Would you turn back to Genesis
25? I've entitled the message for
this morning, The Birth of Jacob and Esau. I love to think of the Lord inspiring
Moses to write the accounts of Genesis. Genesis is the seed plot of the
Bible and every doctrine of the New Testament is illustrated
in this book of Genesis. And this story certainly is no
exception. Let's look at verses 22 and 23
again. And the children struggled together
within her, these twins, Jacob and Esau that's literally they
crushed one another This was an adversarial relationship going
on in the womb they crushed one another and She said if it be
so Why am I thus? and she went to inquire of the
Lord and The Lord said unto her I Two nations are in thy womb,
and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels."
Now, notice this statement, two nations and two manner of people. That's not being repetitive,
that's not being redundant, there's a purpose. There are two doctrines
taught clearly with these two twins, and I'm gonna have to
split this message into two messages. We're gonna consider the second
message tonight of the two manner of people, and I've entitled
the message Holy and Sinful. And we're going to consider what
the Bible teaches about the two natures of the believer. That's
taught clearly in this passage of scripture where there's two
manner of people in your womb. And we're going to consider the
two natures tonight. But what is taught, first of
all, is the grand, glorious, great truth with regard to election. Jacob and Esau illustrate divine
election. Now, this family, Jacob and Esau,
the sons of Isaac and Rebecca, to put it lightly, was a highly
dysfunctional family. I mean, there were problems.
It began with Isaac showing favoritism to Esau, even though God said
Jacob is the favorite, but Isaac favored him for this one reason. He brought him the kind of food
he liked. That was it. He was the favorite. And the
dysfunction reaches its height in chapter 27 when you see the
deceit and the lies and the swindling going on within that family.
I mean it is an intense dysfunction going on in that family. So if somebody says, I've got
a dysfunctional family, well, they did too. You're not, you're
not by yourself. They did too. And, um, we're
given a glorious type of the gospel in Genesis 27. We'll get
to that in a few weeks. But you will remember Isaac and
Rebekah from chapter 24 when Abraham's servant looked for
a bride for Isaac and we read in the last verse of chapter
24, and Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent and he
took Rebekah and she became his wife and he loved her and Isaac
was comforted her after his mother's death. There we have the union
of Isaac and Rebekah. Now, 20 years later, Rebekah
is still barren. Sarah had been barren, and now
Rebekah is barren. Look in verse 19 of Genesis chapter
25, and these are the generations of Isaac. Abraham's son Abraham
begat Isaac. And Isaac was 40 years old when
he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel, the Syrian
of Badan-aram, the sister to Laban, the Syrian. We're gonna
come across him in future chapters. And Isaac entreated the Lord
for his wife because she was buried. Now, Isaac knew that
the cross was gonna come through him. He knew he was the promised
seed. Isaac knew that. He knew he was
a type of Christ. He saw that in Genesis chapter
22. So when Rebecca comes to him saying, pray for me, I'm
not having any children. Isaac didn't say, well, the Lord's
already ordained, don't worry about it. No, he prayed. He prayed. He didn't say what's
the use, God's already determined everything. He prayed. Now what that lets me know is
that if my understanding of any doctrine of the scripture, including
election, makes me think prayer is useless, or if it makes me
think seeking the Lord is useless, or if it makes me think there's
no point in calling on his name, I've misunderstood that doctrine.
Now you just write that down. I've misunderstood that doctrine.
Now understand this with regard to election. It's true, and you
don't have any access into the Lamb's Book of Life. And your
job is not to find out whether or not you're one of the elect.
Your job is to call upon the name of the Lord. Your job is
to, I don't know whether I'm using the right language when
I say your job, but here's what you're to do. You're commanded
to believe on Christ right now, whoever you are. Don't worry. What if I'm not the elect? Well,
what if you are? The point is you're commanded
to look to Christ right now as all you need. Don't try to figure
out whether or not you're the elect. But that doesn't take
away from the importance of this glorious truth of election. Verse 21, and Isaac entreated
the Lord for his wife. He prayed about the fact that
she was barren, even though he knew the promised seed was to
come to him. I love the way this scripture begins with prayer.
