lyrics reads, “I cry out…for your love to revive us…cry out”. Some of us have given up crying out to Jesus. We don’t even cry out to others. We silently remain in our despair hoping things will get better. For some, it never does. But when we cry out to the Lord, things change. May we decide to cry out to Jesus each and every day.
There is only one way that people can begin to call on the name of the Lord. Paul tells us very clearly in Romans10:14-15 which read, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’” The ministry of the word of God is the key to helping people to begin to cry out to Jesus. Seth and his family must have literally preached about God and taught others about faith and worship. Our mission is to teach God’s word until our Bible students can seek after Jesus and begin to call on his name. When they do then they come to know God personally and grow in an intimate relationship with him. The word of God is the seed, and men and women who call on the name of the Lord are the outer fruit.
People whom help others to call on the name of the Lord have a unique quality. They break through barriers to befriend others whom they normally wouldn’t be friends with and minister to them. They are more then just friendly with people. They do more than just quickly hand out a gospel tract. They have a sense of mission in their hearts. They move beyond friendliness to actually plant God’s word along with prayer until the person they serve can begin to call on the name of Lord independently. (That is discipleship.) They also keep going with a hope and a prayer in their hearts that there will be a spiritual awakening in the land. They are a good influence, like salt. Salt permeates through a pot of food until it becomes more flavorful. Jesus says that Christians must be the salt of the earth. (Matt 5:13) This is why our ministry constantly prays that American may be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
If we faithfully teach the word of God, then eventually, those whom we minister to will call on the name of Jesus. I thank God for helping me see this happening in a few students hearts. I can see Steve praying to God and being faithful. I can see Cornel being inspired by nine Bible verses and copying them down on a piece of paper. I can see Joey rejoicing that God is helping him to get rid of some idols in his heart and sharing his epiphanies with is friends on Facebook. I can see Jason loving the word of God and having a hope and a vision to grow as a Bible scholar. I can see DeKalb High School students calling on the name of Jesus every week through FCA. I can see Hope and Sarah calling on the Lord every week at Clinton Rosette Middle School. I can see all of you growing spiritually and calling on the name of the Lord. It is all because of the faithful study of the word of God. May God raise up five Bible teachers among us in this year so the students of NIU, Kishwaukee College and DeKalb can call on the name of Jesus. May God work through us as he worked through Seth and his family.
In chapter 5 we get a glimpse of Seth’s family tree. Seth’s life of faith was an important link in Adam’s line. We can learn several things about Seth through this genealogy. First, Seth’s descendants were part of the solution…Cain’s was not. Both Cain and Seth had an Enoch in their family line. Enoch was Cain’s son. He was a godless megalomaniac like his father. (3:17) Seth’s g-g-grandson was an Enoch also. But this Enoch had faith. He walked with God and was taken away by God to heaven. (5:22) Cain also had a great grandson named Lamech. His Lamech was a boastful, proud and violent man who twisted the word of God for his own benefit. (4:23-24) Seth’s Lamech was a his g-g-g-grandson. This Lamech was the father of Noah. (5:29) He was a hard working, gentle man. Most likely he was a man of faith to nurture and raise such a godly son, as Noah. Here we see two different men and two different influences on their descendants.
Second, Seth left a great legacy of faith. By examining the name list, we see that there are some men of faith. For example Enoch and Noah were godly men whose lives were found worthy of special mention in this genealogy. Enoch walked with God and even experienced a bodily resurrection, and Noah obeyed God by faith and became a source of salvation for mankind.
Third, Seth was a good influence on those who came after him. Though there are only a few verses about him, he is famous. He is known for his spiritual life for thousands of years. People lived by faith because Seth lived by faith. People believed that they can make a difference in their society because Seth believed it. Today, we need to think about the influence of our lives. We need to go beyond our own needs and wants and think about our spiritual legacy. Will our kids and grandkids follow Jesus, like Seth’s decadents did? Will our culture be changed through our life of faith? Let’s take time to think about these matters.
Fourth, the people of great faith, are always a minority. They are never the majority. There is always a remnant. We should not be surprised, nor discouraged about this, feeling like we are the only ones. It is God’s grace that we can be a remnant people of God. The Bible says that many are called and few are chosen. (Matt 22:14) They are the holy stump in the land from which new works of God can sprout. The “remnant of God” have always been used by God to keep the lamp of faith burning in the darkness. Rejoice that we are called to live as a remnant people of faith. Live as God’s remnant. Keep the faith. Live like Seth and be salt of the earth. Preach the word. of God. Minister to others. Dedicate your family to this same task. Then through you, God will do a mighty work and people will begin to call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Part l: The Birth Of Seth (4:25; 5:2-3)
1. How did Adam and Eve respond to the murder of Able and the loss of their son,
Cain? (25) What does this show about their attitude towards God and life?
2. What did they name their son? What does the name mean? What does this
show about their faith and their relationship with God?
Part ll: Seth…A Man In The Image Of God (5:1b-3)
3. What kind of man was Seth? (Gen 5:2-3) What does it mean that Seth was made in the
image of Adam? What is the image of God?
Part lll: Seth…A Mortal Man Who Had Faith (4:26a)
4. What did Seth name his son? What doe this mean? What was Seth keenly aware of?
(Psalm 39:4-5; James 4:13-15; 2 Cor 4;7) What should be our response to this
revelation? (1 Peter 1:13-15)
5. What happened in the world after Seth started to establish his family? (4:26b) How did this spiritual movement flow counter to the prevailing culture? (Gen 4:23-24) What does it mean to call on the name of the Lord?
Part lV: People Began To Call On The Name Of The Lord (4:26b-5:32)
6. What is required for people to begin to call on the name of the Lord? (Ro 10:14-17)
What does teach us about the importance of the ministry of the word of God? (Acts 6:3-
4) How did Jesus reveal this faith? (Luke 9:1-2)
7. What does Seth’s example show about the influence of one man of faith? (5:13) Explain
how Seth and his family were like salt?
8. Think about Samuel and his ministry. What was the spiritual condition of Israel when
Samuel was a young boy? (1 Sam 3:1) How did God reveal himself to Samuel? (1 Sam
3:21) What was Samuel’s attitude towards the word of God? (1 Sam 4:1)
9. Think about King Jehoshaphat. What did he do in his realm? (2 Chron 19:4-10) What
was the result of his ministry of the word of God? (2 Chron 20:4; 13; 27-30) How can the
ministry of the word of God come through you? How can people in your part of the
world begin to call on the name of the Lord?
10. Who were some of the people of faith who were descended from Seth’s line? (Gen 5:24;
Gen 5:28) How can we establish a legacy of faith in this generation?
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
Hebrews 11:1-40
Faith In Action…The Faith That Pleases God
Hebrews 11:1-40 Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 1-23-11
Key verse 11:6;
“And without Faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that the rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
I thank God for blessing this year’s Faith Bible School at Triton UBF. Faith was really manifest among the people. For example, it was not easy to come to the Bible school in the coldest weather of the year, but lots of people came. Some came everyday. That takes a lot of faith. I couldn’t go everyday but I enjoyed Charisma’s posts on Facebook and pics from several of the days. It was almost like I was there. I thank God for raising up the messengers, Josh Perez, Robin, Elson and Deante. I thank God for our Bible teachers, Tim Lopez, Kathy, Nonso and Tim Sagel and the drama servants and the testimony speakers, Bamadeli, Tim, Robin, Tim Lopez, Kathy, and tonight, John Mike Pitts, Carl Heusel and Dr Crystal, Nonso. May they all grow as servants of the word of God.
Part l: The Faith Of Enoch, Able And Noah (1-7)
This chapter is packed full of historical examples of people living by faith. They are ancients who were commended by God. They had faith that pleases God for they were sure of what they hoped for and certain of what they could not see. (1) We can see the basis of their faith in verse 3, which reads, “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” It was faith in the power of the Creator of the heavens and the earth. With this creation faith in their hearts, they engaged their faith, putting it into action. They are ancients, but they are our brothers and sisters in faith. And so let’s learn from them.
The first of these ancients is Abel. Verse 2 reads “By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offering. And by faith he still speaks even though he is dead.” Why did he have faith? He came to God, by faith, seeking him and wanting to please God, at a time when sin had created a great barrier between God and mankind. Mankind was in a state of rebellion against God. Yet people decided to come to God though faith by offering sacrifices. Able offered fat portions of the firstborn of his flock. He didn’t offer a sick, scrawny sheep, on its last legs. Nor did he offer one after he had 100 born to him. But he offered the best, the healthiest, even before he had more. That requires faith. Do you know why? Let’s see why an “Able” offering is so important. An “Able” offering is not just going through the motions. It requires heart and can take many forms. It definitely involves money. It also involves time, strength and passion. Making an “Able” offering with your money, is when we offer, even when you are not sure if there is enough for the upcoming rent. To make an “Able” offering with our time, is when we give Jesus our time even in the midst of exams or other pressing matters. To make an “Able” offering with our strength is when we give Jesus our full strength when all we want to do is sleep. To make an “Able” offering with our passion is when we give our hearts to Jesus and all we do for him, when all we feel like doing is going through the motions. These are “Able” offerings. These are our best offerings. They are offerings that please God. This is faith in action.
I thank God for Augustine. Yesterday he was up at 6 am. He traveled 2 hrs to a basketball game, played and traveled 2 hrs back. He sat at McDonald’s for 1 hr and 15 minutes while I studied with Joey. All he wanted to do was sleep. But when he found out that two members of FCA, (the High School Christian Club) were coming to the Winter Jam 2011, he realize that he needed to co-work with Jenn and shepherd these two people. He denied himself and went. He made an “Able” offering with his strength. Last week kids were in the midst of their exams. Despite of it all, they kept up with spiritual commitments. They still made time for Jesus. They made an “Able” offering with their time. Now, do you see why it is hard to make and “Able” offering and why it is putting your faith into action?
The next ancient one is Enoch. Look at verse 5, “By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.“ Not much is written about Enoch in Genesis. The single most outstanding point written about Enoch is that he walked with God. He didn’t walk with other people. He didn’t walk with the cultural trends of the times, with its own standards and moralities. He didn’t walk with his own ideas and his feelings. He walked with God. This takes great faith. This made him like a living fish, swimming upstream. God rewarded Enoch, by not allowing him to experience death. God took him up to be with him. His family looked for him but he could not be found. It took a couple days to notice that he was gone. His wife probably said, “Oh he is probably out preaching somewhere or he is at church.” That is what people who walk with God, by faith, do. From Enoch’s experience we learn that God rewards those who earnestly and persistently seek God.
The next Biblical ancient one is Noah. Look at verse 7 “By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.” It is obvious Noah began his great mission to build the ark by faith. Even though every day looked beautiful and peaceful with no storm clouds in sight, Noah was certain God would make good on his word to destroy all living creatures with a great flood. With this faith he decided to obey God and build the ark as God directed him, according to God’s instructions. This took faith. Why? First he had to believe God, concerning the upcoming judgment and he had to trust God’s way of salvation…that building an ark would be sufficient to save him, his household and be a way to save mankind and make a new beginning for humanity. People were questioning why he was building such a huge ark on dry land. They said, “Noah! You crazy old man! Why are you are wasting your life! Go for a vacation in Costa Rica. Enjoy your retirement.” But Noah would use their doubt planting as an opportunity to preach the warning of God’s coming judgment. He would exhort the people to turn from their wicked ways and join him in following God’s way of salvation. And do you know what? Anyone who chose to do so would be saved. Noah lived by faith when he believed God and obeyed God’s way of salvation. And so can we, when we build our ark of salvation in Jesus Christ and his words.
Part ll: The Faith Of Abraham (8-22)
Next came the great man of faith, Abraham. Look at verses 8-12, “By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he[a] considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.” When we read Genesis and look at Abraham’s life it seems not so exciting when compared to other figures in the Old Testament. There were times when he was not the “world changer” that other heroes in the Bible were. Once he lied about Sarah being his wife-twice. He was doubtful and afraid several times. Even after he received God’s promise he tried to start a family with Hagar. Yet in spite of all these things, according to Romans he is considered the father of all who believe and the outstanding example of faith.
How did he exhibit faith in action? Genesis 12:1 tells us that when God called Abraham he said, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.” From verse 8, we see that he obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. This was difficult and took great faith. There was new food, a new languages, new customs, new support systems, new warlords and bandits to deal with, new insecurities. It was really tough, but he believed God’s promise and went, even though he was an old man and was totally helpless to take an occupied land. Not only that, it was physically impossible to become a great nation. Yet he believed God and went. With this faith he was also willing to offer up his beloved son, Isaac, proving that he loved God the most. All of this was faith in action. His faith encouraged and showed the way to the other patriarchs, like Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. They too put their faith into action and followed God’s leading in their lives. All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised. They only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. With this faith, they wanted to be buried in the Cave of Machpelah. The saints held on to their faith to the very end because their faith was based on their hope and trust in God, his promises and his perfect will. I pray each of us may grow in “action-faith” like Abraham.
Coming to Dekalb to pioneer a new house church is the way that God opened so that we can experience the faith of Abraham. At the time, April 1998, we were living in a comfortable two-bedroom apartment, near the Triton UBF Bible house. We enjoyed relative comfort and security. Shp Teddy was preparing the word of God for us each week. We could have stayed put in our comfort zone and not ventured into untested waters. But one day, God spoke his words to our hearts, ““Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.” For us, it meant, DeKalb and NIU campus. It was not going to be easy. We could not trust in the familiar Triton UBF environment. We had to get new jobs. We had to establish a church program and keep it every week. We had to embrace new calls to sacrifice, such as traveling to Triton UBF three times a week for the next three years and paying for baby sitters so I could go and invite students to Bible study. We got into debt with the purchase of a new house. I had to prepare the word of God on my own every week. But God’s promises rung loud in our hearts, “"I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." (Gen 12:2-3) We obeyed God and went and God has been blessing our house church ever since. He is providing for all of our needs. We are becoming inspirations for house churches world wide. We may be a small fellowship, but we are multiplying at the rate that God has set, the right rate.
Part lll: The Faith Of Moses, His Parents and The Israelites (23-29)
Next, the faith of Moses and his parents. Look at verse 23-28. In these verses Moses and his parents exercised faith. Actions always speak louder than words. First, let’s think about Moses’ parents. According to Exodus, Pharaoh king of Egypt–ruler of the world super power nation of the time–wanted to control the Israelites, who were multiplying quickly. So he issued an edict that all the Israelite boy babies were to be killed at birth by being thrown into the Nile River. This edict carried the penalty of death for disobedience. Moses was born at this time, but his parents did not obey this edict. Verse 23 says, “By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.” Moses’ parents did not obey Pharaoh. This did not come from a rebellious spirit, but from their faith in action. They wanted to obey God and carry out God’s will on earth at the cost of their very lives. May God raise up such godly parents across our land.
The author then pays attention to the faith of Moses. He says “By faith Moses…” He gives five instances of faith in connection with Moses’ faith in action, such as his decision, his choice, his value system, his leadership in the Exodus, and the keeping of the Passover. Look at verse 27. "By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible." Moses chose to be identified along with God and his people. He refused to follow the pleasures of sin. He stood on the side of God even though it meant disgrace for him in the eyes of the world. He persevered in his faith. He stood up as a leader for his people, even though he knew it meant hardships and maybe would even cost him his own life. His life was full of decisions of faith. These days there are many people who have no power to make any decision. There are also many people who commit to no one. But we learn here how important it is have faith that pleases God like Moses. And so, in this year, let’s make the right choice in our decisions born out of our faith. May Christ be more valuable and important to us than anything else in the world. May God raise up many young Moses’ on our campus’ and across our land.
Let us now see more examples of faith in action that overcame the world? Look at verses 29-40. There are the Israelites at the Red Sea, Joshua and the Israelites at the walls of Jericho, Rahab, and many other courageous judges, prophets and people of faith known only to God. They were all commended by God for their lives of faith. They felt that their faith in Christ was so valuable that they held onto faith and never shrink back. Their faith was the power by which they overcame perilous situations, overcame their enemies and conquered kingdoms.
Let’s take a closer look at some of these examples. First, the Israelites before the Red Sea. Look at verse 29. “By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.” God wanted to change a slave people into a kingdom of priests and holy nation. To this end he subjected his people to a 400 year gestational period in Egypt. At the right time he drew them out of Egypt to give birth to a new nation. The most difficult part was when they were up against the Red Sea. The Egyptian army was on their heels, ready to punish them, kill many and drag the rest back to their old slave life. Ahead of them was the Red Sea, an insurmountable barrier. What could they do? They needed to experience the power of faith. In Exodus 14: 13 Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” The amazing thing is that these Hebrews actually put there faith into action. They listened and chose to believe Moses’ words. They repented of their fear. Instead of running away, each one, man, woman and child, made a decision to stand firm and by faith they witnessed the deliverance of the Lord. They were saved and passed through the Red Sea as on dry land. It was all because of their faith in action.
Like the Israelites, God has called all Christians to be a great holy nation. 1 Peter 2:9 reads, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful life.” Before meeting Jesus, we lived as slaves to Satan, sin and fear. But now God by his grace, is leading us in faith, to be for him, his holy nation. When we realize this, then all of our past and present sufferings are simply a gestational period where we are about to be born anew as a holy nation.
