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Sunday Gathering – Genesis – The Bitter Root
Sermon Summary: Breaking Free from the Chains of the Past (Genesis 36)
This sermon by Andy explores the story of Esau and his descendants, the Edomites, as found in Genesis 36. It highlights how Esau's poor choices, particularly selling his birthright and missing out on his father's blessing, had lasting negative consequences for his entire lineage.
The Edomites, born into a nation marked by these initial failings, faced ongoing struggles, including conflict with the Israelites and eventual decline. This serves as a powerful illustration of how societal and cultural factors can significantly impact individual lives and destinies.
Andy argues that, just as the Edomites were bound by the actions of their ancestor, individuals today can be similarly constrained by the circumstances of their birth, upbringing, and the prevailing culture around them. These influences can manifest in various forms:
These influences can lead to feelings of limitation, hopelessness, and a sense of being trapped by circumstances beyond our control. We may feel like we are "stuck" in a particular role or identity, unable to break free from the patterns of the past.
However, the sermon emphasizes that this is not an inevitable fate. Just as the Israelites were chosen by God and blessed despite their surrounding nations, individuals can experience true freedom and transformation through faith in Jesus Christ.
Key Biblical concepts emphasized in the sermon include:
The sermon then outlines practical steps for experiencing this freedom:
By embracing these principles, individuals can break free from the chains of their past, experience true transformation, and live a life of purpose and freedom in Christ.
Bible References:
This summary provides a concise overview of the sermon's key themes and messages. It is important to note that this is a summary and may not capture all the nuances and details of the original message.
Disclaimer: This summary is based on the provided transcript and may not perfectly reflect the speaker's intended message or the nuances of his delivery.
Transcript
So if you've read it and you still come this morning I'm impressed so I was
gonna do Genesis 37 originally and I had it all lined up we're gonna start the
story of Joseph we were gonna sing the songs but nobody knows the songs
honestly okay we're gonna had it already and then it snowed on that first Sunday
in January and so the talks got moved on and here we are in Genesis 36 instead
there we are this is like this is like you know when Paul wrote Timothy and he
said the whole of Scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching
rebuking correcting and training in righteousness he clearly hadn't read
this chapter so I will have a word with him about that when we get there but if
you've got a Bible we're not going to turn to the chapter and read it because
that would just be the end of it but I'm going to see if this will work first of
all before I get going brilliant okay great so so what we've got with Genesis
36 and I'm going to try and tie it into some of the things we've heard this
morning is this is the last word about Esau in the whole book of Genesis okay
so we don't hear about him anymore after this and after this chapter there's a
shift and the focus turns completely to Jacob and his family and obviously
particularly the story of Joseph and how the whole Israelites end up in Egypt and
and that whole thing is coming down the road towards us now over the next few
weeks yeah so we're looking forward to that but the stuff but we think my Esau
the story we've had so far in Genesis 25 if you can remember way back when it
must have been October November time when Jacob and Esau were born God spoke
to their mum Rebecca and said that the older will serve the younger and Esau
was born first so he's going to end up serving Jacob and then at the end of
that same chapter we reach the point where Esau sells his birthright for a
meal right and that was a big thing in that culture okay because he was the
firstborn he should get this birthright he should get the blessing from his dad
to carry on through his children and he just threw it all away for a simple meal
and then as we get to chapter 27 we get the story of how Jacob gets the blessing
from his dad Isaac that should have gone to Esau and all of that and the fallout
of all of that as Jacob has to flee away for his life because he's worried his
brother's going to kill him etc etc and then we get to chapter 33 which was
probably about end of November I think and there's this cagey meeting between
Jacob and Esau where they kind of make up but Jacob is still acting as the
deceiving guy and they kind of make up and and then and then I said but now
what we begin to see here in chapter 36 is the implications of Esau's actions
start to be worked out and the word that God spoke to Rebecca when she was
pregnant with him starts to have an effect on Esau and his descendants and
in the same way that we read so clearly about the blessing of God coming to
Abraham and then to Isaac and then to Jacob and down through the nation of
Israel we start to see the kind of non blessing if you want to call it that to
Esau start to have an effect on him and his children and grandchildren and this
nation of Edom as they are called so Esau the offspring of Esau is the
nation of Edom and this whole tribe together are impacted by what Esau had
done way back in Genesis 25 so just so that you if you can read this that'd be
great so I can just about read that it's not bad so so this is Genesis 36 this is
all you need to know so so it literally is a family tree and a few other bits
and pieces so first of all I'm just going to point out so Esau there he's
got three wives through which his children come so his first wife was
called Ada and she was the daughter of Elon not that Elon okay who knew it was
in the Bible right you heard it here first anyway his second wife his second
one I'm sorry and through Ada they have one son called Eliphaz we're not told
who Eliphaz married but he had five children he also had a concubine named
Timna and they had a son called Amalek and if you know anything else about your
Old Testament history the Amalekites they were one of the enemies of Israel
as you read through the stories his second wife had the most wonderful name
of Oh Holy Bama at least that's how I pronounce it sounds great she was the
daughter of Anna and this is the only verse I will read from the from the
chapter verse 24 the sons of Zibeon were Ea and Anna this is the Anna who
discovered the hot springs in the desert while he was grazing the donkeys of his
father Zibeon like as if you thought there was another Anna so I don't know
what prompted Moses to write that little bit about our friend Anna here but
anyway Anna he had one daughter Oh Holy Bama who became Esau's second wife
good name isn't it and then his third wife was called Basemath which kind of
sounds like she was the founder of modern mathematics but but gosh I'm
going to be in so much trouble from our evangelical conservators after this but
she was the daughter of Ishmael so that kind of makes her Esau's cousin right
because Ishmael and Isaac were brothers Esau was Isaac's son so so so Basemath
was Esau's cousin and they have one son Raoul and we're not told who he married
but he had four children and then there's a bit in the middle of the
chapter that I haven't put in here which is about the people in the land
where Esau settled and they're called Horites H O R I T E Zibeon and Anna were
Horites so they're from the land and they all got merged into this kingdom of
Edom and this tribe of Edom that we're reading about here good isn't it so and
then the end of the chapter we get told here's the kings of Edom and they had
kings way before Israel Moses specifically calls that out and again if
you know anything about your Old Testament you'll know that all the
nations around Israel had kings and Israel didn't because God had a separate
special thing for them but in the end they grumbled and said that we want