And Isaac entreated the Lord for his wife because she was
barren, and the Lord was entreated of him And Rebekah, his wife,
conceived. She now has life in her womb. Verse 22, and the children struggled
together within her. Now, this is very important. This struggle didn't begin until
she had life. Now you can have problems with
sin before you're saved, there's no doubt. Look at the problems
it creates in people's life. But not the struggle spoken of
here. This struggle, this conflict, did not begin until there was
life. And that word struggle is a strong
word. They were crushing each other.
oppressing each other. It was adversarial. Verse 23. Now, this struggle was going
on and she said, if I be so, if it be so, if I have life in
me, what's wrong? Why am I thus? What's going on? What's wrong with me? And she
went to inquire of the Lord and the Lord said unto her, This
is God's word. Once again, I love to think of
the Lord inspiring Moses to pin these stories that illustrate
to us their actual historical events that literally took place. But every one of these are given
to us to illustrate some aspect of the gospel. And this is true
as well. And the Lord said unto her, Two
nations are in thy womb and two manner of people shall be separated
from thy bowels. Two nations are in you and two
manner of people. Two different doctrines being
taught by this one illustration. But this morning we're going
to consider the two nations that are in you. Now this is talking
about the elect and those who are not elect. Those are the
two nations called in scripture the righteous and the wicked. Now me and you are in one of
those two groups right now before God. Those he calls the righteous
and those he calls the wicked, the righteous and the wicked,
the two nations. Now there was a French mathematician
named Blaise Pascal and he made this statement and I've quoted
this so many times and I love to quote it. He said there's
only two kinds of people, the righteous and the wicked. All the righteous believe themselves
to be wicked, and all the wicked believe themselves
to be righteous. Now, chew on that. It's true. Two nations, the righteous
and the wicked, all the righteous without exception, believe themselves
to be wicked before God. And all of the wicked believe
themselves to, if not righteous, they have the potential to be.
By what they do, they can change things. Two manner of people shall be
separated from thy bowels, and I couldn't help but think of
Judgment Day when Christ is said to separate the sheep from the
goats. Now the sheep are the elect.
The Lord said regarding them, My Father which gave them Me. That's who they are. Those given to Him of His Father. They're the people Christ died
for. He said I lay down my life for the sheep. They are the people
who believe. He said you believe not because
you are not of My sheep. You know what sheep do? They believe. They believe Thee
Gospel. My sheep hear my voice. I know them and they follow me. Every one of them. Now what does
it mean to follow Christ? It means you keep your eyes on
Him. You look to Him only. at all times. Most people think,
well, following Christ means to imitate Him. Well, we ought
to imitate Him, but that's not what following Christ means.
Following Christ means you look only to Him. You don't take your
eyes off of Him, because as soon as you do, you've lost Him. Keep
your eyes on Him. My sheep hear my voice. I know
them. They follow me. And they shall
never perish. The goats are not that. Jacob
was a sheep, Esau was a goat. Jacob represents God's elect. Esau represents those that he
did not elect. The elect and everybody else. And the Lord said unto her, two
nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be
separated from thy bowels, and the one people shall be stronger
than the other. More on that later. And the elder
shall serve the younger. Now this is interesting. The
one people shall be stronger than the other. And the elder,
the one who should have everything, is going to be servant to the
second born. Esau is going to be servant to
Jacob. If I would have been looking
at these two men, I know who I would have thought was the
stronger. Esau. As we go on reading in this passage
of scripture, Esau was a man's man. He was a hunter. He was a man of the field. He was what we would call an
athletic man, a sportsman. He was something, and Jacob was
a mama's boy. He lived in tents. He was a cook.
Somebody says, don't men cook? Yeah, I guess they do. I'm not
one of them. But he was a cook. He was there cooking pottage
when Esau came in to find him and saw him cooking that pottage.