God has delivered me so many times from my Red Seas. The first Red Sea was persecution from my family for five years. I shed tears so many times. But God helped me to stand firm and I have experienced his deliverance. My parents are now silent supporters of our family and my mother actually said she is proud of our church life. My other Red Sea was my nursing studies. I had so much reading and assignments that I could only read 75% of everything once. I was also newly married with a baby coming and no money. There was every reason to give up my life of faith, drop out of nursing school and just survive. But I could stand firm by faith through living as a student shepherd and keeping up my spiritual responsibilities. God delivered me with “A” marks in nursing school and gave me a great career as a nurse. The other Red Sea was a deep sense of despair and fatalism that made me long for God to take me out of this world. I guess is it was pastor’s burnout. But God told me to stand firm and don’t give up. I stood firm by continually serving Jesus and obeying Shp Teddy’s direction to make a new beginning and change my environment. God delivered me time and again from the Red Sea of despair with his word and his hope. I no longer live in despair and fatalism, but each day is filled with God’s hope and expectation and so can your days. Just put your faith in action.
But there are so many things that make us too afraid to move forward and cross the Red Sea. We are stuck. We are harassed inwardly. The more we wait, the more likely we are going to get picked off by our sins and the devil and dragged back to our old lives. We know our Red Seas. We know what God is trying to do and what we must do to cross our own Red Sea by faith. Let’s hear the word of God and “stand firm” and choose to trust God’s way of salvation. When we engage our faith then we will see the great and awesome deliverance of the Lord.
Part lV: The Faith Of Other Ancients (30-40)
What do we learn from Rahab? Look at verse 31.“By faith the prostitute Rehab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.” She had faith in God and sided with God and God’s people. She stuck her neck out because of her faith in the God of the Bible. She and her whole household were saved and she became the great-grandmother of who? Yes…King David. She was included as a key player in God’s history. And so can each of you when you put Rahab’s faith into action.
In verses 32-38 we find other “By faith” episodes in many other great men and women of God. “And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37 They were stoned[f]; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.” I know that each of us have our own unique sufferings. I don’t want to downplay anything that each of you are going through because of your faith in Jesus. But what some of these people had to endure was horrible. Yet they stood by faith even in the midst of these unbearable sufferings. While living by faith, some of them changed the course of history. Some left this world as unknown believers, know only by God. They were all rewarded with nothing in this world, except God’s comfort and more calls to sacrifice. Their lives were sold out for Jesus.
They chose to give up this world, even their own lives, because such sacrifices would gain them a better resurrection. They would later receive the true hope that they were trusting in as they lived by faith. Their great hope is our great hope. The great hope of all Christians is that one day we will be just like the resurrected Jesus Christ. We will be perfect as he is perfect. As Jesus lives in his Father’s presence so will we. As Jesus is heir of all things so too we will be co-heirs with him. This day has not yet come. Nevertheless it is coming. And with this hope we put our faith into action. Let us pray that God may help us to stand firm in faith in Jesus Christ and not shrink back, right unto the end of our race.
In conclusion, all of thee people had faith and they acted on their faith. Their faith was very practical. May we follow their example and seek to please God. May we make decisions of faith. May Christ be more valuable and more important to us than anything else in the world and may we experience the power, the deliverance of God as we put faith in action. And how long shall we put our faith into action? Right up to the day of Jesus Christ’s coming. Then our faith will become sight.
Hebrews 11:1-40 Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 1-23-11
Key verse 11:6;
“And without Faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that the rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
I thank God for blessing this year’s Faith Bible School at Triton UBF. Faith was really manifest among the people. For example, it was not easy to come to the Bible school in the coldest weather of the year, but lots of people came. Some came everyday. That takes a lot of faith. I couldn’t go everyday but I enjoyed Charisma’s posts on Facebook and pics from several of the days. It was almost like I was there. I thank God for raising up the messengers, Josh Perez, Robin, Elson and Deante. I thank God for our Bible teachers, Tim Lopez, Kathy, Nonso and Tim Sagel and the drama servants and the testimony speakers, Bamadeli, Tim, Robin, Tim Lopez, Kathy, and tonight, John Mike Pitts, Carl Heusel and Dr Crystal, Nonso. May they all grow as servants of the word of God.
Part l: The Faith Of Enoch, Able And Noah (1-7)
This chapter is packed full of historical examples of people living by faith. They are ancients who were commended by God. They had faith that pleases God for they were sure of what they hoped for and certain of what they could not see. (1) We can see the basis of their faith in verse 3, which reads, “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” It was faith in the power of the Creator of the heavens and the earth. With this creation faith in their hearts, they engaged their faith, putting it into action. They are ancients, but they are our brothers and sisters in faith. And so let’s learn from them.
The first of these ancients is Abel. Verse 2 reads “By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offering. And by faith he still speaks even though he is dead.” Why did he have faith? He came to God, by faith, seeking him and wanting to please God, at a time when sin had created a great barrier between God and mankind. Mankind was in a state of rebellion against God. Yet people decided to come to God though faith by offering sacrifices. Able offered fat portions of the firstborn of his flock. He didn’t offer a sick, scrawny sheep, on its last legs. Nor did he offer one after he had 100 born to him. But he offered the best, the healthiest, even before he had more. That requires faith. Do you know why? Let’s see why an “Able” offering is so important. An “Able” offering is not just going through the motions. It requires heart and can take many forms. It definitely involves money. It also involves time, strength and passion. Making an “Able” offering with your money, is when we offer, even when you are not sure if there is enough for the upcoming rent. To make an “Able” offering with our time, is when we give Jesus our time even in the midst of exams or other pressing matters. To make an “Able” offering with our strength is when we give Jesus our full strength when all we want to do is sleep. To make an “Able” offering with our passion is when we give our hearts to Jesus and all we do for him, when all we feel like doing is going through the motions. These are “Able” offerings. These are our best offerings. They are offerings that please God. This is faith in action.
I thank God for Augustine. Yesterday he was up at 6 am. He traveled 2 hrs to a basketball game, played and traveled 2 hrs back. He sat at McDonald’s for 1 hr and 15 minutes while I studied with Joey. All he wanted to do was sleep. But when he found out that two members of FCA, (the High School Christian Club) were coming to the Winter Jam 2011, he realize that he needed to co-work with Jenn and shepherd these two people. He denied himself and went. He made an “Able” offering with his strength. Last week kids were in the midst of their exams. Despite of it all, they kept up with spiritual commitments. They still made time for Jesus. They made an “Able” offering with their time. Now, do you see why it is hard to make and “Able” offering and why it is putting your faith into action?
The next ancient one is Enoch. Look at verse 5, “By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.“ Not much is written about Enoch in Genesis. The single most outstanding point written about Enoch is that he walked with God. He didn’t walk with other people. He didn’t walk with the cultural trends of the times, with its own standards and moralities. He didn’t walk with his own ideas and his feelings. He walked with God. This takes great faith. This made him like a living fish, swimming upstream. God rewarded Enoch, by not allowing him to experience death. God took him up to be with him. His family looked for him but he could not be found. It took a couple days to notice that he was gone. His wife probably said, “Oh he is probably out preaching somewhere or he is at church.” That is what people who walk with God, by faith, do. From Enoch’s experience we learn that God rewards those who earnestly and persistently seek God.
The next Biblical ancient one is Noah. Look at verse 7 “By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.” It is obvious Noah began his great mission to build the ark by faith. Even though every day looked beautiful and peaceful with no storm clouds in sight, Noah was certain God would make good on his word to destroy all living creatures with a great flood. With this faith he decided to obey God and build the ark as God directed him, according to God’s instructions. This took faith. Why? First he had to believe God, concerning the upcoming judgment and he had to trust God’s way of salvation…that building an ark would be sufficient to save him, his household and be a way to save mankind and make a new beginning for humanity. People were questioning why he was building such a huge ark on dry land. They said, “Noah! You crazy old man! Why are you are wasting your life! Go for a vacation in Costa Rica. Enjoy your retirement.” But Noah would use their doubt planting as an opportunity to preach the warning of God’s coming judgment. He would exhort the people to turn from their wicked ways and join him in following God’s way of salvation. And do you know what? Anyone who chose to do so would be saved. Noah lived by faith when he believed God and obeyed God’s way of salvation. And so can we, when we build our ark of salvation in Jesus Christ and his words.
Part ll: The Faith Of Abraham (8-22)
Next came the great man of faith, Abraham. Look at verses 8-12, “By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he[a] considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.” When we read Genesis and look at Abraham’s life it seems not so exciting when compared to other figures in the Old Testament. There were times when he was not the “world changer” that other heroes in the Bible were. Once he lied about Sarah being his wife-twice. He was doubtful and afraid several times. Even after he received God’s promise he tried to start a family with Hagar. Yet in spite of all these things, according to Romans he is considered the father of all who believe and the outstanding example of faith.
How did he exhibit faith in action? Genesis 12:1 tells us that when God called Abraham he said, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.” From verse 8, we see that he obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. This was difficult and took great faith. There was new food, a new languages, new customs, new support systems, new warlords and bandits to deal with, new insecurities. It was really tough, but he believed God’s promise and went, even though he was an old man and was totally helpless to take an occupied land. Not only that, it was physically impossible to become a great nation. Yet he believed God and went. With this faith he was also willing to offer up his beloved son, Isaac, proving that he loved God the most. All of this was faith in action. His faith encouraged and showed the way to the other patriarchs, like Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. They too put their faith into action and followed God’s leading in their lives. All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised. They only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. With this faith, they wanted to be buried in the Cave of Machpelah. The saints held on to their faith to the very end because their faith was based on their hope and trust in God, his promises and his perfect will. I pray each of us may grow in “action-faith” like Abraham.
Coming to Dekalb to pioneer a new house church is the way that God opened so that we can experience the faith of Abraham. At the time, April 1998, we were living in a comfortable two-bedroom apartment, near the Triton UBF Bible house. We enjoyed relative comfort and security. Shp Teddy was preparing the word of God for us each week. We could have stayed put in our comfort zone and not ventured into untested waters. But one day, God spoke his words to our hearts, ““Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.” For us, it meant, DeKalb and NIU campus. It was not going to be easy. We could not trust in the familiar Triton UBF environment. We had to get new jobs. We had to establish a church program and keep it every week. We had to embrace new calls to sacrifice, such as traveling to Triton UBF three times a week for the next three years and paying for baby sitters so I could go and invite students to Bible study. We got into debt with the purchase of a new house. I had to prepare the word of God on my own every week. But God’s promises rung loud in our hearts, “"I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." (Gen 12:2-3) We obeyed God and went and God has been blessing our house church ever since. He is providing for all of our needs. We are becoming inspirations for house churches world wide. We may be a small fellowship, but we are multiplying at the rate that God has set, the right rate.
Part lll: The Faith Of Moses, His Parents and The Israelites (23-29)
Next, the faith of Moses and his parents. Look at verse 23-28. In these verses Moses and his parents exercised faith. Actions always speak louder than words. First, let’s think about Moses’ parents. According to Exodus, Pharaoh king of Egypt–ruler of the world super power nation of the time–wanted to control the Israelites, who were multiplying quickly. So he issued an edict that all the Israelite boy babies were to be killed at birth by being thrown into the Nile River. This edict carried the penalty of death for disobedience. Moses was born at this time, but his parents did not obey this edict. Verse 23 says, “By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.” Moses’ parents did not obey Pharaoh. This did not come from a rebellious spirit, but from their faith in action. They wanted to obey God and carry out God’s will on earth at the cost of their very lives. May God raise up such godly parents across our land.
The author then pays attention to the faith of Moses. He says “By faith Moses…” He gives five instances of faith in connection with Moses’ faith in action, such as his decision, his choice, his value system, his leadership in the Exodus, and the keeping of the Passover. Look at verse 27. "By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible." Moses chose to be identified along with God and his people. He refused to follow the pleasures of sin. He stood on the side of God even though it meant disgrace for him in the eyes of the world. He persevered in his faith. He stood up as a leader for his people, even though he knew it meant hardships and maybe would even cost him his own life. His life was full of decisions of faith. These days there are many people who have no power to make any decision. There are also many people who commit to no one. But we learn here how important it is have faith that pleases God like Moses. And so, in this year, let’s make the right choice in our decisions born out of our faith. May Christ be more valuable and important to us than anything else in the world. May God raise up many young Moses’ on our campus’ and across our land.
Let us now see more examples of faith in action that overcame the world? Look at verses 29-40. There are the Israelites at the Red Sea, Joshua and the Israelites at the walls of Jericho, Rahab, and many other courageous judges, prophets and people of faith known only to God. They were all commended by God for their lives of faith. They felt that their faith in Christ was so valuable that they held onto faith and never shrink back. Their faith was the power by which they overcame perilous situations, overcame their enemies and conquered kingdoms.
Let’s take a closer look at some of these examples. First, the Israelites before the Red Sea. Look at verse 29. “By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.” God wanted to change a slave people into a kingdom of priests and holy nation. To this end he subjected his people to a 400 year gestational period in Egypt. At the right time he drew them out of Egypt to give birth to a new nation. The most difficult part was when they were up against the Red Sea. The Egyptian army was on their heels, ready to punish them, kill many and drag the rest back to their old slave life. Ahead of them was the Red Sea, an insurmountable barrier. What could they do? They needed to experience the power of faith. In Exodus 14: 13 Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” The amazing thing is that these Hebrews actually put there faith into action. They listened and chose to believe Moses’ words. They repented of their fear. Instead of running away, each one, man, woman and child, made a decision to stand firm and by faith they witnessed the deliverance of the Lord. They were saved and passed through the Red Sea as on dry land. It was all because of their faith in action.
Like the Israelites, God has called all Christians to be a great holy nation. 1 Peter 2:9 reads, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful life.” Before meeting Jesus, we lived as slaves to Satan, sin and fear. But now God by his grace, is leading us in faith, to be for him, his holy nation. When we realize this, then all of our past and present sufferings are simply a gestational period where we are about to be born anew as a holy nation.
God has delivered me so many times from my Red Seas. The first Red Sea was persecution from my family for five years. I shed tears so many times. But God helped me to stand firm and I have experienced his deliverance. My parents are now silent supporters of our family and my mother actually said she is proud of our church life. My other Red Sea was my nursing studies. I had so much reading and assignments that I could only read 75% of everything once. I was also newly married with a baby coming and no money. There was every reason to give up my life of faith, drop out of nursing school and just survive. But I could stand firm by faith through living as a student shepherd and keeping up my spiritual responsibilities. God delivered me with “A” marks in nursing school and gave me a great career as a nurse. The other Red Sea was a deep sense of despair and fatalism that made me long for God to take me out of this world. I guess is it was pastor’s burnout. But God told me to stand firm and don’t give up. I stood firm by continually serving Jesus and obeying Shp Teddy’s direction to make a new beginning and change my environment. God delivered me time and again from the Red Sea of despair with his word and his hope. I no longer live in despair and fatalism, but each day is filled with God’s hope and expectation and so can your days. Just put your faith in action.
But there are so many things that make us too afraid to move forward and cross the Red Sea. We are stuck. We are harassed inwardly. The more we wait, the more likely we are going to get picked off by our sins and the devil and dragged back to our old lives. We know our Red Seas. We know what God is trying to do and what we must do to cross our own Red Sea by faith. Let’s hear the word of God and “stand firm” and choose to trust God’s way of salvation. When we engage our faith then we will see the great and awesome deliverance of the Lord.
Part lV: The Faith Of Other Ancients (30-40)
What do we learn from Rahab? Look at verse 31.“By faith the prostitute Rehab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.” She had faith in God and sided with God and God’s people. She stuck her neck out because of her faith in the God of the Bible. She and her whole household were saved and she became the great-grandmother of who? Yes…King David. She was included as a key player in God’s history. And so can each of you when you put Rahab’s faith into action.
In verses 32-38 we find other “By faith” episodes in many other great men and women of God. “And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37 They were stoned[f]; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.” I know that each of us have our own unique sufferings. I don’t want to downplay anything that each of you are going through because of your faith in Jesus. But what some of these people had to endure was horrible. Yet they stood by faith even in the midst of these unbearable sufferings. While living by faith, some of them changed the course of history. Some left this world as unknown believers, know only by God. They were all rewarded with nothing in this world, except God’s comfort and more calls to sacrifice. Their lives were sold out for Jesus.
They chose to give up this world, even their own lives, because such sacrifices would gain them a better resurrection. They would later receive the true hope that they were trusting in as they lived by faith. Their great hope is our great hope. The great hope of all Christians is that one day we will be just like the resurrected Jesus Christ. We will be perfect as he is perfect. As Jesus lives in his Father’s presence so will we. As Jesus is heir of all things so too we will be co-heirs with him. This day has not yet come. Nevertheless it is coming. And with this hope we put our faith into action. Let us pray that God may help us to stand firm in faith in Jesus Christ and not shrink back, right unto the end of our race.
