I may ask you randomly, my text. Genesis 25. I enjoy good singing, enjoy good
music, enjoy good harmony and all. It's all pointless if the
message is not good. But there are two good messages
in song. Genesis 25. Let's read those
again. The children struggled together
within her. That is, the two children within
Rebecca, Isaac's wife. 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, Two nations are in thy womb,
and two men are people. shall be separated from thy bowels.
The one people shall be stronger than the other people, and the
elder shall serve the younger." We've already looked at Jacob
and Esau from the standpoint of their relationship to God,
God's relationship with Jacob, how God hated Esau and yet loved
Jacob. We looked at that last week,
how God sovereignly and freely loved Jacob and hated Esau. We looked at what Esau did to
deserve God's hatred. The last verse says he despised
his birthright. That means he didn't care anything
about God or religion or anything of that sort. He didn't care
anything about it. So God hated him. And we saw
what Jacob did not do to deserve God's love. He did not do anything
to deserve God's love. On the contrary, he did everything
to deserve God's hatred and God's wrath, just like Esau. But God
sovereignly said, Jacob have I love. He said, I will be merciful
to whom I will. I will be gracious to whom I
will. And I've decided to love Jacob. and not Esau. That's fine. That's just fine. Now let's look
at these two men as types, how they are types tonight. Now most people would see this merely
as types of two nations only or two manner of people in the
sense of the Jews and others, the Arabs. and the Jews, but
that's not what this is about. Romans 9, Romans chapter 9 clearly
tells us that, that this thing is all about sovereign election.
Now let's look at these two as a type, and then Rebecca will
also serve as a type here. Rebecca is a type of every believer,
every believer who has, like he said in verse 23, two manner
of people within. two manner of people, and no
type is perfect, and we must not, as my pastor says, try to
make it walk on four legs. Every verse here cannot specifically
apply, but it's a good type, none the less. All right, look
at verse 19 again. These are the generations of
Isaac, Abraham's son. Abraham begat Isaac. Sounds redundant,
doesn't it? It's not Abraham's son. Abraham begat Isaac. Generations
of Abraham's son. Isaac was the son of promise. Isaac was the only true son of
Abraham. Isaac was the miracle son promised
by God, given by God. And Isaac is a type of the Lord
Jesus Christ, who is the son of promise, the son of God, who
was born miraculously, born of a virgin. And it says, these
are the generations of Isaac. They remind me of Matthew chapter
one. Verse one says, this is the book
of a generation, degeneration. For those of you who caught that
degeneration of Jesus Christ. Talk about those generations,
three generations. Matthew 1 says this is the book
of the generation of Jesus Christ. Christ said this generation shall
not pass away till all these things be fulfilled. Well, we'll
talk about regeneration here when we talk about Christ, who
is the Son of God, the only begotten Son of God. All right, verse
20. Isaac was 40 years old when he took Rebekah to wine. Isaac
took a wife. You remember the story back in
chapter 24? I'd just love to go back there
and go over it again, but we won't. Nevertheless, Abraham
told his servant to go down and find a bride for Isaac. Not to go to the heathen, but
go to his people. His people. And Isaac, a wife
was provided miraculously for Isaac. given to Isaac, and Isaac
loved her, and Isaac married her. And the Lord Jesus Christ
has a bride, and those people are chosen by the Father. They're
his chosen people whom God has given to his son as a wife, and
Christ loved his wife, loves his wife. gave himself for her,
lived, died, saved us by his blood and his righteousness.
And he loved her and married her, joined himself to his bride."
Verse 21. Now, Isaac entreated the Lord
for his wife. He entreated the Lord for his
wife because she was barren. Now, you remember how that... The servant was sent down to.
To get a wife for Isaac and he found her among the people. And
he brought her back and the son loved her and married her but
there's one problem. She was barren. She was unfruitful
Rebecca we're talking about she had no children she she could
have no children she was barren she was unfruitful so it says
here that Isaac prayed for her. Isaac entreated the Lord for
her. He prayed for her that she might bear fruit, that she might
bring forth life. Her womb was, as it were, dead,
and Isaac, her husband, prayed for her that she might have life.