kings like everybody else and so they had kings and that was not a good ending
but but here we read that Edom the kingdom of Edom they had kings way
before Israel did and there's a list of names of said kings so what can we learn
about this well I think the first thing that this strikes me is you know here is
a nation that is living outside of the blessing of God as a consequence of
Eastwell's actions what else do we know about the Edomites well actually as you
whiz through the page of the Old Testament you've discovered some other
things I mean numbers 20 we read about the Israelites on the exodus through the
wilderness they come to the land of Edom and the Edomites say no you can't come
through here so so there's immediately there's this tension between the two
nations in Deuteronomy 23 we read that Israel is forbidden to hate Edom
interesting in Numbers 24 we read about Balaam remember him he's the guy who
has the donkey that speaks back to him so he has a prophecy about the downfall
of Edom and its ultimate demise yeah speaking donkeys are in the Bible just
in case you didn't know not just in Shrek so sorry in 1 Samuel 14 we read
about Saul fighting the Edomites in 1 Samuel 21 we read about David
conquering Edom in 1 Kings 11 we read about the complete conquest of the land
of Edom in 2 Chronicles 20 we read about the Edomites rising up and doing a raid
into Judah in 2 Kings 8 we read about Edom rebelling against Judah but they
could not squash them in 2 Kings 14 we read about Amaziah who was a king of
Judah invading Edom and massacring them and in 2 Chronicles 28 we read again
about Edom invading Judah so they're at war throughout the time and all of this
stemming from one man's decision bad decision down through the ages and then
we get to Psalm 137 you know a great Psalm that says you know about the
people of God in Babylon when they are carried off in captivity how can we sing
the Lord's song in a strange land and in that one verse in verse 7 we read that
Edom rejoices at Judah's fall and then we get to the prophets and through the
prophets as several prophecies about the end of the nation of Edom for example in
Ezekiel 25 we read about their ultimate demise and then they're heard of no more
that's it and all of this stemming from Esau's actions the repercussions of one
man rippling down through all his descendants you kind of think about
these people that are mentioned here and they're children after them and the
people if you're born into that nation now you can't control where you're born
can you no matter what else science is able to do today you can't determine who
your parents are what nation you're born into what culture you're born into what
tribe you're born into anything about that at all you cannot affect any of
that ever and yet these people are born into the nation of Edom and inherit the
lot of being an Edomite you can imagine them crying out it's not fair this is
our lot because of our parents actions you know we blame them I didn't ask for
this and yet these are the cards I've been down here is a culture and a
society built on the actions of its founder and unable to shake that off
they are a nation defined by spurning the blessing of God and now there are
odds with Israel and ultimately they become someone who just disappears from
history not one of these descendants not one of these kings could break out of
those characteristics of their culture it's like you know those guardrails when
you go bowling that I would use because I'm no good at bowling that you put up
there to stop the ball going down in the gully you know it's like there are
guardrails for this nation of Edom but this is what this is their lot you know
they can't break out of that they can't become the people of God they can't
become people who walk in the blessing of God again this is their lot in life
the blessing the so-called blessing that Edom the Esau did receive from Jacob
comes to pass the mistakes the folly of what he did has huge repercussions and
implications down the line until they're written out of the story and the nation
of Edom evaporates away and all that time the descendants of Jacob are center
stage all that time God's chosen people and inheritance are the ones taking the
limelight simply because of this one man's actions it's so often the case
that the culture or society in which we are born or brought up in or moved to
live amongst become a culture and society that shapes us and molds us and
defines who we are we can be nice and spiritual and say that oh yeah but no
I'm a child of God so I'm now different and we'll come to that because I is so
important but the reality is also that whatever culture tribe place you were
born up into family you were born into has a massive effect on what you are who
you are as a person what your likes and dislikes are what what hinders you what
is good about you but also what stops you moving on in God because he's got
something better in place so you kind of wonder okay so was this chapter got
to say to us and I think well actually you know hang on actually this impact of
culture and society is true for us today on our lives the decisions and actions
taken by other people affect our lives let's be honest that so much of who we
are is defined by the culture and society we are born in and brought up in
and that can be like a national culture that can be you know Western UK secular
21st century culture that can be an African culture that could be an East
European culture that can be whatever culture you've come from it shapes and
molds and and and frames a way of life for us that that is that sets the path
that we're on so often it can be a subculture so when I was a teenager I
can still remember I was big into heavy metal confessions I knew you were Howard
thank you you know and that was a subculture I guess what it defined what
clothes you wore I had all the denim with all the badges of bands on the
back it defined what music you listen to it defined what music you didn't like
even if you did you know and all of the subcultures do that don't they and
there's a myriad subcultures out there today that we are quite potentially a
part of or our thing and define and shape of some molders it can be a peer
group a group of friends you know as a parent you those days you send your
children off to school and they go there for seven hours and then they come back
and they've learned some new words but you didn't teach them yeah because
they've got a peer group right that shapes them and affects them and molds
them and or it can be our family our families that we are born and brought
up into shape us and molds and affect us actions taken by others way outside our
influence of control can lead to us being not where we want it to be and
more importantly not in a place that God has called us to be and God has for us
because of the good things he's had for us that we've been singing about earlier
you know the Edomites would simply say but you know what this is just who we
are this is our lot in life this is all that we are able to do we're not the
people of God in fact we're at war with them quite often our lives have become
dominated by circumstances beyond our control and influence and here we are
stuck and they could say you know we'll never become the people of God you know
we for us today we could say the same thing we'll never become dot dot dot
I'll never be free of dot dot dot I'll never be free of an addiction I'll
never be free of poverty I'll never be free of being in a place where I've got
hope of what I can do in the future I'll never be free enough to have a job but
actually I get value about often can contribute to I'll never be free of
money worries I'll never be free from the impact of domestic violence I'll
never be free from the fact that people have controlled me and manipulated me
and it goes on and on on the list goes on you can add your own things in there
and we can feel like that because of the impact of that culture around us that we
have been a part of and just like the Edomites we can say it's not even my
fault you know it's it's this group you've been with but I didn't ask to be
born here I didn't ask for that but this is where I am and we can feel