In conclusion, all of thee people had faith and they acted on their faith. Their faith was very practical. May we follow their example and seek to please God. May we make decisions of faith. May Christ be more valuable and more important to us than anything else in the world and may we experience the power, the deliverance of God as we put faith in action. And how long shall we put our faith into action? Right up to the day of Jesus Christ’s coming. Then our faith will become sight.
Genesis 4:1-24
What Ever Happened to Cain?
Genesis 4:1-24
Key verse 4:6-7 Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 2-6-11
“Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."
In today’s passage we will learn about Cain. Cain is one of the lost souls of Genesis. When he was young, God accepted Abel's offering, but did not accept his. When rebuked, Cain did not repent and he became angry. God loved Cain and gave him his word. But Cain rejected God's love and God’s word. Sin conquered him. When called to repent Cain refused. The godless culture he spawned was full of violence, hatred, revenge and the misuse of the word of God. Through a study of this passage may we respond to the love of God and determine to make offerings that are pleasing to the Lord. May we keep God’s word in my heart so that sin may not master us but rather we may do what is right before God’s eyes and be made acceptable to God. May God bless you.
Part l: Cain And His Offering (1-5a)
Just prior to the birth of Cain, mankind was separated from God because of their sin. Adam and Eve had been dwelling in paradise with God. God provided everything for them, great food, a beautiful environment, a meaningful mission in life, hope and vision for the future, a family and a close intimate relationship with their Creator. But all of this was lost when Adam and Eve were tempted by the devil to doubt God’s love and disobey God. They found themselves blaming God and each other and huge chasm was created between them and God. They lost their innocence and were filled with guilt and shame. They hid from God, failing to confess their sins and repent. As a result they were cast out of the garden and into a fallen world where they would work hard simply to survive, where bearing kids was very painful and even deadly, where Satan, out of his hatred for God, would harass them endlessly and where each would expect other people and create things to be their saviors. Life in the fallen world was harsh and unforgiving. It was a world where God seemed distant, harsh and uninvolved in peoples’ lives. This is the world that Cain was born into.
But despite of their harsh reality, Adam and Eve still believed in God. They knew that the paradise of God still existed. They knew that God still loved them, for he even slew an animal in order to cover their nakedness with its fur. Eve even gave credit to God for helping her to give birth to Cain. Look at Genesis 4:1, “Adam lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, "With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man.’” She was not bitter to God and she still had faith that he was actively involved in their lives and blessing them.
Adam Eve taught their son’s about God. They knew that God existed and wanted them to approach him in worship. The fact that God sacrificed an animal for them to cover their shame taught them that they could approach God through sacrifice. And so Eve taught her boys how to come to God by sacrificing. They had some kind of spiritual life with religious practice. They built themselves and huge mound with rock and soil; with stairs and on a regular basis they built a large fire and came to God with offerings in which the smoke of these offerings drifted up to heaven. It was their attempt to please God and acknowledge God that he is their Creator God, the Sovereign Lord, and the provider of all things. They were to come to God humbly with thanksgiving, submission and faith as they made their offering.
Cain and Able knew what they were to do and with what attitude of heart they should have. They knew. Cain’s brother, Able brought fat portions of the firstborn of his flock He gave an offering that really cost him something. He offered a healthy lamb, even before others were born. But Cain did not make such an offering. Look at verse 3, “In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD” He was just going through the motions. He was giving something that really didn’t require faith. Cain may have been fulfilling his religious duty, but he was not recognizing, nor thanking, nor recognizing God for who he is, the Creator and Sustainer and Provider. Cain’s offering was not pleasing to God and was reflection of his inner person. God was pleased with Cain’s offering but not with Cain’s. Verse 5a reads, “The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor….” (See also Heb 11:4) God did not have to accept his superficial, habitual offering. God wants our whole hearts. He wants our sincerity of heart. And so he had every right to rejected Cain’s offering.
Cain did not accept God’s judgment on the matter. Look at verse 5b, “… So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.” The reality of his inner heart was being made manifest on the outside. Actually, Cain had been downcast for decades. One doesn’t become like this overnight. But he hid behind a halfhearted religious façade. God had been patient. But now when he stood before the light of God his darkness was revealed.
Part ll: God’s Love For Cain (5b-9)
When Cain discovered that God was not very happy with his offering, he should have confessed his sin even if he didn’t understand fully what God was getting at. Confession and repentance is always the proper response to God’s convicting work in our hearts. 1 John 1:9 reads, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” And Proverbs 28:13 reads; “He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” What is confession? Mostly confession is agreeing with God. The Bible says that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Rom 3:23) The Bible says that we all must appear before the judgment seat of Christ that each one may receive what is due him for the things done in the body whether good or bad. (2 Cor 5:10) When we confess we agree that even the simplest of sins is enough to condemn us to an eternity in hell; that our lack of sincerity and heart and superficial offerings in our lives are not pleasing to God; that we are in a desperate need of a savior. May we all learn the blessedness of humbly confessing our sins before God and find God’s mercy and forgiveness.
God cared about Cain’s spiritual condition. Look at verse 6, “Then the LORD said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast.’” God was not just asking for information. He knew of the turmoil that was brewing in Cain’s heart. He reached out to Cain. Cain should have taken this opportunity to pour out his heart to God, “Lord, I don’t understand why you didn’t accept my offering. What did I do wrong? Teach me your truth. Help me to make an offering that is pleasing to you.” What a beautiful example he would have set for future generations if he did this!
God gave Cain what he needed the most…wise words of counsel. Look at verse 7, “If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it." Let’s think about these words of life. First, doing what is right. Look at verse 7a, “If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?...” Cain needed to do what was right. What is right in his case? Obviously it is humble confession; imploring God for his help and asking for his guidance and strength to making the right offering. God was showing Cain the way to be saved. If only he would listen.
Second, Cain needed to seek to be accepted by God. Look at verse 7a again, “7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?...” Cain needed to care about the barrier that his sin had created by his sin. He needed to care about his alienation from the Lord and seek God’s acceptance, for God’s acceptance would mean forgiveness, spiritual blessings, peace and eternal life. But Cain did not seem to care about being unacceptable to God.
God was very adamant about Cain’s repentance, because he knew how much danger Cain was in. Look at verse 7b, “”…But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it." The power of sin is very real and very dangerous. Peter speaks of this danger in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” If our hearts are not right before God then the truth is, we are in dire danger. When I was in Kenya on Safari after a Bible conference, I saw a roaring lion pounce on a wildebeest. The lion was sleeping in the grass and four wildebeests walked right up to it. The lion pounced and grabbed the neck of one poor animal. It held on until he strangled it. Sin is like this. It holds on until we are overcome and we perish under its power. Sin and the devil are waiting to pounce on us to enslave us, rob us of life and keep us eternally separated from God. We need to take heed and do the right thing and seek the acceptance of God with sincere hearts.
Sin is very powerful. The devil is very powerful. With our human ability we cannot but fall victim to them. But there is a way to master sin. Jesus showed us how in Matthew 4:1-11. In this passage Jesus was being tempted by the devil in four different ways. And how did Jesus overcome? Each time he overcame with the written word of God from the Old Testament. The devil could not touch him and he left Jesus. Psalm 119:9 reads; “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word.” Ephesians 6:11 tells us more; “11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” The full armor of God includes faith, prayer, salvation and the word of God. If you are not holding onto the word of God, then sin and the devil are pouncing all over you and you cannot stand much longer. Come to Jesus today and be saved.
When Cain rejected God’s word of life he could not control his sin. Look at verse 8, “Now Cain said to his brother Abel, ‘Let's go out to the field.’ And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.“ Nestled deep in Cain’s heart was jealousy. When left unchecked, jealousy turned into anger, and then grew hatred and finally it started to come out of his body in the form of murder. James tells us about this spiritual phenomena in James 1:15, “Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” There are certain sin problems in the deep recesses of our hearts that if left unchecked, will begin to grow and grow until they become part of our outward actions. Whatever is in there will eventually come out for all to see. And the destination of all these things is death and eternal separation from God. We need to get these things in check, now, by nipping them at the bud. We need to do what is right and master our sin with confession and repentance before the word of God.
God continued to love this unlovable man in verse 9a, “Then the LORD said to Cain, ‘Where is your brother Abel?’ ‘I don't know,’ he replied. ‘Am I my brother's keeper?’” When the Lord, said, “where is your brother”, he was not looking for information. God knew exactly what had happened. Out of his abundant grace and mercy he was giving Cain a second chance to come back to him. Our God is a God of second, third and fourth chances. The only time that our chances run out is when? When our eyes close in death.
Again, Cain rejected the grace of God. Look at verse 9b, “… ‘I don't know,’ he replied. ‘Am I my brother's keeper?’" He became sarcastic towards God. He rejected the age old truth, that, “Yes!” we are our brother’s and our sister’s keepers. But Cain mocked this truth, even being sarcastic to God. The spirit of sarcasm is never appropriate for God’s people. Cain’s heart became harder and harder.
Part lll: Cain’s Curse (10-16)
The Lord would no longer contend with Cain’s insolence. Now God boldly confronted Cain. Look at verse 10, “The LORD said, ‘What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground.’” Able was a martyr. He was murdered by his own brother simply for doing what was right before God. He was murdered for his exercising his faith. He should have been honored and upheld. Cain should have come to him for instruction. But his young life was prematurely snuffed out. This is unjust. And that was how his blood was calling out from the ground. It was calling out for justice. And God was going to bring about his justice.
God doled out his justice in the form of a curse. Look at verses 11-12, “ Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth." Let’s think of the different portions of this curse. First, “Driven from the ground...” There was no Promised Land at this time. Why was being driven from that ground such a curse. It was where his family lived. Much more than that, it was the land where God’s people dwelt. It was the land where the altar was where they approached God to make sacrifices. It would be like being driven from you family and your church and from the place where you can seek the Lord. We call this excommunication. Second, “when you work the ground, it will no longer yield crops for you.” This is like Adam’s curse. Cain would be cursed to work hard with very little in return for his labors. It is like the working poor who work hard and still get deeper and deeper in debt. It is like people who lack meaning in their lives. They work –eat- sleep. Some only eat and sleep and entertain themselves. This is part of Cain’s curse. Third, “You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.” When he cut himself off from God he no longer had any roots. He was set adrift to wander with no clear life direction, no mission and no real hope. Anyone who cuts themselves off from God find themselves in the same predicament…restless wanders in this world.
We can all find ourselves under this curse at one time or another. But this does not mean that we must stay under the curse. Galatians 3:13 reads, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.’” Jesus died on the cross so that we can be saved from a life under the curse. I used to be a restless wander. I mocked God. I argued against his existence. I made coarse and vile jokes about holy things. I rejected God’s word of counsel again and again. As a result I was restless, turning to extreme pleasure seeking to sooth my wandering heart. I was struggling to survive in this world, constantly just getting by, no matter how hard I tried. I had no relationships with Christians. I was drifting apart from my own family members. My entire life would have been lived under the curse if Jesus had not found me. Through Bible study I discovered that Jesus died on the cross. He forgave me of all my “Cain like” sins. He set me free to make the right offerings with my life. I have hope that all remnants of the curse will be vanquished when we enter the king of heaven. (Rev 22:3) You too can be set free from the curse today, by repenting of your sins and putting all of your faith, hope and trust in Jesus Christ.
Another part of the curse is fear. Look at verses 13-14, “Cain said to the LORD, ‘My punishment is more than I can bear. 14 Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me." Cain thought his other siblings or his nephews would kill him. Everyday was a day filled with fear. Some are living under this curse. They fear everything…the recession, bodily injury, violent crime, terrorism, cancer, failure at school, not being able to get a job, getting fired, being alone, the judgment, etc.
God again showered his grace on Cain. Look at verse 15, “But the LORD said to him, ‘Not so; if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over.’ Then the LORD put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him” God gave Cain the promise of protection. He placed a mark on Cain, in a very conspicuous place, so that anyone who was seeking vengeance would stop and reconsider. The mark would be very useful because every time Cain saw it, he would be able to remember God’s grace and know that he could come back to God anytime. But, sadly, there is no indication that he did so.
Part lV: Cain’s Legacy (17- 26)
Though Cain remained unrepentant, living in fear under the curse, he still continued to live his life and attain some prosperity. Look at verse 17, “Cain lay with his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was then building a city, and he named it after his son Enoch.” Out of his fear, he built a walled city to protect himself from his enemies. He named the city after his son, Enoch. He was like modern day tyrants who put statues of themselves in their countries so that can be revered and even worshipped. He had many descendants. They created a society where there was agriculture, music, metallurgy (the latest technology). These are not necessarily bad.
But there was bad fruit born of Cain’s godless life, in his decadents. Look at verses 23-24,
“Lamech said to his wives, ‘Adah and Zillah, listen to me; wives of Lamech, hear my words. I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for injuring me. 24 If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech seventy-seven times.’" Lamech was Cain’s great-great grandson. He wrote a poem, or a song, and sang it to his wives. In his song he was boasting for killing a young man for injuring him. Maybe a teenager hit him with a bike by accident. Maybe there was a fender bender and Lamech took road rage to the extreme. Anyway, he overreacted in his pride and killed someone. Lamech also took God’s word and twisted it to his own advantage. He said, “If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech seventy-seven times." A godless culture never wants to obey God, but always wants to twist God’s word to serve its own purpose. Lamech boasted about all these things when he should have been ashamed of them and repented of them before God.
We can see the eventual outcome of Cain’s unrepentant heart in Genesis 6:11-12, “Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. 12 God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways.” The whole earth was full of violence. God would no longer contend with all of mankind. He promised to send a flood. It was in this flood that the descendants of Cain were ultimately destroyed.
The writers of the New Testament warn us to stay away from the way of Cain. The Apostle John writes in 1 John 3:12, “Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous.” Jude also writes in Jude 10-11, “Yet these men speak abusively against whatever they do not understand; and what things they do understand by instinct, like unreasoning animals—these are the very things that destroy them. 11 Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; …” Do you know anyone who speaks abusively against things they don’t understand? The world is full of such people. I am always amazed at how young people, who have been alive for less than 20 years, are so confident about their knowledge about creation, about God and heaven and the spiritual world. They are so willing to speak abusively against spiritual things and Jesus. That is pride. That is the way of Cain. May God save us from following the way of Cain.
There is only one surefire way of not following the way of Cain. It is found in our key verse. Genesis 4:6-7, ““Then the LORD said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it’." Let’s open our ears to hear the life giving word of God. Let us humble ourselves, confess and repent and decide, by faith, to do what is right before the eyes of God. Let’s us seek God’s acceptance, by coming to Jesus and make our lives an offering pleasing to the Lord. Then God will be with us, protect us and help us to leave a lasting legacy of faith.
Part l: Cain And His Offering (1-5a)
1. What was the condition of humanity when Cain was born in the world? (Gen 3:14-19; Gen 3:23) What happened to their relationship with God after the Fall? (3:22-23) What had Adam and Eve taught their sons? (4:1,3)
2. How did Cain try to approach God? (3) How do we approach God today? Is there some similarity? What did Cain offer to God? (3) What was God looking for in the offering? (4-5) How did God regard Cain’s offering and why? (5)
Part ll: God’s Love For Cain (5b-9)
3. How did Cain react when he found out that God was not pleased with what he
offered? (5) What did this reveal about his heart? What did this show about this
attitude towards God? What should be our attitude? (Matt 3:6; 1 Jn 1:9; Prov 28:13)
4. What did God notice? (6) Did God know why? What was God’s word of counsel to
Cain? (7) What did Cain need to do? ( 7a) What was should he his goal? (7a) Why was
Cain in danger? (7b; 1 Pe 5:8) How do we mast sin? (Matt 4:1-11; Ps 119:9; Eph 6:11)
5. Did Cain accept God’s words? What happened when he rejected God’s word of counsel?
(8) Describe the development of sin in his heart? What does this teach us about the sinful
desires that arise in our hearts? (Ja 1:15)
6. How did God continue to love Cain despite of his sin? (9a) What was God expecting?
How did Cain respond? (9b)
Part lll: Cain’s Curse (10-16)
7. When had God had enough of Cain’s insolence? (10) What was the cry that God heard?
What was Cain’s curse? (11-12) Think of each part of the curse? Are people today subjected to the same curse? How can the effects of the curse be stopped or even reversed? (Gal 3:13; Rev 22:3)
8. What was Cain’s life like under the curse? (13-14) How did God still show love to Cain?
(15) Where is the land of Nod? What is the land of Nod in a spiritual sense?
Part lV: Cain’s Legacy (17- 26)
9. Why did Cain build a city? (17, 14b) Why did he name it after his son? What kind of culture grew from Cain’s descendents? (19-22)
10. Who was Lamech? (18) What was his problem? (23-24) Why did he kill someone? How
did he misuse the word of God? How does this further describe the culture that grew out
of Cain’s spiritual influence? (Gen 6:11-12)What happens when we deliberately exclude
God from our society and our thoughts? (Rom 1:18-23)
11. What does the Bible teach us about what not learn from Cain? (1 John 3:12) What is the
way of Cain? (Jude 10-11) How can we avoid the way of Cain? (4:6-7)
Genesis 4:1-24
Key verse 4:6-7 Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 2-6-11
“Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."