You see the picture? Turn over to John 17 with me.
Our Lord Jesus Christ married a sinful, unfruitful, barren,
helpless, hopeless lifeless bride. That's his people. When he agreed
to marry them and take them and do what he did for them, they
were dead in trespasses and sin. And Christ, our husband, entreated
the Father on our behalf. John 17 is that entreaty or that
prayer of our husband on behalf of his bride. Look at what he
asks on behalf of his bride. Verses 9 and 10, I pray for them. I pray, we'll look back up at verse 6. I have manifested thy
name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world. Thine they were. You chose them. You elected them. You set your
love upon them. You gave them to me. You gave
them to me. And verse nine says I pray for
being I don't pray for the world. That excludes universal redemption
and. Why would he die for somebody
who refused to pray for. No he says I pray for them I
pray for those who gave me I pray for those that I came to die
for I pray for the sheep I'm not praying for goats I'm praying
for I pray for them, not for the world, but for them which
thou hast given me. They are thine, they are thine,
and all mine are thine, and thine are mine, and I am glorified
in them." Read on. And now, I am no more in the
world, or that is, I'm leaving the world. These are in the world,
and I come to them. Holy Father, and look what he
entreats the Father for, for the Keep, keep them, keep through
thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may
be one, that they may be one as we are. Look at verse 13.
And now, come I today, and these things I speak in the world,
that they might have my joy. Father, keep them. Lord, give
them my joy. fulfill my joy in them. Verse fifteen, I pray not that
thou shouldest take them out of the world, but thou shouldest
keep them from the evil. Lord, keep them as the apple
of your eye. Lord, fulfill my joy in them. Lord, keep them
from the evil one. Verse seventeen, sanctify them. Lord, set them apart for thy
holy use. Make them holy through thy truth. Thy word is true. Verse twenty-one,
that they all may be one, as thou, Father, art in me, and
I in thee, that they also may be one in us, that the world
may believe that thou hast sent me, and the glory which thou
gavest me I have given them, that they may be one, even as
we are one, I in them, thou in me, that they may be made perfect."
Oh, Lord, keep them. Keep them, Lord. Perfect them,
Lord. Sanctify them. Keep them from
the evil one. Fulfill my joy in them. Verse 24. Father, I will also. I will that they also, whom thou
hast given me, be with me where I am. Lord, bring them all home.
Every one of them. Bring them all home. I'm not
willing to lose one of them. Bring all the children home.
The son entreated the father for his bride that she might
have all these things. Did the Lord hear Isaac? It says in verse 21 that Isaac
entreated the Lord for his wife because she was barren, and the
Lord was entreated of him. And Rebekah, his wife, conceived.
Well, did the Father hear the Son? When Christ prayed at Lazarus'
tomb, he said this. He said, I thank thee, Father,
that thou hast heard me. And I know that thou hearest
me always. I know you always hear me. You always give me what I ask. So everything Christ prayed for
for his people, they're going to get. They're going to be kept
by his power. They're going to have his joy
fulfilled in them. They're going to be kept from
the evil one. They're going to be sanctified. They're going
to see his glory. They're going to be with him
sometimes. That's what he prayed for his bride. And just as our
Lord cried at Lazarus' tomb, also he asked the Father, Lord,
hear me, raise this man. And he cried out, Lazarus, come
forth. Did Lazarus come forth? That's what the Lord Jesus Christ
does for every dead sinner he came to save. He prays, he came,
he lived, he died. He rose again, he ever lives
to intercede for them. Father, give them life. They're dead in trespass and
sin. Send the Holy Spirit and breathe on them and give them
life. And they have life. They have
life. So, Rebecca conceives. She conceives,
Isaac's wife, and life is begun within us. Life is begun within
every dead sinner that Christ prays for. Look at verse 22.