stuck like that it's this it's this group of friends it's this society it's
this neighborhood it's this family it's even and it does happen it's this church
it's these friends it's these circumstances these are the cars I've
been dealt with and this is my lot in life and this is who I am and the place
you are now in is not where you wanted to be or where you thought you would be
and the huge overwhelming senses I've got a settle for this because that was
their lot in life right they couldn't change so the deal is right if all we
had is the Old Testament then that would be the end of the story and that would
be a true picture like it was for the Edomites but the good news is we have
the New Testament but the good news is that God took the initiative to bring
about a change and sent his own son Jesus but he died on a cross for the
sins of the world but three days later all the evidence shows that he rose from
the dead but as we're going to see in a minute that starts to have an impact on
whatever culture subculture group family whatever has affected us and creates a
hope and an opportunity for change to come and that we don't have to settle
for it anymore Paul put it this way when he wrote to the church in Galatians he
says this but when the set time had fully come God got the initiative sent
his son born of a woman born under the law to redeem those under the law what
that language is saying is to redeem those under the law whatever culture
whatever group whatever impact you've had by the life you've lived up to the
point you encounter Jesus God has sent his son to rescue you from that and
bring you into a different place the Edomites didn't get that we have that
today in Jesus but in order that we might receive adoption to sonship this
language is so strong and powerful right because what this is saying is no matter
what forces or people or attitudes or whatever have gripped you I've taken
hold of you in the past Jesus coming in person has enabled you to be adopted
into sonship or daughtership in a new kingdom in a new culture in a new
society one that God is over all and because you are his sons and daughters
God sent the spirit of his son into our hearts who calls out Abba Father so
guess what so you're no longer a slave we no longer have to be a slave to those
things that control manipulate cajole us and restrict us and instead we are now
a child of God and because we are a child of God we are now an heir of all
the things that God promises now that's fantastic news all right but this is
for me this is classic verse that as as Christians we often read this and know
it in our heads right we could even quote it without having to look it up
perhaps but the huge challenge is how on earth do you apply this to your life
but it's nice to read a verse like that it's great to read a verse like that
it's like yeah yeah yeah fantastic but actually how do you apply this what is
the teeth of this verse into our lives so let me try and answer that question
by giving an example when I find me paper let me give it so as a teenager
and as a young man in my early 20s I was I was incredibly insecure right I'm
only marginally insecure now but but in those days I was incredibly insecure as
a young man and that was all shaped by you know my how I grew up the peer group
family and all those life things that were around me at the time and I would
hate walking into a room full of people and I just avoid it whenever I possibly
could I remember one time when I was going out we went to church in Walkley
and it was that day in spring when the clocks changed and they go forward an
hour and of course we didn't we forgot because we were students so we didn't
know that sort of stuff and so we turned up to church and it's already an hour
into the service and I thought I'm not going in just don't want to go in but
then somebody inadvertently came out for us and but that was the type of thing
that I was you know I had that level of insecurity I would sit at the back of
the room I would keep my head down when someone at the front asked the questions
anybody got a question I wouldn't put my hand up but you know I would avoid all
of that and you know and the insecurity was such that I made demands on other
people I needed to know that you liked me and if you liked me yesterday there's
a big chance you might not like me today so I need to know today that you liked
me and all of that was that you know it was a nightmare for us when we were
going out but all of that nightmare now anyway but all of that was going on
alright because I was just dreadfully insecure but over time right as I read
so I'd become a Christian right and guess what that hadn't changed that's
the point I'm making that hadn't changed but but over time as I read and thought
about the scriptures as I thought about the scriptures that talk about Christ
has set us free that I am a new creation so for example I would yes so
therefore I'd read scriptures like this therefore if anyone is in Christ the new
creation has come the old is gone the new is here and that verse and I'd read
that and I think well hang on because I really believe Jesus has died and he's
alive today so if that if that's true then all bets are off anything can
happen right death isn't the end there's something else right so I'd read
a verse like this and I think well actually if this is true then this means
I don't have to live the way I used to live this means I don't have to act in
that way but this problem is that I do right and so I read verses I don't have
to live as an insecure young man anymore I can do something about it I can change
that the old has gone the new is here or I'd read another verse you know it's for
freedom that Christ has set us free we've been singing about how God sets us
free this morning but I wonder how many of us actually have allowed the Holy
Spirit and the Word of God to change us consistently over time and make us free
and that is one of the big things it's something that requires over time we
often want the instant thing and particularly about charismatic
Christianity we want the instant thing we want it to be a hundred-yard dash for
God to change us but for a lot of us it's a marathon and that requires a
different approach and a different way of tackling things so I'd have to come
back and read this verse time and again so instead of feeling insecure every day
or as well as feeling insecure every day I would read this verse every day and
actually hang on a minute Christ has set me free for freedom and then the second
half of this verse says what it says stand firm then that's got a bit of
teeth about it this is not just about the woo woo woo yeah Christ has set me free this is about well
let's do something serious that doesn't involve emotion but is a choice that is
black and white and means it's gonna have a long-lasting effect in my life
okay I I never thought like this 40 years ago this is my summary of thinking
it all about right and and so so I would allow the verses to make a change in the
way I thought about things and then make a decision to act differently so
yeah I'd still get to a room full of people think oh I feel really insecure
but then I think hang on a minute am I going to trust this verse or not am I
going to act on this verse or not and make a difference and so I'd really and
I'd be faced with the choice either this is who I am I'm insecure Andy and that's
who God made me that's a good little phrase that the devil likes to use right
and this is who and this is who I am and I'd park these verses therefore or
I'm going to make the choice to believe the Word of God irrespective of how I
feel irrespective of what my feelings are saying irrespective of what my
emotions are saying and the church in this generation in the UK and in the
West needs to wake up to the truth of this because there is so much emphasis
on the emotional me and the feelings me and the felt me that we've elevated that
above the priority of Scripture and God's Word and we need to redress that
in our own lives and make our feelings and our emotions subservient again to
the truth of the Word of God and get a hold of that so so we and that's a