In today’s passage we will learn about Cain. Cain is one of the lost souls of Genesis. When he was young, God accepted Abel's offering, but did not accept his. When rebuked, Cain did not repent and he became angry. God loved Cain and gave him his word. But Cain rejected God's love and God’s word. Sin conquered him. When called to repent Cain refused. The godless culture he spawned was full of violence, hatred, revenge and the misuse of the word of God. Through a study of this passage may we respond to the love of God and determine to make offerings that are pleasing to the Lord. May we keep God’s word in my heart so that sin may not master us but rather we may do what is right before God’s eyes and be made acceptable to God. May God bless you.
Part l: Cain And His Offering (1-5a)
Just prior to the birth of Cain, mankind was separated from God because of their sin. Adam and Eve had been dwelling in paradise with God. God provided everything for them, great food, a beautiful environment, a meaningful mission in life, hope and vision for the future, a family and a close intimate relationship with their Creator. But all of this was lost when Adam and Eve were tempted by the devil to doubt God’s love and disobey God. They found themselves blaming God and each other and huge chasm was created between them and God. They lost their innocence and were filled with guilt and shame. They hid from God, failing to confess their sins and repent. As a result they were cast out of the garden and into a fallen world where they would work hard simply to survive, where bearing kids was very painful and even deadly, where Satan, out of his hatred for God, would harass them endlessly and where each would expect other people and create things to be their saviors. Life in the fallen world was harsh and unforgiving. It was a world where God seemed distant, harsh and uninvolved in peoples’ lives. This is the world that Cain was born into.
But despite of their harsh reality, Adam and Eve still believed in God. They knew that the paradise of God still existed. They knew that God still loved them, for he even slew an animal in order to cover their nakedness with its fur. Eve even gave credit to God for helping her to give birth to Cain. Look at Genesis 4:1, “Adam lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, "With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man.’” She was not bitter to God and she still had faith that he was actively involved in their lives and blessing them.
Adam Eve taught their son’s about God. They knew that God existed and wanted them to approach him in worship. The fact that God sacrificed an animal for them to cover their shame taught them that they could approach God through sacrifice. And so Eve taught her boys how to come to God by sacrificing. They had some kind of spiritual life with religious practice. They built themselves and huge mound with rock and soil; with stairs and on a regular basis they built a large fire and came to God with offerings in which the smoke of these offerings drifted up to heaven. It was their attempt to please God and acknowledge God that he is their Creator God, the Sovereign Lord, and the provider of all things. They were to come to God humbly with thanksgiving, submission and faith as they made their offering.
Cain and Able knew what they were to do and with what attitude of heart they should have. They knew. Cain’s brother, Able brought fat portions of the firstborn of his flock He gave an offering that really cost him something. He offered a healthy lamb, even before others were born. But Cain did not make such an offering. Look at verse 3, “In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD” He was just going through the motions. He was giving something that really didn’t require faith. Cain may have been fulfilling his religious duty, but he was not recognizing, nor thanking, nor recognizing God for who he is, the Creator and Sustainer and Provider. Cain’s offering was not pleasing to God and was reflection of his inner person. God was pleased with Cain’s offering but not with Cain’s. Verse 5a reads, “The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor….” (See also Heb 11:4) God did not have to accept his superficial, habitual offering. God wants our whole hearts. He wants our sincerity of heart. And so he had every right to rejected Cain’s offering.
Cain did not accept God’s judgment on the matter. Look at verse 5b, “… So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.” The reality of his inner heart was being made manifest on the outside. Actually, Cain had been downcast for decades. One doesn’t become like this overnight. But he hid behind a halfhearted religious façade. God had been patient. But now when he stood before the light of God his darkness was revealed.
Part ll: God’s Love For Cain (5b-9)
When Cain discovered that God was not very happy with his offering, he should have confessed his sin even if he didn’t understand fully what God was getting at. Confession and repentance is always the proper response to God’s convicting work in our hearts. 1 John 1:9 reads, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” And Proverbs 28:13 reads; “He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” What is confession? Mostly confession is agreeing with God. The Bible says that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Rom 3:23) The Bible says that we all must appear before the judgment seat of Christ that each one may receive what is due him for the things done in the body whether good or bad. (2 Cor 5:10) When we confess we agree that even the simplest of sins is enough to condemn us to an eternity in hell; that our lack of sincerity and heart and superficial offerings in our lives are not pleasing to God; that we are in a desperate need of a savior. May we all learn the blessedness of humbly confessing our sins before God and find God’s mercy and forgiveness.
God cared about Cain’s spiritual condition. Look at verse 6, “Then the LORD said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast.’” God was not just asking for information. He knew of the turmoil that was brewing in Cain’s heart. He reached out to Cain. Cain should have taken this opportunity to pour out his heart to God, “Lord, I don’t understand why you didn’t accept my offering. What did I do wrong? Teach me your truth. Help me to make an offering that is pleasing to you.” What a beautiful example he would have set for future generations if he did this!
God gave Cain what he needed the most…wise words of counsel. Look at verse 7, “If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it." Let’s think about these words of life. First, doing what is right. Look at verse 7a, “If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?...” Cain needed to do what was right. What is right in his case? Obviously it is humble confession; imploring God for his help and asking for his guidance and strength to making the right offering. God was showing Cain the way to be saved. If only he would listen.
Second, Cain needed to seek to be accepted by God. Look at verse 7a again, “7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?...” Cain needed to care about the barrier that his sin had created by his sin. He needed to care about his alienation from the Lord and seek God’s acceptance, for God’s acceptance would mean forgiveness, spiritual blessings, peace and eternal life. But Cain did not seem to care about being unacceptable to God.
God was very adamant about Cain’s repentance, because he knew how much danger Cain was in. Look at verse 7b, “”…But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it." The power of sin is very real and very dangerous. Peter speaks of this danger in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” If our hearts are not right before God then the truth is, we are in dire danger. When I was in Kenya on Safari after a Bible conference, I saw a roaring lion pounce on a wildebeest. The lion was sleeping in the grass and four wildebeests walked right up to it. The lion pounced and grabbed the neck of one poor animal. It held on until he strangled it. Sin is like this. It holds on until we are overcome and we perish under its power. Sin and the devil are waiting to pounce on us to enslave us, rob us of life and keep us eternally separated from God. We need to take heed and do the right thing and seek the acceptance of God with sincere hearts.
Sin is very powerful. The devil is very powerful. With our human ability we cannot but fall victim to them. But there is a way to master sin. Jesus showed us how in Matthew 4:1-11. In this passage Jesus was being tempted by the devil in four different ways. And how did Jesus overcome? Each time he overcame with the written word of God from the Old Testament. The devil could not touch him and he left Jesus. Psalm 119:9 reads; “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word.” Ephesians 6:11 tells us more; “11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” The full armor of God includes faith, prayer, salvation and the word of God. If you are not holding onto the word of God, then sin and the devil are pouncing all over you and you cannot stand much longer. Come to Jesus today and be saved.
When Cain rejected God’s word of life he could not control his sin. Look at verse 8, “Now Cain said to his brother Abel, ‘Let's go out to the field.’ And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.“ Nestled deep in Cain’s heart was jealousy. When left unchecked, jealousy turned into anger, and then grew hatred and finally it started to come out of his body in the form of murder. James tells us about this spiritual phenomena in James 1:15, “Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” There are certain sin problems in the deep recesses of our hearts that if left unchecked, will begin to grow and grow until they become part of our outward actions. Whatever is in there will eventually come out for all to see. And the destination of all these things is death and eternal separation from God. We need to get these things in check, now, by nipping them at the bud. We need to do what is right and master our sin with confession and repentance before the word of God.
God continued to love this unlovable man in verse 9a, “Then the LORD said to Cain, ‘Where is your brother Abel?’ ‘I don't know,’ he replied. ‘Am I my brother's keeper?’” When the Lord, said, “where is your brother”, he was not looking for information. God knew exactly what had happened. Out of his abundant grace and mercy he was giving Cain a second chance to come back to him. Our God is a God of second, third and fourth chances. The only time that our chances run out is when? When our eyes close in death.
Again, Cain rejected the grace of God. Look at verse 9b, “… ‘I don't know,’ he replied. ‘Am I my brother's keeper?’" He became sarcastic towards God. He rejected the age old truth, that, “Yes!” we are our brother’s and our sister’s keepers. But Cain mocked this truth, even being sarcastic to God. The spirit of sarcasm is never appropriate for God’s people. Cain’s heart became harder and harder.
Part lll: Cain’s Curse (10-16)
The Lord would no longer contend with Cain’s insolence. Now God boldly confronted Cain. Look at verse 10, “The LORD said, ‘What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground.’” Able was a martyr. He was murdered by his own brother simply for doing what was right before God. He was murdered for his exercising his faith. He should have been honored and upheld. Cain should have come to him for instruction. But his young life was prematurely snuffed out. This is unjust. And that was how his blood was calling out from the ground. It was calling out for justice. And God was going to bring about his justice.
God doled out his justice in the form of a curse. Look at verses 11-12, “ Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth." Let’s think of the different portions of this curse. First, “Driven from the ground...” There was no Promised Land at this time. Why was being driven from that ground such a curse. It was where his family lived. Much more than that, it was the land where God’s people dwelt. It was the land where the altar was where they approached God to make sacrifices. It would be like being driven from you family and your church and from the place where you can seek the Lord. We call this excommunication. Second, “when you work the ground, it will no longer yield crops for you.” This is like Adam’s curse. Cain would be cursed to work hard with very little in return for his labors. It is like the working poor who work hard and still get deeper and deeper in debt. It is like people who lack meaning in their lives. They work –eat- sleep. Some only eat and sleep and entertain themselves. This is part of Cain’s curse. Third, “You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.” When he cut himself off from God he no longer had any roots. He was set adrift to wander with no clear life direction, no mission and no real hope. Anyone who cuts themselves off from God find themselves in the same predicament…restless wanders in this world.
We can all find ourselves under this curse at one time or another. But this does not mean that we must stay under the curse. Galatians 3:13 reads, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.’” Jesus died on the cross so that we can be saved from a life under the curse. I used to be a restless wander. I mocked God. I argued against his existence. I made coarse and vile jokes about holy things. I rejected God’s word of counsel again and again. As a result I was restless, turning to extreme pleasure seeking to sooth my wandering heart. I was struggling to survive in this world, constantly just getting by, no matter how hard I tried. I had no relationships with Christians. I was drifting apart from my own family members. My entire life would have been lived under the curse if Jesus had not found me. Through Bible study I discovered that Jesus died on the cross. He forgave me of all my “Cain like” sins. He set me free to make the right offerings with my life. I have hope that all remnants of the curse will be vanquished when we enter the king of heaven. (Rev 22:3) You too can be set free from the curse today, by repenting of your sins and putting all of your faith, hope and trust in Jesus Christ.
Another part of the curse is fear. Look at verses 13-14, “Cain said to the LORD, ‘My punishment is more than I can bear. 14 Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me." Cain thought his other siblings or his nephews would kill him. Everyday was a day filled with fear. Some are living under this curse. They fear everything…the recession, bodily injury, violent crime, terrorism, cancer, failure at school, not being able to get a job, getting fired, being alone, the judgment, etc.
God again showered his grace on Cain. Look at verse 15, “But the LORD said to him, ‘Not so; if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over.’ Then the LORD put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him” God gave Cain the promise of protection. He placed a mark on Cain, in a very conspicuous place, so that anyone who was seeking vengeance would stop and reconsider. The mark would be very useful because every time Cain saw it, he would be able to remember God’s grace and know that he could come back to God anytime. But, sadly, there is no indication that he did so.
Part lV: Cain’s Legacy (17- 26)
Though Cain remained unrepentant, living in fear under the curse, he still continued to live his life and attain some prosperity. Look at verse 17, “Cain lay with his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was then building a city, and he named it after his son Enoch.” Out of his fear, he built a walled city to protect himself from his enemies. He named the city after his son, Enoch. He was like modern day tyrants who put statues of themselves in their countries so that can be revered and even worshipped. He had many descendants. They created a society where there was agriculture, music, metallurgy (the latest technology). These are not necessarily bad.
But there was bad fruit born of Cain’s godless life, in his decadents. Look at verses 23-24,
“Lamech said to his wives, ‘Adah and Zillah, listen to me; wives of Lamech, hear my words. I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for injuring me. 24 If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech seventy-seven times.’" Lamech was Cain’s great-great grandson. He wrote a poem, or a song, and sang it to his wives. In his song he was boasting for killing a young man for injuring him. Maybe a teenager hit him with a bike by accident. Maybe there was a fender bender and Lamech took road rage to the extreme. Anyway, he overreacted in his pride and killed someone. Lamech also took God’s word and twisted it to his own advantage. He said, “If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech seventy-seven times." A godless culture never wants to obey God, but always wants to twist God’s word to serve its own purpose. Lamech boasted about all these things when he should have been ashamed of them and repented of them before God.
We can see the eventual outcome of Cain’s unrepentant heart in Genesis 6:11-12, “Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. 12 God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways.” The whole earth was full of violence. God would no longer contend with all of mankind. He promised to send a flood. It was in this flood that the descendants of Cain were ultimately destroyed.
The writers of the New Testament warn us to stay away from the way of Cain. The Apostle John writes in 1 John 3:12, “Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous.” Jude also writes in Jude 10-11, “Yet these men speak abusively against whatever they do not understand; and what things they do understand by instinct, like unreasoning animals—these are the very things that destroy them. 11 Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; …” Do you know anyone who speaks abusively against things they don’t understand? The world is full of such people. I am always amazed at how young people, who have been alive for less than 20 years, are so confident about their knowledge about creation, about God and heaven and the spiritual world. They are so willing to speak abusively against spiritual things and Jesus. That is pride. That is the way of Cain. May God save us from following the way of Cain.
There is only one surefire way of not following the way of Cain. It is found in our key verse. Genesis 4:6-7, ““Then the LORD said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it’." Let’s open our ears to hear the life giving word of God. Let us humble ourselves, confess and repent and decide, by faith, to do what is right before the eyes of God. Let’s us seek God’s acceptance, by coming to Jesus and make our lives an offering pleasing to the Lord. Then God will be with us, protect us and help us to leave a lasting legacy of faith.
Part l: Cain And His Offering (1-5a)
1. What was the condition of humanity when Cain was born in the world? (Gen 3:14-19; Gen 3:23) What happened to their relationship with God after the Fall? (3:22-23) What had Adam and Eve taught their sons? (4:1,3)
2. How did Cain try to approach God? (3) How do we approach God today? Is there some similarity? What did Cain offer to God? (3) What was God looking for in the offering? (4-5) How did God regard Cain’s offering and why? (5)
Part ll: God’s Love For Cain (5b-9)
3. How did Cain react when he found out that God was not pleased with what he
offered? (5) What did this reveal about his heart? What did this show about this
attitude towards God? What should be our attitude? (Matt 3:6; 1 Jn 1:9; Prov 28:13)
4. What did God notice? (6) Did God know why? What was God’s word of counsel to
Cain? (7) What did Cain need to do? ( 7a) What was should he his goal? (7a) Why was
Cain in danger? (7b; 1 Pe 5:8) How do we mast sin? (Matt 4:1-11; Ps 119:9; Eph 6:11)
5. Did Cain accept God’s words? What happened when he rejected God’s word of counsel?
(8) Describe the development of sin in his heart? What does this teach us about the sinful
desires that arise in our hearts? (Ja 1:15)
6. How did God continue to love Cain despite of his sin? (9a) What was God expecting?
How did Cain respond? (9b)
Part lll: Cain’s Curse (10-16)
7. When had God had enough of Cain’s insolence? (10) What was the cry that God heard?
What was Cain’s curse? (11-12) Think of each part of the curse? Are people today subjected to the same curse? How can the effects of the curse be stopped or even reversed? (Gal 3:13; Rev 22:3)
8. What was Cain’s life like under the curse? (13-14) How did God still show love to Cain?
(15) Where is the land of Nod? What is the land of Nod in a spiritual sense?
Part lV: Cain’s Legacy (17- 26)
9. Why did Cain build a city? (17, 14b) Why did he name it after his son? What kind of culture grew from Cain’s descendents? (19-22)
10. Who was Lamech? (18) What was his problem? (23-24) Why did he kill someone? How
did he misuse the word of God? How does this further describe the culture that grew out
of Cain’s spiritual influence? (Gen 6:11-12)What happens when we deliberately exclude
God from our society and our thoughts? (Rom 1:18-23)
11. What does the Bible teach us about what not learn from Cain? (1 John 3:12) What is the
way of Cain? (Jude 10-11) How can we avoid the way of Cain? (4:6-7)
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Genesis 36:1-43
What Ever Happened To Esau?
Genesis 36:1-43 Lesson 24
Key verse 36:1, 31 Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 1-28-11
“ 1 This is the account of Esau (that is, Edom). ….31 These were the kings who reigned in Edom
before any Israelite king reigned.”