But the children struggled together within Rebekah. She conceived. Life had begun. But these children,
this seed, struggled within her. And she said, now, I don't understand
this. If God has blessed me, if this
is of God, If we ask the Lord to bless and give life, why is
this happening? Why are things like they are?
Looks like everything be rosy. Looks like everything be all
right. God's in this. Why would there be a struggle
within that? Huh? Why am I thus, she said,
if it be so? She asked herself that. And then
it says she went to inquire of the Lord. She quit asking herself
and went to ask Him. And every believer, every believer,
when a true work of regeneration begins, when life is begun in
every believer, when life is conceived, spiritual life, generation,
regeneration has begun, true spiritual life, there's a struggle
within. That's proof that there is life,
this struggle within. And every believer has to ask
himself, and go through this. They say, if I'm a Christian,
if I'm a child of God, why am I like this? Why is this inner
turmoil going on? Why? And they ask the Lord that. And they inquire of the Lord
that. Lord, why? Lord, get rid of this. This is the problem here. Would
you get rid of this problem within me? If I'm a child of God, why
am I there? Why this struggle with sin? Lord,
why? I'd feel so much more holy. I'd feel like I could serve you
better. I'd be in so much more comfort
and peace. I'd be so much more encouraged.
Lord, this problem, this struggle within me with sin. Lord, why? Because life has begun. You see, If Rebecca had not conceived,
if there was no life in her womb, there wouldn't be any struggle,
would there? Huh? If her womb was dead, there's
nothing to struggle with. And if you were dead and trespassing—when
you were dead and trespassing, see, there was no struggle, was
there? Huh? And those things that you
had pleasure in, you didn't struggle with them. You didn't fight against
them. Your conscience didn't prick you. You lived smooth life. Nothing bothered you. There was
no conviction of sin. Dead men don't struggle. Do dead
men, do you hear of dead men rolling around in their grave?
Fighting? No, dead men don't struggle.
Alive men that are alive have struggled some. They wrestle,
don't they? They wrestle. Verse 23, the Lord
said unto her, and he gave her this explanation. Two nations
are in thy womb. Two manner of people shall be
separated from thy bowel. One people shall be stronger
than the other people, and the elder shall serve the younger."
There are two manner of people in your womb, Rebecca. One is
stronger than the other. One is older than the other.
And that's the reason for this struggle. Now, here we have this
type of Very simple. The old man and the new man.
Two men, two matter of men within. The old and the new. The old
man, it says in verse 24, it says that when her days to be
delivered were fulfilled, behold there were twins in her womb
and the first came out red all over like a hairy garment. The
oldest one came out rough and gruff. Almost sounded like he
had a growth, a beard. like he was just a bad dude from
the start. Rough and gruff, that serves,
it's a good illustration anyway. Rough and gruff and coarse, it
says verse 27, the boys grew and Esau, the oldest, was a cunning
hunter, a man of the field. A cunning hunter and a man of
the field. And within every believer There's
this manner of man that struggles with him. Rough, gruff, coarse,
warring, a man who's for war, killing. There's a struggle. The old man has been with us
from birth. That's the reason he's called
the old man, because that's the fellow you started out with.
That's who you started out as. The old man and the new man.
Look over at Romans 7. Roman 7 gives as clear a picture
of this as can be painted. Roman 7, look at this, and all
believers can relate to this. Roman 7, verse 21, you got it? Roman 7, 21, Paul said, I, and
this is the Apostle Paul speaking, one of the finest, most upright,
godly men who ever lived. He was not saying this when he
was unsaved. He was saying this later on in
his life. Verse 22, he says, I delight
in the law of God after the inward man, but I find, verse 21, I
find a law that when I would do good, evil is present with
me. I delight in the law of God after
the inward man, but I see another law. in my memory, warring against
the law of my mind, bringing me into captivity to the law
of sin, which is in my memory. Oh, wretched man that I am! Who's going to deliver me from
this body of death, this dead man, this old man that bugs me? Pilgrim, someone said it was
like the old man is like carrying around a dead carcass on your
back all your life. It stinks to you. It's a weight
to you. It's a hindrance to you. But
there he is, this body of death. And he seems stronger, doesn't
he? Paul said there, he said, he brings me into captivity.