And if I was a bed man, I would look at Esau as being able to
be stronger than Jacob, wouldn't you? That's the way I would have
looked at it. Now, Romans chapter nine is the
commentary on this passage of scripture, if you'll turn with
me there. Romans chapter nine. Now, like I said, every doctrine
of the New Testament is illustrated in the book of Genesis. Genesis
is the seed plot of the entire New Testament. And look in Romans
chapter nine, verse six it's not as though the word of
god has taken none effect now paul had been talking about his
grief over israel he just was broken over the fact that they
did not believe this is god's special people and they do not
believe and he was heartbroken over that. Look what he says
in verse 1. I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience
also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, that I have great
heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. Now listen to what
he's saying. I am constantly down about this. For I could
wish that myself were cursed from Christ for my brethren,
my kinsmen according to the flesh, Paul is saying, I would be willing
to be damned if they could be saved. I don't know anything
about that. Don't know anything about that.
I want to. I know that Christ was willing
to be damned that his people would be saved. But Paul speaks
of his great anguish over the fact that they were not saved. He wasn't indifferent about this.
He didn't say, well, they're not the elect, so what? No, he
had great heaviness and continual sorrow in his heart. I would
to God that me and you would have the love for people that
Paul did. how he loved these people. Look what he says they are. Verse
4, Who are the Israelites? To whom pertaineth the adoption,
and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and
the service of God, and the promise, whose are the fathers, and of
whom is concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all
God blessed forever. Now it's not as though the word
of God has taken an effect. You look at these people, they
hate Jesus Christ. It's not that God's purpose is
being frustrated. It's not like his will is not
being done. Four, verse six, they are not
all Israel who are of Israel. Just because a man is a physical
Jew doesn't make him a Jew. You know what? I'm a Jew. I'm
a full-blooded Jew. Every believer is a full-blooded
Jew, spiritually. Don't ever think that God has
two programs, one for those people in Israel and the other for believers.
No, no. Every believer is a Jew, but
just because you're a physical Jew, that doesn't make you a
spiritual Jew. That's what he's saying. Neither, verse 7, because they
are the seed of Abraham, are they all children. But in Isaac, shall I say, be
called Ishmael was never acknowledged to be a son. Now let's remember
what happened with Isaac and Ishmael. God had promised Abraham
and Sarah a child. The child had not come. Ten years
later, Sarah comes up with a good idea. Obviously, God's purpose
is not going to take place unless we do our part, Abraham. I know
God promised it, but it won't happen unless we do our part. And you go into Hagar. Now what
that represents is man doing his part, which is salvation
by works. If any part of salvation is dependent
upon you doing your part, that is salvation by works. Plain and simple. Now let's go
and read it. Neither because they're the seed
of Abraham are they all children, but in Isaac shall thy seed be
called. child of the promise, the child born supernaturally.
That is, verse 8, they which are the children of the flesh,
these are not the children of God, but the children of the
promise are counted for the seed. Represented by Isaac, the child
of promise, God's promise. Ishmael was Abraham doing his
part to enable God to do his part. That's works. The child
of the promise is God's promise. They, which are the children
of the flesh, these are not the children of God, but the children of the
promise are counting for the seed. For this is the word of
promise at this time will I come and Sarah shall have a son. Isaac verse 10. Now let's take
it further than that. Verse 10 and not only this, but
when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father, Isaac
for the children, talking about Jacob and Esau. Now not, he makes
the distinction between Isaac and Ishmael. Now he makes an
even closer distinction, Jacob and Esau. Twins born from the
same mom and dad. Twins. For the children, verse 11. For the children being not yet
born, neither having done any good or evil. Now, these children did not have
any good works to recommend them. They didn't have any bad works
to disqualify them. They hadn't even been born yet.
They were incapable of having works, period. For the children,
being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the
purpose of God, according to election, might stand, not of
works. but of him that calleth. Now, before we proceed, what
does the Bible mean by election? He talks about the purpose of
God according to election standing. What does the Bible mean by election?