In this study we want to take a closer look at what happened to Esau. We study the Bible a lot. We especially study Genesis. How easy it is for us to gloss over the genealogies. Do you actually know what became of Esau and his descendants? Is there anything to learn from his life experience? Esau had a lot of problems. He was a “physical” man who did not care about spiritual things. He was immoral and godless. He was also prone to bursts of anger, so intense that he wanted to even kill his own brother. But as all people change, Esau changed. God prospered him and he restored his relationship with his brother Jacob. He became a great nation with many descendants who influenced the history of the region. And so in this study we want to review the kind of man Esau was. We want to see how he changed and how God blessed him. We want to see what happened to his descendants and his legacy that he left on history. But let us mostly learn about God who blesses not only the righteous, but also the unrighteous...the sovereign Lord who forgives and works his will throughout history.
Part l: Who Was Esau? (Gen 25:23-24; Ps 139:15-16; Gen 25:27; Gen 25:33-34; Genesis 27:34, 36, 38; Php 3:19; Gen 27:46; Deut 7:3-4; Gen 28:6-10; Mal 1:2-3; Gen 27:41; Gen 4:6-7)
The Bible talks about Esau, even before he was born. His future was determined when he and his brother Jacob were jostling about in their mother’s womb. I am not going to debate destiny and free will here, but simply reveal Esau. Rebekah, his mother, inquired of the Lord as to what was happening to her. God revealed the future to her through a word of prophecy in Genesis 25:23-24. “The LORD said to her, ‘Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.’ 24 When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb.” The God who sees the end from the beginning, saw centuries in the future and the outcome of the lives of these two boys and the nations that would come from their bodies. King David had this same faith. He once wrote in Psalm 139:15-16, “My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” What did God see in Esau? What was the outcome of his days? That is what we are going to explore today.
Esau was Jacob’s fraternal twin. They were born to Isaac and Rebekah when Isaac was 60 years old. Esau was subject to Jacob’s competitive spirit, even from birth, for when they were being born, Jacob’s hand appeared to grasping Esau’s heel as if to say, “Hey wait a minute! I want to be born first!” When Esau was born he was red and had a lot of hair. He was blessed with an extra portion of testosterone. As he grew up, he was known as a macho man. He wore his shirts open, with a gold chain over his hairy chest. All the girls swooned over him.
Esau was a real manly man. Genesis 25:27 reads, “The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was a quiet man, staying among the tents.” The Bible says that Esau was a skillful hunter. He regularly took his bow and arrow and took to the open country where there were lions and bears. He was a successful, bringing home the bacon for the entire village. His favorite restaurant was Carnivore. He was the envy of all the young men. He was the focus of many a young lady who hoped to marry him. He was also loved by his father, Isaac who was proud of his son successes in this world. He would say, “Now that’s my boy!” Maybe, mild and quiet Isaac, was living out his own dream though his son, Esau.
But there was one event that truly defined who Esau was on the inside. One day he was hunting. It was tiring walking the country side, stalking animals, killing them and bringing them home. He was very hungry. He came upon Jacob next to a fire on which he was cooking some delicious lentil stew. He was famished and his mouth was watering. Nothing else mattered. All he wanted was that delicious stew. And so Esau made a deal. Genesis 25:33-34, “But Jacob said, ‘Swear to me first.’ So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright.” In this deal Jacob deceived his brother Esau, for he wanted Esau’s birthright.
A birthright is a blessing from God, usually given to the oldest son. It is both a political thing and a spiritual thing. Those who had the birth right were given twice the inheritance and were the understood leaders of the tribe. This is the blessing that Isaac could confer on his oldest son. And he was happy to do it for he favored Esau. But there was also a supernatural component to the birthright, a component that was only in God’s hands. Those who received the birthright would be the bearers of the promise given to Abraham. God would work through them and their family line to reveal faith to the world and eventually bring forth the Savior, Jesus. Their descendants would be blessed by God over the millennia.
Esau, being the oldest, was automatically conferred this blessing. Jacob did not understand it but he knew it was a good thing and he wanted it,. Esau did not know the value of it and he did not care either. All he cared about was the “here and now”. He cared about gratifying his hunger and satisfying his immediate needs. We call this expediency. Esau was expedient. To put it plainly, he was a physical person with no spiritual qualities. His God was his stomach and his human glory, his strong, macho man persona, was his shame. (Php 3:19)
As Christians, we have been born again into God’s family. (Jn 1:12-13) We have a certain inheritance, eternal life in the kingdom of heaven with our Lord Jesus. While in this life God is with us and raises us up in this world so that we can be source of blessings to others. He provides for our needs and blesses us in countless ways. God has a plan, to work in and through us and our families, when we remain true to Jesus and his word. He promises to be with our children and our children’s children, but we need to claim the birthright. We can do this by repenting of our sins and coming to Jesus for forgiveness and salvation. Then, as we live in this world, we live by faith and walk with Jesus, seeking first God’s kingdom and his righteousness. (Mtt 6:33)
But so often we despise our birthright. We don’t care about the spiritual blessings that God wants to confer upon us. All we want to do is make sure we are well fed and all of our physical needs are taken care of immediately and our bills paid with a little extra for some fun. We seek the image of an abrasive fighter, rather that a humble person of faith who persistently pursues Christ. We toss our birthright to the side, like Esau, saying “I don’t care.” That is what it means to despise our birthright. We must never do this. Yet so many do. May we never live according to our physical impulses, but live according to the word of God, practically seeking the Kingdom of God.
We can see Esau’s physical tendencies further in his choice of marriage partners. Genesis 26:34-35 reads, “When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite. 35 They were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah.” Esau had waited long enough. He was now forty. He was probably dating a lot up to that point, but now he felt the need to get married. Maybe he wanted to have a lot of little Esau’s around to go hunting with. He would name his oldest Esau Jr. To get married and have a family is alright. But what was his problem? He did not have a spiritual priority system in his marriage choices. Maybe these Hittite women were beautiful and fun, but they surely were not spiritual. Esau was behaving life the sons of God in the times of Noah, when “2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose.” (Gen 6:2)
These new additions to the family were not good news to Isaac and Rebekah. In fact Genesis 26:35 says, “They were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah.” In fact, one day Rebekah said to her husband Isaac, “I’m disgusted with living because of these Hittite women. If Jacob takes a wife from among the women of this land, from Hittite women like these, my life will not be worth living.” (Gen 27:46) Isaac feared that Jacob would follow the same course as Esau. and so one day he gave counsel to Jacob in Genesis 28:1-2, “…Isaac called for Jacob and blessed[a] 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.” Isaac wanted his sons to marry believers in the one true God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, the God of Adam, Noah, and Abraham. If Esau was not going to do this, then he was going to make sure Jacob would.
Why was Isaac and Rebekah so concerned about this matter? It was because God is concerned about it. God knows that our lives of faith and the fruitfulness of our families are largely determined by whom we marry. When the Israelites were entering into Promised Land, God gave them clear direction of about marriage. He told his people in Deuteronomy 7:3-4, “Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, 4 for they will turn your sons away from following me to serve other gods, and the LORD’s anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy you.” Making the wrong choice, based on physical desires, will turn a Christian’s heart away from following the Lord, to following the gods of the land we live in. And the gods of America are obvious. What are they? They are pleasure, money, sex, human freedom, etc. If we marry, the person we marry must be in the Lord. (1 Cor 7:39b) If we are going to be yoked together with someone in this life may it be with someone who is also yoked to the Lord. Esau’s two Hittite wives were not in the Lord.
When Esau discovered he made a mistake by living according to his impulses and his appetites, he was desperate to make the wrong he had made, right. In Genesis 27:34, 36, 38, we can see his desperate attempt. “ When Esau heard his father’s words, he burst out with a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, ‘Bless me—me too, my father!’ … 36 Esau said, ‘Isn’t he rightly named Jacob? He has deceived me these two times: He took my birthright, and now he’s taken my blessing!’ Then he asked, ‘Haven’t you reserved any blessing for me?’…38 Esau said to his father, ‘Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father!’ Then Esau wept aloud…” The great macho-man Esau was reduced to crying like a baby! Wow!
His vain attempts to make things right happened again. Esau knew that his marriage criteria were not pleasing to his godly parents and so he tried to rectify the problem. In Genesis 28:6-10 we read, “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.” Esau was shaken up. He did not want to displease his parents more than he already did. But he was a physical man and did not have a clue as to how best rectify the situation. He thought that if he married his cousins, from Ishmael’s family, then that would be O.K. But Ishmael’s life was a life born out of compromises. His descendants were not blessed. Marrying them would not make matters better. Esau made the wrong choice. Flesh gives birth to flesh and spirit gives birth to spirit. He needed to repent and ask the Holy Spirit of God for wisdom. But he did not. Because Esau spent his entire life seeking his own glory and gratifying his physical desires, he did not know what to do. He did know how to come back to God in humility and in repentance and in faith. He was lost in the darkness of his sin.
Though he could hunt lions and bears, Esau was unable to control the dark emotions that were churning in his heart like a topical storm. In Genesis 27:41 we learn, “Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. He said to himself, ‘The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob.’” He was like Cain, who rejected God’s love and God’s sovereignty and as a result had no control over his anger. James 1:15 reads, “Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” The seed of sin in Esau’s heart was covetousness. Out of this grew anger and then rage and it was leading him towards murder. Luckily he did not go as far Cain.
The solution that God had for Cain is the same advice that he would give to Esau and anyone for that matter. Look at Genesis 4:6-7, “Then the LORD said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.’” What is right? Even a child can know what is right? Esau needed to seek God’s acceptance by doing what is right. Humbly repenting and coming to God by faith for the forgiveness of sins and a new life is always right. We learn to master sin through holding onto the word of God and obeying the word of God. We need to master sin, by repenting of it before it grows deadly. Nip it right at the bud. Do you think that Esau accepted God’s way? Maybe. After all he did not drag Jacob away into the field and kill him as Cain did to Able.
However, God was not pleased with the outcome of Esau’s choices in life. He spoke through the prophet Malachi in Malachi 1:2-3, “’I have loved you,’ says the LORD. ‘But you ask, ‘How have you loved us?’ ‘Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?’ the LORD says. ‘Yet I have loved Jacob, 3 but Esau I have hated, and I have turned his mountains into a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals.’” Esau must have done something terrible for God to say this. Usually God is bending over backwards to let people how much he loves them. He loves sinners so much that he gave his One and Only Son Jesus to suffer and die on the cross so they might be saved. But here we see God almost saying, “I can’t believe the choices Esau made. I hate that guy. I cannot bless his descendants.” I think that he hated him because of his influence on world history. Esau influenced countless generations to seek human glory and spurn the blessings of God, leading them to eternal condemnation. I am sure that God was ready to forgive him if he only repented and sought the Lord’s forgiveness and favor. The author Hebrews warns Christians to beware of the example that Esau has set. He writes in Hebrews 12:16-17, “See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. 17 Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. He could bring about no change of mind, though he sought the blessing with tears.” Let’s decide to seek God’s favor and blessings in our lives by making the right choices before the Lord. May our lives of faith be pleasing to God,
Part ll: Esau, Twenty Years Later…A Changed Man! (Deut 2:5; Gen 33:4-16; Matt 5:45; Mal 1: 2-5; Gen 27:39-40)
The next time we see Esau is twenty years later. He was living in the land of Canaan. Even though God said that he hated Esau and even though Esau had made some terrible life choices, God still prospered him. He was rich. He had 400 men who were submitting to his leadership. He was a leader in the region. God even gave a region for his descendants to live the size of Rhode Island. (Deut 2:5) We have a tendency to say that if a person does not follow Jesus then that person will be poor and sick and their lives will be one disaster after another. But not so. Sure, there is a better opportunity to blessed and at peace in this life if we are Christians, but there are many people in this world who are living without Jesus and they are materially prosperous and are in positions of leadership and power. The take home point is that God is gracious to all. His mercy and kindness extends to all, even to those who do not call out to his name and submit to his will. Matthew 5:45 reads, “that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” We all need to thank God for his one sided grace and his blessings on our lives.
We can see that Esau was a changed man. Look at Genesis 33:4-16. He forgave Jacob for deceiving him twenty years previous. He no longer held hatred and murderous desires in his heart. He was full of grace, even hugging his brother. He called Jacob his brother. He kissed him. He was very generous. He was willing to be inconvenienced, changing his personal schedule to follow Jacob according to his. He was willing to give his own men to Jacob to help Jacob in his travels.
Jacob had totally misjudged his brother. Two decades had changed Esau. I am not sure that Esau changed because he met God personally or was it just the passing of time? People do change. Non-believers change over time. We may hold grudges towards people for what they did to us in high school. We may not be able to forgive a family member for something in the past. But people do change. We need to recognize this and repent of our prejudices and grudges and give people the benefit of the doubt. What a shame it is when we see senior citizens holding onto grudges for 50 of 60 years and never letting go. Let’s be forgiving people. Let’s give people the benefit of the doubt and be very graceful to others. The Bible teaches us to forgive someone who sins against us 77 times. (Matt 18:22)
There were some other good points about Esau. He was a faithful provider for all of his wives. He did not abandon them. He managed his family well and was very prosperous. He was a forgiving and generous person. His descendents were blessed too. His descendents became chiefs, that is, heads of clans and even kings. He was blessed because of God’s love. But he was also blessed because God was fulfilling his promises that he had made to Abraham. “Your descendants will be a numerous as stars in the sky” and “kings will come from your body.” Our God is faithful. What a blessing it is to see our children and even our grandchildren blessed by the Lord and becoming productive citizens. And it can happen. Simply follow Jesus, seeking his kingdom and his righteousness as first priority in your life.
We can catch a glimpse of Jacob’s and Esau’s remaining years together. Look at Genesis 35:29. They took care of their ailing father, Isaac and both of them were present at his funeral. To be together at a family funeral is a big deal. I know people who have held grudges for decades and even refused to be at the funeral of their own brother, even when they lived in the same town. Jacob and Esau lived in the land for a time, sharing watering holes and pastures. But one indicator that Esau did not share in the same faith as his brother is that Esau chose to leave the Promised Land in order to find space for his flocks and herds. Surely he would have been blessed along with Jacob and his descendants if he stayed. But he did not. Jacob stayed for he believed the promises of God and wanted to live by faith. Esau may have been a good guy at this time, but he didn’t care about these same promises.
But Esau’s descendants were not so blessed in the long run. Malachi 1:2b-5 reads, “ ‘Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?’ the LORD says. ‘Yet I have loved Jacob, 3 but Esau I have hated, and I have turned his mountains into a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals.’” Their land became a desert wasteland, where southern Jordan is today. The nation of Edom was also very proud. Malachi 1:4a reads, “ Edom may say, ‘Though we have been crushed, we will rebuild the ruins.’” Over the centuries they had received God’s discipline. But instead of responding well, through repentance, they thought that they could recover by their own power. That is pride. God did not like this. The LORD Almighty said in Malachi 1:4b-5, “…They may build, but I will demolish. They will be called the Wicked Land, a people always under the wrath of the LORD. 5 You will see it with your own eyes and say, ‘Great is the LORD—even beyond the borders of Israel!’” God does not like such a proud way of thinking. He wants us to come to him in our weakness, repent and humbly obey him and then he will raise us up in due time, bringing glory to himself through our lives. But the people of Edom would have nothing to do with this. It may have been because of the spiritual legacy passed down by their forefather Esau.
This same principle is reflected the original prophecy concerning Esau. Gen 27:39-40, “His father Isaac answered him, ‘Your dwelling will be away from the earth’s richness, away from the dew of heaven above. 40 You will live by the sword and you will serve your brother. But when you grow restless, you will throw his yoke from off your neck.’” During their life time, this did not come true. It was some 800 years later, that King Saul and King David defeated the Edomites in battle and completely destroyed the men of Edom. The lasting legacy of Esau was not very glorious. It was a history of war in a wasteland. Yes, they did drive out the Horites, but 800 years later they were defeated by Israel. Israel continued on, eventually bringing Jesus into world.
Now it is the time to think about what choices we are making. Are we physical people, living for our own glory and satisfying our own appetites? Are we living physical lives devoid of spiritual decisions of faith? Then we may be modern day Esaus. I have to level with you….God hates it when we live like that. We may prosper materially and appear strong for a short time but will leave a bad influence on those who come after us and the fruit we bear will not last. Eventually we will have to stand before God’s judgment seat to answer for the things done in the body whether good or bad. Let’s take the spiritual path. Let’s honor and uphold our birthright as Christians. Let us live by faith putting Matthew 6:33 into practice. “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Let us care about our legacy in Jesus and our influence on those around us and on those who will come afterwards.
Part l: Who Was Esau?
1. Explain the prophecy concerning Esau and his brother Jacob, that was made, even
before their birth? (Gen 25:23-24) What did God foresee as the future of Esau and his
descendants? How was this fulfilled?