battle right but we need to do that so I'd read these verses regularly and then
I'd act on them like I'm saying and I'd ignore the feelings right this didn't
happen overnight this happened over a long time maybe years we're talking
right and that's what I'm trying to go back and read the Word of God again let
it change us again we'd slip up I walk into a room if you can't do anything
here I'm going to avoid this again and let's start again but we do that we
start again because the promise of God is that he has for freedom he set us
free so I don't have to be constrained by an insecure approach to the world
then there's a terrible verse that Paul wrote to Timothy but really affected me
God hasn't given you a spirit of timidity but a power of love and the
sound mind we need a lot more sound minds I'm love that's true am I going to
believe that verse and act on it or am I just going to park it and just say yeah
that's an intellectual thing in my city Matthew's testimony this morning was
brilliant because that's exactly what he described about the anxiety of sharing
and yet choosing still to go through with it and make a decision about that
and all of us we have to do that that's what we are called to do the other key
thing that helped at that time is having people around me in the church to
support and encourage me with that process we are not meant to battle
through these things alone whatever God is calling you or I to be free from
we're not meant to battle through that alone and again that's a big issue
because we like we don't want to tell people about it and we want to remain
you know I don't want you to know about this it's awkward it's uncomfortable but
God has put us in a different culture in a different society he calls it the
church so that men and women can encourage us and stir us on I remember
going to see a couple of guys in the church and they one of them said to me
Andy it's time to put away the microscope I like the microscope I'm
looking at the my new TI of detail I like worrying about all these things I
like being insecure of the insecurities that generate and they put it away you
know and I needed to hear that at that time and you can tell how significant it
was because it's remained with me ever since right but we need men and women
around us to walk this with us to encourage us that we may be free of
these things as well and so but these things I've cycled back round cycled
back round to the Word of God cycled back round to people are praying with me
and encouraging me about it keep going keep going and that's what God calls us
to do and this is the place where we begin to become free from the impact of
the cultures that have affected us and to set us free you see that's me okay
that's an example from my life your challenges may be different and I know
right across this room there are some things that are far more sinister and
far more evil than the things I've just described that have affected your lives
but I am confident that the path to freedom remains the same number one we
need to surrender our lives to Jesus if you have never done that I want to give
you the opportunity today at the end of the service there is a chance to come
and kneel at the cross there and say Jesus I need you in my life there's a
shed load of stuff about you I don't understand but I do understand that you
bring hope you bring rescue you you bring you save me from myself and I need
that and so so we and we have to make that decision once first once and for
all right and we choose that decisions about choosing they're no longer to do
what I want to do but I'm gonna seek what Jesus wants to do figure that out
and do that in my life instead but it's not just a one-off thing surrender to
Jesus isn't just a one-off thing it needs to happen throughout our lives in
what I've just described I had to continually surrender to Jesus my
thought process I had to surrender to Jesus the fact I'm not going to trust my
feelings I had to give it up to him we have to surrender to Jesus the question
why me why is this happened to me why did that person do that to me why did
that happen we have to surrender up to Jesus just for most of us will never get
answers so what's the point in carrying with carrying on with him so we have to
surrender to you the second thing is we have to what I've called proactively
believe the Word of God which is really what I've been trying to describe we
have to read it read God's Word time and again and again and again and again you
know it's just like I've used this analogy before it's like when you visit
a farmhouse if you visited a farmhouse on holiday for years that farmer has
driven his tractor up and down the drive to that farmhouse who's got these
massive great ruts in that drive that the tractor fits in nicely and he just
drives up and down you rock up on holiday in your little town car and
you're bouncing around all like this so beginning to think differently and let
the Word of God change you means you have to spend a lot of time driving your
little car up and down the tracks of your mind for the Word of God to start
to have an impact and start to change the way that we think about things in
the way we act on things in the way that we do things it's not like that it takes
time and effort and perseverance then we need to start proactively believing the
word means we need to start making choices based on what the Word of God
says irrespective of our feelings because that is saying the Word of God
is more important than what I feel or what my emotional state is and we need
to do that and thirdly proactively believing the word means I refuse to be
defined by my circumstances whatever they have been I refuse to be defined by
labels and instead I want to be defined by God's Word and again this is an
important thing I observe over the last 30 30 years or so the number of labels
that are now available that we can attach to ourselves and call I am this
I have that fit in your own acronym there's lots of acronyms around these
days and whilst those things are good in terms of diagnosis of stuff and they
can be helpful the moment we say that is me we need to let the Spirit of God
break that and maybe even for you this morning that's an issue and I want to
encourage you at the end when we ask the people to come for prayer come for
prayer you are not that label you are not God never intended for you to be
that person that is defined by that acronym or whatever it is you are a son
or daughter of God that he has adopted into a new family and made you an heir
of the promises that he has so that's proactively believing thirdly and
finally we need to ask the help of others to stand with you that is the
role of the church we're there to encourage one another love one another
bear with one another pray one another support one another we're not meant to
do this alone because asking for help breaks something of the hold this thing
has on your life and we need it for our encouragement and our accountability for
the duration so the issue that the Edomite story gives me and I hope gives
us a little bit is yes I can be defined by whatever culture and circumstances
have affected me in my life the issue is can this really change who we still live
like the Edomites stuck with what we have this is who we are and shaped by
what has happened to us or is there another way my contention this morning
that I'm making this morning is that Jesus Christ the Son of God died and
rose again and that changes everything so let's not be men and women that
restrict the bits that he can change and let's walk into the good things that he
has for us and that freedom may not be easy but in Jesus it is absolutely
possible amen amen
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By Meadowhead Christian FellowshipSermon Summary: Breaking Free from the Chains of the Past (Genesis 36)
This sermon by Andy explores the story of Esau and his descendants, the Edomites, as found in Genesis 36. It highlights how Esau's poor choices, particularly selling his birthright and missing out on his father's blessing, had lasting negative consequences for his entire lineage.
