The person doing the formation into a book will have the manuscript done by the end of March.

Once the manuscript has gone through final editing, and I get the cover design from Micah Claycamp, it’s off to the printers.

There is another series being transcribed as well. It is the study I did many years ago on the first six chapters of Nehemiah. It is entitled HOW TO BE USED BY GOD. The transcription should be done March 21. This will be a good manual on how the Lord takes an ordinary person and leads them to do extraordinary things for God.

This Sunday I will be teaching at Calvary North. We will be considering the faith of Jacob and Joseph. There’s so much to glean from the lives of these men and women of faith.

On Sunday March 14 I will be teaching at Calvary Chapel of Coolidge, AZ. Pastor Jesse will be teaching at Calvary North.

Thanks to all you who have been praying over the new directions Jeanne and I are considering. The Lord is the One who really knows what’s ahead in the future.

“THE FAITH OF THE PATRIARCHS – PART 2”

Hebrews 11:20

INTRODUCTION:

-each of these men and women included in Heb. 11 (called “Hall of Faith”) were brought to the mind of the writer of Hebrews (many Bible commentators believe Paul wrote the book)

-each example in ch. 11 had something to do with the trials and tribulations being experienced right then by those Hebrews who had trusted Jesus to be the promised Messiah

-because of their faith in Jesus as the Messiah these Hebrew believers had suffered greatly, both from their own countrymen and from the Romans among whom they lived

-in those difficult times, there were some who were rethinking their commitment to Jesus

-they were considering that maybe they shouldn’t have let go of the old system of laws and ceremonies, of rites and ordinances

-this book was written to encourage them, to strengthen them in their faith and to show them clearly that Jesus indeed fulfilled all the requirements of the old covenant for them

-through their faith in Jesus, they were fully accepted of God as righteous; don’t turn back

-today we are only going to look at Heb. 11:20; there is something addressed here that is needful for us to be reminded of today

-it has to do with passing down the faith to the next generation

-read Heb. 11:20; pray

I. FAITH IN THE MIDST OF WEAKNESS

A. Background Before the Blessing

-Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were the forefathers of the Hebrew people

-they were men who walked by faith in the person of and in the promises of God

-they believed those promises and passed them down to the next generation

-but as you read their accounts in the book of Genesis, you discover that they were also men who erred and yielded to sin at times

-their children and grandchildren also did not always walk in the way of godliness

-yet these men and women continued to have an active faith in God

-it is interesting to me that none of their sins and transgressions are mentioned here in ch. 11; all that stands out is the faith by which they lived

-Jacob and Esau were twins; they were born to Isaac and Rebekkah when Isaac was 60 years old

-about 70 yrs. later, when Isaac was 130 years old, he gave this family blessing

-Jacob and Esau each received separate blessings; but as we will see there was such a difference between those blessings

B. Betrayal in the MIdst of Blessing

-the Scriptures tell us that when Esau was 40 years old he married two Hittite women from the area; these were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekkah

-some 30 years seems to have gone by since Esau had married these women

-although Esau may have been a ‘man’s man’ he was not a ‘God’s man’; his life can be summed up as a life lived after the flesh, in the strength of the flesh

-Isaac was around 130 years old when this blessing was pronounced by him

-Gen. 27:1 tells us that Isaac was old and couldn’t see; maybe he had severe cataracts being out there in the sun all of his days

-Isaac felt that his own death was near; he needed to impart the family heritage before he died

-if he died before the blessing was imparted he wouldn’t be able to control what would happen with the family heritage

-because of that fear he leaned on his own understanding and emotional weakness and put into motion things that could have been disastrous

-it’s almost as if Isaac’s physical blindness mirrored his own spiritual blindness because of his favoritism of Esau

-Isaac’s favorite son was Esau, the oldest twin; Isaac told him to go out and prepare the blessing dinner so he could impart the firstborn’s blessing

-Rebekkah overheard this and immediately went into crisis mode

-she knew that the spiritual heritage was to pass to the younger twin, Jacob, and not to the older twin, Esau

-God had told her before the twins were even born that the older would serve the younger, implying that the birthright was to go to Jacob over Esau

-it is likely that Rebekkah communicated this to Isaac at least in the beginning

-Esau was a man of the flesh, only concerned with outward prosperity, outward strength and might, and had no heart for the things of God

-he is referred to in Hebrews 12:16-17 as a “profane person”

-years earlier Esau had sold his birthright to Jacob over some humble pottage; this showed Esau’s distain for spiritual things

-but Jacob had tricked his father into bestowing upon him the blessing of the firstborn since it was obvious to the family that Isaac preferred Esau

-this was done at the instigation of Jacob’s mother, Rebekkah; I wonder if Rebekkah was falling back upon the deceitful ways of her brother, Laban

-here is the blessing that was bestowed upon Jacob as recorded in Genesis 27

Gen 27:27-29

27 And he came near and kissed him; and he smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him and said: “Surely, the smell of my son Is like the smell of a field Which the Lord has blessed. 28 Therefore may God give you Of the dew of heaven, Of the fatness of the earth, And plenty of grain and wine. 29 Let peoples serve you, And nations bow down to you. Be master over your brethren, And let your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, And blessed be those who bless you!” NKJV

-the blessing of the firstborn included three major items:
a double portion of the inheritance; rule over the household when the father dies; the promise of the coming Redeemer through their seed

-yet Jacob came in by deceit and stole this blessing from Esau

-it appears that Jacob never told anyone about Esau’s contempt for the spiritual side of the blessing

-this doesn’t mean that Jacob’s deceit was looked upon by God as acceptable

-God would deal with Jacob in the coming years concerning those deceitful ways

-this brings up an interesting point: when another person undermines goodness that should have come to you, is God able to turn all that around for you?