2. Describe Esau? (Gen 25:25) What was his favorite pastime? (Gen 25:27) What was his
relationship like with his parents? (Gen 25:28) What happened one day after a long day
of hunting? (Gen 25:30)
3. What did Esau value the most? (Gen 25:33-34) What is a birthright? What does it mean that Esau despised his birthright? How do we despise the blessings of God from time to time? What does this teach us about living according to our impulses? What does the Bible have to say about those who live according to their appetites? (Php 3:19)
4. What were Esau’s criteria in finding a wife? (Gen 26:34-35, Gen 6:2) How did his
parents feel about this? (Gen 26:35; Gen 27:46) Why were they not pleased? (Gen
28:1-5; Deut 7:3-4; 1 Cor 7:39; 2 Cor 6:14) When he found out that his parents were not
pleased, what did Esau do? (Gen 28:6-10) What does this further reveal about his
spiritual condition? What did God think of Esau? (Rom 9:10-13; Mal 1:2-3; Heb 12:16-
17) How can we learn from Esau’s failings?
5. How did Esau discover that Jacob received the birthright? (Gen 27:30-39) Did he want
the birthright? How did he respond? (Gen 27:34, 36, 38, 41; Gen 4:5,6,8, James 1:15)
How can we overcome the same feelings that Esau was feeling? (Gen 4:6-7) What was
the prophecy concerning Esau’s descendants? (Gen 27:39-40) How was God working?
Part ll: Esau, Twenty Years Later…A Changed Man!
6. Where was Esau living 20 years later? (Gen 32:3; Gen 36:7-9) What was Esau’s social
situation? (Gen 32:6; 33:1; 33:9a; 36:6-7) What had God given Esau and his
descendants? (Deut 2:4-5) What doe this teach us about God who blesses? (Matt 5;45)
7. What was Esau’s response when he met Jacob? (Gen 33:4, 9, 12, 15) How had Esau
changed? How had Jacob misjudged him? What kind of relationship did Esau have with
Jacob in their remaining years together? (Gen 35:29; Gen 36:6-7) Was this change
because of God?
8. Where was Esau primarily living when Jacob moved back? (Gen 36:6b) What did the land of Canaan mean to the people of God? (Gen 26:2-6) What land did Esau choose?
(Gen 36:8) Would be blessed along with the people of God if he stayed? What does this
tell us about Esau’s attitude towards God’s promises?
9. Who were the wives of Esau? (2-3) How did he take care of them? (6-7) What is a
good point about Esau’s family life? What became of some of his grandchildren? (15)
What became of other descendants? (40) Why did God bless Esau so much, when he
lived such a “physical” life?
Part lll: Esau’s Descendants
10. What relationship did the people of Israel have with the descendants of Esau? (Mal
1:2-5; Gen 27:29) What happened in the long term? What was the spiritual condition of
the nation of Edom? What does this show about the influence we have on future
generations? (Ex 20:4,5)
11. Who were the Edomites? Where did they live? (9) What was God’s direction concerning the Edomites during the Exodus? (Deut 2:4-5) Why were they not to fight against the Edomites? What does this show us about God? What were the relationship between Edom and Israel at the time of King Saul and King David? (1 Sam 14:47-48; 1 Kings 11:16) How many years lafter Esau’s life did these events occur?
12. Who were the Horites? (20) See Gen 14:6; 1 Chron 1:38-39. What did the descendants
of Edom do to them? (Deut 2:12-22)
Genesis 36:1-43 Lesson 24
Key verse 36:1, 31 Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 1-28-11
“ 1 This is the account of Esau (that is, Edom). ….31 These were the kings who reigned in Edom
before any Israelite king reigned.”
In this study we want to take a closer look at what happened to Esau. We study the Bible a lot. We especially study Genesis. How easy it is for us to gloss over the genealogies. Do you actually know what became of Esau and his descendants? Is there anything to learn from his life experience? Esau had a lot of problems. He was a “physical” man who did not care about spiritual things. He was immoral and godless. He was also prone to bursts of anger, so intense that he wanted to even kill his own brother. But as all people change, Esau changed. God prospered him and he restored his relationship with his brother Jacob. He became a great nation with many descendants who influenced the history of the region. And so in this study we want to review the kind of man Esau was. We want to see how he changed and how God blessed him. We want to see what happened to his descendants and his legacy that he left on history. But let us mostly learn about God who blesses not only the righteous, but also the unrighteous...the sovereign Lord who forgives and works his will throughout history.
Part l: Who Was Esau? (Gen 25:23-24; Ps 139:15-16; Gen 25:27; Gen 25:33-34; Genesis 27:34, 36, 38; Php 3:19; Gen 27:46; Deut 7:3-4; Gen 28:6-10; Mal 1:2-3; Gen 27:41; Gen 4:6-7)
The Bible talks about Esau, even before he was born. His future was determined when he and his brother Jacob were jostling about in their mother’s womb. I am not going to debate destiny and free will here, but simply reveal Esau. Rebekah, his mother, inquired of the Lord as to what was happening to her. God revealed the future to her through a word of prophecy in Genesis 25:23-24. “The LORD said to her, ‘Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.’ 24 When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb.” The God who sees the end from the beginning, saw centuries in the future and the outcome of the lives of these two boys and the nations that would come from their bodies. King David had this same faith. He once wrote in Psalm 139:15-16, “My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” What did God see in Esau? What was the outcome of his days? That is what we are going to explore today.
Esau was Jacob’s fraternal twin. They were born to Isaac and Rebekah when Isaac was 60 years old. Esau was subject to Jacob’s competitive spirit, even from birth, for when they were being born, Jacob’s hand appeared to grasping Esau’s heel as if to say, “Hey wait a minute! I want to be born first!” When Esau was born he was red and had a lot of hair. He was blessed with an extra portion of testosterone. As he grew up, he was known as a macho man. He wore his shirts open, with a gold chain over his hairy chest. All the girls swooned over him.
Esau was a real manly man. Genesis 25:27 reads, “The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was a quiet man, staying among the tents.” The Bible says that Esau was a skillful hunter. He regularly took his bow and arrow and took to the open country where there were lions and bears. He was a successful, bringing home the bacon for the entire village. His favorite restaurant was Carnivore. He was the envy of all the young men. He was the focus of many a young lady who hoped to marry him. He was also loved by his father, Isaac who was proud of his son successes in this world. He would say, “Now that’s my boy!” Maybe, mild and quiet Isaac, was living out his own dream though his son, Esau.
But there was one event that truly defined who Esau was on the inside. One day he was hunting. It was tiring walking the country side, stalking animals, killing them and bringing them home. He was very hungry. He came upon Jacob next to a fire on which he was cooking some delicious lentil stew. He was famished and his mouth was watering. Nothing else mattered. All he wanted was that delicious stew. And so Esau made a deal. Genesis 25:33-34, “But Jacob said, ‘Swear to me first.’ So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright.” In this deal Jacob deceived his brother Esau, for he wanted Esau’s birthright.
A birthright is a blessing from God, usually given to the oldest son. It is both a political thing and a spiritual thing. Those who had the birth right were given twice the inheritance and were the understood leaders of the tribe. This is the blessing that Isaac could confer on his oldest son. And he was happy to do it for he favored Esau. But there was also a supernatural component to the birthright, a component that was only in God’s hands. Those who received the birthright would be the bearers of the promise given to Abraham. God would work through them and their family line to reveal faith to the world and eventually bring forth the Savior, Jesus. Their descendants would be blessed by God over the millennia.
Esau, being the oldest, was automatically conferred this blessing. Jacob did not understand it but he knew it was a good thing and he wanted it,. Esau did not know the value of it and he did not care either. All he cared about was the “here and now”. He cared about gratifying his hunger and satisfying his immediate needs. We call this expediency. Esau was expedient. To put it plainly, he was a physical person with no spiritual qualities. His God was his stomach and his human glory, his strong, macho man persona, was his shame. (Php 3:19)
As Christians, we have been born again into God’s family. (Jn 1:12-13) We have a certain inheritance, eternal life in the kingdom of heaven with our Lord Jesus. While in this life God is with us and raises us up in this world so that we can be source of blessings to others. He provides for our needs and blesses us in countless ways. God has a plan, to work in and through us and our families, when we remain true to Jesus and his word. He promises to be with our children and our children’s children, but we need to claim the birthright. We can do this by repenting of our sins and coming to Jesus for forgiveness and salvation. Then, as we live in this world, we live by faith and walk with Jesus, seeking first God’s kingdom and his righteousness. (Mtt 6:33)
But so often we despise our birthright. We don’t care about the spiritual blessings that God wants to confer upon us. All we want to do is make sure we are well fed and all of our physical needs are taken care of immediately and our bills paid with a little extra for some fun. We seek the image of an abrasive fighter, rather that a humble person of faith who persistently pursues Christ. We toss our birthright to the side, like Esau, saying “I don’t care.” That is what it means to despise our birthright. We must never do this. Yet so many do. May we never live according to our physical impulses, but live according to the word of God, practically seeking the Kingdom of God.
We can see Esau’s physical tendencies further in his choice of marriage partners. Genesis 26:34-35 reads, “When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite. 35 They were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah.” Esau had waited long enough. He was now forty. He was probably dating a lot up to that point, but now he felt the need to get married. Maybe he wanted to have a lot of little Esau’s around to go hunting with. He would name his oldest Esau Jr. To get married and have a family is alright. But what was his problem? He did not have a spiritual priority system in his marriage choices. Maybe these Hittite women were beautiful and fun, but they surely were not spiritual. Esau was behaving life the sons of God in the times of Noah, when “2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose.” (Gen 6:2)
These new additions to the family were not good news to Isaac and Rebekah. In fact Genesis 26:35 says, “They were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah.” In fact, one day Rebekah said to her husband Isaac, “I’m disgusted with living because of these Hittite women. If Jacob takes a wife from among the women of this land, from Hittite women like these, my life will not be worth living.” (Gen 27:46) Isaac feared that Jacob would follow the same course as Esau. and so one day he gave counsel to Jacob in Genesis 28:1-2, “…Isaac called for Jacob and blessed[a] 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.” Isaac wanted his sons to marry believers in the one true God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, the God of Adam, Noah, and Abraham. If Esau was not going to do this, then he was going to make sure Jacob would.
Why was Isaac and Rebekah so concerned about this matter? It was because God is concerned about it. God knows that our lives of faith and the fruitfulness of our families are largely determined by whom we marry. When the Israelites were entering into Promised Land, God gave them clear direction of about marriage. He told his people in Deuteronomy 7:3-4, “Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, 4 for they will turn your sons away from following me to serve other gods, and the LORD’s anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy you.” Making the wrong choice, based on physical desires, will turn a Christian’s heart away from following the Lord, to following the gods of the land we live in. And the gods of America are obvious. What are they? They are pleasure, money, sex, human freedom, etc. If we marry, the person we marry must be in the Lord. (1 Cor 7:39b) If we are going to be yoked together with someone in this life may it be with someone who is also yoked to the Lord. Esau’s two Hittite wives were not in the Lord.
When Esau discovered he made a mistake by living according to his impulses and his appetites, he was desperate to make the wrong he had made, right. In Genesis 27:34, 36, 38, we can see his desperate attempt. “ When Esau heard his father’s words, he burst out with a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, ‘Bless me—me too, my father!’ … 36 Esau said, ‘Isn’t he rightly named Jacob? He has deceived me these two times: He took my birthright, and now he’s taken my blessing!’ Then he asked, ‘Haven’t you reserved any blessing for me?’…38 Esau said to his father, ‘Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father!’ Then Esau wept aloud…” The great macho-man Esau was reduced to crying like a baby! Wow!
His vain attempts to make things right happened again. Esau knew that his marriage criteria were not pleasing to his godly parents and so he tried to rectify the problem. In Genesis 28:6-10 we read, “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.” Esau was shaken up. He did not want to displease his parents more than he already did. But he was a physical man and did not have a clue as to how best rectify the situation. He thought that if he married his cousins, from Ishmael’s family, then that would be O.K. But Ishmael’s life was a life born out of compromises. His descendants were not blessed. Marrying them would not make matters better. Esau made the wrong choice. Flesh gives birth to flesh and spirit gives birth to spirit. He needed to repent and ask the Holy Spirit of God for wisdom. But he did not. Because Esau spent his entire life seeking his own glory and gratifying his physical desires, he did not know what to do. He did know how to come back to God in humility and in repentance and in faith. He was lost in the darkness of his sin.
Though he could hunt lions and bears, Esau was unable to control the dark emotions that were churning in his heart like a topical storm. In Genesis 27:41 we learn, “Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. He said to himself, ‘The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob.’” He was like Cain, who rejected God’s love and God’s sovereignty and as a result had no control over his anger. James 1:15 reads, “Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” The seed of sin in Esau’s heart was covetousness. Out of this grew anger and then rage and it was leading him towards murder. Luckily he did not go as far Cain.
The solution that God had for Cain is the same advice that he would give to Esau and anyone for that matter. Look at Genesis 4:6-7, “Then the LORD said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.’” What is right? Even a child can know what is right? Esau needed to seek God’s acceptance by doing what is right. Humbly repenting and coming to God by faith for the forgiveness of sins and a new life is always right. We learn to master sin through holding onto the word of God and obeying the word of God. We need to master sin, by repenting of it before it grows deadly. Nip it right at the bud. Do you think that Esau accepted God’s way? Maybe. After all he did not drag Jacob away into the field and kill him as Cain did to Able.
However, God was not pleased with the outcome of Esau’s choices in life. He spoke through the prophet Malachi in Malachi 1:2-3, “’I have loved you,’ says the LORD. ‘But you ask, ‘How have you loved us?’ ‘Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?’ the LORD says. ‘Yet I have loved Jacob, 3 but Esau I have hated, and I have turned his mountains into a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals.’” Esau must have done something terrible for God to say this. Usually God is bending over backwards to let people how much he loves them. He loves sinners so much that he gave his One and Only Son Jesus to suffer and die on the cross so they might be saved. But here we see God almost saying, “I can’t believe the choices Esau made. I hate that guy. I cannot bless his descendants.” I think that he hated him because of his influence on world history. Esau influenced countless generations to seek human glory and spurn the blessings of God, leading them to eternal condemnation. I am sure that God was ready to forgive him if he only repented and sought the Lord’s forgiveness and favor. The author Hebrews warns Christians to beware of the example that Esau has set. He writes in Hebrews 12:16-17, “See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. 17 Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. He could bring about no change of mind, though he sought the blessing with tears.” Let’s decide to seek God’s favor and blessings in our lives by making the right choices before the Lord. May our lives of faith be pleasing to God,
Part ll: Esau, Twenty Years Later…A Changed Man! (Deut 2:5; Gen 33:4-16; Matt 5:45; Mal 1: 2-5; Gen 27:39-40)
The next time we see Esau is twenty years later. He was living in the land of Canaan. Even though God said that he hated Esau and even though Esau had made some terrible life choices, God still prospered him. He was rich. He had 400 men who were submitting to his leadership. He was a leader in the region. God even gave a region for his descendants to live the size of Rhode Island. (Deut 2:5) We have a tendency to say that if a person does not follow Jesus then that person will be poor and sick and their lives will be one disaster after another. But not so. Sure, there is a better opportunity to blessed and at peace in this life if we are Christians, but there are many people in this world who are living without Jesus and they are materially prosperous and are in positions of leadership and power. The take home point is that God is gracious to all. His mercy and kindness extends to all, even to those who do not call out to his name and submit to his will. Matthew 5:45 reads, “that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” We all need to thank God for his one sided grace and his blessings on our lives.
We can see that Esau was a changed man. Look at Genesis 33:4-16. He forgave Jacob for deceiving him twenty years previous. He no longer held hatred and murderous desires in his heart. He was full of grace, even hugging his brother. He called Jacob his brother. He kissed him. He was very generous. He was willing to be inconvenienced, changing his personal schedule to follow Jacob according to his. He was willing to give his own men to Jacob to help Jacob in his travels.
Jacob had totally misjudged his brother. Two decades had changed Esau. I am not sure that Esau changed because he met God personally or was it just the passing of time? People do change. Non-believers change over time. We may hold grudges towards people for what they did to us in high school. We may not be able to forgive a family member for something in the past. But people do change. We need to recognize this and repent of our prejudices and grudges and give people the benefit of the doubt. What a shame it is when we see senior citizens holding onto grudges for 50 of 60 years and never letting go. Let’s be forgiving people. Let’s give people the benefit of the doubt and be very graceful to others. The Bible teaches us to forgive someone who sins against us 77 times. (Matt 18:22)
There were some other good points about Esau. He was a faithful provider for all of his wives. He did not abandon them. He managed his family well and was very prosperous. He was a forgiving and generous person. His descendents were blessed too. His descendents became chiefs, that is, heads of clans and even kings. He was blessed because of God’s love. But he was also blessed because God was fulfilling his promises that he had made to Abraham. “Your descendants will be a numerous as stars in the sky” and “kings will come from your body.” Our God is faithful. What a blessing it is to see our children and even our grandchildren blessed by the Lord and becoming productive citizens. And it can happen. Simply follow Jesus, seeking his kingdom and his righteousness as first priority in your life.