The Edomites, born into a nation marked by these initial failings, faced ongoing struggles, including conflict with the Israelites and eventual decline. This serves as a powerful illustration of how societal and cultural factors can significantly impact individual lives and destinies.
Andy argues that, just as the Edomites were bound by the actions of their ancestor, individuals today can be similarly constrained by the circumstances of their birth, upbringing, and the prevailing culture around them. These influences can manifest in various forms:
These influences can lead to feelings of limitation, hopelessness, and a sense of being trapped by circumstances beyond our control. We may feel like we are "stuck" in a particular role or identity, unable to break free from the patterns of the past.
However, the sermon emphasizes that this is not an inevitable fate. Just as the Israelites were chosen by God and blessed despite their surrounding nations, individuals can experience true freedom and transformation through faith in Jesus Christ.
Key Biblical concepts emphasized in the sermon include:
The sermon then outlines practical steps for experiencing this freedom:
By embracing these principles, individuals can break free from the chains of their past, experience true transformation, and live a life of purpose and freedom in Christ.
Bible References:
This summary provides a concise overview of the sermon's key themes and messages. It is important to note that this is a summary and may not capture all the nuances and details of the original message.
Disclaimer: This summary is based on the provided transcript and may not perfectly reflect the speaker's intended message or the nuances of his delivery.
Transcript
So if you've read it and you still come this morning I'm impressed so I was
gonna do Genesis 37 originally and I had it all lined up we're gonna start the
story of Joseph we were gonna sing the songs but nobody knows the songs
honestly okay we're gonna had it already and then it snowed on that first Sunday
in January and so the talks got moved on and here we are in Genesis 36 instead
there we are this is like this is like you know when Paul wrote Timothy and he
said the whole of Scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching
rebuking correcting and training in righteousness he clearly hadn't read
this chapter so I will have a word with him about that when we get there but if
you've got a Bible we're not going to turn to the chapter and read it because
that would just be the end of it but I'm going to see if this will work first of
all before I get going brilliant okay great so so what we've got with Genesis
36 and I'm going to try and tie it into some of the things we've heard this
morning is this is the last word about Esau in the whole book of Genesis okay
so we don't hear about him anymore after this and after this chapter there's a
shift and the focus turns completely to Jacob and his family and obviously
particularly the story of Joseph and how the whole Israelites end up in Egypt and
and that whole thing is coming down the road towards us now over the next few
weeks yeah so we're looking forward to that but the stuff but we think my Esau
the story we've had so far in Genesis 25 if you can remember way back when it
must have been October November time when Jacob and Esau were born God spoke
to their mum Rebecca and said that the older will serve the younger and Esau
was born first so he's going to end up serving Jacob and then at the end of
that same chapter we reach the point where Esau sells his birthright for a
meal right and that was a big thing in that culture okay because he was the
firstborn he should get this birthright he should get the blessing from his dad
to carry on through his children and he just threw it all away for a simple meal
and then as we get to chapter 27 we get the story of how Jacob gets the blessing
from his dad Isaac that should have gone to Esau and all of that and the fallout
of all of that as Jacob has to flee away for his life because he's worried his
brother's going to kill him etc etc and then we get to chapter 33 which was
probably about end of November I think and there's this cagey meeting between
Jacob and Esau where they kind of make up but Jacob is still acting as the
deceiving guy and they kind of make up and and then and then I said but now
what we begin to see here in chapter 36 is the implications of Esau's actions
start to be worked out and the word that God spoke to Rebecca when she was
pregnant with him starts to have an effect on Esau and his descendants and
in the same way that we read so clearly about the blessing of God coming to
Abraham and then to Isaac and then to Jacob and down through the nation of
Israel we start to see the kind of non blessing if you want to call it that to
Esau start to have an effect on him and his children and grandchildren and this
nation of Edom as they are called so Esau the offspring of Esau is the
nation of Edom and this whole tribe together are impacted by what Esau had
done way back in Genesis 25 so just so that you if you can read this that'd be
great so I can just about read that it's not bad so so this is Genesis 36 this is
all you need to know so so it literally is a family tree and a few other bits
and pieces so first of all I'm just going to point out so Esau there he's
got three wives through which his children come so his first wife was
called Ada and she was the daughter of Elon not that Elon okay who knew it was
in the Bible right you heard it here first anyway his second wife his second
one I'm sorry and through Ada they have one son called Eliphaz we're not told
who Eliphaz married but he had five children he also had a concubine named
Timna and they had a son called Amalek and if you know anything else about your
Old Testament history the Amalekites they were one of the enemies of Israel
as you read through the stories his second wife had the most wonderful name
of Oh Holy Bama at least that's how I pronounce it sounds great she was the
daughter of Anna and this is the only verse I will read from the from the
chapter verse 24 the sons of Zibeon were Ea and Anna this is the Anna who
discovered the hot springs in the desert while he was grazing the donkeys of his
father Zibeon like as if you thought there was another Anna so I don't know
what prompted Moses to write that little bit about our friend Anna here but
anyway Anna he had one daughter Oh Holy Bama who became Esau's second wife
good name isn't it and then his third wife was called Basemath which kind of
sounds like she was the founder of modern mathematics but but gosh I'm
going to be in so much trouble from our evangelical conservators after this but
she was the daughter of Ishmael so that kind of makes her Esau's cousin right
because Ishmael and Isaac were brothers Esau was Isaac's son so so so Basemath
was Esau's cousin and they have one son Raoul and we're not told who he married
but he had four children and then there's a bit in the middle of the
chapter that I haven't put in here which is about the people in the land
where Esau settled and they're called Horites H O R I T E Zibeon and Anna were
Horites so they're from the land and they all got merged into this kingdom of
Edom and this tribe of Edom that we're reading about here good isn't it so and
then the end of the chapter we get told here's the kings of Edom and they had
kings way before Israel Moses specifically calls that out and again if
you know anything about your Old Testament you'll know that all the
nations around Israel had kings and Israel didn't because God had a separate
special thing for them but in the end they grumbled and said that we want
kings like everybody else and so they had kings and that was not a good ending
but but here we read that Edom the kingdom of Edom they had kings way
before Israel did and there's a list of names of said kings so what can we learn
