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Series: Other Speakers
Sun am 9th November 2014 – Shane Egypt
Gen. 25:30-34; (Luke 10:41); Gen. 27:29-44; (Gen. 32:1-8); Gen. 49:8-10; Ps. 60:7-8; Num. 24:19;
(Mark 5:22-34); Luke 9:52-62; (2 Kings 4:25-27); John 13:3-15; (Philippians 2:5-8).
As an apostolic people, walking in governmental authority is our mandate as we are sent out into the world. It translates into walking under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, not simply being part of a church, but also participating in His government on earth.
Jacob, even in his mother’s womb, had it in him to be the first-born, and to have the birth-right of the firstborn. He understood and wanted this right much more than Esau did (Gen. 25:30-32). What Esau should have said was, “I would rather die than live without this birth right”, but that is not what he said. He did not realize that on the basis of this birth-right, what was in his loins was the first born Son; the Progenitor of a new creation. The birth-right had a covenantal blessing, but Esau despised his birth-right and gave in to the strong appetite of the flesh and sold his birth-right. This reminds us of the words Jesus spoke to Martha, Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; (Luke 10:41). There are life’s appetites and circumstances that we need to take care of, and it can bring us to a point of being famished. To Esau the present was so important. In the present Martha had to recognize who Jesus was, and Esau had to recognize what he had and what he was about to sell; life everlasting, but he was worried about physical death. We are always concerned about the natural things but we forget what has been deposited in us and through us in the spiritual (Gen. 27:29-44). Our birth-right is to have dominion. What did Esau actually forfeit? He forfeited the blessing of the ‘I Am’, the God of his father Abraham and Isaac. Note the relationship between God and Abraham, God and Isaac – that relationship is what Esau forfeited. The governmental authority had been taken away from him because he sold his rights and he had succumbed to the strong appetite of the flesh.
Esau was a hunter and Jacob was a man of peace. Esau had a heart of vengeance; he violated his lineage and formed relationships with the house of Ishmael. Even when he reconciled with his brother there was still a discord between his house and the house of Jacob (Gen. 32:1-8).
The deceiver Jacob now has the first-born’s covenantal blessing, but he had to encounter the Blesser, God the ‘I Am’. He had to have the Peniel experience (Gen. 32:24-30). He was then no longer named Jacob but Israel; a name change when he was confronted with the Blesser of the blessing he had received.
We need to look at what the heart attitude of those who have the birth-right should be towards the world. We have previously looked at the heart attitude of Joseph when he became a ruler.
The pattern Son was from the tribe of Judah (Ps. 60:7-8; Num. 24:19). See what the Word says about that covenantal blessing, that was in the loins of Esau, but he sold it. The only begotten Son, the first brother, Jesus was the lion of Judah. Looking at Jesus twelve disciples, it speaks of dominion and authority. Look at the heart of the pattern Son. In association with Jesus they knew what their heritage was, what their lineage was and what was given to them; a privileged position. We have the birth-right, a covenantal blessing but what should the heart attitude be? If we look at what Esau had done, we can see similarity with that of the older brother in the story of the prodigal son.
And He sent messengers on ahead of Him, and they went and entered a village of the Samaritans to make arrangements for Him. But they did not receive Him, because He was traveling toward Jerusalem. When His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” This was the heart attitude of the disciples. The covenantal blessing was given to them but He that made the covenant, the pattern Son, turned and rebuked them and said, “You do not know what kind of spirit you are of; for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.” And they went on to another village (Luke 9:52-62). You are to be ministers of reconciliation. If you look at Gehazi, When the man of God saw her at a distance, he said to Gehazi his servant, “Behold, there is the Shunammite. …When she came to the man of God to the hill, she caught hold of his feet. And Gehazi came near to push her away; but the man of God said, “Let her alone, for her soul is troubled within her; and the Lord has hidden it from me and has not told me” (2 Kings 4:25-27).
We have grace carriers that God has given, fathering grace, but look at the attitude of the pattern Son (Mark 5:22-34). Jesus knowing what He had, what was His, the covenantal blessing, and knowing that He had come forth from God and was going back to God, got up from the supper and lay aside His garments and began to wash the disciples feet (John 13:3-5). This grace carrier humbled Himself. So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord; and [b]you are right, for so I am. If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you (John 13:12-15). So having the covenantal blessing, what is the heart attitude to be? See what kind of impact we will have, not just in the family and household, but in our world, if we have the attitude of this grace that is displayed in Jesus. We should be the example. We who are in Christ, everything belongs to us, but knowing this full well, will we have the attitude of the disciples, that they were an exclusive group? And what we have received from our God we cannot share? Look at the attitude of Jacob towards his brother, the attitude of reconciliation. He was a man of peace. That is the grace that has been given. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:5-8).
We should rather have the heart of the younger brother who, despite squandering his inheritance, returned to his father. We have this callous attitude that there are outsiders and we are insiders. This is not the way Jesus wants us to view the world. What will the impact be in our surroundings? We too often succumb to the attitude of the older brother and Esau. Knowing that all things are given to us in Him, let us serve one another and serve in our world and so fulfil our apostolic mandate.