Whenever you talk about power and purpose, you also need to talk about how it is being handled. Last week, we talked about our accountability with those around us who are unsaved. Are we providing an effective witness drawing men unto Him or are we providing a stumbling block turning people away? We will be held accountable.
Jeremiah 8:20 The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved. 1 Peter 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?
How have we handled the gift? Have we sold our birthright like Esau? Have we sold it to worldly value systems? Have we sold it out of greed? Have we sold it out of our “gotta have it now” mentality? Did we, like Esau, not know our value?
Genesis 25:29 And Jacob cooked a stew: and Esau came from the field, and he was weary:30 And Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary.” Therefore his name was called Edom.31 And Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as of this day.”32 And Esau said, “Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?”33 And Jacob said, “Swear to me this day.” So he swore to him, and he sold his birthright to Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, and arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright. What was Esau’s birthright? It is important to note that the birthright meant headship of the family and a double share of the inheritance. Who was Esau’s father? Wasn’t it Isaac, son of Abraham? To understand Esau’s birthright, you have to go back to the covenant Abraham had with God. Genesis 17:1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. 2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. 3 And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, 4 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. 5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. 6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. 7 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. 8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. 9 And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. 15 And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. 16 And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her. 19 And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. 21 But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year. Genesis 25:5 And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac. Genesis 26:1 And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar. 2 And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of: 3 Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father; 4 And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; 5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws. This was Esau’s birthright. And he sold it for a pot of stew and a piece of bread because he was tired and hungry for a short while. So what is our birthright? When we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we didn’t just receive forgiveness for our sins. What else did we receive? John 3:15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Our birthright is eternal life. John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Our birthright is the power to become sons and daughters of God. We often make the mistake of seeing the promise of the power and not the process of becoming. We have to go through the process. Isn’t this the potter’s wheel that we hear so much about, where he shapes us, molds us, removes impurities, sanctifies us and cleanses us of all unrighteousness? And the more we struggle and climb off the wheel, the longer it takes! We have to understand who we are and what our birthright is. We have to believe on His name.
We are the sons and daughters of
Jehovah Adonai – The Lord our Sovereign
El-Elyon – The Lord Most High
El-Olam – The Everlasting God
El-Shaddai – The God Who Is Sufficient for the Needs of His People
Jehovah Elohim – The Eternal Creator
Jehovah Jireh – The Lord our Provider
Jehovah Nissi – The Lord our Banner
Jehovah Ropheka – The Lord our Healer
Jehovah Shalom – The Lord our Peace
Jehovah Tsidkenu – The Lord our Righteousness
Jehovah Mekaddishkem – The Lord our Sanctifier
Jehovah Sabaoth – The Lord of Hosts
Jehovah Shammah – The Lord is Present
Jehovah Rohi – The Lord our Shepherd
Jehovah Hoseenu – The Lord our Maker
Jehovah Eloheenu – The Lord our God
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