about this well I think the first thing that this strikes me is you know here is
a nation that is living outside of the blessing of God as a consequence of
Eastwell's actions what else do we know about the Edomites well actually as you
whiz through the page of the Old Testament you've discovered some other
things I mean numbers 20 we read about the Israelites on the exodus through the
wilderness they come to the land of Edom and the Edomites say no you can't come
through here so so there's immediately there's this tension between the two
nations in Deuteronomy 23 we read that Israel is forbidden to hate Edom
interesting in Numbers 24 we read about Balaam remember him he's the guy who
has the donkey that speaks back to him so he has a prophecy about the downfall
of Edom and its ultimate demise yeah speaking donkeys are in the Bible just
in case you didn't know not just in Shrek so sorry in 1 Samuel 14 we read
about Saul fighting the Edomites in 1 Samuel 21 we read about David
conquering Edom in 1 Kings 11 we read about the complete conquest of the land
of Edom in 2 Chronicles 20 we read about the Edomites rising up and doing a raid
into Judah in 2 Kings 8 we read about Edom rebelling against Judah but they
could not squash them in 2 Kings 14 we read about Amaziah who was a king of
Judah invading Edom and massacring them and in 2 Chronicles 28 we read again
about Edom invading Judah so they're at war throughout the time and all of this
stemming from one man's decision bad decision down through the ages and then
we get to Psalm 137 you know a great Psalm that says you know about the
people of God in Babylon when they are carried off in captivity how can we sing
the Lord's song in a strange land and in that one verse in verse 7 we read that
Edom rejoices at Judah's fall and then we get to the prophets and through the
prophets as several prophecies about the end of the nation of Edom for example in
Ezekiel 25 we read about their ultimate demise and then they're heard of no more
that's it and all of this stemming from Esau's actions the repercussions of one
man rippling down through all his descendants you kind of think about
these people that are mentioned here and they're children after them and the
people if you're born into that nation now you can't control where you're born
can you no matter what else science is able to do today you can't determine who
your parents are what nation you're born into what culture you're born into what
tribe you're born into anything about that at all you cannot affect any of
that ever and yet these people are born into the nation of Edom and inherit the
lot of being an Edomite you can imagine them crying out it's not fair this is
our lot because of our parents actions you know we blame them I didn't ask for
this and yet these are the cards I've been down here is a culture and a
society built on the actions of its founder and unable to shake that off
they are a nation defined by spurning the blessing of God and now there are
odds with Israel and ultimately they become someone who just disappears from
history not one of these descendants not one of these kings could break out of
those characteristics of their culture it's like you know those guardrails when
you go bowling that I would use because I'm no good at bowling that you put up
there to stop the ball going down in the gully you know it's like there are
guardrails for this nation of Edom but this is what this is their lot you know
they can't break out of that they can't become the people of God they can't
become people who walk in the blessing of God again this is their lot in life
the blessing the so-called blessing that Edom the Esau did receive from Jacob
comes to pass the mistakes the folly of what he did has huge repercussions and
implications down the line until they're written out of the story and the nation
of Edom evaporates away and all that time the descendants of Jacob are center
stage all that time God's chosen people and inheritance are the ones taking the
limelight simply because of this one man's actions it's so often the case
that the culture or society in which we are born or brought up in or moved to
live amongst become a culture and society that shapes us and molds us and
defines who we are we can be nice and spiritual and say that oh yeah but no
I'm a child of God so I'm now different and we'll come to that because I is so
important but the reality is also that whatever culture tribe place you were
born up into family you were born into has a massive effect on what you are who
you are as a person what your likes and dislikes are what what hinders you what
is good about you but also what stops you moving on in God because he's got
something better in place so you kind of wonder okay so was this chapter got
to say to us and I think well actually you know hang on actually this impact of
culture and society is true for us today on our lives the decisions and actions
taken by other people affect our lives let's be honest that so much of who we
are is defined by the culture and society we are born in and brought up in
and that can be like a national culture that can be you know Western UK secular
21st century culture that can be an African culture that could be an East
European culture that can be whatever culture you've come from it shapes and
molds and and and frames a way of life for us that that is that sets the path
that we're on so often it can be a subculture so when I was a teenager I
can still remember I was big into heavy metal confessions I knew you were Howard
thank you you know and that was a subculture I guess what it defined what
clothes you wore I had all the denim with all the badges of bands on the
back it defined what music you listen to it defined what music you didn't like
even if you did you know and all of the subcultures do that don't they and
there's a myriad subcultures out there today that we are quite potentially a
part of or our thing and define and shape of some molders it can be a peer
group a group of friends you know as a parent you those days you send your
children off to school and they go there for seven hours and then they come back
and they've learned some new words but you didn't teach them yeah because
they've got a peer group right that shapes them and affects them and molds
them and or it can be our family our families that we are born and brought
up into shape us and molds and affect us actions taken by others way outside our
influence of control can lead to us being not where we want it to be and
more importantly not in a place that God has called us to be and God has for us
because of the good things he's had for us that we've been singing about earlier
you know the Edomites would simply say but you know what this is just who we
are this is our lot in life this is all that we are able to do we're not the
people of God in fact we're at war with them quite often our lives have become
dominated by circumstances beyond our control and influence and here we are
stuck and they could say you know we'll never become the people of God you know
we for us today we could say the same thing we'll never become dot dot dot
I'll never be free of dot dot dot I'll never be free of an addiction I'll
never be free of poverty I'll never be free of being in a place where I've got
hope of what I can do in the future I'll never be free enough to have a job but
actually I get value about often can contribute to I'll never be free of
money worries I'll never be free from the impact of domestic violence I'll
never be free from the fact that people have controlled me and manipulated me
and it goes on and on on the list goes on you can add your own things in there
and we can feel like that because of the impact of that culture around us that we
have been a part of and just like the Edomites we can say it's not even my
fault you know it's it's this group you've been with but I didn't ask to be
born here I didn't ask for that but this is where I am and we can feel