Hold your finger there and turn to Ephesians 1. Ephesians 1. Verse four, according as he hath chosen us
in him before the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy and without blame before him. IN LOVE, HAVING PREDESTINATED
US UNTO THE ADOPTION OF CHILDREN BY JESUS CHRIST TO HIMSELF ACCORDING
TO THE GOOD PLEASURE OF HIS WILL, TO THE PRAISE OF THE GLORY OF
HIS GRACE WHEREIN HE HATH MADE US ACCEPTED IN THE BELOVED." Who chose who? He chose us. When? Before the foundation of the
world. Now understand this, God's not a time traveler. Everything's
in the present to Him, the great Eternity and there's no sequence
of events. There's no yesterday today and
tomorrow. He's not a time traveler Everything is in the present
with him and he chose Every believer before the foundation of the
world. Why did he do this? to the praise of the glory of
his grace How did he do it according as
he hath chosen us in him. Now, understand this, if you're
elect, you can't separate election from the person of Jesus Christ. You were chosen in him. That's
why God chose you, in him. Now, look at 11 once again. For the children being not yet
born, neither having done any good or evil, THAT THE PURPOSE
OF GOD, ACCORDING TO ELECTION, MIGHT STAND. WHAT IS GOD'S PURPOSE? THAT SALVATION MIGHT NOT BE OF
WORKS, BUT OF HIM THAT CALLETH. HIS PURPOSE CANNOT BE THWARTED. LOOK AT VERSE 12, NOW HE QUOTES
BOTH Genesis 25 and Malachi 1, in these next two verses, it
was said unto her, and we just read that in Genesis 25, the
elder shall serve the younger as it's written. Don't miss that,
as it's written. This is what's all important,
as it's written. The Bible is the inspired word
of God. Let me remind you of that. This
is our only authoritative way of believing anything. It's written.
As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. And that's God speaking. Jacob
have I loved, Esau have I hated. This is a complete negation of
what most people believe about the love of God. Most people
believe that God loves everybody with that exception. He didn't
love Esau. He said he didn't love Esau. And as a matter of fact, the
scripture says, Thou hatest all workers of iniquity. That's what
the Bible says. That's a complete negation of
what most people think concerning the love of God. And you know,
you make the love of God meaningless when you think he can love you
and you wind up in hell anyway. That makes God's love meaningless.
Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. You know what? I can clearly
understand why God would hate me. I don't have any problem
with that at all. I really don't. People say, how
could it be fair for God to hate somebody? I know why he'd hate
me. Apart from Christ, I see it very clearly. What I'm amazed
by is his love for Jacob. And the only person I'm more
amazed by is his love for me. That's the hardest thing I have
to get a hold of, the fact that God loves me. with a saving love, with an everlasting
love, with an eternal love. Now, Paul anticipates what he
knows everybody's going to think. Verse 14. Well, what should we
say then? Is there unrighteousness with
God? Paul knew that we would say this.
How can this be fair? How can this be fair for God
to love Jacob and for God to hate Esau? That does not seem
fair to me. What should we say then? Is there
unrighteousness with God? Is God being wrong? Is God being
unfair? God forbid. Verse 15, for he
saith to Moses, I'll have mercy on whom I will
have mercy. and I'll have compassion on whom
I will have compassion. Now he appeals the scripture,
Exodus 33. No, God's not unfair because
he said, I'll have mercy on whom I will have mercy. And I'll have
compassion on whom I will have compassion. Matter of fact, he
says that's his glory. So then, verse 16, So then, here's
what we can conclude from this, so then, it's not of him that
willeth, there's no such thing as free will. Somebody says,
well, where's the human will come in? He said it's not of
him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that
showeth mercy. Now let me try to put this in
human terms, as it were, if I sin against you, let's say I murder
one of your family members, and I treat you horribly, and I sin
grievously against you, what would you think if I said, it
would not be fair for you to not forgive me? That's wrong, isn't it? That
would not be fair. Why? It's your responsibility
and it's your duty to forgive me. It's kind of like people,
I've always, if you're having a problem with forgiveness, people
say, well, you're a Christian, you ought to forgive. You ought
to forgive me because you're a Christian. uh... that's alright when you're
looking for forgiveness you're coming to that person as a sovereign,
aren't you? It's not like they are responsible to forgive you. I mean, I want to forgive everybody,
but if somebody comes up to me and says, it's your duty to forgive
me, you know what, I'm going to have a hard time forgiving
you. I'm going to say, oh, really? Is it my duty? Now that's the
same thing as people coming to God saying, he owes, he'd be
wrong! for him to not show me mercy.