And our text said that he was stronger. One man was stronger
than the other. Older. One seemed stronger than
the other. And every believer has this problem,
this struggle with this old man. This is one that seems stronger.
He seems, you feel like a babe in Christ and weak. But this
old man seems to get the upper hand, doesn't he? Doesn't he
seem to get the upper hand? Have dominion over you? You chose
a good passage to read, Rick. One verse in there, when you
said you were going to read it, I said, I'm glad he read that,
because I'm going to quote it at the very end. It's the punchline
for this whole message. Well, some of you have older
brothers. Anybody have older brothers than
Sammy? And do they ever pick on you? How's your time, Sam? Let it out. Tell everybody how
cruel Steve was to you. Well, mine did. If yours didn't,
mine did. At least one of them did. And
they'd get me down, when I was just a little fella, they'd get
me down, my oldest brother, and sit on my chest and perform the
most hideous of all things, something all kids dread to have done to them. You
know, why are you laughing, Steve? Did you do that to him? It's called Chinese torture. You pin their arms down and you
just keep tapping on their chest. Oh, and you scream. And they say, or they do something
to you, and they say, cry uncle. The magic, when was uncle? Always
a magic word, but it was. If you just cry uncle, it'll
all be over. Uncle! Uncle. What an old man. He just gets
to us all the time, doesn't he? Gets us down and tortures us
all the time. It's something you need to cry. Just cry. Cry him. Christ, help
me. Help me. He said, I'm a very
present help in time of trouble. And the strong man, stronger
than he comes, and binds that man, says, leave him alone. He's
mine. He's mine. Well, the old man
is older, and it says that he was stronger, and it says he
was a cunning hunter. See that? A cunning hunter. Or that is, he was a stalker,
a cunning hunter, a fellow whose cunning at hunting is one who
knows his prey and stalks them, knows the ins and outs of his
prey. He knows their characteristics.
He knows all about it. He knows how to track them and
how to hound them. A cunning hunter will stay on
the trail of his prey until he captures them or kills them. He knows his prey, a cunning
hunter, a good hunter knows his prey. And he goes after him and
stalks him until he gets him. This was what happened to Jacob,
his brother Esau. Remember the story? We're going
to see it later on. Jacob was running from Esau.
Esau was on his trail and Esau was a cunning hunter and Jacob
was a A man who dwelled in tents. He didn't know anything about
being out on the run, but Esau did. And he was after Jacob. And do you remember that story? I can't wait to get to that one.
Jacob sent offerings, and Esau said no. But that doesn't serve
my purpose right now. The fact is that Esau hunted
him, and he bothered him, and hounded him, and would not leave
him alone. Doesn't that describe the old
man? He's a cunning hunter. A cunning hunter. It says he
was a man of the field. In other words, Esau liked to
crowse around. Liked to be out and about. Liked
to roam. Liked to wander. When you're
out in the field, you like to wander. Out and about. Where
you going? I don't know. Out in the field. Out in the
woods. For a walk. Where you going?
No place in particular you just want to go. And that's the old
man, isn't it? prone to wonder. Lord, I feel
it. Where are you going? I don't
know. I just want out. I want out and about. I want to roam.
I want to crowd. I want to get in trouble. That's
the old man, isn't it? Huh? The word Esau. You know
what Esau means? It means to make his own way. And doesn't that describe the
old man? to make his own way, independent, self-sufficient,
needing no one, certainly don't need Christ, make his own way. Well, let's look at this new
man, this younger brother, the youngest one. Verse 27, it says,
The boys grew, and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field. But
Jacob, Jacob was a plain man. Plain man. Word means ordinary. Common. Just a plain man. Common man,
nothing special about it. Just a plain old ordinary man. It says he dwelled in tents.
He didn't like to roam around. He liked to dwell in one place.