stuck like that it's this it's this group of friends it's this society it's
this neighborhood it's this family it's even and it does happen it's this church
it's these friends it's these circumstances these are the cars I've
been dealt with and this is my lot in life and this is who I am and the place
you are now in is not where you wanted to be or where you thought you would be
and the huge overwhelming senses I've got a settle for this because that was
their lot in life right they couldn't change so the deal is right if all we
had is the Old Testament then that would be the end of the story and that would
be a true picture like it was for the Edomites but the good news is we have
the New Testament but the good news is that God took the initiative to bring
about a change and sent his own son Jesus but he died on a cross for the
sins of the world but three days later all the evidence shows that he rose from
the dead but as we're going to see in a minute that starts to have an impact on
whatever culture subculture group family whatever has affected us and creates a
hope and an opportunity for change to come and that we don't have to settle
for it anymore Paul put it this way when he wrote to the church in Galatians he
says this but when the set time had fully come God got the initiative sent
his son born of a woman born under the law to redeem those under the law what
that language is saying is to redeem those under the law whatever culture
whatever group whatever impact you've had by the life you've lived up to the
point you encounter Jesus God has sent his son to rescue you from that and
bring you into a different place the Edomites didn't get that we have that
today in Jesus but in order that we might receive adoption to sonship this
language is so strong and powerful right because what this is saying is no matter
what forces or people or attitudes or whatever have gripped you I've taken
hold of you in the past Jesus coming in person has enabled you to be adopted
into sonship or daughtership in a new kingdom in a new culture in a new
society one that God is over all and because you are his sons and daughters
God sent the spirit of his son into our hearts who calls out Abba Father so
guess what so you're no longer a slave we no longer have to be a slave to those
things that control manipulate cajole us and restrict us and instead we are now
a child of God and because we are a child of God we are now an heir of all
the things that God promises now that's fantastic news all right but this is
for me this is classic verse that as as Christians we often read this and know
it in our heads right we could even quote it without having to look it up
perhaps but the huge challenge is how on earth do you apply this to your life
but it's nice to read a verse like that it's great to read a verse like that
it's like yeah yeah yeah fantastic but actually how do you apply this what is
the teeth of this verse into our lives so let me try and answer that question
by giving an example when I find me paper let me give it so as a teenager
and as a young man in my early 20s I was I was incredibly insecure right I'm
only marginally insecure now but but in those days I was incredibly insecure as
a young man and that was all shaped by you know my how I grew up the peer group
family and all those life things that were around me at the time and I would
hate walking into a room full of people and I just avoid it whenever I possibly
could I remember one time when I was going out we went to church in Walkley
and it was that day in spring when the clocks changed and they go forward an
hour and of course we didn't we forgot because we were students so we didn't
know that sort of stuff and so we turned up to church and it's already an hour
into the service and I thought I'm not going in just don't want to go in but
then somebody inadvertently came out for us and but that was the type of thing
that I was you know I had that level of insecurity I would sit at the back of
the room I would keep my head down when someone at the front asked the questions
anybody got a question I wouldn't put my hand up but you know I would avoid all
of that and you know and the insecurity was such that I made demands on other
people I needed to know that you liked me and if you liked me yesterday there's
a big chance you might not like me today so I need to know today that you liked
me and all of that was that you know it was a nightmare for us when we were
going out but all of that nightmare now anyway but all of that was going on
alright because I was just dreadfully insecure but over time right as I read
so I'd become a Christian right and guess what that hadn't changed that's
the point I'm making that hadn't changed but but over time as I read and thought
about the scriptures as I thought about the scriptures that talk about Christ
has set us free that I am a new creation so for example I would yes so
therefore I'd read scriptures like this therefore if anyone is in Christ the new
creation has come the old is gone the new is here and that verse and I'd read
that and I think well hang on because I really believe Jesus has died and he's
alive today so if that if that's true then all bets are off anything can
happen right death isn't the end there's something else right so I'd read
a verse like this and I think well actually if this is true then this means
I don't have to live the way I used to live this means I don't have to act in
that way but this problem is that I do right and so I read verses I don't have
to live as an insecure young man anymore I can do something about it I can change
that the old has gone the new is here or I'd read another verse you know it's for
freedom that Christ has set us free we've been singing about how God sets us
free this morning but I wonder how many of us actually have allowed the Holy
Spirit and the Word of God to change us consistently over time and make us free
and that is one of the big things it's something that requires over time we
often want the instant thing and particularly about charismatic
Christianity we want the instant thing we want it to be a hundred-yard dash for
God to change us but for a lot of us it's a marathon and that requires a
different approach and a different way of tackling things so I'd have to come
back and read this verse time and again so instead of feeling insecure every day
or as well as feeling insecure every day I would read this verse every day and
actually hang on a minute Christ has set me free for freedom and then the second
half of this verse says what it says stand firm then that's got a bit of
teeth about it this is not just about the woo woo woo yeah Christ has set me free this is about well
let's do something serious that doesn't involve emotion but is a choice that is
black and white and means it's gonna have a long-lasting effect in my life
okay I I never thought like this 40 years ago this is my summary of thinking
it all about right and and so so I would allow the verses to make a change in the
way I thought about things and then make a decision to act differently so
yeah I'd still get to a room full of people think oh I feel really insecure
but then I think hang on a minute am I going to trust this verse or not am I
going to act on this verse or not and make a difference and so I'd really and
I'd be faced with the choice either this is who I am I'm insecure Andy and that's
who God made me that's a good little phrase that the devil likes to use right
and this is who and this is who I am and I'd park these verses therefore or
I'm going to make the choice to believe the Word of God irrespective of how I
feel irrespective of what my feelings are saying irrespective of what my
emotions are saying and the church in this generation in the UK and in the
West needs to wake up to the truth of this because there is so much emphasis
on the emotional me and the feelings me and the felt me that we've elevated that