We can catch a glimpse of Jacob’s and Esau’s remaining years together. Look at Genesis 35:29. They took care of their ailing father, Isaac and both of them were present at his funeral. To be together at a family funeral is a big deal. I know people who have held grudges for decades and even refused to be at the funeral of their own brother, even when they lived in the same town. Jacob and Esau lived in the land for a time, sharing watering holes and pastures. But one indicator that Esau did not share in the same faith as his brother is that Esau chose to leave the Promised Land in order to find space for his flocks and herds. Surely he would have been blessed along with Jacob and his descendants if he stayed. But he did not. Jacob stayed for he believed the promises of God and wanted to live by faith. Esau may have been a good guy at this time, but he didn’t care about these same promises.
But Esau’s descendants were not so blessed in the long run. Malachi 1:2b-5 reads, “ ‘Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?’ the LORD says. ‘Yet I have loved Jacob, 3 but Esau I have hated, and I have turned his mountains into a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals.’” Their land became a desert wasteland, where southern Jordan is today. The nation of Edom was also very proud. Malachi 1:4a reads, “ Edom may say, ‘Though we have been crushed, we will rebuild the ruins.’” Over the centuries they had received God’s discipline. But instead of responding well, through repentance, they thought that they could recover by their own power. That is pride. God did not like this. The LORD Almighty said in Malachi 1:4b-5, “…They may build, but I will demolish. They will be called the Wicked Land, a people always under the wrath of the LORD. 5 You will see it with your own eyes and say, ‘Great is the LORD—even beyond the borders of Israel!’” God does not like such a proud way of thinking. He wants us to come to him in our weakness, repent and humbly obey him and then he will raise us up in due time, bringing glory to himself through our lives. But the people of Edom would have nothing to do with this. It may have been because of the spiritual legacy passed down by their forefather Esau.
This same principle is reflected the original prophecy concerning Esau. Gen 27:39-40, “His father Isaac answered him, ‘Your dwelling will be away from the earth’s richness, away from the dew of heaven above. 40 You will live by the sword and you will serve your brother. But when you grow restless, you will throw his yoke from off your neck.’” During their life time, this did not come true. It was some 800 years later, that King Saul and King David defeated the Edomites in battle and completely destroyed the men of Edom. The lasting legacy of Esau was not very glorious. It was a history of war in a wasteland. Yes, they did drive out the Horites, but 800 years later they were defeated by Israel. Israel continued on, eventually bringing Jesus into world.
Now it is the time to think about what choices we are making. Are we physical people, living for our own glory and satisfying our own appetites? Are we living physical lives devoid of spiritual decisions of faith? Then we may be modern day Esaus. I have to level with you….God hates it when we live like that. We may prosper materially and appear strong for a short time but will leave a bad influence on those who come after us and the fruit we bear will not last. Eventually we will have to stand before God’s judgment seat to answer for the things done in the body whether good or bad. Let’s take the spiritual path. Let’s honor and uphold our birthright as Christians. Let us live by faith putting Matthew 6:33 into practice. “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Let us care about our legacy in Jesus and our influence on those around us and on those who will come afterwards.
Part l: Who Was Esau?
1. Explain the prophecy concerning Esau and his brother Jacob, that was made, even
before their birth? (Gen 25:23-24) What did God foresee as the future of Esau and his
descendants? How was this fulfilled?
2. Describe Esau? (Gen 25:25) What was his favorite pastime? (Gen 25:27) What was his
relationship like with his parents? (Gen 25:28) What happened one day after a long day
of hunting? (Gen 25:30)
3. What did Esau value the most? (Gen 25:33-34) What is a birthright? What does it mean that Esau despised his birthright? How do we despise the blessings of God from time to time? What does this teach us about living according to our impulses? What does the Bible have to say about those who live according to their appetites? (Php 3:19)
4. What were Esau’s criteria in finding a wife? (Gen 26:34-35, Gen 6:2) How did his
parents feel about this? (Gen 26:35; Gen 27:46) Why were they not pleased? (Gen
28:1-5; Deut 7:3-4; 1 Cor 7:39; 2 Cor 6:14) When he found out that his parents were not
pleased, what did Esau do? (Gen 28:6-10) What does this further reveal about his
spiritual condition? What did God think of Esau? (Rom 9:10-13; Mal 1:2-3; Heb 12:16-
17) How can we learn from Esau’s failings?
5. How did Esau discover that Jacob received the birthright? (Gen 27:30-39) Did he want
the birthright? How did he respond? (Gen 27:34, 36, 38, 41; Gen 4:5,6,8, James 1:15)
How can we overcome the same feelings that Esau was feeling? (Gen 4:6-7) What was
the prophecy concerning Esau’s descendants? (Gen 27:39-40) How was God working?
Part ll: Esau, Twenty Years Later…A Changed Man!
6. Where was Esau living 20 years later? (Gen 32:3; Gen 36:7-9) What was Esau’s social
situation? (Gen 32:6; 33:1; 33:9a; 36:6-7) What had God given Esau and his
descendants? (Deut 2:4-5) What doe this teach us about God who blesses? (Matt 5;45)
7. What was Esau’s response when he met Jacob? (Gen 33:4, 9, 12, 15) How had Esau
changed? How had Jacob misjudged him? What kind of relationship did Esau have with
Jacob in their remaining years together? (Gen 35:29; Gen 36:6-7) Was this change
because of God?
8. Where was Esau primarily living when Jacob moved back? (Gen 36:6b) What did the land of Canaan mean to the people of God? (Gen 26:2-6) What land did Esau choose?
(Gen 36:8) Would be blessed along with the people of God if he stayed? What does this
tell us about Esau’s attitude towards God’s promises?
9. Who were the wives of Esau? (2-3) How did he take care of them? (6-7) What is a
good point about Esau’s family life? What became of some of his grandchildren? (15)
What became of other descendants? (40) Why did God bless Esau so much, when he
lived such a “physical” life?
Part lll: Esau’s Descendants
10. What relationship did the people of Israel have with the descendants of Esau? (Mal
1:2-5; Gen 27:29) What happened in the long term? What was the spiritual condition of
the nation of Edom? What does this show about the influence we have on future
generations? (Ex 20:4,5)
11. Who were the Edomites? Where did they live? (9) What was God’s direction concerning the Edomites during the Exodus? (Deut 2:4-5) Why were they not to fight against the Edomites? What does this show us about God? What were the relationship between Edom and Israel at the time of King Saul and King David? (1 Sam 14:47-48; 1 Kings 11:16) How many years lafter Esau’s life did these events occur?
12. Who were the Horites? (20) See Gen 14:6; 1 Chron 1:38-39. What did the descendants
of Edom do to them? (Deut 2:12-22)
Hebrews 11:1-40
Faith In Action…The Faith That Pleases God
Hebrews 11:1-40 Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 1-23-11
Key verse 11:6;
“And without Faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that the rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
I thank God for blessing this year’s Faith Bible School at Triton UBF. Faith was really manifest among the people. For example, it was not easy to come to the Bible school in the coldest weather of the year, but lots of people came. Some came everyday. That takes a lot of faith. I couldn’t go everyday but I enjoyed Charisma’s posts on Facebook and pics from several of the days. It was almost like I was there. I thank God for raising up the messengers, Josh Perez, Robin, Elson and Deante. I thank God for our Bible teachers, Tim Lopez, Kathy, Nonso and Tim Sagel and the drama servants and the testimony speakers, Bamadeli, Tim, Robin, Tim Lopez, Kathy, and tonight, John Mike Pitts, Carl Heusel and Dr Crystal, Nonso. May they all grow as servants of the word of God.
Part l: The Faith Of Enoch, Able And Noah (1-7)
This chapter is packed full of historical examples of people living by faith. They are ancients who were commended by God. They had faith that pleases God for they were sure of what they hoped for and certain of what they could not see. (1) We can see the basis of their faith in verse 3, which reads, “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” It was faith in the power of the Creator of the heavens and the earth. With this creation faith in their hearts, they engaged their faith, putting it into action. They are ancients, but they are our brothers and sisters in faith. And so let’s learn from them.
The first of these ancients is Abel. Verse 2 reads “By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offering. And by faith he still speaks even though he is dead.” Why did he have faith? He came to God, by faith, seeking him and wanting to please God, at a time when sin had created a great barrier between God and mankind. Mankind was in a state of rebellion against God. Yet people decided to come to God though faith by offering sacrifices. Able offered fat portions of the firstborn of his flock. He didn’t offer a sick, scrawny sheep, on its last legs. Nor did he offer one after he had 100 born to him. But he offered the best, the healthiest, even before he had more. That requires faith. Do you know why? Let’s see why an “Able” offering is so important. An “Able” offering is not just going through the motions. It requires heart and can take many forms. It definitely involves money. It also involves time, strength and passion. Making an “Able” offering with your money, is when we offer, even when you are not sure if there is enough for the upcoming rent. To make an “Able” offering with our time, is when we give Jesus our time even in the midst of exams or other pressing matters. To make an “Able” offering with our strength is when we give Jesus our full strength when all we want to do is sleep. To make an “Able” offering with our passion is when we give our hearts to Jesus and all we do for him, when all we feel like doing is going through the motions. These are “Able” offerings. These are our best offerings. They are offerings that please God. This is faith in action.
I thank God for Augustine. Yesterday he was up at 6 am. He traveled 2 hrs to a basketball game, played and traveled 2 hrs back. He sat at McDonald’s for 1 hr and 15 minutes while I studied with Joey. All he wanted to do was sleep. But when he found out that two members of FCA, (the High School Christian Club) were coming to the Winter Jam 2011, he realize that he needed to co-work with Jenn and shepherd these two people. He denied himself and went. He made an “Able” offering with his strength. Last week kids were in the midst of their exams. Despite of it all, they kept up with spiritual commitments. They still made time for Jesus. They made an “Able” offering with their time. Now, do you see why it is hard to make and “Able” offering and why it is putting your faith into action?
The next ancient one is Enoch. Look at verse 5, “By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.“ Not much is written about Enoch in Genesis. The single most outstanding point written about Enoch is that he walked with God. He didn’t walk with other people. He didn’t walk with the cultural trends of the times, with its own standards and moralities. He didn’t walk with his own ideas and his feelings. He walked with God. This takes great faith. This made him like a living fish, swimming upstream. God rewarded Enoch, by not allowing him to experience death. God took him up to be with him. His family looked for him but he could not be found. It took a couple days to notice that he was gone. His wife probably said, “Oh he is probably out preaching somewhere or he is at church.” That is what people who walk with God, by faith, do. From Enoch’s experience we learn that God rewards those who earnestly and persistently seek God.
The next Biblical ancient one is Noah. Look at verse 7 “By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.” It is obvious Noah began his great mission to build the ark by faith. Even though every day looked beautiful and peaceful with no storm clouds in sight, Noah was certain God would make good on his word to destroy all living creatures with a great flood. With this faith he decided to obey God and build the ark as God directed him, according to God’s instructions. This took faith. Why? First he had to believe God, concerning the upcoming judgment and he had to trust God’s way of salvation…that building an ark would be sufficient to save him, his household and be a way to save mankind and make a new beginning for humanity. People were questioning why he was building such a huge ark on dry land. They said, “Noah! You crazy old man! Why are you are wasting your life! Go for a vacation in Costa Rica. Enjoy your retirement.” But Noah would use their doubt planting as an opportunity to preach the warning of God’s coming judgment. He would exhort the people to turn from their wicked ways and join him in following God’s way of salvation. And do you know what? Anyone who chose to do so would be saved. Noah lived by faith when he believed God and obeyed God’s way of salvation. And so can we, when we build our ark of salvation in Jesus Christ and his words.
Part ll: The Faith Of Abraham (8-22)
Next came the great man of faith, Abraham. Look at verses 8-12, “By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he[a] considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.” When we read Genesis and look at Abraham’s life it seems not so exciting when compared to other figures in the Old Testament. There were times when he was not the “world changer” that other heroes in the Bible were. Once he lied about Sarah being his wife-twice. He was doubtful and afraid several times. Even after he received God’s promise he tried to start a family with Hagar. Yet in spite of all these things, according to Romans he is considered the father of all who believe and the outstanding example of faith.
How did he exhibit faith in action? Genesis 12:1 tells us that when God called Abraham he said, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.” From verse 8, we see that he obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. This was difficult and took great faith. There was new food, a new languages, new customs, new support systems, new warlords and bandits to deal with, new insecurities. It was really tough, but he believed God’s promise and went, even though he was an old man and was totally helpless to take an occupied land. Not only that, it was physically impossible to become a great nation. Yet he believed God and went. With this faith he was also willing to offer up his beloved son, Isaac, proving that he loved God the most. All of this was faith in action. His faith encouraged and showed the way to the other patriarchs, like Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. They too put their faith into action and followed God’s leading in their lives. All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised. They only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. With this faith, they wanted to be buried in the Cave of Machpelah. The saints held on to their faith to the very end because their faith was based on their hope and trust in God, his promises and his perfect will. I pray each of us may grow in “action-faith” like Abraham.
Coming to Dekalb to pioneer a new house church is the way that God opened so that we can experience the faith of Abraham. At the time, April 1998, we were living in a comfortable two-bedroom apartment, near the Triton UBF Bible house. We enjoyed relative comfort and security. Shp Teddy was preparing the word of God for us each week. We could have stayed put in our comfort zone and not ventured into untested waters. But one day, God spoke his words to our hearts, ““Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.” For us, it meant, DeKalb and NIU campus. It was not going to be easy. We could not trust in the familiar Triton UBF environment. We had to get new jobs. We had to establish a church program and keep it every week. We had to embrace new calls to sacrifice, such as traveling to Triton UBF three times a week for the next three years and paying for baby sitters so I could go and invite students to Bible study. We got into debt with the purchase of a new house. I had to prepare the word of God on my own every week. But God’s promises rung loud in our hearts, “"I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." (Gen 12:2-3) We obeyed God and went and God has been blessing our house church ever since. He is providing for all of our needs. We are becoming inspirations for house churches world wide. We may be a small fellowship, but we are multiplying at the rate that God has set, the right rate.
Part lll: The Faith Of Moses, His Parents and The Israelites (23-29)
Next, the faith of Moses and his parents. Look at verse 23-28. In these verses Moses and his parents exercised faith. Actions always speak louder than words. First, let’s think about Moses’ parents. According to Exodus, Pharaoh king of Egypt–ruler of the world super power nation of the time–wanted to control the Israelites, who were multiplying quickly. So he issued an edict that all the Israelite boy babies were to be killed at birth by being thrown into the Nile River. This edict carried the penalty of death for disobedience. Moses was born at this time, but his parents did not obey this edict. Verse 23 says, “By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.” Moses’ parents did not obey Pharaoh. This did not come from a rebellious spirit, but from their faith in action. They wanted to obey God and carry out God’s will on earth at the cost of their very lives. May God raise up such godly parents across our land.
The author then pays attention to the faith of Moses. He says “By faith Moses…” He gives five instances of faith in connection with Moses’ faith in action, such as his decision, his choice, his value system, his leadership in the Exodus, and the keeping of the Passover. Look at verse 27. "By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible." Moses chose to be identified along with God and his people. He refused to follow the pleasures of sin. He stood on the side of God even though it meant disgrace for him in the eyes of the world. He persevered in his faith. He stood up as a leader for his people, even though he knew it meant hardships and maybe would even cost him his own life. His life was full of decisions of faith. These days there are many people who have no power to make any decision. There are also many people who commit to no one. But we learn here how important it is have faith that pleases God like Moses. And so, in this year, let’s make the right choice in our decisions born out of our faith. May Christ be more valuable and important to us than anything else in the world. May God raise up many young Moses’ on our campus’ and across our land.
Let us now see more examples of faith in action that overcame the world? Look at verses 29-40. There are the Israelites at the Red Sea, Joshua and the Israelites at the walls of Jericho, Rahab, and many other courageous judges, prophets and people of faith known only to God. They were all commended by God for their lives of faith. They felt that their faith in Christ was so valuable that they held onto faith and never shrink back. Their faith was the power by which they overcame perilous situations, overcame their enemies and conquered kingdoms.
Let’s take a closer look at some of these examples. First, the Israelites before the Red Sea. Look at verse 29. “By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.” God wanted to change a slave people into a kingdom of priests and holy nation. To this end he subjected his people to a 400 year gestational period in Egypt. At the right time he drew them out of Egypt to give birth to a new nation. The most difficult part was when they were up against the Red Sea. The Egyptian army was on their heels, ready to punish them, kill many and drag the rest back to their old slave life. Ahead of them was the Red Sea, an insurmountable barrier. What could they do? They needed to experience the power of faith. In Exodus 14: 13 Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” The amazing thing is that these Hebrews actually put there faith into action. They listened and chose to believe Moses’ words. They repented of their fear. Instead of running away, each one, man, woman and child, made a decision to stand firm and by faith they witnessed the deliverance of the Lord. They were saved and passed through the Red Sea as on dry land. It was all because of their faith in action.
Like the Israelites, God has called all Christians to be a great holy nation. 1 Peter 2:9 reads, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful life.” Before meeting Jesus, we lived as slaves to Satan, sin and fear. But now God by his grace, is leading us in faith, to be for him, his holy nation. When we realize this, then all of our past and present sufferings are simply a gestational period where we are about to be born anew as a holy nation.
