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ESAU'S GREAT LOSS IS A WARNING FOR THE CHURCH

October 29, 2006

Esau was a firstborn son

Genesis 27:32 And his father Isaac said to him, "Who are you?" So he said, "I am your son, your firstborn, Esau."

A privileged position

Genesis 49:3 Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power.

the birthright blessing

Genesis 27:36 And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?

the blessing of rulership

Genesis 27:27 And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD hath blessed: 28 Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine: 29 Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother’s sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee. 37 And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my son?

The blessing of the future promise land

Genesis 28:1-4 And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, 3 And God Almighty bless thee,…4 And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham.

firstborn is head of the table

Genesis 43:33 “And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth:…”

Ephraim set before Manasseh

Genesis 48:9,17-20 And Joseph said unto his father, They are my sons, whom God hath given me in this place. And he said, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them. 17And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father’s hand, to remove it from Ephraim’s head unto Manasseh’s head. 18 And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head. 19 And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations. 20 And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh.

Not always according to the order of birth

1 Chronicles 26:10 Also Hosah, of the children of Merari, had sons; Simri the chief, for though he was not the firstborn, yet his father made him the chief;

The kingdom belongs to the firstborn

2 Chronicles 21:3 And their father gave them great gifts of silver, and of gold, and of precious things, with fenced cities in Judah: but the kingdom gave he to Jehoram; (why?) because he was the firstborn.

the firstborn is a chosen covenant son

Psalm 89:3-4,20,26-28 I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant, 4 Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah. I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him: 26 He shall cry unto me, Thou art my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation. 27 Also I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth. 28 My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with him.

A double portion of the inheritance

Deuteronomy 21:16-17 “then it shall be, in the day that he causeth his sons to inherit that which he hath…17 but he shall acknowledge the first-born…by giving him a double portion of all that he hath; for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the first-born is his.”

Israel was a firstborn nation

Exodus 4:22 Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:

A special people, high above all nations

Deuteronomy 26:18-19 And the LORD hath declared thee this day to be his peculiar people, as he hath promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep all his commandments; 19 And to make thee high above all nations which he hath made, in praise, and in name, and in honour; and that thou mayest be an holy people unto the LORD thy God, as he hath spoken.

A majority of the sons of the kingdom

became castaways

Matthew 8:12 But [in contrast to those that are in the kingdom v.11] the sons of the kingdom [Israel after the flesh – in unbelief] shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Jesus became “the firstborn” at His

resurrection-birth

Acts 13:33 God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.

Colossians 1:18 And he (Christ) is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

Revelation 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

Romans 1:4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:

As a son he is The appointed heir of all things

Hebrews 1:1-2 God…Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

the firstborn among many brethren

Romans 8:29 For whom (the elect – the firstborn sons) he (God) did foreknow (their faithfulness to His calling – “them that love God,” v.28), he also did predestinate (a determined plan) to be conformed to the image of his Son (placed or appointed as sons Eph.1:5, the redemption of our bodies Rom.8:23), that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Christ’s brethren are in the church

Hebrews 2:10-13 For it became him (God), for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation (Jesus , His Son) perfect through sufferings. 11 For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, 12 Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. 13 And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.

the church of the firstborn

Hebrews 12:23-24 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven…(“the book of life,” Rev.3:5) 24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant…”

Esau SOLD HIS BIRTHRIGHT FOR AN IMMEDIATE

GRATIFICATION

Genesis 25:29-34 And Jacob sod [or boilded] pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint: 30 And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom. 31 And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright (Jacob esteemed the birthright). 32 And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me? 33 And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.

By faith and patience we inherit the promises

Hebrews 6:11-12 We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure (NIV). 12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

The blessing of the inheritance is future

Matthew 25:31,34 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you (the firstborn sons) from the foundation of the world:

Don’t grow tired in well doing

Galatians 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

He despised his birthright by his choices

Genesis 25:34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.

The birthright may be forfeited due to sin

1 Chronicles 5:1 Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel -- he was indeed the firstborn, but because he defiled his father's bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph, the son of Israel, so that the genealogy is not listed according to the birthright

esau’s rejection is a warning for the church

Hebrews 12:15-17Looking diligently [present active] lest any man fail [or come short] of the grace of God…16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. 17 For ye know how that afterward (after the blessing was given by Isaac to Jacob), when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance (in his father Isaac), though he sought it carefully with tears.

Christ’s house is conditional

Hebrews 3:6 But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.

The hope of glory

Romans 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

At the resurrection from the dead

1 Peter 1:21 who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

A glorious firstborn body

Philippians 3:20-21 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for [or eagerly wait for] the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ [“Looking for the blessed hope the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” Titus 2:13]; 21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body [or “conformed to the image of His Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren,” Rom.8:29] according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.