above the priority of Scripture and God's Word and we need to redress that
in our own lives and make our feelings and our emotions subservient again to
the truth of the Word of God and get a hold of that so so we and that's a
battle right but we need to do that so I'd read these verses regularly and then
I'd act on them like I'm saying and I'd ignore the feelings right this didn't
happen overnight this happened over a long time maybe years we're talking
right and that's what I'm trying to go back and read the Word of God again let
it change us again we'd slip up I walk into a room if you can't do anything
here I'm going to avoid this again and let's start again but we do that we
start again because the promise of God is that he has for freedom he set us
free so I don't have to be constrained by an insecure approach to the world
then there's a terrible verse that Paul wrote to Timothy but really affected me
God hasn't given you a spirit of timidity but a power of love and the
sound mind we need a lot more sound minds I'm love that's true am I going to
believe that verse and act on it or am I just going to park it and just say yeah
that's an intellectual thing in my city Matthew's testimony this morning was
brilliant because that's exactly what he described about the anxiety of sharing
and yet choosing still to go through with it and make a decision about that
and all of us we have to do that that's what we are called to do the other key
thing that helped at that time is having people around me in the church to
support and encourage me with that process we are not meant to battle
through these things alone whatever God is calling you or I to be free from
we're not meant to battle through that alone and again that's a big issue
because we like we don't want to tell people about it and we want to remain
you know I don't want you to know about this it's awkward it's uncomfortable but
God has put us in a different culture in a different society he calls it the
church so that men and women can encourage us and stir us on I remember
going to see a couple of guys in the church and they one of them said to me
Andy it's time to put away the microscope I like the microscope I'm
looking at the my new TI of detail I like worrying about all these things I
like being insecure of the insecurities that generate and they put it away you
know and I needed to hear that at that time and you can tell how significant it
was because it's remained with me ever since right but we need men and women
around us to walk this with us to encourage us that we may be free of
these things as well and so but these things I've cycled back round cycled
back round to the Word of God cycled back round to people are praying with me
and encouraging me about it keep going keep going and that's what God calls us
to do and this is the place where we begin to become free from the impact of
the cultures that have affected us and to set us free you see that's me okay
that's an example from my life your challenges may be different and I know
right across this room there are some things that are far more sinister and
far more evil than the things I've just described that have affected your lives
but I am confident that the path to freedom remains the same number one we
need to surrender our lives to Jesus if you have never done that I want to give
you the opportunity today at the end of the service there is a chance to come
and kneel at the cross there and say Jesus I need you in my life there's a
shed load of stuff about you I don't understand but I do understand that you
bring hope you bring rescue you you bring you save me from myself and I need
that and so so we and we have to make that decision once first once and for
all right and we choose that decisions about choosing they're no longer to do
what I want to do but I'm gonna seek what Jesus wants to do figure that out
and do that in my life instead but it's not just a one-off thing surrender to
Jesus isn't just a one-off thing it needs to happen throughout our lives in
what I've just described I had to continually surrender to Jesus my
thought process I had to surrender to Jesus the fact I'm not going to trust my
feelings I had to give it up to him we have to surrender to Jesus the question
why me why is this happened to me why did that person do that to me why did
that happen we have to surrender up to Jesus just for most of us will never get
answers so what's the point in carrying with carrying on with him so we have to
surrender to you the second thing is we have to what I've called proactively
believe the Word of God which is really what I've been trying to describe we
have to read it read God's Word time and again and again and again and again you
know it's just like I've used this analogy before it's like when you visit
a farmhouse if you visited a farmhouse on holiday for years that farmer has
driven his tractor up and down the drive to that farmhouse who's got these
massive great ruts in that drive that the tractor fits in nicely and he just
drives up and down you rock up on holiday in your little town car and
you're bouncing around all like this so beginning to think differently and let
the Word of God change you means you have to spend a lot of time driving your
little car up and down the tracks of your mind for the Word of God to start
to have an impact and start to change the way that we think about things in
the way we act on things in the way that we do things it's not like that it takes
time and effort and perseverance then we need to start proactively believing the
word means we need to start making choices based on what the Word of God
says irrespective of our feelings because that is saying the Word of God
is more important than what I feel or what my emotional state is and we need
to do that and thirdly proactively believing the word means I refuse to be
defined by my circumstances whatever they have been I refuse to be defined by
labels and instead I want to be defined by God's Word and again this is an
important thing I observe over the last 30 30 years or so the number of labels
that are now available that we can attach to ourselves and call I am this
I have that fit in your own acronym there's lots of acronyms around these
days and whilst those things are good in terms of diagnosis of stuff and they
can be helpful the moment we say that is me we need to let the Spirit of God
break that and maybe even for you this morning that's an issue and I want to
encourage you at the end when we ask the people to come for prayer come for
prayer you are not that label you are not God never intended for you to be
that person that is defined by that acronym or whatever it is you are a son
or daughter of God that he has adopted into a new family and made you an heir
of the promises that he has so that's proactively believing thirdly and
finally we need to ask the help of others to stand with you that is the
role of the church we're there to encourage one another love one another
bear with one another pray one another support one another we're not meant to
do this alone because asking for help breaks something of the hold this thing
has on your life and we need it for our encouragement and our accountability for
the duration so the issue that the Edomite story gives me and I hope gives
us a little bit is yes I can be defined by whatever culture and circumstances
have affected me in my life the issue is can this really change who we still live
like the Edomites stuck with what we have this is who we are and shaped by
what has happened to us or is there another way my contention this morning
that I'm making this morning is that Jesus Christ the Son of God died and
rose again and that changes everything so let's not be men and women that
restrict the bits that he can change and let's walk into the good things that he
has for us and that freedom may not be easy but in Jesus it is absolutely
possible amen amen