-the answer is yes; but we get so focused on the rights we’re supposed to have in this life that we forget the purpose of Jesus’ entry into this world

-our inheritance is in heaven; that’s where our reward is safe and waiting for us

-to live out a life of physical blessing here on earth is just a special favor from the hand of God; but it is not our right to demand it

-getting back to the story, when Esau came in to receive the firstborn’s blessing from his father Isaac it was discovered that Jacob had stolen his blessing

-Esau begged for some kind of blessing showing that all he was interested in was the outward things and not the inward spiritual future

C. Belief in God’s Providence Concerning the Blessing

-it was at that time that Isaac realized the fullness of what had just happened

-he knew deep down from the prophecy given at least 70 years earlier that the younger was to receive the birthright

-it was then that Isaac affirmed in faith the initial blessing imparted upon Jacob

-this blessing was to remain on him and not be changed

-Esau pleaded for some kind of blessing, something physical at least

-so Isaac in faith then imparted a physical blessing upon Esau

-yet that blessing showed that the strife which had been a part of Esau’s life would pass down upon his heritage

Gen 27:39-40

39 Then Isaac his father answered and said to him: “Behold, your dwelling shall be of the fatness of the earth, And of the dew of heaven from above. 40 By your sword you shall live, And you shall serve your brother; And it shall come to pass, when you become restless, That you shall break his yoke from your neck.” NKJV

-each of these blessings was spoken by Isaac in faith, as weak as that faith may have been at the beginning

-Isaac then in faith affirmed the blessing upon Jacob as he sent him off to the northern area of Aram to find a wife for himself

Gen 28:1-4

1 Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed him, and charged him, and said to him: “You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan. 2 Arise, go to Padan Aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father; and take yourself a wife from there of the daughters of Laban your mother’s brother.

3 “May God Almighty bless you, And make you fruitful and multiply you, That you may be an assembly of peoples; 4 And give you the blessing of Abraham, To you and your descendants with you, That you may inherit the land In which you are a stranger, Which God gave to Abraham.” NKJV

II. FAITH TO BE PASSED DOWN TO THE NEXT GENERATION

A. Sharing the Stories

-Isaac in his own frailty ‘jumped the gun’ so to speak, when he determined to impart that initial blessing upon Esau; he lived another 50 yrs.

-yet after all had been said and done Isaac saw the hand of God working in the midst of it

-with this blessing he was passing down the hope in the promises of God to the next generation, to those who had a true heart for spiritual things

-how important this is to consider for us! it is one thing to live out our faith privately; but what about the work of discipleship to the next generation?

-do we just leave that to the pastors and elders of a church?

-no, we are to understand that it is up to us individually to share our life of faith

-we at least should share our life of faith with our children and grandchildren, and then with other young people the Lord puts into our path

-we may think that our life is no story to be used to display true faith

-but if that’s what you feel, you really need to rethink that; your children and grandchildren love to hear your times of trial and rescue

-illustration: my children and grandchildren

-discipleship isn’t merely a course one takes over a twelve week period and then it’s said, “It is finished”

-discipleship is an ongoing, ‘walking with’ another person through life’s situations

-it’s showing by example what to do, what not to do, how to respond, what those first steps should be when encountering each days’ situations

-all that takes time, it takes being with others, it takes loving others more than you love yourself

-God calls us to pass down the faith to the next generation; but how will that happen if we isolate ourselves from them?

-I encourage all of us to plug into the lives of those who are younger than us

-this is true not only of physical age, but also spiritual age; Jesus commands us to make disciples of all nations

-start at home with your kids, with your grandkids; then look around at the younger generation here in our church

-use the small group settings of the men’s and women’s Bible studies; make use of the home fellowships that are offered

-spend time with those younger than yourself; although you may not like to ‘Twitter’ and ‘Facebook’, at least seek to understand why this is so important to them

-the future of our church depends on the next generation having a passionate faith and living it out; encourage them, support them, pray for them

B. Strengthening the Hebrew Believers

-why did the writer of Hebrews mention this particular incident?

-these things were written to encourage them in their faith during their difficult times of persecution and tribulation

1 Peter 1:6-9

6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, 8 whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 receiving the end of your faith — the salvation of your souls. NKJV

-the Holy Spirit inspired all the writers of these 66 books of the Bible

-the accounts that were included had great significance to those who would believe in the future

Ps 102:18 This will be written for the generation to come, That a people yet to be created may praise the Lord. NKJV

Rom 15:4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. NKJV

1 Cor 10:11 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. NKJV

-God is working in your lives today so that the comfort you receive and the lessons you learn can be passed along to the next generation

-by faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come

2 Cor 1:3-7

3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. 4 He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. 5 For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. 6 Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. 7 We are confident that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in the comfort God gives us.  Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

There are times when preparing for a message that I just cannot teach everything I am learning out of a passage. Time and other’s ears won’t allow it. But this chapter 11 of the book of Hebrews is such a beneficial chapter to help us in our walk of faith.

May the Lord open our spiritual ears to hear and understand His encouragement to us today!