It would be wrong. It would be unfair. Don't talk
like that. All of a sudden you become God's
judge. That's a bad place to be. You know, Paul put it this
way in Romans 2.1. You're inexcusable, old man,
whosoever you are. If you judge anybody, whatever
you're judging them for, you're guilty of doing the same thing.
That's what the word of God says. So, if you can't judge a man,
you're really in trouble if you start trying to judge God. It's
not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God
that showeth mercy. Salvation is of the Lord. And
now he gives us another example, verse 17. For the scripture saith
unto Pharaoh, Notice it doesn't say God says
to Pharaoh, it says the scripture says to Pharaoh. That shows us
the authority of scripture. This is God speaking. I love
that. I'm not preaching my thoughts,
I'm preaching what God says. The scripture is God speaking. The scripture saith unto Pharaoh,
even for this same purpose have I raised thee up. that I might
show my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout
all the earth. I love it when Moses comes up
to Pharaoh, he says, the Lord says, let my people go. Pharaoh
says, who is the Lord that I should obey him? I love to think of
what Moses was thinking then. You're fixing to find out? You
sure are. The scripture saith to Pharaoh,
even for this same purpose have I raised you up. that I might
demonstrate my power, my authority, and that my name might be declared
throughout all the earth. Verse 18, therefore, hath he
mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will, he hardens. Now chew on that for a moment. He has mercy. on whom he will
have mercy, and whom he will, he hardens. God hardened Pharaoh's heart
as an act of his irreprehensible justice. God hardened Pharaoh's
heart. Paul once again anticipates the
objection, verse 19, to that. And every one of us have objected
like this. Thou wilt say to me, why does
he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? If that's true, that God hardened
Pharaoh's heart, and that's what it says, God hardened his heart.
How can God hold Pharaoh to be responsible when he hardened
his heart? Who can resist his will? I mean,
if God controls everything, if he's completely sovereign over
the free and uncoerced actions of men, and he hardens my heart,
and there's nothing I can do about it, how can he hold me
responsible for my sin? Everybody in this room has thought
that before. Everybody, I love Paul's answer. Verse 20. Nay, but O man, who
are you to reply against God? Shall the thing form, say to
him that formed it, why hast thou made me thus? Who are you
to sit in judgment on God? Do you think you're his moral
superior, that you know better than him? Do you think you're
better than him? Do you think that what he does
is wrong and you're pointing him out? How insolent. Who do
you think you are? And that's how Paul handles this.
Who do you think you are? Hath not the potter power over
the clay? of the same lump to make one
vessel into honor and another into dishonor. What if God, willing
to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with
much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction?
That's what the Bible says. That He might make known the
riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy which He had aforeprepared
unto glory. Now, election. Listen to this real carefully.
It's very important. Election is God being God. The divine character. Election
is the result of his attributes. He is sovereign. He is eternal. He is independent. He has no needs. He doesn't need
you. You need him. But he has no needs. He never
responds. He's immutable. Election is who
he is. And the reason we love election
is because we love the God of election. You can't separate
election and God himself. Election. is in Christ. Never think of election divorced
from the person of Christ. It does become cold and austere
apart from His person. But oh, He chose us in Him. And that's why election is glorious. It's in the Lord Jesus Christ. All God requires of me, He looks
to Christ for. I was chosen in Him. I wasn't
chosen independently of Him. It's not like God just arbitrarily
said, I'm gonna elect this one, I'm gonna damn this one. That's
not what the Bible teaches. It's just not so. All of the
elect were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world.
Election is God's choice. You know, the Lord Jesus said
in John chapter 15, verse 16, you have not chosen me. But I
have chosen you. I heard a local preacher say,
if you choose God, it's because he chose you. That's not what
the Lord said. He said, you've not chosen me.