God has delivered me so many times from my Red Seas. The first Red Sea was persecution from my family for five years. I shed tears so many times. But God helped me to stand firm and I have experienced his deliverance. My parents are now silent supporters of our family and my mother actually said she is proud of our church life. My other Red Sea was my nursing studies. I had so much reading and assignments that I could only read 75% of everything once. I was also newly married with a baby coming and no money. There was every reason to give up my life of faith, drop out of nursing school and just survive. But I could stand firm by faith through living as a student shepherd and keeping up my spiritual responsibilities. God delivered me with “A” marks in nursing school and gave me a great career as a nurse. The other Red Sea was a deep sense of despair and fatalism that made me long for God to take me out of this world. I guess is it was pastor’s burnout. But God told me to stand firm and don’t give up. I stood firm by continually serving Jesus and obeying Shp Teddy’s direction to make a new beginning and change my environment. God delivered me time and again from the Red Sea of despair with his word and his hope. I no longer live in despair and fatalism, but each day is filled with God’s hope and expectation and so can your days. Just put your faith in action.
But there are so many things that make us too afraid to move forward and cross the Red Sea. We are stuck. We are harassed inwardly. The more we wait, the more likely we are going to get picked off by our sins and the devil and dragged back to our old lives. We know our Red Seas. We know what God is trying to do and what we must do to cross our own Red Sea by faith. Let’s hear the word of God and “stand firm” and choose to trust God’s way of salvation. When we engage our faith then we will see the great and awesome deliverance of the Lord.
Part lV: The Faith Of Other Ancients (30-40)
What do we learn from Rahab? Look at verse 31.“By faith the prostitute Rehab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.” She had faith in God and sided with God and God’s people. She stuck her neck out because of her faith in the God of the Bible. She and her whole household were saved and she became the great-grandmother of who? Yes…King David. She was included as a key player in God’s history. And so can each of you when you put Rahab’s faith into action.
In verses 32-38 we find other “By faith” episodes in many other great men and women of God. “And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37 They were stoned[f]; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.” I know that each of us have our own unique sufferings. I don’t want to downplay anything that each of you are going through because of your faith in Jesus. But what some of these people had to endure was horrible. Yet they stood by faith even in the midst of these unbearable sufferings. While living by faith, some of them changed the course of history. Some left this world as unknown believers, know only by God. They were all rewarded with nothing in this world, except God’s comfort and more calls to sacrifice. Their lives were sold out for Jesus.
They chose to give up this world, even their own lives, because such sacrifices would gain them a better resurrection. They would later receive the true hope that they were trusting in as they lived by faith. Their great hope is our great hope. The great hope of all Christians is that one day we will be just like the resurrected Jesus Christ. We will be perfect as he is perfect. As Jesus lives in his Father’s presence so will we. As Jesus is heir of all things so too we will be co-heirs with him. This day has not yet come. Nevertheless it is coming. And with this hope we put our faith into action. Let us pray that God may help us to stand firm in faith in Jesus Christ and not shrink back, right unto the end of our race.
In conclusion, all of thee people had faith and they acted on their faith. Their faith was very practical. May we follow their example and seek to please God. May we make decisions of faith. May Christ be more valuable and more important to us than anything else in the world and may we experience the power, the deliverance of God as we put faith in action. And how long shall we put our faith into action? Right up to the day of Jesus Christ’s coming. Then our faith will become sight.
Hebrews 11:1-40 Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 1-23-11
Key verse 11:6;
“And without Faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that the rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
I thank God for blessing this year’s Faith Bible School at Triton UBF. Faith was really manifest among the people. For example, it was not easy to come to the Bible school in the coldest weather of the year, but lots of people came. Some came everyday. That takes a lot of faith. I couldn’t go everyday but I enjoyed Charisma’s posts on Facebook and pics from several of the days. It was almost like I was there. I thank God for raising up the messengers, Josh Perez, Robin, Elson and Deante. I thank God for our Bible teachers, Tim Lopez, Kathy, Nonso and Tim Sagel and the drama servants and the testimony speakers, Bamadeli, Tim, Robin, Tim Lopez, Kathy, and tonight, John Mike Pitts, Carl Heusel and Dr Crystal, Nonso. May they all grow as servants of the word of God.
Part l: The Faith Of Enoch, Able And Noah (1-7)
This chapter is packed full of historical examples of people living by faith. They are ancients who were commended by God. They had faith that pleases God for they were sure of what they hoped for and certain of what they could not see. (1) We can see the basis of their faith in verse 3, which reads, “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” It was faith in the power of the Creator of the heavens and the earth. With this creation faith in their hearts, they engaged their faith, putting it into action. They are ancients, but they are our brothers and sisters in faith. And so let’s learn from them.
The first of these ancients is Abel. Verse 2 reads “By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offering. And by faith he still speaks even though he is dead.” Why did he have faith? He came to God, by faith, seeking him and wanting to please God, at a time when sin had created a great barrier between God and mankind. Mankind was in a state of rebellion against God. Yet people decided to come to God though faith by offering sacrifices. Able offered fat portions of the firstborn of his flock. He didn’t offer a sick, scrawny sheep, on its last legs. Nor did he offer one after he had 100 born to him. But he offered the best, the healthiest, even before he had more. That requires faith. Do you know why? Let’s see why an “Able” offering is so important. An “Able” offering is not just going through the motions. It requires heart and can take many forms. It definitely involves money. It also involves time, strength and passion. Making an “Able” offering with your money, is when we offer, even when you are not sure if there is enough for the upcoming rent. To make an “Able” offering with our time, is when we give Jesus our time even in the midst of exams or other pressing matters. To make an “Able” offering with our strength is when we give Jesus our full strength when all we want to do is sleep. To make an “Able” offering with our passion is when we give our hearts to Jesus and all we do for him, when all we feel like doing is going through the motions. These are “Able” offerings. These are our best offerings. They are offerings that please God. This is faith in action.
I thank God for Augustine. Yesterday he was up at 6 am. He traveled 2 hrs to a basketball game, played and traveled 2 hrs back. He sat at McDonald’s for 1 hr and 15 minutes while I studied with Joey. All he wanted to do was sleep. But when he found out that two members of FCA, (the High School Christian Club) were coming to the Winter Jam 2011, he realize that he needed to co-work with Jenn and shepherd these two people. He denied himself and went. He made an “Able” offering with his strength. Last week kids were in the midst of their exams. Despite of it all, they kept up with spiritual commitments. They still made time for Jesus. They made an “Able” offering with their time. Now, do you see why it is hard to make and “Able” offering and why it is putting your faith into action?
The next ancient one is Enoch. Look at verse 5, “By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.“ Not much is written about Enoch in Genesis. The single most outstanding point written about Enoch is that he walked with God. He didn’t walk with other people. He didn’t walk with the cultural trends of the times, with its own standards and moralities. He didn’t walk with his own ideas and his feelings. He walked with God. This takes great faith. This made him like a living fish, swimming upstream. God rewarded Enoch, by not allowing him to experience death. God took him up to be with him. His family looked for him but he could not be found. It took a couple days to notice that he was gone. His wife probably said, “Oh he is probably out preaching somewhere or he is at church.” That is what people who walk with God, by faith, do. From Enoch’s experience we learn that God rewards those who earnestly and persistently seek God.
The next Biblical ancient one is Noah. Look at verse 7 “By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.” It is obvious Noah began his great mission to build the ark by faith. Even though every day looked beautiful and peaceful with no storm clouds in sight, Noah was certain God would make good on his word to destroy all living creatures with a great flood. With this faith he decided to obey God and build the ark as God directed him, according to God’s instructions. This took faith. Why? First he had to believe God, concerning the upcoming judgment and he had to trust God’s way of salvation…that building an ark would be sufficient to save him, his household and be a way to save mankind and make a new beginning for humanity. People were questioning why he was building such a huge ark on dry land. They said, “Noah! You crazy old man! Why are you are wasting your life! Go for a vacation in Costa Rica. Enjoy your retirement.” But Noah would use their doubt planting as an opportunity to preach the warning of God’s coming judgment. He would exhort the people to turn from their wicked ways and join him in following God’s way of salvation. And do you know what? Anyone who chose to do so would be saved. Noah lived by faith when he believed God and obeyed God’s way of salvation. And so can we, when we build our ark of salvation in Jesus Christ and his words.
Part ll: The Faith Of Abraham (8-22)
Next came the great man of faith, Abraham. Look at verses 8-12, “By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he[a] considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.” When we read Genesis and look at Abraham’s life it seems not so exciting when compared to other figures in the Old Testament. There were times when he was not the “world changer” that other heroes in the Bible were. Once he lied about Sarah being his wife-twice. He was doubtful and afraid several times. Even after he received God’s promise he tried to start a family with Hagar. Yet in spite of all these things, according to Romans he is considered the father of all who believe and the outstanding example of faith.
How did he exhibit faith in action? Genesis 12:1 tells us that when God called Abraham he said, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.” From verse 8, we see that he obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. This was difficult and took great faith. There was new food, a new languages, new customs, new support systems, new warlords and bandits to deal with, new insecurities. It was really tough, but he believed God’s promise and went, even though he was an old man and was totally helpless to take an occupied land. Not only that, it was physically impossible to become a great nation. Yet he believed God and went. With this faith he was also willing to offer up his beloved son, Isaac, proving that he loved God the most. All of this was faith in action. His faith encouraged and showed the way to the other patriarchs, like Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. They too put their faith into action and followed God’s leading in their lives. All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised. They only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. With this faith, they wanted to be buried in the Cave of Machpelah. The saints held on to their faith to the very end because their faith was based on their hope and trust in God, his promises and his perfect will. I pray each of us may grow in “action-faith” like Abraham.
Coming to Dekalb to pioneer a new house church is the way that God opened so that we can experience the faith of Abraham. At the time, April 1998, we were living in a comfortable two-bedroom apartment, near the Triton UBF Bible house. We enjoyed relative comfort and security. Shp Teddy was preparing the word of God for us each week. We could have stayed put in our comfort zone and not ventured into untested waters. But one day, God spoke his words to our hearts, ““Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.” For us, it meant, DeKalb and NIU campus. It was not going to be easy. We could not trust in the familiar Triton UBF environment. We had to get new jobs. We had to establish a church program and keep it every week. We had to embrace new calls to sacrifice, such as traveling to Triton UBF three times a week for the next three years and paying for baby sitters so I could go and invite students to Bible study. We got into debt with the purchase of a new house. I had to prepare the word of God on my own every week. But God’s promises rung loud in our hearts, “"I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." (Gen 12:2-3) We obeyed God and went and God has been blessing our house church ever since. He is providing for all of our needs. We are becoming inspirations for house churches world wide. We may be a small fellowship, but we are multiplying at the rate that God has set, the right rate.
Part lll: The Faith Of Moses, His Parents and The Israelites (23-29)
Next, the faith of Moses and his parents. Look at verse 23-28. In these verses Moses and his parents exercised faith. Actions always speak louder than words. First, let’s think about Moses’ parents. According to Exodus, Pharaoh king of Egypt–ruler of the world super power nation of the time–wanted to control the Israelites, who were multiplying quickly. So he issued an edict that all the Israelite boy babies were to be killed at birth by being thrown into the Nile River. This edict carried the penalty of death for disobedience. Moses was born at this time, but his parents did not obey this edict. Verse 23 says, “By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.” Moses’ parents did not obey Pharaoh. This did not come from a rebellious spirit, but from their faith in action. They wanted to obey God and carry out God’s will on earth at the cost of their very lives. May God raise up such godly parents across our land.
The author then pays attention to the faith of Moses. He says “By faith Moses…” He gives five instances of faith in connection with Moses’ faith in action, such as his decision, his choice, his value system, his leadership in the Exodus, and the keeping of the Passover. Look at verse 27. "By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible." Moses chose to be identified along with God and his people. He refused to follow the pleasures of sin. He stood on the side of God even though it meant disgrace for him in the eyes of the world. He persevered in his faith. He stood up as a leader for his people, even though he knew it meant hardships and maybe would even cost him his own life. His life was full of decisions of faith. These days there are many people who have no power to make any decision. There are also many people who commit to no one. But we learn here how important it is have faith that pleases God like Moses. And so, in this year, let’s make the right choice in our decisions born out of our faith. May Christ be more valuable and important to us than anything else in the world. May God raise up many young Moses’ on our campus’ and across our land.
Let us now see more examples of faith in action that overcame the world? Look at verses 29-40. There are the Israelites at the Red Sea, Joshua and the Israelites at the walls of Jericho, Rahab, and many other courageous judges, prophets and people of faith known only to God. They were all commended by God for their lives of faith. They felt that their faith in Christ was so valuable that they held onto faith and never shrink back. Their faith was the power by which they overcame perilous situations, overcame their enemies and conquered kingdoms.
Let’s take a closer look at some of these examples. First, the Israelites before the Red Sea. Look at verse 29. “By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.” God wanted to change a slave people into a kingdom of priests and holy nation. To this end he subjected his people to a 400 year gestational period in Egypt. At the right time he drew them out of Egypt to give birth to a new nation. The most difficult part was when they were up against the Red Sea. The Egyptian army was on their heels, ready to punish them, kill many and drag the rest back to their old slave life. Ahead of them was the Red Sea, an insurmountable barrier. What could they do? They needed to experience the power of faith. In Exodus 14: 13 Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” The amazing thing is that these Hebrews actually put there faith into action. They listened and chose to believe Moses’ words. They repented of their fear. Instead of running away, each one, man, woman and child, made a decision to stand firm and by faith they witnessed the deliverance of the Lord. They were saved and passed through the Red Sea as on dry land. It was all because of their faith in action.
Like the Israelites, God has called all Christians to be a great holy nation. 1 Peter 2:9 reads, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful life.” Before meeting Jesus, we lived as slaves to Satan, sin and fear. But now God by his grace, is leading us in faith, to be for him, his holy nation. When we realize this, then all of our past and present sufferings are simply a gestational period where we are about to be born anew as a holy nation.
God has delivered me so many times from my Red Seas. The first Red Sea was persecution from my family for five years. I shed tears so many times. But God helped me to stand firm and I have experienced his deliverance. My parents are now silent supporters of our family and my mother actually said she is proud of our church life. My other Red Sea was my nursing studies. I had so much reading and assignments that I could only read 75% of everything once. I was also newly married with a baby coming and no money. There was every reason to give up my life of faith, drop out of nursing school and just survive. But I could stand firm by faith through living as a student shepherd and keeping up my spiritual responsibilities. God delivered me with “A” marks in nursing school and gave me a great career as a nurse. The other Red Sea was a deep sense of despair and fatalism that made me long for God to take me out of this world. I guess is it was pastor’s burnout. But God told me to stand firm and don’t give up. I stood firm by continually serving Jesus and obeying Shp Teddy’s direction to make a new beginning and change my environment. God delivered me time and again from the Red Sea of despair with his word and his hope. I no longer live in despair and fatalism, but each day is filled with God’s hope and expectation and so can your days. Just put your faith in action.
But there are so many things that make us too afraid to move forward and cross the Red Sea. We are stuck. We are harassed inwardly. The more we wait, the more likely we are going to get picked off by our sins and the devil and dragged back to our old lives. We know our Red Seas. We know what God is trying to do and what we must do to cross our own Red Sea by faith. Let’s hear the word of God and “stand firm” and choose to trust God’s way of salvation. When we engage our faith then we will see the great and awesome deliverance of the Lord.
Part lV: The Faith Of Other Ancients (30-40)
What do we learn from Rahab? Look at verse 31.“By faith the prostitute Rehab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.” She had faith in God and sided with God and God’s people. She stuck her neck out because of her faith in the God of the Bible. She and her whole household were saved and she became the great-grandmother of who? Yes…King David. She was included as a key player in God’s history. And so can each of you when you put Rahab’s faith into action.
In verses 32-38 we find other “By faith” episodes in many other great men and women of God. “And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37 They were stoned[f]; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.” I know that each of us have our own unique sufferings. I don’t want to downplay anything that each of you are going through because of your faith in Jesus. But what some of these people had to endure was horrible. Yet they stood by faith even in the midst of these unbearable sufferings. While living by faith, some of them changed the course of history. Some left this world as unknown believers, know only by God. They were all rewarded with nothing in this world, except God’s comfort and more calls to sacrifice. Their lives were sold out for Jesus.
They chose to give up this world, even their own lives, because such sacrifices would gain them a better resurrection. They would later receive the true hope that they were trusting in as they lived by faith. Their great hope is our great hope. The great hope of all Christians is that one day we will be just like the resurrected Jesus Christ. We will be perfect as he is perfect. As Jesus lives in his Father’s presence so will we. As Jesus is heir of all things so too we will be co-heirs with him. This day has not yet come. Nevertheless it is coming. And with this hope we put our faith into action. Let us pray that God may help us to stand firm in faith in Jesus Christ and not shrink back, right unto the end of our race.
In conclusion, all of thee people had faith and they acted on their faith. Their faith was very practical. May we follow their example and seek to please God. May we make decisions of faith. May Christ be more valuable and more important to us than anything else in the world and may we experience the power, the deliverance of God as we put faith in action. And how long shall we put our faith into action? Right up to the day of Jesus Christ’s coming. Then our faith will become sight.
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