Origins matter, and for a believer, they orient us to stand in awe of the amazing grace we receive through Jesus Christ.  As Paul reminds the Corinthain church of their origin, he sets them up to remember the hopelessness of sin.  If it was the Gospel that saved them, they must admit their former state.   If Christ transformed them, it was only by His work in which they could boast.  

Compromise often starts with “I.”  It is a desire for self to be right and even justify wrong beliefs for self-satisfaction.  The Corinthians were not truly following Paul, Apollos, or Cephas.  Instead, they were following the desires of their own hearts.  

Though there are many problems in the Corinthians church, Paul still addresses them as a church.  God gave gifts to the believers at Corinth, and Paul was with them in the beginning of their faith journey.  It is God’s faithfulness in which Paul trusts, not the fickle hearts of humanity.

What does Christian growth look like?  In an age of many assumptions, Paul clearly directs the Corinthians in what this process looks like.  Maturity is not seen in moving beyond the Gospel, but sinking deeper into the Gospel.

When we compare these two brothers,  it may seem that Esau was a better person that Jacob.  However, it was Jacob that received the patriarchal promise.  Today we ask ourselves whether our actions align with the worship of Esau or the worship of Jacob.

Many people confess to faith in God, yet have not repented of their sin.  There is not salvation for those with an unrepentant heart, no matter what they confess.  This message was in conjunction with the practice of the Lord's Supper - a moment of repentance and remembering.

As Jacob wrestles with God, he learns that God is the only thing worth holding.  One hand holding the world, and one holding to God will only lead to sin and sorrow.  Faith is holding on to God with both hands.

Idols were in Jacobs house, and he didn't know it.  None of us are perfect and that means we all have idols in our lives that we are unaware of.  The desire of our hearts should be to remove these from our lives.

It is easy to forget that every good and perfect gift is from God.  We often fail to acknowledge his work in our lived.  Instead, we tend to take credit and give credit where it does not belong.   Like Jacob, we put our trust in sticks instead of God.

Part of the battle against sin is realizing we cannot create that which God has promised.   Our striving cannot bring about what is only found in God.  In today's lesson, we see this principle as Leah and Rachel struggle for love and the removal of reproach.