A common ordinary man who liked to dwell in one place, not go
anywhere. You going to stay at home? This is where I want to
be. Is that all you're going to do is read? This is what I
want to do." He was a mama's boy. Mama's boy. Mother loved him. Mama always
loved him best. Now, this is a picture of the
new man, isn't it? Created in Christ Jesus, the
younger, weak, little babes in Christ at first, children, plain
men. God saves plain men. Common men,
ordinary sinners. And these plain men, these common,
ordinary sinners, like to dwell in one place. They don't like
to move around. Is that where you're going to
stay? You're just going to abide in Christ? That's where you're
going to stay all this time? That's what you want to hear?
Christ? Is that all you want to read
and hear about? Yeah. You're just a common fellow,
aren't you? Plain man? Ordinary? Plain, true,
well since you, that's what you want, we use great plainness
of speech. Since you're a plain man, we'll just preach plain
old gospel to you. And abide in him, abide in Christ. This also means abiding in tents,
also means a pilgrim and a sojourner. It says Rebecca loved Jacob.
Rebecca begat Jacob and she loved him. Well, those created in Christ
Jesus are loved by Christ. Now you know what the name Jacob
means, don't you? The name Jacob means surplenter. It means heel
catcher. That's what it means. It says
in verse twenty-six that when Jacob came out, his name was,
he caught hold on Esau's heel and his name was called Jacob.
What it means is heel catcher. Try that one. What about that
one, Jenny? Name the boy heel catcher. That's what Jacob means. People
are naming that. That's what it means, heel catcher.
Heel catcher. A wonderful name and heel catcher. Well, it's not without significance.
And it's certainly a good name. I'll show you why in a moment.
You know what we say, us Jacobs? You know what we say? You said
this, John. You gave me this point. We say, like Jacob. Jacob, she reached out and grabbed
hold on his elder brother's heel and would not let go. He wanted
to bless him. And we reach forth like the widow
or the woman touched with infirmity, issue of blood. She said, if
I may but touch the hem of his garment. Or we say, if we may
but catch hold on the heel of him who brews the serpent's head.
Christ is a heel that we want to grab hold on to, our elder
brother. And we want to bless him, grab
hold on him, lay hold on him. Lay hold on our elder brother.
Bring us out of the womb of sin. Bring us out. You know what?
Jacob. Oh, Jacob. I just can't wait
to get into the life of Jacob. Jacob. Jacob have I loved. God
says, I'm the God of Jacob. I'm the God of Jacob. Jacob have
I loved. He says, you sons of Jacob are
not consumed. You sons of Jacob. Now, you know
what surplanter means. I looked this up in Webster's
Dictionary. Surplant. You know what it means to supplant
something? Surplant means, listen to this, supplant means to take
the place of and serve as a substitute by reason of superior excellence. To take the place of and serve
as substitute by reason of superior That's the new man created in
the image of Christ Jesus, who took the place of that old man. This new creature, old things
have passed away, old things have become new, and he is of
superior excellence because he's created in the image of Christ.
The plan also means this. Listen to this. And you could
apply this to Christ, couldn't you? Whoever thought of Jacob
as the type of Christ? Supplant also means to bring
about the downfall of. To bring about the downfall of.
Supplant also means to uproot, eradicate, overthrow, drive out,
and drive away. That's Christ, isn't it? That's Christ. That's the new
man. Created in Christ because Christ said, greater is he that
is in you than he is in the world. He's going to drive him out.
It's going to drive him out. I know it feels like the old
man has dominion, but... I'll say it in a moment. And
though Jacob was younger, and weaker, and constantly troubled
by, and feared his older brother. He feared his older brother,
didn't he? He was afraid of him. You don't know that man, do you?
Your greatest enemy is yourself. Right? Lord, keep me from that
evil man. Who's that? Me. Me. Me. I'll kill myself if you don't
keep me from him. May the elder, may the elder
serve the younger. Verse 23, God said the elder
shall. serve the younger. The elder
shall serve the younger. And that's the punchline. Christ
says to all those who struggle with sin, all those who have
two manner of being within, who struggle with this old man, those
who have a new life begun in them, the scripture says, he
that hath begun a good work in you, he'll finish it. He's going
to keep maturing. That old man, he's not getting
better. He's really not getting worse.