But I have chosen you. And you know what every believer
says to that? Amen. They bow. This is who he is. Election is divine grace. Paul
called it in Romans 11, five, the election
of grace. The election of grace. Oh, you ought, and I ought to
be so thankful for election because if there were no election, nobody'd
be saved. Now understand this, election doesn't prevent people
from being saved who would have been. Election saves people who
most assuredly would have been damned. Thank God for election. Now you cannot believe in salvation
by grace and not believe in election. Can't be done. If somebody says,
I don't believe in election, you don't blame grace. You blame
works. That's all you believe. All of
God's people will bow to election when they hear it. Every one
of them. You got to believe election to
be saved? Well, when you hear it, you do.
When you hear it, you do. You might not have a grasp of
it when the Lord first saves you, but as soon as you hear
it, you know this is so. This is who God is. Salvation is of
the Lord. Salvation is by His grace. What I love is where Paul said,
talking about Jacob and Esau, I mean, that's who we're talking
about, God uses to describe election. He says, for the children being
not yet born, I love this, neither having done any good or evil.
You know, your good works cannot possibly recommend you to God.
You know why? Because you don't have any. You don't have any. Somebody says, don't my good
works count? Well, if you had any, they would, but you don't.
You don't. Our righteousnesses are as filthy
rags, the scripture says. But thank God that doesn't disqualify
me. For the children being not yet
born, neither having done any good or evil. That won't disqualify you either.
Because election is by grace. It's in Christ Jesus. And let me say this. There's
no understanding of the cross apart from the doctrine of election.
You see, Jesus Christ wasn't making people savable. He wasn't
putting people in a position where they could be saved if
they do their part. That just works. When Christ
was dying on Calvary's tree, he had the names of all of his
elect engraven in his heart, and he was saving them. Not making
them savable, not offering them salvation. That won't do me any
good, won't do you any good. He was saving. There's no understanding
of the work of the Holy Spirit without election. God the Holy
Spirit isn't trying to convince you to do anything. He's birthing
you in the kingdom of heaven because Christ died for you because
you're one to elect. You see, there's no understanding
of any of the truths of scripture apart from divine election. And Jacob and Esau give us this
glorious truth. And let me say this, it's good
for an unbeliever to hear that they don't have any control on
salvation. If somebody says, you ought not preach that to
unbelievers, it'll confuse them. They're already confused. No
question about that. They're plumb confused, but they
need to hear that God is God and they're in His hands and
it's up to Him as to whether or not they'll be saved. If you
got a problem with that, you got a problem. You got a real
problem. We love election. We love the God of election.
We would not be saved without God's election in Christ Jesus. We're bound to thank God always
for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God hath from
the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the
Spirit and belief of the truth. Now, I wanna leave you with this
thought. God said in Deuteronomy 29, 29,
the secret things belong to the Lord, but the things that are
revealed belong to us and our children. Now, among the secret
things that belong to the Lord are the names which are written
in the Lamb's book of life. You don't have any access to
the Lamb's Book of Life. If you did, I know whose name
you'd be looking for first. You wouldn't be checking me out.
You'd be checking out whether your name is there. I realize
that. But you don't have access to it. There is a Lamb's Book
of Life with the names of all of the elect written in it. That's
secret. But you know what's revealed?
WHOSOEVER SHALL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED."
SIRS, WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED? BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST,
AND THOU SHALT BE SAVED. NOW, LECTURES TRUE. WE SEE THAT
FROM THE SCRIPTURE. IT'S SO CLEAR. IT'S SO POWERFUL.
THIS IS NOT EVEN UP FOR DEBATE. THIS IS NOT UP FOR ARGUMENT.
SOMEBODY SAYS, I DON'T AGREE. It's what God, it's who God is. It's so clearly revealed in his
word. But that is no discouragement
to you to believe the gospel. Whosoever, are you a whosoever?
Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. The Lord said, all that the Father
giveth me shall come to me. There's election. But the verse
is not finished. Him that cometh to me, I will
in no wise, for no reason whatsoever cast out. If you come, you will
be received. How can I come? Believe on Christ. That's how. Believe him to be
all God requires of you. Let's pray.