It's just you're getting more discernment. Your smeller's getting
better. And you smell that feller. You
say your smeller's getting better. Your smeller for sin and corruption's
getting better. The old man's not getting anywhere.
He's dead. He's dead. Crucified. But he's dead. He
stinks. He stinketh. He stinketh. And the longer you
live, the more you grow like Christ, the more he stinketh
to you. Until finally, someday, the Lord
will perfect that which concerneth you in body, in soul, and body. Until he puts off, Paul said,
who shall deliver me from this body of death? I thank God. Through Jesus Christ
our Lord. That's who. That's who. That's
who crucified the old man. That's who gave me the new man. That's who gave birth to the
new man. And I know that sin, it feels like sin has dominion
over you. But he said, didn't he say that in Romans 6? Didn't
he say that? Sin shall not have the dominion
over you. Didn't he say that, John? Now
heaven and earth will pass away. He said, my words won't pass
away. That's good news, isn't it? Rebecca
said, why is this problem? He said, the elder shall serve
the younger. And we say, Lord, I'm struggling with me. How long
that put up with me? As long as you live in it. But
don't worry too much, because the elder shall serve the younger.
The old man is going to serve the new man somehow. And sin
shall not have dominion over you. If anything, the old man,
sin serves to do this one thing, this one thing needful. Sin,
how does the elder serve the younger? How does the old man
serve the new man? How? Huh? But if anything, it serves this
one vital purpose, this one thing needful. It makes you cry Christ. It makes you cry out, Uncle.
It makes you flee to him, doesn't it? It makes you run to him.
If it wasn't that problem, you wouldn't need Christ. You wouldn't
call on Christ. And that's what religious people
in this world... There's a verse of Scripture
in the Psalms that says, because they have no changes... I wish
I had written that down. I could find it if I hurried.
Well, it says, because they have no changes, therefore they don't
fear God. You know what that means? It means that religious people
don't struggle with sin. They don't struggle with it. They're good and holy and righteous,
and they don't have a problem. You got a problem with that,
brother? Well, I became that a long time ago. I ain't got
a problem with that. You know, I don't want any of
this stuff. I'm holy. I'm happy, you know,
I'm holy. I'm anointed. Speaking in tongues,
because they have no changes. They don't have any struggle
within. There ain't no life there either. No life there either. But the believer, he goes through
these changes, and it's a change for the better. It's a change
from an old master to a new one. And buddy, any time there's a
change of sides, there's going to be a war. Somebody, one of the old writers
said, anybody that leaves Satan's army, that's who he's going after. Traitor. Back in the army when
a fellow was deserted, was a deserter, they went after him with everything
they had in them. They went after him more than they did the enemy.
Deserter, and they court-martialed him or shot him on sight or something,
didn't they? And that's Satan. He's not going
to give up without a struggle, a struggle, but greater is he as in you than
he, this God of this world. All right. Sin shall not have
dominion over you. The elder shall serve the younger.
All right, stand with me. I hope that was of some benefit
to you, some comfort. Lord, may we comfort one another
with these words, that our elder brother, Christ, whose image
is created within us, that we will not sin, that sin which
is unto death, because he keeps us. We will not sin, that sin
which is unto death. We cannot sin, because his seed
remaineth in us, this new creature. in Christ, which is holy, unblameable,
unreprovable in God's sight, this new man. The old man, he's
dead. He's crucified with Christ. Nevertheless,
we live, yet it's not us. It's Christ that liveth in us,
and because he lives, we live also. He is our life. Christ
is our life, and we are complete in him. Christ, us in him, and
Christ in us. This is all our hope, Christ
in us, our hope of eternal glory. Take these things, Lord, and
comfort your people with them. We marvel at the glory and the
majesty and beauty and the mystery of your word. Thank you for revealing
it to us. Until we meet again Wednesday
night, in his name we pray, amen.